Affecting the consumer by reflecting the consumer? : A qualitative study about how diversity and inclusion in sports commercials affect the consumer´s self-concept.

Background: Inclusion and diversity have been a frequently discussed subject within marketing for many years. In particular, marketing communication has to a large extent been criticized to not reflect the reality of society. Commercials present images that reflect and shape cultural norms as well as the individual’s attitudes regarding their own identity and their treatment of other people in society. Despite the great interest in diversity and inclusion in marketing communication, there is a lack of studies that connect deficiency of diversity in visual communication, consumers' self-concept, and socially conscious marketing in a Swedish context. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to get a deeper understanding of how sports brands include diversity in their visual communication through socially conscious marketing. Furthermore, the study aimed to contribute with deeper insights regarding marketing communication of visual character from the consumer perspective and how it influences the individual and its self-concept in the matter of diversity and inclusion. Method: This qualitative research applied an interpretive and inductive approach to achieve the purpose. The empirical data was collected through semiotic analysis as well as semistructured consumer interviews within generation Z. Moreover, two sports commercials were analyzed to gather information to answer the research questions. Conclusion: It was stated that sports brands work with the inclusion of diversity in various ways, by including one diverse element such as different people or by including it with a holistic approach including several diverse elements such as different people, objects, environments, and feelings. This means that one commercial does not have a unilateral effect 3on the consumer´s self-concept but that one image can induce multiple feelings. Therefore, the same commercial can make the consumer feel, insufficient, insecure, included, energized, and inspired all at the same time. The result of this study also shows that the consumers feel more included when their values and thoughts are reflected in a commercial than when their physical attributes are reflected