Intro

In the 21st century, one of the biggest marketing challenges is ensuring your brand is aware of social issues and constantly adapting to these changes. Diversity and inclusivity in marketing are among the best ways to ensure your brand considers a broad audience's needs. In the outdoor industry, this is especially important. Keep reading to learn more about inclusive marketing examples and why being inclusive in marketing is essential.

What Is Inclusivity In Marketing?

Inclusive marketing campaigns are important because they demonstrate audience awareness and brand authenticity. The best way to think of inclusive marketing is to consider it an effort to be compassionate and considerate in your strategies and marketing campaigns. 

In the outdoor industry, inclusivity is critical in marketing campaigns to defy the stereotype of how athletes should appear or be. Include groups like minority communities, people with challenges in physical ability, and all body types in your audience and team. 

Inclusive marketing is not performative. Don't adopt a specific marketing strategy just to reach particular demographics; educate team members about the importance of diversity and inclusion by actively practicing it. 

One example of performative marketing is greenwashing, where brands capitalize on sustainability but don't do anything to help the environment– read more at We Are Population.

How To Be Inclusive 

One of the first ways to improve your brand's marketing strategy is to consider how it looks from the outside. Think about the promotional materials you create and whether the elements you include are user-friendly and accessible. 

Does your brand use a wide variety of models in promotional materials? Is text easy to read and understand? Is there an understanding of the demographics and needs of your target audience?

Once you can identify areas of improvement in your marketing strategy, reflect internally on how you create your products and ideas. Is the marketing team diverse and inclusive with a range of perspectives? Are sizes and outdoor gear inclusive? How does your brand define an athlete? Do you launch inclusive marketing campaigns?

If your brand can answer these questions, it's a good start to figuring out ways to create inclusivity in marketing. Also, make sure to listen to community feedback! 

Now let's look at a few excellent examples of inclusive marketing examples from outdoor brands.

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Inclusive Marketing Examples

Build a Community: Diversify Outdoors

This coalition includes activists, bloggers, and social media influencers who focus on making the outdoors accessible for underrepresented groups. Diversify Outdoors has used social media to its advantage as it connects individuals, organizations, and groups under #DiversifyOutdoors with the common goal of creating an inclusive space. 

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Since its launch in 2017, the brand has expanded into a community of thousands and launched the Outdoor CEO Diversity pledge to make an industry commitment.

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Support Sustainable Initiatives: REI

REI has created an inclusive outdoor space through numerous strategies, including donations to underrepresented groups and value-based marketing. In addition, the company has hosted events to bring individuals together, like public clean-ups, demonstrating that it cares about its customers and their communities. 

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Lastly, REI offers a program for used and recycled gear, offering a lower-cost and environmentally friendly alternative to their standard products. Learn more about REI's marketing strategy in this Algofy article.

Sizing for All: Columbia

Columbia has been a leader in the sportswear industry for almost two decades and has adapted its clothing to reach a broad demographic. While inclusive marketing strategies in advertising are essential, so is offering a wide array of sizes and products for all body types. The outdoors are for everyone, and clothing should reflect this. As mentioned in this article by Outside Online, gear is offered in sizes up to 3x, and the brand uses models of all shapes and sizes.

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Create a revolutionary product: BILLY Footwear 

Though BILLY Footwear isn't only for the outdoors, it's a great example of a brand whose product speaks for itself. Darin Donaldson and Billy Price, who is paralyzed, founded the brand after they realized the need for a universal and accessible shoe design. They built the shoe with a zip-up feature that allows the wearer to put on the shoe without physical difficulty. 

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A blog and podcast support the stellar product, which has received a loyal following of thousands and features in national news outlets. 

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Hopefully, this article has highlighted a few reasons why inclusive marketing is vital for your brand and the first steps you can take to include it! The four brands above have highlighted the importance of having an inclusive marketing strategy and why it's essential in the outdoor industry.

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