In 2024 there are a myriad of data points that underline inclusion is a business imperative.

McKinsey data shows that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams are 25% more likely to have above-average profitability. Companies in the top quartile for ethnic and cultural diversity outperformed those in the fourth one by 36 per cent.

A study from The Unstereotype Alliance, led by the Oxford Saïd Business School, empirically proves that inclusive advertising (advertising defined as content which authentically and positively portrays a full range of people and is devoid of stereotypes) has a positive impact on business profit, sales and brand value.

Data from the volunteer-run LGBTQIA+ advocacy group, Outvertising, shows that 67% of LGBTQIA+ consumers are more likely to recommend items that they see in advertising than their non LGBTQIA+ peers (49%).

The statistics are staring us in the face, but still ‘go woke, go broke’ rhetoric is slashing inclusion budgets. In an industry with the power to change the narrative, we asked leaders, should the marketing industry be doing more to promote the business benefits of inclusion?

If you’re not inclusive by design, you’re marketing wrong.

Newton’s third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. So let’s consider, for a moment, the consequences of not being inclusive. Excluding people – in part or whole - makes marketing less effective. But it happens all the time.

Case in point: One in eight people have a disability, seen or unseen. Yet every day campaigns go live with content that is inaccessible to many.

Excluding this audience is a huge commercial miss. People with disability have a collective purchasing power of $13 trillion globally. UK households with at least one disabled person spend an estimated at £274 billion annually.

As marketers, our raison d’etre is to build brands and sell products. And to do so in a way that delivers greatest return on spend. Effective communication is not just about what you say, but how it’ll be received. To be relevant, accessible and salient requires a deep understanding of people and culture in all its rich tapestry.

If we reduce our audience to a one-dimensional monolith, then we will end up being exclusive by default or by design. For me, it’s less of a question of what we can do to promote the business benefits of inclusion. It’s the opposite.

We should ask why anyone would be exclusionary to the denigration of their work and the impact of their campaigns? Why narrow your frame of reference and be homogenous in your thinking and approach?

Being inclusive better equips us to address the most fundamental of questions: Who am I seeking to engage? What will resonate with them and make them take notice? What do they care about that might instigate action?

To reach the highest possible share of our target audience, and influence them to think, act or behave differently, inclusion must be an integral part of every aspect of our work, from strategy to creative, production to delivery.

To think of it as a bolt-on, or some sort of standalone initiative diminishes its importance.

When we launched Current Global we were intentional in making it an empowering place to work, where everyone can be themselves and grow. We are now one of the most diverse agencies in the comms industry. And we have codified inclusion through our human-first approach to everything we do.

But it’s more than people and processes. It’s an agency mindset that recognizes that inclusion is a powerful catalyst to more innovative, creative work.

Many things in life that started with improving accessibility are things that benefit everyone: The electric toothbrush, drop-curbs, voice recognition software, typewriters, bendy straws, audiobooks, and much, much more.

When we’re inclusive by design, we’re not only more representative and equitable to those who have been previously excluded, our work is better for all.

100%. No question. We have to. It’s obvious—the conversation has moved on from just talking about “purpose” and inclusion. Now, it’s about showing real, tangible results. It’s not enough to say you’re about something; you’ve got to back it up with proof. And the proof is clear: inclusion = income.

The Unstereotype Alliance report nailed it—brands with inclusive ads see 16.26% higher long-term sales and 54% more pricing power. These numbers aren’t fluff; they’re cold, hard facts.

With data from 392 brands across 58 countries, it shows what we’ve been saying all along at Lucky Generals: inclusive advertising is a business weapon.

Yet somehow, some brands are still hesitating, acting like inclusion is risky. The real risk? Standing still. Inclusive brands have a 33% higher chance of being the first choice and 15% more customer loyalty. This isn’t about ticking a “purpose” box anymore—it’s about staying ahead.

So, what’s stopping us? As marketers, we need to push this forward, shifting the conversation from purpose to profit. Inclusion isn’t just good for society—it’s a smart business decision. Brands that don’t embrace it aren’t just missing out—they’re becoming irrelevant. And in today’s market, that’s a risk no one can afford.

Yes. But, not necessarily the inclusion you’re thinking of.

Women are of course 50% of the population, disabled people make up 22% of the UK, LGBTQ+ around 6% and BAME people around 13% - all still struggling for representation. But there’s another group that doesn’t get as much airtime when it comes to diversity discussion – the working class. Where is the diversity of opportunity for those from communities that have neither a Waitrose nor a Tarquin?

Just 7% of the UK population weren’t educated in a “normal” school – a comp, a secondary school, an academy – yet 20% of advertisers went to private school and 33% of agency leaders did. They hire people like themselves. “Good fits” for agency culture who remind them of themselves and can see themselves going for a pint with.

This sameness breeds sameness: unoriginal ides that fail to connect with ordinary people. We’re too busy looking for people who are extraordinarily like us, instead of extraordinarily different. Surrounding ourselves in a safe little bubble of sameness, and then we wonder why the work is too safe.

Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic people are more likely to come from working class or lower middle-class backgrounds than other groups. They are overrepresented in insecure jobs, such as those with low pay, variable hours, or seasonal work.

Solve for class, and you’ll find you quickly start solving other diversity challenges, and the work will be all the better for it. Diversity of experience brings new ways to solve problems, more creativity, and authentic representation of the people we claim to understand.

At The Ninety-Niners, we’re proud to have a 100% state school educated leadership team, but we’re inclusive enough that our total is 84%. On every brief we speak to real people, and also publish a monthly content series based on interviews with people outside the London advertising bubble.

As history shows us, progress gained can soon be lost. When it comes to more inclusive business practices, it only takes some shareholders’ push back, pressure on budgets, political winds shifting, or changes of senior teams and once lauded DEI strategies can start to lose favour. So, we cannot rely on the obvious good sense of inclusion policies to be enough to protect them.

People need to be reminded – and reminded often – that inclusion is good business. At Outbrain, inclusion is a fundamental pillar to our culture, and we’ve recently donated to the Finishing School Foundation, the new sister charity of Brixton Finishing School, designed to practically support the 20% most financially challenged young adults in the UK today.

The marketing industry must market inclusion; it must do an advertising job on why DEI makes companies more money. Use the stats, share the good stories, bring to life the benefits of diversity of thought within a business to better meet the needs of their diverse customers. Good talent is hard to come by and diverse hiring practices ensure the widest possible pool to tap into. The marketing industry needs to promote all these aspects of inclusion to keep these strategies in place in organisations and spread good practice that can help companies of all sizes and maintain the momentum.

Moral arguments for inclusion aren't enough—if they were, the world would look very different today.

Decision-makers need to see how inclusive communications align with business goals. When developing our "Better Conversations about Ethical Storytelling" guide for The Hilton Foundation, experts pointed out that while moral arguments for inclusion are important, when they are shared alone, they struggle to spark widespread change.

A brand can choose to stay stuck in the past, creating marketing strategies that reflect what society was. Or it can be aspirational - representing the world as they, and their consumers, want to see it. Marketers play a key role in promoting inclusion to their clients, shaping a business’ vision and identity.

Many want a more inclusive society, thus if a brand can authentically become associated with this desired future, it can expand its consumer base and create a lasting connection with them. In fact, one study found that perceived brand inclusion played a primary role in purchase decisions for 63% of Gen Z, who by 2026, will be the largest consumer group with the most spending power (Harvard Business Review).

Marketers want the brands they work on to be innovative and grow, which is why expanding consumer bases in a sustainable way is key. A good example of a business that that did this by better representing marginalised groups is Fenty, which opened up the beauty market to people of colour and people of any gender.

Marketers, however, shouldn’t forget to promote the value of internal inclusion to ensure brand consistency. A diverse staff not only creates a better culture, but it also leads to 87% better business decision making and higher likelihood of profitability (McKinsey, Cloverpop).

We wish people would embrace inclusion for moral reasons, but as that doesn’t seem to be enough to convince some, we wholeheartedly endorse appealing to business benefits such as profitability and a wider consumer base to achieve the same outcome.