Kantar Brand Inclusion
Kantar, the world’s leading marketing data and analytics company, launched the first-ever first Brand Inclusion Index, a study that focuses on people’s perception of a brand’s diversity, equity, and inclusion – what consumers see, feel, think, how they consider the brand as a result and how that influences buying decisions. Kantar’s Brand Inclusion Index gives a voice to people who tend to be under-represented or excluded by brands and provides clear guidelines as to how brands can close their inclusion gaps. The report also uncovers which brands U.S. respondents identified as best in DEI.“Brands are operating in a very complex socio-political environment, often maneuvering through cultural landmines,” says Valeria Piaggio, Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Kantar, “Loud voices are trying to silence brands’ inclusivity efforts. But amidst the smoke and confusion data tells us that those screams do not reflect the sentiment of the sensible majority. Our analysis of what’s behind the most inclusive brands is that they all have three things: a well-thought-out DEI strategy that stems from company actions and is committed long-term, impeccable creative execution, and bravery. The element of bravery will be increasingly important.”To evaluate inclusion, Kantar’s report over-represents the under-represented, focusing on under-represented or mis-represented populations. The study finds:65% of the U.S. population agrees “I believe businesses have a responsibility to make society fairer.”63% of respondents say they’ve experienced discrimination in the last 12 months, which spans from rare occasions to often or all the time.44% of those who experienced discrimination report this happening at a commercial location. This points to the commercial responsibility for brands, which put the buying power of these populations at risk. Kantar estimates this could incur a potential loss of $5.4 trillion.65% of those who are not well represented in advertising experienced discrimination in the last year (ten-percentage points above those who are regularly well-represented), which points to the social responsibility of brands.Many traditionally under-served groups have fast-growing spending power and the Brand Inclusion Index will help them measure the scale of the opportunity and the actions that are needed to grow their business with these groups.
