Gen Z research has revealed time and again that the younger generation is keen on driving positive change in the world. Their most important priorities are diversity and inclusion and shaping environments where everyone is equally welcome and acknowledged.

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Gen Z research has revealed time and again that the younger
generation is keen on driving positive change in the world. Their
most important priorities are diversity and inclusion and shaping
environments where everyone is equally welcome and
acknowledged.
70% of Gen Z consumers are more trusting of brands that
represent diversity in their ads. Yet, despite this meaningful Gen
Z trend, many brands still fail to portray diversity in their
marketing authentically. In fact, as many as 66% of African-
Americans and 53% of Latino and Hispanic feel stereotyped in
ads.
Many campaigns remain plagued by cliches, cultural insensitivity
and tone-deafness.
This means that it's vital to research inclusivity alongside Gen Z
to understand how to do better. In conjunction with Microsoft,

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Hubspot studied the psychology of inclusion and its effects on
advertising.
This article will explore the essential teachings to be taken away.
Three Metaphors of Inclusion
The research uncovered how language cues and context can evoke
feelings of inclusion. Three key metaphors emerged which can be
closely tied to emotions that make audiences respond positively to
diverse campaigns.
In other words, by adjusting the language of your campaign to hit
specific key themes and cues, it's easier to create diverse
advertising that appeals to Gen Z trends.
The three Metaphors are Connection, Openness and Balance, in
each stands in conjunction with words that signal inclusion.

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Using these cues organically within your ads, content, and
website proves more welcoming to diverse audiences.
Another way to communicate these metaphors is to include
relevant imagery that evokes these three critical feelings.
Below are some actionable insights into how to portray each
metaphor.
Connection
Some of the critical language cues that signify connection include:
 Family
 Coming together
 Unity
 Involvement
 Diversity

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 Care
 Relate
 Trust
 Empathy
 Accepting
 Belonging
 Share
Illustrate this metaphor through imagery by:
 Including more than one person in an image
 Including natural diversity with authentic and genuine imagery
and real people being themselves. Reflect on everyday life,
rather than actors and
 Create a visible relationship between the people in the image
 Include people in your photography, even if the key element is
a product

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Openness
Openness is associated with the following language cues:
 Open
 Friendly
 Warm
 Versatile
 Included
 No limits
 Free
 Expanding
 Safe
 Secure
…and it can be illustrated in imagery through:
 Showing people with disabilities

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 Including multiple people of colour
 Including unique subsets of diverse populations
 Featuring different body types and non-traditional examples of
a specific culture
Balance
Balance, finally, can be invoked through these keywords:
 Validated
 Caring
 Genuine
 Real
 Unique
 Comfort
 Welcoming
 Growing
 Progressive
 Accepted
 Equality

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In imagery, this can be illustrated with:
o Equality in how prominently each character is featured
o Equity
o Ensuring each image represents multiple dimensions of
diversity
o Campaigns should represent the whole spectrum of people that
could make up your potential customer base
Whilst Hubspot and Microsoft’s three metaphors of inclusion
provide a helpful guide to understanding inclusivity in
advertising, it is no comprehensive manual. Instead, each brand
has to work out what matters to its audience and how it can
include every dimension of its customer base.
This is Selfhood focuses on Gen Z research by connecting with a
network of U30 consumers. We know how much our connections
value diversity and can help your brand find authentic ways to
create more inclusive campaigns.

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