DEI Beyond HR: How to Build Inclusive Market Research

The misconception that diversity, equity and inclusion is only an HR department concern is holding organizations back from reaching their DEI goals. Another misconception — that DEI is a standalone effort that runs independently of an organization’s business strategy — further prevents an organization from achieving the many proven benefits available when DEI becomes a core value in the fabric of how an organization functions. 

This is the second article of DEI Beyond HR. This short-term series examines how different organizational functions can understand and integrate diverse, equitable and inclusive habits into day-to-day business activities. You can read the first article here.

The next function we will look at is the marketing department, specifically market research.  

The Marketing Department

By definition, the marketing department is typically responsible for core activities and processes focused on promoting and selling products or services to customers. Marketing is a critical function within a business because it aims to create, communicate and deliver value to customers and/or marketplace to help the company achieve its strategic objectives.

While the nature of the marketing department will vary widely depending on factors like company size, industry and the overall nature of the business, there are several key areas where it is essential to ensure DEI is incorporated into daily marketing activities, starting with market research. 

Market Research

Broad Representation in Sample Selection & Research Process: Identifying and recognizing nuance in target markets can unlock niche pathways and underserved markets in product ideation and development. This starts when your marketing team: 

• Ensures research samples reflect the diverse demographics of your target market and avoids relying solely on mainstream or dominant groups.  
• Actively seeks perspectives and ideas from participants, employees, community leaders, or advocacy groups, from various ethnicities, genders, ages, socioeconomic backgrounds and other relevant dimensions of diversity. 
• Uses this input to help shape research objectives, questions and methodologies to ensure they align with the interests and needs of different communities in the research process as well as sampling.

Culturally Competent Research Formats: Intentionally creating an inclusive research environment can aid tremendously in obtaining rich data. Encourage every member of your marketing research team to:

• Craft survey questions and interview prompts cross cultural sensitivity in mind. Be cautious about assumptions and language that might alienate or misrepresent certain communities.  
• Ensure interview formats are equitable and do not drown out some voices while unintentionally amplifying other voices For example, avoid interview formats that allow only more vocal participants to share perspective. Consider using open-ended questions to allow participants to express themselves in their own words.

Inclusive Data Analysis: When you analyze research data with an inclusive lens, you’ll uncover insights that may be specific to particular subgroups while minimizing biases. Look for key trends, preferences, and pain points that might differ among diverse segments, and avoid generalizing findings to the entire population.

What does it mean to conduct and analyze data with an inclusive lens? An inclusive lens in market research involves understanding and accommodating the perspectives, needs, and experiences of all individuals and communities, particularly those in underserved markets. Here are some examples of how to apply an inclusive lens:

• Language and Communication: Use gender-neutral language in surveys and questionnaires to be inclusive of non-binary and gender-nonconforming individuals. Software like Microsoft Word has a built-in inclusiveness checker for content development.
  • Be aware of religious holidays and cultural events that may impact participation rates or responses during specific times. Avoid culturally specific or region-specific idioms and phrases that might not resonate with all participants. Avoid asking culturally insensitive questions or making assumptions about cultural norms and practices. If you don’t know about a particular region, seek out perspectives to ensure your language is accessible to all.
  • As applicable, offer translation support for participants who speak languages other than the primary research language.
• Representation: Ensure visual collateral such as product images & marketing materials to represent people from various ethnic backgrounds, ages, and abilities to make everyone feel included and valued.
• Accessibility: Provide accessible survey formats for individuals with disabilities, such as offering options for larger fonts, compatibility with screen readers, color contrasts and audio-based survey versions.
  
• Intersectionality in Data Analytics: Analyze data through an intersectional lens, recognizing that participants may face unique challenges and opportunities based on multiple aspects of their identity.  In your research, consider how various identities such as race, gender, and socioeconomic status intersect to influence consumer values, behavior, and preferences.

Inclusive Feedback and Continuous Improvement: Encourage participants to provide feedback on the research process and materials to improve inclusivity. Use feedback from participants to refine research methodologies and ensure ongoing improvement in the pursuit of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Related Article: DEIB Is Ready for a Reboot

Considerations Across All Business Functions

Regardless of its purpose, every function or sub-function should seek to do the following: 

1. Define what success means for your function. What do you want to achieve by incorporating DEI into your function? Do you want to reduce unconscious bias in your decision-making? Once you know what you want to achieve, you can develop a plan to make it happen.
2. Understand your function’s current state. Where are you starting? What are your current strengths and weaknesses in terms of DEI? Once you understand your current state, you can start identifying improvement areas.
3. Create a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) component within your functional strategy. The DEI section of your strategy should outline your goals, objectives, and priorities that foster inclusive practices. It should also include metrics for measuring your progress.
4. Implement your plan and track your progress. Once you have a plan, track your progress to know what is working and what is not so you can make adjustments.
5. Communicate progress while celebrating successes. This is the most underrated step of all. Take the time to communicate progress to your employees, suppliers, and other stakeholder group(s), no matter how big or small. Creating an inclusive culture and function requires transparent visibility into progress, creating momentum, adoption, and excitement around DEI.

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