Diversity in Advertisements and Brand Perception

This research project examines the relationship between representation of diversity in marketing and brand perception. The debate about whether diversity in advertisements impacts how consumers perceive and purchase from brands is ongoing. Thus, this study examines whether companies are rewarded for representing diversity in their advertisements and punished for representation that is inappropriate or insensitive. We conducted an online survey among Gettysburg College students and elicited their beliefs about the importance of diversity in marketing campaigns. We found that consumers are more likely to buy from companies that represent more racial diversity in their advertisements. The same was found for companies that represent more diversity of body types in their advertisements. The appropriateness of advertisements was also found to have an impact on the likelihood of consumers to purchase from companies, with consumers being less likely to buy from companies that have racially inappropriate or insensitive advertisements