Inclusive branding approaches: a conceptual framework

The evolving role of marketing and brands as catalysts for social change is crucial for scholars and practitioners. Increasingly, citizens and consumers expect companies to take a stand and address environmental, social, and political issues. In this scenario, inclusive branding, which incorporates Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) principles into brand management, has become increasingly important, also due to pressures from activist movements like Black Lives Matter and #MeToo. However, the concept of inclusive branding is still in its early stages of development and the potential role that brands may play in meeting these consumer demands is currently limited. In light of these gaps, this conceptual paper aims to develop a theory-based typological framework that outlines the fundamental strategic approaches to inclusive branding. Moreover, defining the concept of inclusive brand, the study seeks to explore its dimensions. The study introduces the "DEI triad", comprising depth, breadth, and intersectionality, to capture the heterogeneity in applications of DEI principles into brand management. Depending on the level of development of these three dimensions, two contrasting approaches (i.e., strategic and tactical approaches) are identified. Using Netflix as a case vignette, the paper illustrates best practices in adopting a strategic approach. The study contributes to the growing field of inclusive branding by introducing a cohesive framework that delineates the main brand approaches to DEI - overcoming the limited and fragmented perspectives in previous managerial and academic literature - and deepens the DEI-based brand identity, which was not addressed in previous studies.