Diversity and inclusion in advertising research

Diversity in advertising research refers to the portrayal of people with distinct attributes in advertising, while inclusion refers to the valuation of their presence and perspectives in advertising. The most commonly investigated diversity attributes in advertising research are gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and age. Extant research indicates a mis- and underrepresentation of certain groups in society but shows that diverse and inclusive advertising can have favorable brand and social effects. Future research should include other diversity attributes (e.g., disabilities, gender identity, and religion), consider multiple diversity attributes and intersectionality, and include an advertiser perspective to understand why advertising sometimes is neither diverse nor inclusive.