Why diversity makes a difference in online advertising
Inclusive marketing is more than just a buzzword. Consumers around the world are increasingly looking for diversity and inclusion. They want to see themselves and their communities represented more often – and more accurately – in online advertising. And when they find brands that do embrace diversity in their ads, they reward them.
Aiming to better understand people’s expectations of representation online and the impact of diverse and inclusive digital campaigns, Facebook has published a new report into diversity and representation in online advertising.
The study included a survey of 1,200 people, a review of more than 1,200 brand lift studies and an analysis of more than 1,000 Facebook video ads. The results show that representation is still a major issue in the online advertising industry.
Limiting and negative representations still present in online ads
First off, Facebook analyzed over 1,000 global Facebook video ads to assess how people are depicted in online campaigns. “The results indicate that limiting and negative representations are still present in online advertising, with some campaigns portraying people in stereotypical ways”, the company notes.
As an example, Facebook’s research shows that women are 14.1 times more likely than men to be shown in revealing clothing and are 6.9 times more likely to be visually or verbally objectified, while men are 2.4 times more likely than women to be presented as angry.
The analysis further revealed that underrepresentation is another issue in online advertising, with certain groups often omitted from depictions. For example, people with disabilities were severely underrepresented in online ads (present in only 1.1% of the ads examined) as were members of the LGBTQ+ community (0.3%).
Similar shortfalls are reflected in cultural representation, with 54% of those surveyed saying that they do not feel fully culturally represented in online advertising. “Members of diverse communities often feel most impacted. For example, of those surveyed, Latino and Black Americans are 1.8 times more likely to say they see negative stereotypical representation in online ads.”
People want brands to do better
Facebook commissioned Ipsos to survey 1,200 people aged 18+ in Brazil, the United Kingdom and the United States who use Facebook regularly to understand attitudes about representation in online advertising.
The majority (54%) of consumers surveyed said they do not feel fully culturally represented in online advertising and most (71%) expect brands to promote diversity and inclusion in their online advertising.
Members of diverse communities often feel most impacted. For example, of those surveyed, Latino and Black Americans are 1.8 times more likely to say they see negative stereotypical representation in online ads.
Diverse representation has a positive business impact
Finally, in order to understand the business impact of diversity in online campaigns, Facebook analyzed the results of 25 brand lift studies that were run in 2018 and 2019 and ran 4,000 simulations. They also conducted a meta-analysis of more than 1,200 brand lift studies.
The company found that online campaigns with more diverse representation tend to have higher ad recall compared with campaigns featuring a single traditional representation. And in more than 90% of the simulations they ran, diverse representation was the winning strategy for ad recall lift.
Moreover, Facebook notes that when brands do address representation, this drives purchases and loyalty. “Some 59% of consumers polled said they are more loyal to brands that stand for diversity and inclusion in online advertising, and 59% also said they prefer to buy from brands that stand for diversity and inclusion in online advertising.”
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