The increasing diversity of American consumers represents a significant cultural movement of our time. For brands, diverse consumers already make up a large percentage of their audience, and race, ethnicity and sexuality are increasingly important to people’s identities. The drive toward inclusivity is essential if marketers want to authentically engage consumer culture—and to do so, they must get their terminology right.  

An extensive new study reveals preferences of multicultural and LGBTQ+ audiences about ways of speaking to them most authentically, and least offensively. Acknowledging the rise in importance of racial, ethnic and gender identities, the research explores diverse consumer segments along two dimensions: the terms they use to describe themselves, and their sentiment toward terms used to describe their segment as a whole.

This new report guides brands on how to choose terms that best reflect the preferences of their target segments. It explores the varied ways Hispanics, Blacks (American and Caribbean) and Asians prefer being addressed, a multiplicity of terms used across multicultural and LGBTQ+ identities, and terminology that may be offensive or polarizing to these groups.

Download this report now to understand the terms that align with diverse audiences, and how to make inclusive language a consistent centerpiece of your marketing and communications campaigns.