A marketers guide to diverse media planning

"The reasons that marketers miss the mark on media diversity can be due to different factors. Firstly, the creative may not represent the diversity of the people it aims to reach. Secondly, the touchpoints may not match up to or reach people that spend time on particular channels. For example, some gamers spend very little time engaging with traditional touchpoints. Finally, the plan may be targeting certain audiences but they may not be funding businesses and publishers that are owned by diverse audiences."

"Brands have found it can be a challenge to define what diversity means for them. It's important to be able to explain that to their tech or agency partners, so they can actually help activate against it. Everyone wants to be diverse and inclusive because we're in 2021 and that's where the societal shift has moved to. But it needs to be core to your business plan and core to your advertising strategy that sits within that, and you need to be able to define it,"

Brands must define what a diverse media plan means for their business and advertising strategy. Technology can help power diverse media plans but requires clear, brand-specific definitions to activate effectively. Creative must represent the diversity of the intended audiences. Media touchpoints must align with audience behavior, since some groups engage on nontraditional channels such as gaming environments. Media plans should fund diverse-owned businesses and publishers rather than excluding them for perceived efficiency. Scaling diversity requires measurement, intentional funding decisions, and partnerships that prioritize inclusion as a core business objective.

Read at The Drum