Implementing the Inclusive Branding Strategy: Key Challenges and Managerial Solutions from the Perspective of Marketing Practitioners

As companies are increasingly called upon to play a role in addressing societal challenges, they are expected to adopt hybrid logic, integrating market and social logic. This shift has profound implications for brand management, as brands become powerful vehicles through which companies articulate their social commitments and values. In this evolving landscape, the integration of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) principles into branding has gained growing strategic relevance. Brands are being urged to not only represent diverse social identities (e.g., gender, disability, race, etc.), but also to foster equity and promote active inclusion, both in the marketplace and in broader society. Inclusive branding emerges as a Social Purpose Branding strategy based on this hybrid logic, aligning competitive positioning with a clear social purpose. Despite the growing relevance of the topic, academic literature on inclusive branding remains fragmented. Most studies focus on specific marketing tools (e.g., product, advertising) or diversity dimensions (e.g., disability), often adopting a theoretical and consumer-centered approach. There is a lack of comprehensive frameworks that reflect managerial perspectives on understanding the complexity of implementing an inclusive branding strategy. The study addresses these gaps by: (1) mapping inclusive branding initiatives through the triad “marketing tools/activities-intended audiences–diversity dimensions”; and (2) identifying key challenges and managerial solutions in implementing inclusive branding strategies. Based on document analysis of the Diversity Brand Index and eight in-depth interviews with DEI and branding professionals, the study offers both theoretical insights and practical implications for managers seeking to build credible, inclusive, and socially impactful brands.