5 Things Marketers Can Do to Start Their DEI Journey

We are trained to make people feel. Marketers hold the power to control narratives, set language, and define values. We have the perspective and privilege to connect and move people. It is our responsibility to ensure our actions are authentic, thoughtful, and respectful. As a mixed, Mexican-American identifying marketer by profession, and after more than ten years in this field, I have experienced false flags, virtue signaling, disrespect, microaggressions, and even a White-identifying male CEO slamming his hands down on a table across from me in a glass-walled conference room while yelling red-faced, “Maureen. I am the CEO!”

We must do better. Our contributions as communicators can influence the way people move and interact. We have opportunities to catalyze movements and demand equitable and inclusive systems, but only if we acknowledge and challenge the structures from which we derive our power, whether tied to our identity, title, position, or platform. Here are five things marketers can do to start their DEI journey:

1. Make a commitment to educate yourself

Educate yourself about diversity, equity, and inclusion, and always be authentic about your journey. Get curious. Follow and engage with local DEI organizations and agencies on social media, read books, watch movies, start conversations, and attend training and events. Explore BIPOC-written and created materials about marketing and outside of our field. ​​Make a real commitment and do the work.

2. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes

We are marketers and humans, so ground yourself in humanity. DEI work is consequential and you will make mistakes. Acknowledge when you don't have the answer or when your company is not the best voice to share to minimize mistakes along the way. Use the networks you have built to hold your audiences accountable, but first, hold yourself accountable, and always lead with a sincere apology when you make a mistake. 

3. Honor the people already doing the work

Pain, trauma, and oppression are not products to be traded for reputation, revenue, or credibility. Honor stories and storytellers, by honoring their energy, capacity, time, and experience. If making space or passing the mic are strategies important to your workplace, then those individuals stepping up and in the spotlight need to be honored (with payment).

4. Lean in to being uncomfortable

Weaving DEI practices into your marketing work demands risk beyond unsubscribes and unfollows. You may find yourself in uncomfortable conversations and awkward video meetings, being uncomfortable is part of the work. Your DEI initiatives and activities may not always align with your quarterly success metrics or your team may not understand your insistence on including pronouns, so stay grounded in your humanity, your values, and the true impact this work has on your non-White identifying colleagues, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and family.

5. Find a friend, form a committee

No one should do DEI work in a silo. Find and connect with people in your workplace across teams, functions, and departments who are also committed to DEI. Talk. Collaborate. Listen. Share resources. Allow yourself to be challenged to change and continually (un)learn.