On a global scale, the top 10 inclusive brands include Google, Amazon, Nike, Dove, McDonald’s, Netflix, Coca-Cola, Adidas, Disney and Apple
Bengaluru: Google, Tata Motors, Amazon, Jio, and Apple have been recognised as India’s top five inclusive brands, according to the Brand Inclusion Index by marketing data and analytics firm Kantar. Category-wise, in India, Google leads in the technology sector, Tata Motors in automotive, SBI in banking, and Dove in skincare.
On a global scale, the top ten inclusive brands include Google, Amazon, Nike, Dove, McDonald’s, Netflix, Coca-Cola, Adidas, Disney and Apple.
The study reveals that 75% of consumers say that a brand’s diversity and inclusion reputation influences their purchase decisions. About 68% of Indians claim to have been discriminated against in the majority of cases in commercial places and brand touchpoints, which is higher than the global figure which stands at 46%.
“One of the fundamental ways to grow your brand is to predispose more people to it,” said Valeria Piaggio, global head of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at Kantar. “Yet when brands exclude consumers – whether that’s because people don’t feel welcomed when shopping in stores or their advertising doesn’t reflect diverse communities – it’s an easy miss.”
“Millennials and Gen Z prioritise diversity and inclusion even more than other groups, and as these populations grow in size and buying power these issues will carry more weight,” she added.
The survey showcases that DEI is important for the majority of Indians, both in life and while making brand choices, with 86% of respondents.
Globally, individuals with disabilities report the highest rates of discrimination at 81%, followed by LGBTQ individuals at 62%.
The study also found that progressive, inclusive advertising drives a sales uplift of over 16% when compared with less progressive ad content.
More women are seen in Indian ads than the global average but they remain bound by traditional roles of homemakers and mothers, with 7% of women featured in non-traditional roles. Moreover, women over 40 years of age are represented in less than one out of five ads accounting for 15% in India compared to 26% globally.
“In a country of India’s size, the term under-represented groups can be misleading for brands to use as a guiding light,” said Soumya Mohanty, managing director of the Insights division at Kantar. “Minorities can translate into millions of people who may choose or not choose to buy your brand, based on how well they feel seen, heard and voiced in your brands.”
The index is a survey of more than 23,000 people in 18 countries, the India leg comprises over 1,000 respondents with an inclusive demographic, which is gender expansive, disability, socio-economic class, and religion.
