Zumba has more than 15 million customers in 180 countries around the world. Part of the brand’s messaging is “there is a Zumba class for every body and everybody.” And with a brand that has such a vast reach with consumers globally, much can be learned about how the brand has been able to attract such a diverse customer base over the years.
I sat down with Carolina Moraes, Chief Marketing Officer at Zumba to understand more about their approach. Here are a few principles to embrace.
Inclusive Marketing Is Just Marketing
Inclusive marketing is a natural byproduct of being customer focused. We often need to give it its own special callout as a practice, because unfortunately, being inclusive in marketing is still the exception rather than the rule with most brands.
That’s where Zumba is different. Moraes points out that the way we even think about the term and marketing as a whole has an impact on how brands show up for their customers. Moraes noted, “It’s quite interesting that we have to refer to it as inclusive marketing, and not just “marketing.”
She went on to add, “It just seems to me that if you’re doing a good job as a marketer, as a brand expert, you’re spending a lot of time with your consumer and you’re really understanding who they are at the core.
Moreas further explained what that degree of customer intimacy looks like, in terms of uncovering “what do they want, what do they need, what do they look like, what they aspire to be, what do they aspire to achieve, how do they talk, how do they want to be talked to, and you’re incorporating that into your communication and your imagery, but more importantly, and that’s the mistake I’m seeing a lot these days, is that you incorporate that into the product and in the experience.”
Empathy Paves The Way For Delivering Better Customer Experiences
Empathy is foundational for being intentional about engaging in marketing that makes people from underrepresented and underserved communities feel like they belong with you.
Moraes told me about her experiences living in a different country as an adolescent. It opened her eyes to what it’s like to not see yourself represented in marketing and media.
Often enough, marketers who aren’t inclusive with their marketing operate in that manner because they don’t have the frame of reference for what it feels like to be excluded as a consumer.
While you can’t always change your lived experiences, you can make a choice to practice empathy. The more you are intentional about considering things from the perspective of others, the more you’ll grow accustomed to taking a walk in their shoes. Those experiences will give you the empathy needed to propel you to seek out ways to better serve the people from underrepresented and underserved communities.
Customer Intimacy Is Non-Negotiable
With any marketing, knowing your customer well is essential. The insights you gain from intimacy with the people you serve provides a road map for creating products, services, and experiences that make all the people you serve feel like they belong with you.
One of the ways Moraes and the Zumba team ensures that their agency partners develop the customer intimacy needed, is by requiring them to attend a Zumba class. Through the experience of seeing and experiencing a class alongside of the brand’s ideal customers, the partners develop a deeper understanding of what the marketing needs to accomplish to ensure it meets the needs of all the different types of customers the brand serves.
Make it a requirement for your team and your partners to get to know your customers. Create opportunities for them to spend time with your customers, particularly those from underrepresented and underserved communities. Encourage and support them in building relationships with your customers, and to hear their voices first hand.
Build A Diverse Team
The Zumba business model includes certifying instructors to teach their classes. Their vast instructor network includes a broad diversity of nationalities, ethnicities, genders, languages spoken, and other identities.
Because of the diversity of the instructor base, consumers are able to find and connect with an instructor that makes them feel seen, supported, and like they belong with them.
Many marketing teams today are not representative of the customer bases they are trying to reach. As a result, they don’t always do so well to authentically deliver products, services, and experiences that authentically speak to customers with various identities.
It is important for your brand to focus on building a marketing team that has identities that are representative of the various consumers you want to reach. The more representative your team is, the easier it will be to consistently deliver marketing that is authentic, relevant, and impactful for the people you’re working to engage.
While you’re working to build a more diverse and representative team, lean into working with partners such as consultants, freelancers, and agencies who either have expertise in supporting the communities you want to reach, and or who have those identities of the people you want to serve.
You can build a bigger and more diverse customer base that spreads across the world. But it will require you to build an inclusive brand and mindset that equips you to be able to do so. Follow Zumba’s lead, and you will start to see results you’re after.