AMA Diversity-Driven Marketing Symposium Recap

By Catherine Van, AMA-PDX VP of DEI

The AMA Professional Chapters Council hosted the "Diversity-Driven Marketing Symposium" last month to champion the full integration of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in marketing practices. This half-day virtual training was designed by marketers for marketers to help you integrate high-performing DEIA strategies into your marketing so you can positively impact your teams, organization, and customers. We heard from cross-industry experts who shared their insights on critical issues directly affecting marketing teams in four engaging sessions, including encoding artificial intelligence bias, the influence of Affirmative Action on inclusive marketing strategies and workplace diversity, becoming a culturally intelligent marketer, and strategies for unlocking supplier diversity in marketing. If you missed it, here is a recap of this event.

The (Un)Intended Consequences of the Affirmative Action Ruling in the Workplace

In this session, a panel of DEIA experts shared insights on the historical context and recent shifts after the Affirmative Action ruling in the United States. The panel of experts dove into the broader implications of the Supreme Court ruling, focusing on the impact on professional environments, the challenges faced by students of color, and provided strategies for hiring managers and organizations to navigate the changing legal landscape. Some of the implications of the ruling can:

• Influence graduates that funneled into the talent pool

• Challenge inclusive work in workplaces

• Cause confusion and liability concerns

• Provide a consistent roadblock in DEIA efforts in the workplace

• Shifting the conversation into a more negative point of view

For more context on how to navigate the current landscape and continue the DEIA work as a marketer, read our previous blog post, “How to navigate anti-DEI efforts as a marketer”.

Some strategies the panelists mentioned for marketers to continue the work include:

• Providing paid internships and mentoring opportunities for students of color

• Providing financial aid

• Build a DEI pipeline by looking at hiring practices, including how you receive referrals, the demographics of who is being referred, and where candidates are being pulled from - Consider pulling from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other diverse colleges

• Assess - Conduct an equity assessment at a company level

• Align - Make sure internal values are aligned with external values, especially in the decision-making process

• Design - Create systems that attract and retain employees, especially employees of color

Decoding AI Bias in Marketing

This session focused on how marketing teams can responsibly and ethically leverage artificial intelligence (AI). The discussion, led by the visionary founders of PocStock, addressed key questions for marketers, including the table stakes for using AI tools in the context of DEIA, the repercussions of AI bias in marketing, and the most responsible and ethical ways to leverage AI for marketing efforts. 

Key takeaways:

• AI is an extension of human intelligence

• AI learns from what we input, so it’s not 100% accurate

• AI should serve as an assistant, not a manager

• AI is not inherently racist but can amplify stereotypes based on the input it has received from humans

• AI needs a governing body that includes creators of color to provide extra eyes and ears to identify bias

• Always humanize your content: start and end with people because they are integral to the process

Becoming a Culturally Intelligent Marketer

Cultural intelligence is defined as an ongoing practice of tracking and analyzing movements, trends, and social forces to evaluate cultural implications and drive strategic outcomes. In this session, Dr. Anastasia Gabriel, a cultural theorist and strategist who specialized in inclusivity within marketing, media, and technology presented a four-step approach for marketers to go beyond inclusive marketing and actively engage in cultural conversations. She provided a roadmap to enhance their cultural intelligence, providing insights on crafting marketing strategies in a socially conscious world.

The 4 Cs are a set of foundational principles marketers can turn to and lean into the pillars that are relevant to their work. 

The 4 Cs

• Culture - Ability to dive deep into cultural data, understand, and be mindful of cultural differences 

• Communication - Marketers can understand how meaning is transmitted to audiences. How is our messaging received and how do we predict it to avoid misunderstandings? 

• Consciousness - Speaks to equity and inclusion and how we develop critical thinking skills beyond buzzwords, like inclusive marketing.

• Community - Addresses questions of ongoing oppression. Marketing has extracted cultural data and knowledge from historically marginalized communities. How do we reframe our thinking to foster co-creation and reciprocity? 

Strategies for Unlocking Supplier Diversity in Marketing

In this session, a panel of marketing experts including our AMA PDX past president, Ashlan Glazier-Anderson, explored how marketing can impact economic vitality through supplier diversity efforts. The panel discussed marketing's role in creating equity within the supplier ecosystem, focusing on branding, creativity, campaigns, PR, and customer experiences. The three phases of supplier interaction (identification, engagement, amplification) highlighted proactive opportunities for diverse suppliers. It’s now more important than ever that marketing teams collaborate with key stakeholders to align with DEIB goals and broader corporate objectives. 

Some strategies include:

• Recognizing marketing’s role - Understand and communicate the pivotal role marketing plays in creating equity within the supplier ecosystem. Marketing’s influence extends across branding, creativity, campaigns, PR, and customer experiences when curating a diverse supplier pool.

• Three Phases of Impact:

• Identify: Proactively seek out diverse suppliers through thorough research and engagement.

• Engage: Actively involve diverse suppliers in marketing initiatives, campaigns, and projects.

• Amplify: Promote and showcase the work of diverse suppliers, amplifying their presence and contributions.

• Collaboration - Forge strong partnerships between marketing teams and key stakeholders, such as chief diversity officers and chief procurement officers. Collaborate on aligning DEIA goals with broader corporate objectives, including corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG).

• Educate and Advocate - Provide education and training on the benefits of supplier diversity within the marketing context.

• Set Inclusive Goals - Establish clear and measurable goals for supplier diversity within marketing initiatives.

• Network and Outreach - Actively engage with diverse supplier networks and organizations, by attending events and conferences focused on supplier diversity to build relationships and discover new opportunities.

• Evaluate and Adjust: Be willing to adjust strategies based on feedback and evolving business needs.

We hope these strategies can empower you to continue advocating for DEIA initiatives while leveraging your expertise as a marketer.