Successful brands today are realizing the power of the stories they tell.
There is value to campaigns and creatives that celebrate and reflect the real world around us. And brands can make an impact and lead with purpose by authentically standing up for social issues and highlighting diversity, equity and inclusion in their advertising.
According to a study from Environics Research and Amazon Ads, 90% of consumers in both the U.S. and Europe said they appreciate when a brand is a responsible corporate citizen. Additionally, 60% of consumers in both regions are willing to pay more for a brand that stands for a social issue that they consider important.
Studies show that consumers want to see more authentic diversity in advertising. A 2021 study by Kantar Global Monitor found that 65% of consumers said it’s important that the companies they buy from actively promote diversity and inclusion in their own business or society as a whole. To connect with consumers, brands can consider how to incorporate a better representation of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion and economic status in their messaging and storytelling.
How brands are leading with purpose in advertising
This kind of inclusive storytelling is at the heart of the new “Love Has No Labels” campaign from Amazon Ads and the Ad Council. As part of the campaign, which will run through 2022, Amazon redefined Alexa’s meaning of love.
Now, when people ask Amazon’s Alexa “What is love?” Alexa will share a response from one of the campaign’s eight people from different backgrounds. They all describe a time when someone’s everyday act of love made them feel seen, heard, loved and included. Amazon Ads and the Ad Council did this to inspire audiences to take meaningful action toward creating a more inclusive world.
“We made sure that from the concept through the production that the intent behind this was to be very inclusive,” said Rob Alley, the head of Amazon Ads’s Brand Lab, telco and entertainment. “It was important for us to make this as inclusive as possible. Love is unique. It’s very complex, and it’s different for everyone. I think this is a celebration of that.”
