How can companies, brands and organizations connect their internal culture and how they’re run with brand marketing and how they’re represented to the outside world?
A panel of marketers from Twitter, Zalando and Whalar set out to answer those questions, posed by Adweek’s creative and inclusion editor Shannon Miller, at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
“I know DEI gets tossed around a lot, but it’s important when we talk about it that we really clarify what we’re speaking about,” said God-is Rivera, Twitter’s global director of culture and community. “I speak mainly about marketing and customers and understanding consumer groups that are diverse, and the cultural nuances and layers of it,” she said, adding, “I hope more companies understand there are many prongs of DEI, and they need to take them all seriously and invest in them all.”
Natalie Wills, global director of marketing at Zalando, believes brands should view their DEI responsibilities as a privilege, not just a box to check.
“Every day as marketers, we have such an amazing opportunity but also a responsibility to wake up and change these stereotypical faces of fashion, beauty, culture, et cetera,” she said. “We do need to take that seriously, and it’s something I feel very proud to do.”
So, are brands walking the walk when it comes to DEI?
“I do think we’ve seen some real marketing boo-boos over the last couple of months, specifically with Pride, Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate,” Wills said.
“We’ve seen a lot of ‘woke washing,’ where brands are just jumping on board without being able to prove they actually support these communities. I think it’s really important that what you see in brand marketing is just the tip of the iceberg. There needs to be real programs in place at every level of the business where you’re supporting these communities.”
