Diversity and inclusion is something that’s talked about a lot. And on top of being the right thing to do, there are valid business reasons to start thinking more about who you’re reaching, and perhaps more importantly who you’re excluding, when planning and activating campaigns.
Reaching different audiences fuels business growth. In fact, it’s a £16.7 trillion opportunity.
The spending power of underrepresented groups is highlighted in WPP’s ground-breaking study, the Consumer Equality Equation (CEE), which provides insights on the consumer experience of the six major ethnicities in the UK.
The findings predict the combined spend of minority ethnic audiences in 2023 will total £2.34 billion with an accumulative spend of £16.7 trillion by 2030.
According to the report, 8 in 10 people not only believe that brands play an important role in shaping Britain’s culture, but that they should also make more of an effort to understand different ethnic groups. 71% would actively choose to buy from brands with a social purpose, demonstrating that inclusivity in advertising could not only future proof a brand but also determine its long-term success.
But just as important, being more inclusive brings those who have felt excluded from previous campaigns into the fold, presenting brands with the opportunity to lean into the huge spending power of different communities.
So, when it comes to planning, why should OOH be a key consideration on every brief?
Universal real-world reach
With 97% reach of the UK population every week, OOH is the most universal channel, over-indexing across nearly every environment regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or socio-economic circumstances. So, it’s well positioned to provide equity to a brand’s campaign, ensuring under-represented groups feel seen and embraced.
Connecting with GenZ
OOH delivers high reach of 15-24s, the audience that spends the most time out of the home. And the audience that will fuel the future growth of brands.
This audience wants to see themselves represented in all walks of life and brands must embrace cultural transformation. To tap into this highly desirable audience, brands need to reflect their values, their communities, and their purpose, authentically.
Delivering cultural context at scale
OOH is part of the fabric of everyday life. Its relevance exists at the heart of communities and locations, and provides a platform for brands to reach different groups through mass personalisation both creatively and locationally. This can be particularly powerful during relevant moments such as key events or religious holidays.
Click to discover more about our special Tesco Ramadan campaign.
Trust matters
Trust is fundamental to advertising effectiveness. The findings from the CEE study demonstrate that OOH is the only unfragmented broadcast medium trusted equally across all minority ethnic groups.
This is why the Government, Healthcare companies and many other brands chose OOH. It’s trusted, it’s part of communities but it also comes with national reach. And with the data and technology now available, OOH is one of the only channels that can truly deliver cultural context at scale.
Front of mind leads to purchase
OOH’s ability to place brands front of mind means it can be a catalyst for purchase when people are in a shopping mindset – in physical stores and online while out of the home.
We know from The Mobile Pound study that around 70% of purchases still happen in physical stores. And when it comes to online shopping, 60% of online spending happens outside of the home, worth £179bn annually. This is supported by recent research that found that online searches conducted by people out of home are 38% more likely to lead to a purchase.
It would be a mistake for brands to only consider online platforms as the final window of influence when a large percentage of purchases take place outside of the home while people are on the move. This would also exclude a large percentage of people who never shop online. According to the CEE findings, more than half of minority ethnic audiences predominately shop for groceries and clothing in store.
So, what next?
OOH is the most inclusive channel. It can influence purchase decisions in physical stores and online. The research proves this. So, you should be challenging the media plan and making the case for OOH.
Kinetic has a range of data in our Journeys platform that allows us to identify audiences by location, community, geography and time of the day and week. This informs the solutions we offer to clients that deliver real-world reach, so everyone can be captured effectively. By using ONS and Route data, we can consciously include audiences and use these insights to shape media placement or adapt creative messaging. Meaning we can deliver smarter, more adaptable and – most importantly – more inclusive advertising solutions.
Get in touch with us to discuss how we can help you diversify your brand’s reach.
