It was impossible to ignore the slew of unjust racist comments that followed Sainsbury's Christmas Ad ‘Gravy Song’ at the end of what was a challenging year for everyone. But outrage from a vocal minority should not be allowed to negatively impact how retailers advertise and if we do let it have real world impact, we are only validating their power and opinions. Just by making it news we added fuel to their fire and amplified their hate exponentially. My hope is that retailers saw the backlash for what it really is and duly disregarded it, but nonetheless there are lessons to be learned from this incident that are worth remembering.

Given the current trading environment, I remember questions being asked at the time as to whether the backlash might lead to retailers caving to the pressure and going back to featuring all-white families. It was a question I found terrifying because I could not believe it was being asked, but also because it didn’t feel beyond the realms of possibility. Ensuring that adverts accurately reflect the audience you’re trying to engage seems like such a logical and winning approach to me.

I do not believe that there was ever a majority demanding a return to featuring all-white families, rather a vocal minority. And frankly, I find the idea of doing so horrifying because it effectively erases huge swathes of the population. It denies their existence; it’s a form of censorship. And it reinforces this sinister idea that the ‘real’ UK looks a certain way. What we see represented in the media has a huge impact; visibility breeds familiarity, which breeds normalisation. If we only see white families, we’re sending a subtle message that this, and only this, is ‘normal’. Not only does this not reflect the makeup of our society but it is an incredibly narrow and dangerous message to be putting out into the world.

Brands wield great power

In this respect, I have always been of the opinion that the platforms brands have wield great power. I see Sainsbury’s ‘Gravy Song’ advert as a great example of the kind of normalised presentation of how our society really is that we need more of. Even promoting fruit and veg can be an opportunity to use the attention your platform commands for some kind of good. If anything, the reaction it’s got proves this power and, as I search for a silver lining, perhaps these events may help those brands teetering on the edge of becoming more ‘purposeful’ and conscious in how they advertise to finally take a leap of faith.

For we are, as the reactions to the Black Lives Matter movement last year highlighted, at a pivotal point within the industry and inaction is worse than action. I’m a realistic idealist, so I know that there are factors beyond morals that are greater drivers of choice when it comes to retail, especially grocery retail. Ease, convenience, price, quality, all carry greater weight for many shoppers.

Nonetheless, I do think that significant change is underway. Brands have become civic entities and there are growing expectations for them to act as conscientious members of modern society. ‘Doing nothing’ is not really doing nothing: inaction inherently benefits the status quo. So, while it might feel ‘safer’ to stay silent on inclusivity and diversity in the short term, I do believe that there will come a point where that inaction will really come to hurt your brand and your business.

Invest in change

And yet, for every purposeful and positive act from a brand, there is always a cry of pandering and ‘jumping on the bandwagon’. What I find more broadly troubling about this is that these days positive change is so easily undermined by alleged self-interest. Now that looking to be offended has been turbo-charged by social media, where people are constantly on the prowl for an opportunity to chastise and self-aggrandise, it’s become a no-win situation for anyone trying to take a well-intentioned step forward. You will always disappoint someone.

But at a certain point, you have to decide if you are more invested in change or in proving your moral and intellectual superiority. But you can’t ‘win’ at diverse and inclusive advertising, it’s a journey. So, personally, I’m choosing to focus on the positive of Sainsbury’s being part of that journey rather than whether or not they were the first, or the best, or even why they chose to do it. They did it, and I think that’s what’s really important.

Prioritise learning and growth

That said, I do believe that there are a few key things that brands can keep in mind to avoid accusations, or actual instances, of tokenism. I believe campaigns tend to come across as tokenistic when it feels like something is being recreated without actually engaging the people or community whose experience is being referenced. Often this means that someone’s Blackness, queerness, disability or whatever it may be is the story, rather than just part of who they are.

That kind of one-dimensional representation I think happens when we haven’t done enough to get to know the people we want to include, and instead all we see is the diverse element we want them to represent. I think we can all do something to address this by making an active effort to get to know experiences that are different to our own, by asking questions, by being curious, by bursting our bubbles. Essentially, never assume that you can speak on someone else’s behalf but also don’t be afraid to admit that lack of understanding and take it as a chance to learn something.

But for real change to happen, we inevitably need to go deeper, beyond products, services and adverts right to the heart of a business. Diversity and inclusivity need to be embedded into a brand and its internal culture, as I personally believe it’s starting with these foundational elements that makes it easier for different experiences and perspectives to thrive within an organisation and feel like they have the space to be heard.

Other than that, I firmly believe it's the job of all of us to not just lean into issues like diversity and inclusivity because we feel a mounting social pressure to do so, but to be vulnerable and curious enough to acknowledge blind spots and proactively educate ourselves on them. Our driving motive needs to be learning and growth rather than fear of shame, something that I know we have a primal aversion to but that is essential if any headway is to be made.