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This article written by Jainnie Cho, VP of BBC Storyworks at BBC Studios, is a part of a series celebrating Women in Branded Content and Native Advertising.
DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) is under scrutiny. In January, Mark Zuckerberg publicly declared companies have been “neutered” and need more “masculine energy,” while in the same month, the Trump administration began issuing a series of executive orders aimed at dismantling DEI programs across the federal government and the private sector.
But despite these stories dominating the headlines, data stands behind the rewards of inclusive marketing and storytelling. A 2023 study by UM (the global media agency network of IPG Mediabrand) shows that retreating from DEI initiatives is bad for business, with purchase intent more than doubling when socially-conscious brands engage advertising media partners that share common values.
Last November, Creative Equals (an organisation focused on promoting DEI within the creative industry) in partnership with Effie UK released a report highlighting the critical role of DEI in marketing effectiveness. It revealed that 69% of Effie finalists and winners had DEI embedded authentically into their brand story and proposition. The report also cited other research, including an analysis by Facebook that found diverse representation in marketing generated a higher ad recall in 90% of simulations.
There are more easily quantifiable metrics, like counting faces. Then there are more nuanced and harder-to-measure - but equally meaningful - things to consider. The same Creative Equals report, it emphasised that positive, stereotype-free portrayals create a greater impact than simple representation. Referencing a Tesco Mobile ad with a black woman as the main character, it said: “This [Tesco Mobile] ad portrays the protagonist in a playful manner. There is vulnerability in her portrayal which subverts the ‘Strong Black Woman’ stereotype that puts undue social pressure on black women to maintain emotional resilience.”
Diverse voices, subverted expectations
This conclusion about the Tesco Mobile ad was telling - so much socially-conscious messaging can seem perfunctory or insincere that it has its own name: “purpose washing”. Authenticity matters more than simple representation - it’s the quality, rather than just the quantity, that counts. For this to happen though, there needs to be a diverse team of storytellers in place.
Because ultimately, the people who make the work shape the work. In this sense, the advertising industry could be doing a lot more to make this space inclusive - to identify and bring in people with genuinely different perspectives and experiences.
This won’t happen due to individual goodwill alone. Company and/or industry-wide initiatives to support employees and increase representation are key for meaningful progress. In this sense, I feel proud to be working for BBC Studios, one of the most transparent organisations in the UK media sector for voluntarily disclosing protected characteristics. We have industry-leading initiatives like the Inclusion Rider, which ensures a minimum of 20% of on-screen talent and production teams on all new commissions either come from a diverse ethnic heritage background, have an experience of living with a disability, or are from a low-income background. There’s also the BBC Extend initiative, which ring-fences jobs for applications from people who are deaf, disabled or neurodivergent for a specific period before advertising them more widely.
Inclusive teams make better stories
Even if your company or team are not there yet in terms of diversity, it’s equally important to nurture an environment where everyone, no matter who you are or where you come from, feels like they can voice different opinions.
I remember my first branded content project: a campaign for an Asian skincare brand. I was only a few weeks into my new role and the senior producer on the team asked for my thoughts on the film’s music score. “How does this sound to you? Is it what a white person like me would assume the background music to this kind of setting should be?” I replied, “It sounds like something out of ‘The World of Suzie Wong’.” We had a good laugh and changed the music for the final edit.
As a Korean woman working in the UK for more than a decade, there were times when I didn’t speak up about an iffy line of dialogue or the authenticity of a storyline for fear of being labelled difficult or different. But when that colleague - someone more senior and white - proactively asked me what I thought about the music, I remember feeling like I had the right to be in the room - and that my different opinion might even help the team create a better story. It may seem like a small example, but seeing someone in that position inviting their assumptions to be challenged was a great indicator of the kind of diversity they’re looking to achieve.
For me, DEI has never been about sitting through that hour-long company training session that nobody pays attention to. It’s never been about looking at a pink-suited woman of color in an ad campaign and thinking “Oh, that’s me!” As with all worthwhile concepts, diversity - and storytelling - are never that black-or-white. It takes empathy, time and genuine communication in which we listen to each other, even though we don’t look like the other person, or come from where they come from, or disagree with what they’re saying.
