The Inclusion Return Part Two: Brand Case Studies In Action.
Inclusive Campaigns by Bayer, Mars, and Unilever Converted Equity into Sales.
From Data to Creative Execution
Data alone does not shift markets. While Part One established inclusive advertising’s link to higher sales, pricing power, and loyalty across hundreds of brands and geographies, the commercial impact is realized through authentic creative execution. This chapter examines three cases demonstrating how inclusion drives growth when deeply embedded in campaigns.
Bayer Brazil: Reframing Fatherhood
Bayer’s “From Father to Father” campaign challenged traditional caregiving stereotypes in Brazil by portraying fathers as active, nurturing caregivers. The campaign scored among the highest inclusivity metrics and delivered measurable commercial returns, with sales lift exceeding baseline both immediately and long-term. Brand equity strengthened in relevance and trust metrics.
The lesson: authentic cultural alignment that challenges stereotypes drives resonance and measurable growth. Bayer humanized its scientific brand, increasing consideration and conversion without softening its identity.
Mars Global: Systemic Representation Correction
Mars identified a global underrepresentation of women in its advertising and set firm targets to increase female presence, embedding inclusion into brand governance. Campaigns with corrected representation achieved higher consideration, loyalty, and pricing power relative to peers across multiple regions.
Their approach proves systemic inclusion is a scalable, replicable driver of sales and margin resilience, not a one-off tactic.
Unilever: Aligning with Women’s Football
Unilever invested heavily in women’s football, aligning with one of the fastest-growing cultural movements globally. Embedding brands in this space translated cultural equity into commercial performance, trial rates rose, brand preference deepened, and loyalty increased among key demographics, particularly younger and diverse audiences. Pricing power improved, showing volume and margin growth.
This was not a temporary sponsorship spike. It embedded Unilever brands into a lasting cultural shift, building durable equity beyond event cycles.
Integrated Lessons
These cases reveal three pathways inclusion drives commercial success:
Cultural Reframing: Bayer's campaign proved local cultural stereotype shifts can boost sales and equity.
Systemic Correction: Mars’s governance-level inclusion drives scale loyalty and pricing advantage.
Movement Alignment: Unilever’s embrace of women’s football multiplies relevance and return.
Together, they confirm inclusion is a strategic, creative choice with direct benefits in sales, loyalty, and margin resilience across industries and geographies.
Bottom Line: Inclusive Creative Converts Representation Into Advantage
Bayer, Mars, and Unilever prove inclusion works beyond tokenism. Creative reframing, systemic correction, and movement investment each unlock measurable commercial gains. Brands activating inclusion in creative execution capture advantages competitors miss. Those treating inclusion as optional campaigns or sporadic sponsorships remain trapped in transactional marketing, forgoing equity, resilience, and margin benefits inclusion brings.
