What Video Marketers Should Know About Creating Diverse and Inclusive Content [New Research]

Video marketing is basically speed-dating with the internet. You get a few seconds to make a good impression,
and your audience can ghost you with a thumb flick that deserves an Olympic medal.
The twist? Your “audience” isn’t a single, tidy persona named Marketing Mary. It’s a living, breathing cross-section
of real peoplewith different cultures, ages, abilities, genders, family structures, languages, and lived experiences.
And they can all tell when a video is inclusive… or when it’s just wearing inclusion like a Halloween costume.

The good news: diverse and inclusive video isn’t just about “doing the right thing.” It’s also about doing the smart thing.
Newer research across advertising, accessibility, and consumer behavior shows that representation and respectful storytelling
can drive real outcomesattention, trust, purchase intent, and long-term loyaltywhile sloppy, token-y execution can do the opposite.
So let’s talk about what the evidence suggests, what it means for your creative process, and how to build inclusion into your workflow
without turning your next campaign into a corporate apology tour.

Why inclusive video matters more right now (and not just because your CEO said so)

Video used to be a “top-of-funnel” tool. Now it’s the funnel. People meet your brand on TikTok, evaluate you on YouTube,
compare you on CTV, learn your product through short demos, and decide whether you’re trustworthy by watching how you treat humans
who don’t look like the cast of a toothpaste commercial from 1998.

Modern consumers also have strong opinions about whether brands should reflect real-world diversityand whether they should stand behind
inclusive choices when critics get loud. That’s especially true among younger audiences (who are not shy about using comments sections
as a customer service hotline).

What the new research is telling video marketers

1) Inclusive ads can trigger actionespecially among historically underrepresented audiences

Research summaries drawing from a Google/Ipsos study (surveying thousands of U.S. consumers across many identity attributes)
found that a majority of respondents reported taking some kind of action after seeing an ad they perceived as diverse or inclusive.
The effect was even stronger among groups who are often underserved or stereotyped in media. Translation: inclusion doesn’t just “feel nice.”
It can be a performance leverwhen people recognize themselves and feel respected, they lean in.

2) Misrepresentation is not a “creative risk.” It’s a revenue risk.

Nielsen reporting on disability inclusion highlights a blunt reality: significant portions of people with disabilities feel misrepresented,
and many say they will disengage or even stop purchasing from brands that don’t respect their community. That’s not “cancel culture.”
That’s regular consumers making regular choices with their regular money. And disability inclusion is a giant market opportunity
that intersects with every other identity category.

3) Accessibility is going mainstreamand captions are the gateway habit

Wistia’s recent data on video marketing trends shows a sharp rise in accessibility practices among marketers.
Captions, in particular, have surged in adoption in recent years, and a growing share of videos now ship with multiple accessibility features.
Accessibility is no longer a niche requirement for a tiny slice of your audience; it’s increasingly a baseline expectation.
Plus, captions help in plenty of “non-disability” situations: noisy environments, silent autoplay feeds, language learners, and multitaskers.

4) LGBTQ inclusion is widely expectedand many consumers reward it

GLAAD’s advertising research points to a broad expectation that the advertising industry should give visibility to LGBTQ people, couples,
and families, including among Gen Z. It also highlights a recurring pattern: brands often fear backlash, but audiences frequently support
inclusive brandsespecially when those brands show year-round authenticity and preparedness.

5) Representation behind the camera affects what ends up on camera

Research on gender bias in advertising from the Geena Davis Institute emphasizes that women are still underrepresented in speaking time,
and that audiencesespecially womennotice and disengage when stereotypes show up. One of the most practical recommendations:
don’t treat representation as a casting decision only. Treat it as a decision-making decision. Who writes, directs, edits, approves,
and has veto power changes the output.

6) Business performance and inclusion often move together

Broader management research (like McKinsey’s work on diversity and performance) shows that higher diversity in leadership correlates with
a greater likelihood of financial outperformance over time. Video marketers can’t single-handedly restructure executive teams (please don’t try),
but you can align your content strategy with the same principle: better outcomes often come from better representation,
better perspectives, and fewer blind spots.

The inclusive video playbook: 7 things to do before you hit “export”

1) Start with audience reality, not audience stereotypes

Inclusive marketing begins before scripts. If your “target” is “millennial moms,” that’s not a personait’s a vague shape.
Real households include single parents, multi-generational families, interracial families, adoptive families, LGBTQ parents,
parents with disabilities, parents whose first language isn’t English, and parents whose budget is “whatever is left after daycare.”

• Upgrade your discovery: Combine customer data with qualitative research (interviews, community panels, social listening).
• Think intersectionally: People don’t live one-attribute-at-a-time. Your video shouldn’t either.
• Audit your assumptions: Ask, “Who is missing from this story?” and “Who is only here as scenery?”

2) Cast for authenticity, not optics

Diverse casting is necessary, but not sufficient. Audiences can smell tokenism like a forgotten protein shaker in a hot car.
Casting should reflect your real customers and the real worldwithout turning anyone into a symbol.

• Give people roles with agency: They should make decisions, solve problems, and speak lines that matter.
• Avoid “diversity wallpaper”: A diverse background crowd doesn’t fix a stereotyped main character.
• Represent age realistically: Not every adult woman is 27 with a blowout and unlimited free time.

3) Write inclusive scripts: language, power, and point of view

Inclusion shows up in what’s saidand what’s implied. Watch for “default” language that assumes a single experience:
“Hey guys,” “mom and dad,” “husband and wife,” “normal users,” “able-bodied,” “native English speakers,” and so on.
Better scripts make fewer assumptions and leave room for more people to feel welcome.

• Use precise, respectful terms: Especially when referencing disability, identity, or culture.
• Avoid punchlines that target identity: Humor should punch up, not punch down.
• Check who gets to be funny, smart, and competent: That distribution matters.

4) Build accessibility in by default (and stop treating captions like a “nice-to-have”)

Accessibility isn’t a bonus feature. It’s part of quality. If your video is not meaningfully usable by people with disabilities,
it’s not fully finishedlike a landing page with a broken “Buy” button.

A practical baseline for many brands is to follow widely recognized accessibility guidance for video, including providing captions
for prerecorded content and ensuring media is usable with assistive technologies. Beyond compliance thinking, accessibility simply expands reach.

• Captions: Accurate, synchronized, and inclusive of meaningful sounds when relevant.
• Audio description (when needed): Especially for videos where key meaning is purely visual.
• Readable design: Color contrast, legible typography, and on-screen text long enough to read.
• Platform-native tools: Use YouTube’s subtitle/caption workflows (or upload caption files) rather than skipping it “for time.”

5) Localize with respect (subtitles and dubbing can be inclusive, too)

Language accessibility is part of inclusion. If you serve multilingual communities, consider subtitles, translated captions, and culturally aware
localizationnot just literal translation. Humor, idioms, and references may need adaptation. Also: check name pronunciation in VO.
It’s a small detail that signals big respect.

6) Create an “inclusion QA” step (like brand QA, but for humans)

You already have a process to prevent typos, brand color mistakes, and legal issues. Inclusion deserves the same operational seriousness.
Add a structured review step before final approval.

1. Representation check: Who is present? Who speaks? Who leads? Who is marginalized (even unintentionally)?
2. Stereotype check: Are any identities shown in narrow, cliché roles?
3. Accessibility check: Captions, contrast, audio clarity, readable text, and platform compatibility.
4. Context check: Will this land differently across communities? Are we prepared to respond if feedback arrives?

7) Measure what matters (beyond views and vibes)

If inclusion is strategic, it should be measurable. Go beyond “We got positive comments!” and build a small measurement stack:

• Engagement quality: Watch time, drop-off points, replays, saves, shares, and comment sentiment.
• Brand lift and recall: If you run paid campaigns, test lift among different audience segments.
• Conversion behavior: Click-through, trial starts, lead forms, and downstream salessegmented where appropriate.
• Inclusion signals: Caption usage rates, accessibility feature adoption, and qualitative feedback from community panels.

Common mistakes (and how to avoid becoming a marketing case study on “what not to do”)

Mistake: Token casting with stereotyped writing

A diverse face in frame doesn’t help if the character has no agency, no lines, and no personality beyond “being diverse.”
Fix it by rewriting roles with competence, humor, complexity, and relevancethen cast accordingly.

Mistake: Inclusion as a seasonal flavor

If your brand is inclusive only during heritage months, audiences notice. You don’t need a rainbow logo 24/7,
but you do need consistency: inclusive representation in everyday content, not just “big statement” campaigns.

Mistake: Fear-driven creative decisions

Research shows brands and agencies can be more afraid of backlash from including LGBTQ people than backlash from excluding them.
The answer isn’t to hide. It’s to do the work: consult, collaborate, build authenticity, and be prepared to stand by your values.
“Don’t get canceled” is not a strategy. “Get it right” is.

Practical examples: what inclusive video looks like in the wild

Example 1: Product demo video (SaaS)

Instead of one “default user” in a minimalist apartment, show multiple real workflows:
a wheelchair user navigating keyboard shortcuts, a bilingual team toggling interface language,
and a parent using the product in short bursts between responsibilities. Add clear captions and avoid tiny UI text.
Outcome: more people can picture themselves succeeding with the tool.

Example 2: Fitness brand campaign

Move beyond “before-and-after” tropes. Feature different body types, ages, and abilities doing workouts safely.
Use coaches who cue modifications without shame. Make the narrative about strength, health, and progressnot “fixing” bodies.
Outcome: broader appeal and fewer comments that start with “This isn’t for people like me.”

Example 3: Financial services explainer

Avoid the stereotype of “young professional male explaining money to everyone.”
Include different household structures and life stages: gig workers, retirees, immigrants sending remittances,
couples and single people, and people rebuilding credit. Use plain language and visual clarity.
Outcome: trust, comprehension, and fewer bounce-y drop-offs halfway through.

A fast checklist you can paste into your next video brief

• Audience: Are we reflecting real customer diversity (intersectionally) rather than “checking boxes”?
• Story: Who has agency, competence, and humor? Who is centered?
• Language: Any unnecessary assumptions (gendered terms, “default” families, loaded phrasing)?
• Accessibility: Captions, contrast, readable text, audio clarity, and (when needed) audio description.
• Review: Inclusion QA step + feedback channel from people who represent the audience portrayed.
• Measurement: Track outcomes by segment where appropriate; learn and iterate.

Field Notes: 500+ words of real-world experience patterns video teams keep reporting

When teams start taking inclusive video seriously, the first “aha” moment usually isn’t about castingit’s about
process. Many marketing orgs discover they’ve been relying on informal taste checks (“Looks good to me!”)
for decisions that actually need structured review. The teams that improve fastest tend to create a lightweight
“inclusion brief” that sits alongside the creative brief. It’s not a manifesto. It’s practical: who the audience is,
what identities are represented, what the story is saying implicitly, and what accessibility requirements must ship
with every cut. Once that brief exists, production stops treating inclusion like an improvisation exercise.

Another pattern: teams learn that “authenticity” is rarely achieved by guessing. The better approach looks more like
product research than creative brainstorming. Marketers will run quick advisory sessions with customers or community members,
not asking them to approve the entire concept, but asking targeted questions: “Does this feel familiar or forced?” “What would
make this more accurate?” “Are we missing anything that would make someone feel excluded?” These sessions often surface
small changes with huge impactlike swapping a phrase that lands oddly, adjusting wardrobe that accidentally signals a stereotype,
or fixing a scene that implies only one kind of family uses the product.

Teams also report that accessibility upgrades are the easiest win with the biggest ripple effect. Captions, clearer audio,
and readable on-screen text reduce friction for everyonenot just for people with disabilities. Marketers frequently notice that
once captions are standard, performance improves in silent-autoplay environments and retention rises in short social cuts.
The operational trick is to make accessibility a non-negotiable production requirement rather than a “post-launch enhancement.”
When it’s baked into timelines, budgets, and vendor checklists, it stops being “extra work” and becomes “how we ship.”

A third consistent lesson: inclusion fails when it’s only visual. Some teams will cast diverse talent but keep the same old
narrative structurewhere the “default” character drives the action and everyone else is supporting scenery. The fix is to assign
agency intentionally in the script: who explains the product, who solves the problem, who gets the smart line, who gets the laugh,
who gets the close-up. When teams start tracking these creative “power signals,” their content becomes more inclusive without
feeling performative.

Finally, marketers repeatedly find that the real reputational risk isn’t inclusionit’s inauthentic execution.
When brands try to “say the right thing” without doing the work, audiences respond with skepticism. But when brands show up consistently,
collaborate with communities, and stand by their values even when the internet gets spicy, audiences often reward that backbone.
The teams who handle this well typically have a simple response plan prepared: a clear statement of values, a way to explain intent,
and an open channel for constructive feedback. That readiness turns potential controversy into an opportunity to demonstrate credibility.

Conclusion: inclusive video is a craft, not a checkbox

Diverse and inclusive video content isn’t about perfection. It’s about practice: making better choices, building better systems,
and learning faster. The research points in the same direction across multiple domainsrepresentation affects behavior, accessibility expands reach,
and authenticity protects trust. If you treat inclusion as part of quality, your videos won’t just be “more inclusive.” They’ll be more effective.
And you’ll spend less time arguing with comments and more time building a brand people actually want to be seen with.