The humble mirror – all too often a means to judge our flaws – has been transformed by Sephora into an ally of all kinds of beauty. The ad uses the mirror as a lens into all kinds of life – theaters, ballets, raucous nights out, mindless bathroom gatherings – to celebrate the many facets of beauty.

The new spot marks the expansion of Sephora’s American brand tagline, “We belong to something beautiful,” to all regions of the world and features models from every age, every region and every ability. 

Sephora doesn’t just talk the talk; as of 2023, 51% of Sephora employees at the manager level and above are people of color, and a range of products cater for people with a truly diverse range of needs. With record profit growth over the last year, here’s one brand where inclusivity is clearly paying off. 
_{Find out more here}

Across London, campaign group Dad Shift have been tying model baby slings to famous statues. The campaign was driven by the recent insight that the UK is the country with the worst paternity leave option in Europe, offering as little as £184.03 a week for 2 statutory weeks of leave.

The campaign not only forces you to stop in your tracks, it takes on the engrained taboo around men and their role as fathers in modern life. Women are often asked about their lives as wives, mothers and caregivers, while male figures are rarely invited to share that part of themselves. 

This simple, cheap, yet fame-driving stunt forces this conversation. 
_{Find out more here}

When it comes to depicting disability in purpose marketing, images are often one-dimensional and inauthentic. For example, the default image of disability tends to be someone in a wheelchair, despite wheelchair users representing just 10% of the disability community. The latest campaign from the Business Disability Forum exists to take on bias in the media. 

It has open-sourced a set of guidelines that advise on how to select, commission and use disability-smart images, as well as a free bank of images for the media to use. 

Everything from casting model advice, spotlights on less visible disabilities like neurodiversity, and practical advice on captions and alt text helps correct the not just inauthentic, but persistently lacking disability representation in our media. 
_{Find out more here}

We’re in the midst of a DEI culture war. The battle is between two sides; one who sees these principles as guardrails for a more welcoming world, the other who sees them as a threat; up-ending the status quo and putting identity ahead of merit. 

Originally fringe “anti-woke” narratives are now being echoed by those on the global stage. The world stands in anticipation of November 5th, for the American election result that is set to determine which narrative will dominate the conversation over the next four years.

Corporate DEI teams built up and championed in the wake of George Floyd’s murder are going to find it a tougher environment to operate in than ever before, and, without a strong business case and articulate defense, may get cut all together.

One question hovers over it all; will political and business leaders step up and speak out against the Elon Musks of the world?

A report by the Unstereotype Alliance concludes that inclusive advertising which avoids stereotypes and authentically portrays diverse people can lead to a nearly 3.5% increase in short-term sales and a more than 16% boost in long-term growth. 

So marketers – listen up. Taking a stand for those that feel excluded can pay back. In a world where some seek to open up divisions between groups, The Next Revolution is closing the divide.

To read the full article, click here...

_{Enjoyed this? Click here to sign up for next month’s newsletter.}