Think Through Your DEI-Focused Marketing Campaign Before it Launches

DEI Resource of the Month

BY THE WSBA EQUITY AND JUSTICE TEAM

The start of the pandemic brought to the forefront systemic inequities in our society. Organizations around the world have responded to the resulting social justice movements by making public commitments to DEI11 DEI stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion.; increasing visible diversity in their staff, leadership, and client base; and increasing visible diversity in their marketing and branding. DEI commitments are valuable to better our society and decrease inequities. However, poor implementation can have adverse results and negatively impact relationships with clients and staff.

When DEI in marketing and branding is sincere and backed by action, companies and firms can build stronger relationships with customers and client communities. Without policies that help meet different communities according to their needs and without concrete steps to build a culture of inclusion, the diversity that these marketing teams work so hard to cultivate will not be sustained. Below are questions your firm should consider before running a DEI-focused marketing campaign:

  • Is there buy-in at all levels of your organization, including senior leadership, to commit to DEI values?
  • If so, what does the implementation of those values look like? Is it passive, or is there an action plan to ensure the company is equitable at all levels?
  • What have previous attempts to add DEI marketing looked like? Is your marketing and branding team trained to understand the impacts of DEI in marketing?22 AMA trainings can be found at: www.ama.org/dei-diversity-equity-inclusion-marketing/.

If you feel comfortable with the responses to those questions and feel like your firm is ready to tackle the marketing project, read “How to Be More Inclusive in Your Legal Marketing,” available at https://www.natlawreview.com/article/how-to-be-more-inclusive-your-legal-marketing. Want to see how your firm measures up with its DEI work? Consider applying for the Bloomberg Law DEI Framework, available at https://pro.bloomberglaw.com/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-framework-for-law-firms/.

NOTES  

1. DEI stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

2. AMA trainings can be found at: www.ama.org/dei-diversity-equity-inclusion-marketing/.