Peter Daboll, Chief of Strategy and Insights for iSpot.tv and our resident Marketing Master, profiles a wide range of avenues brands have taken in 2022 towards Diversity & Inclusion.
Our dive into diversity & inclusion in advertising has so far examined both the checkbox approach and zeroing in on a single societal segment. Now we will review the Creative Assessment* results of ads communicating inclusion through homogenous human emotions and needs, along with ads moving to a higher purpose of dismantling stereotypes and at times, brand perception.
III. Making Universal Needs and Feelings More Inclusive
More and more brands are pairing inclusive casting with emotive messaging that is Relatable and Empowering*, regardless of demographic. In these ads, it is the story and/or the cause that feels inclusive and drives powerful, positive emotional responses beyond a simple casting approach.
Ulta – “Beauty Is a Powerful Collective” :30
Ulta kicked off fall ’22 with a “Beauty Is a Powerful Collective” campaign that aimed to change beauty’s narrative from being narrowly defined to encompassing individual aspects that all of us hold. The ad featured a mix of ages, body types, ethnicities and genders. The inclusion of a male character in a stereotypically female industry caused some consternation, sparking But* and Incredulous* emotion.
Although polarizing (ranking in the 93rd percentile on viewer disagreement) and clearly unsettling (sparking feelings of both Empowerment and Exploitation*), the definition of beauty as power within was very impactful. The message overpowered character diversity in the viewer experience, and was rated the Single Best Thing at a rate 27 times the cosmetics average.
Scores indexed vs. cosmetics one-year norms.
Viewers noted the inclusive messaging, with many respecting that the beauty brand conveyed acceptance for something other than appearance. Some consumers clearly still felt the diverse representation was nothing more than disingenuous pandering — but in those cases, it seems the viewer might have been looking for it, rather than hearing the message:
“It feels a little like company appeasing and being a pick me but also we literally can’t ask for more from a company than this especially as a POC.”
Female 16-20 Black or African American
“Way to fit in every race, gender, disability and transgender in that commercial… Not to mention size. Wow you guys are Pander bears.”
Male 36-49 Caucasian
“I love últa! I shop here for my make up and I can never go wrong coming there, I love their ads and the way they love all people of different color”
Female 21-35 Hispanic
“I thought the ad was innovative because the ad focused on the product and also can be used by men and women with different ethnic backgrounds”
Male 36-49 Black or African American
“I loved this ad! It was visually beautiful, the message of the ad was very positive and inspiring! I loved all the different characters showing all the ways someone is beautiful! I especially love the line “beauty isn’t only what you put on but what you put out to the world”!! Amazing!”
Female 36-49 Caucasian
“Equality, that’s it, and that everyone is beautiful in their own way, no matter their race or looks, and I really like the diversity in the ad also, I don’t see that much lately in different ads.”
Male 21-35 Caucasian
This creative resonated well across a wide audience, but did not move the purchase intent needle far beyond the cosmetic industry norm. Instead (and likely the objective), the ad meaningfully reinforced and extended a core value the brand has been building since 2018.
Vicks – “The Most Powerful Ingredient” :30
P&G’s Vick’s recently expanded their brand ethos to include a positive ‘touch of care’ along with the home medical aids it produces. Although casting was indeed diverse, viewers across different ethnicities placed the ad well above pharmaceutical norms, seeing beyond visual traits and focusing on the strongly unifying (and Empowering) feelings the ad sparked.
Scores indexed vs. pharmaceutical one-year norms.
Viewer comments reflect the sway of this connective messaging over the casting, which directly translated into notably stronger purchase intent (+8 points over category norm).
“What a wonderful and caring commercial this was.. It shows Vick’s product as a loving and caring item And also putting in that usually the best thing is just a person caring for another person was wonderful, as people can identify with that.”
Female 50+ Caucasian
“I can totally agree with the message that when you are taking care of someone who is sick you will do anything for them. As a parent I have spent scary nights with a sick child. I have used Vicks for many years.”
Male 36-49 Other
“I think Vicks is seeing the world and what is going on. This was a nice message that we can be more powerful than the things we use to combat sickness”
Male 21-35 Hispanic
“Love the ad and how it depicts that everyone needs someone to care for them in the best and worst of times”
Female 36-49 Caucasian
Lego – “We Are All Builders” :60
Featuring a vastly diverse cast in this 90th anniversary ad, Lego delivered a unifying message that the human mind is a creative playground built for making the world a better place. Both the visuals and the message stood out to viewers, indicating that the inclusion was noticed and meaningful to the audience.
Scores indexed vs. toy one-year norms.
Americans ranked the Empowering 60-second creative in the highest percentile for the Change in direction it represented for the brand, and in the 96th or higher percentile on Attention, Likeability*, and Relevance*.
Consumers expressed great love for the brand/product itself, underscoring the significant impact of the visuals and Inspiring message in this particular ad. That impact powered an impressive +15 point improvement in purchase intent vs. the average toy ad.
Word Cloud from Hundreds of Viewer Verbatim Comments
“I loved how they used different ages, genders, races, & it was all inclusive to building a better tomorrow & seeing the world for what it could be, not as it is”
Female 21-35 Caucasian
“I thought it was great that you included people of all types including handicaped people which I am myself.”
Male 21-35 Black or African American
“I think it’s one of the few feel good ads out there that is more about creativity and it doesn’t pander to any one group. It seemed to go by faster than most ads that are half as long because it was so entertaining seeing the different ideas presented.”
Male 36-49 Hispanic
“I love the creativity and color of the commercial. It did a great job of convincing me that a toy can spark an interest in many different interests including hobbies and careers.”
Female 21-35 Black or African American
“I love this ad. It shows how life is creative. The brand is great and they always create wonderful ads.”
Male 36-49 Caucasian
IV. Beyond Inclusion to Purposeful Dissolution of Stereotypes
Perhaps the most aspirational of D&I ads seek not just to represent and connect, but to drive society to a new and higher purpose. The following brands worked to reimagine their product’s role and influence mores and beliefs beyond the product.
Genesis – “Ocean” :60
Luxury auto brand Genesis subtly challenges a common stereotype around absent Black/African American fathers in the 60-second “Ocean.” In this Heartfelt* story, a father gets off the phone after his daughter asks a question about the ocean, to take her to the waterfront (in their GV80) so the two can learn together.
Single Best Thing scores indexed vs. lux auto one-year norms.
This Powerful* storytelling tapped into the ubiquitous father/daughter feelings that reach across race and ethnicity to resonate and Empower across the higher income audience
The characters’ race did not register with most viewers, as more comments centered around the Relatable scene – which sparked a +9 point advantage in purchase consideration. Clearly a win for one of the newest brands in the lux auto category.
“The ad was nice. The thing that stood out the most was the interaction between the father and daughter.”
Male 36-49 Black or African American
“I loved how the main focus in this advertisement was the little girl asking educational questions and how the dad stopped doing what he was doing to bring the little girl on an adventure to receive the answers to her questions.”
Female 36-49 Other
“The car looks awesome as always. Also I like how they had the father and the daughters relationship as central to the ad, because I’m a single father and I also have a close relationship with my daughter.”
Male 21-35 Caucasian
“The ad was moving and I can relate”
Female 36-49 Black or African American
“I thought the ad was very heartwarming. If I had to guess what the ad makers wanted, it was that the car can create great moments like the one in the ad”
Male 21-35 Hispanic
Nike – “We Run” :30
Nike, long championing social rights through their athletes, recently released an ad that proffered the many benefits of running beyond getting fit. The spot layered inclusive scenes with messaging on the diverse reasons that running is beneficial – and therefore available – to everyone. The ad ranked in the 99th percentile among apparel & footwear ads on Likeability, and the 98th percentile on Relevance.
Scores indexed vs. apparel & footwear one-year norms.
Viewers noticed the representation in the characters, but the message trumped by Empowering every viewer to find their reason to belong to the brand’s ‘club’ (limited Exploit signal reflected negative views on glorifying unhealthy habits).
“The ad was great because it showed people of all sizes and ethnicities just being humans and running it’s so simple but it has a much bigger meaning than just running, it is an ad to show that we are all human”
Male 16-20 Caucasian
“I really liked the diversity of people and how they had people who did not look the same or function the same. The inclusivity was excellent and I really enjoyed that Nike included this!”
Female 16-20 Asian
“Usually I feel that diversity in commercials feels too deliberate or forced- as if they were searching strictly for people with disabilities or darker skin tones. For some reason I didn’t feel off put by that in this commercial and it felt natural and borderline inspiring. I’m not much of a runner but I did find the commercial to be very pleasant”
Female 21-35 Caucasian
“I like how they are inspiring. Saying come run with us like running in a marathon which is to run for serious purposes, diseases, health problems or causes like cancer, etc. I also like how they added different ethnicities and people who are different. It’s very new, creative, etc. I love it!”
Female 16-20 Black or African American
“I was brought into the ad when I saw representation of different body types and loved when I saw the guy do sign language! It feels good when I see more people being represented. I also liked that there were different reasons that they ran and weren’t just running to run.”
Female 21-35 Hispanic
V. Changing Society and the Brand
Victoria’s Secret – “Think You Know Us?” :30
In an interesting twist to diversity and inclusion, Victoria’s Secret achieved two feats with its long-awaited campaign following an internal overhaul brought about by years of Exploitative ads. “Think You Know Us?” challenged the brand’s own (and society’s earlier) stereotypes and impressively ingratiated Victoria’s Secret back into the good graces of females of all ages.
Female/age scores indexed vs. specialty apparel one-year norms.
Women rated the Empowering messaging more than 100 points over specialty apparel advertising norms, with a surprisingly low level of Exploit signal compared to the Victoria’s Secret’s past ads (pre-rebrand).
Comments from female viewers reflected surprise and appreciation for the impactful about-face from the brand, with a whopping 61% of women (+16 points over norm) ready to consider the brand (with a few understandably not yet convinced).
Word Cloud from Hundreds of Viewer Verbatim Comments
“I loved it!!!! It’s about time Victoria’s secret has normal regular people!!!!!”
Female 36-49 Hispanic
“Not very sexy kind of sad but uplifting”
Female 16-20 Asian
“I am shocked this was for Victoria’s Secret. They don’t have a great rep in the intimate industry for featuring real bodies. I loved it and loved the message.”
Female 21-35 Caucasian
“It made me as a woman feel uplifted and empowered to be the woman I am regardless of my race or age or body shape.”
Female 36-49 Caucasian
Summing It All Up
The cross-section of ads included in this series prove that a DEI holy grail or 3-step “how to” path to success does not exist, nor should it. Our analysis reveals that there is plenty of room for brands to individualize how they show up. Success can be achieved whether the objective is to authentically speak to and represent a specific audience segment, employ an expansive cast in a universally connective story, or drive compelling emotive brand narratives where the diversity inherent in the ad is not consciously noticed by viewers. And it can have a major impact on purchase intent and therefore, the bottom line.
The delivery has to be believable, relevant, and not obviously self-serving. As the brand bravery examined in this series exemplifies, American viewers are largely yearning to connect on matters beyond the physical. Of note, most of the ads reviewed were not awarded the highest marks for Empowerment, foretelling the growing expectations of consumers that inclusion be a matter of course, and not a means to recognition.
Other installments of the Diversity & Inclusion Series can be found here:
Find installments of the earlier Marketing Masters Rebranding Series here:
The Great Brand Redux: Leveraging Past Campaigns with a New Twist
The Great Brand Redux: Extending Brand Relevancy Through Innovation and/or New Audiences
The Great Brand Redux: Adopting Purpose to Connect With New Relevancy
About the Author
Peter Daboll has more than 25 years of experience in the science of measuring advertising effectiveness and is a recognized expert in understanding what makes advertising successful. He has spent his career developing and implementing analytical models and testing systems to measure consumer response to advertising. In his current role, Peter Daboll serves as Chief of Strategy and Insights for iSpot.tv after his company, Ace Metrix, was acquired in late 2020. As CEO of Ace Metrix, Mr. Daboll has led the company in developing innovative metrics and methods for helping advertisers make better, more impactful video creative.
*Glossary
Creative Assessment methodology: Each nationally-breaking TV and video ad is rapidly surveyed by 500+ US consumers (demographically balanced to the census), providing a pure assessment of creative effectiveness. Quantitative and qualitative insights reveal what consumers think and how they feel about an ad.
But, Incredulous, Heartfelt, and Powerful are 4 of the 57 emotional metrics iSpot Creative Assessment measures for every TV and video ad.
Cultural Perception: measuring positive and negative impact of advertising, the Cultural Perception scoring system ultimately helps brands assess the risks and rewards of achieving emotional connections as they relate to cultural and social subjects.
Empower: measures the positive impact of an ad’s message, indicating when viewers find it encouraging, inspiring, or motivating.
Exploit: measures negative impact, indicating when an ad offends viewers in some manner, whether that’s via stereotyping, pandering, objectification, glorification, portraying racism or sexism, or band-wagoning.
Likeability Score: measures an ad’s ability to appeal to viewers, based on results from the survey prompt “I like this ad”
Relevance Score: measures an ad’s ability to relate with viewers, based on results from the survey prompt “I can relate to its message”
All norms = 8/30/21-8/30/22