Difference Between Representation and Exploitation is Authenticity
It’s a new year and the new year brings new marketing and ad campaigns into the world. Some good, some bad. Some represents diversity and inclusion while others exploits. One of them is the annual call for the Gerber Baby spokesbaby of the year. I had no idea this existed until several months ago when I came across the Gerber Baby spokesbaby of 2018, Lucas. What’s different about Lucas is that he has down syndrome and is the first baby chosen with a disability. He is adorable, cute as a button and I can totally see why he would have been selected.
However, I think it's important to know the difference between representation and exploitation of the diversity and inclusion conversation. As a marketer and someone who adds to the often-cluttered digital ad space, the difference is authenticity. Are you an organization that lives and breathes diversity and inclusion? Or are you tokenizing those in the minority status to gain some exposure and market share?
Do you remember the debacle by Dodge and their MLK reference in their Super Bowl ad last year? I would say a clear violation of exploitation. I know the Super Bowl is just around the corner again. I plead with the marketing and ad industry to do it better and be better this year.
So how do we balance representation as we grow as an industry, and as a society to widen our inclusion to bring diversity into the mix without exploitation? These are the questions I struggle with. I’m sure I will continue to question for years to come, but the best thing we can do is to stay educated about what diversity and inclusion mean. What representation looks like and what kind of damage exploitation can do.
Where do you stand on this? How do we bring broader representation without exploitation?
