The Imperative Need for Diversity in a Changing Media Landscape
Not long ago I was in a meeting with a company worth millions. In the middle of a crisis management issue, the company looked to me for my perspective as a young black woman who was in touch with an audience the company could not reach. The crisis involved customers who were predominantly people of color. As I gazed across the table at the high level, white, male executives, I thought to myself that the solution was not as complex as the company leaders were making it out to be. The problem was that the business was operating on an antiquated model that didn't factor in one of the most important ideologies in modern day communication strategy: to authentically survive, a company needs to diversify. Diversity impacts a company's innovation and the only way this company could continue to out perform and drive market growth was to embrace the diversity of its consumers. Yet, the leadership had nothing in common with their users. The marketplace had changed, but the marketers had not. So, I helped this company manage its crisis, but the most important take away from that meeting was the imperative of diversity. In the aforementioned meeting with the white male executives, they had come to me to help them understand their market base and solve a problem that had warranted news coverage but my hypothesis after the meeting is one that has been a reoccurring theme with all of my clients no matter who they are. Diversity in the marketplace is no different than diversity in our everyday cultural landscape and you have to be able to recognize the commonalities and differences among people that make up society in order to succeed. Additionally, diversity extends beyond just the consumers; within our own work we must incorporate the diversifying forms of media in order to stay afloat in today's culture. The world is engrossed in scenarios where people are at war simply because they won't look beyond differences to recognize commonalities. Media must work to recognize diversified platforms to truly appeal to the widest base. A Lack of Diversity Can Spawn Political Apathy The standards involved in encompassing diversity, cultural or technological, must be practiced in government to maintain voter confidence. However, this can prove quite the challenge. With so many varying styles of leadership across the world, a lack of diversity can spawn political apathy. And while it is necessary to remain diverse, it is equally as important to keep up with new media and technology. These two prongs diversity and media hold strong in the world of communications. In the United States, the 2016 political election comes down to two presidential nominees, both of whom should seek to attract the most varied body of voters. Voter turnout will be important in this presidential contest and diversity will be the key for nominees' success. These presidential candidates not only need to seek out diversity in votes, but they should use it as a tool in their campaigns. A diverse use of messages spanning various media platforms is key to attracting voters to the polls. Both nominees are engaging with each other regularly on social media more so than in any previous election. This is thanks to the evolution of today's media, where it is faster to send out a tweet than it is to print a press release in the a newspaper or book an appearance on television. Not only is this method of social media accepted for its convenience, it is also utilized for its diverse audience. Whether or not the new world of media is perceived as an improvement to society or a detriment, the reality is that it's here to stay and everyone else must learn to adapt and work with it. The media and today's youth are not going to put down their phones or say no to the latest trends because it will undermine capitalism or prove to be inefficient for the future markets. Instead, the markets must learn to adjust to the media. The Growing Power of the International Marketplace Means an Increased Need for Diversity in Public Relations The growing power of the national and international marketplace means there is an increased need for diversity inside the world of public relations and public affairs, nationally and internationally.