Okay, you read our last blog post and now you’re convinced, inclusive content is good for business. But the natural next question is: where do I start? Where are the opportunities for *my* business?

This is where measuring representation plays a crucial role. Measuring representation in your ads uncovers opportunities that are hiding in plain sight. 

The best way to find those opportunities is to start by building your representation baseline. Review the past 12 months of ads and examine how often you truly see people of different gender expressions, ages, skin tones, sexual orientations, body sizes, and visible disabilities.

This data, when analyzed and delivered responsibly, gives you insight into which parts of your customer base you might be underrepresenting in your creative. 

To call back to an example we used last time, in the 2023 Super Bowl ads, we saw people with a masculine gender expression 2x more than people with a feminine gender expression.

If your results look like this, the next question to ask yourself is, are women in our customer base and if so, is this the right share of screen time or do we want it to be more gender balanced?

Your representation baseline allows you to set data driven goals. For example, you might want to move to a 50 / 50 split in screen time. Or you might want to increase your representation of people who are gender nonconforming. Your goals will be specific to your business goals and strategy.

As you dig in you might find that you do a great job at casting, your cast may in fact be gender balanced, but maybe the roles or your script or your editing could use adjusting to bring screen time up to more equitable levels. The way you work towards your goals will be specific to you and your business.

After you’ve established your representation baseline, it’s important to keep measuring, tracking, and reporting on the representation in your ads in an ongoing manner. Make sure you keep your eye on representation and celebrate the progress you make along the way.