Style Guidance home

Marketing Glossary

As a brand, the sustainability of your diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in marketing and advertising can depend on seeing DEI as a practice, not a moment. It’s vital not just to recognize differences but to celebrate them by embracing authentic representation and visibility in marketing programs and campaigns.

This glossary intends to define and provide greater context on marketing-specific terms, for additional clarity, knowledge, and confidence around inclusive language as it relates to marketing, pre- to post-creative and sales teams. These terms may be helpful in understanding the experiences of those who are often excluded or marginalized so we may develop language to reflect changing times as an industry. 

Like all of Language, Please, this glossary is a living resource and is meant to be regularly updated as the terminology and discussion around it continues to evolve. The intention is not to be prescriptive but to help spark reflection and thoughtful decision-making, leading to content, marketing programs, and media offerings that are more true to today’s consumers and their unique needs.

Have a suggestion for an update, change, or addition? Please get in touch.

How to use: Browse the whole section or search for the term you need guidance on; click on any term for in-depth context, additional resources, and related terms.

The term “new mainstream” refers to the transformation of the US consumer markets, highlighting how diverse groups have reshaped US consumer identity by becoming the new majority. The “mainstream” is no longer culturally uniform but rather encompasses an increasing range of cultures and demographics.

Forward arrow

Cultural humility acknowledges that someone can never fully understand cultures and identities outside their own. It encourages individuals to be okay with not having all the answers and emphasizes the idea that the process of making, learning from, and correcting mistakes is how authentic connections can take place.

Forward arrow

An ally is someone who makes a committed effort to understand and recognize their own privilege — whether related to gender identity, class, race or ethnicity, sexual identity, or other characteristics — and actively collaborates with historically underrepresented groups to achieve social justice for all. A brand being an ally means making a genuine commitment to elevate the voices of historically underrepresented populations throughout the entire life cycle of campaigns. The word ally may not resonate with or feel sufficient to all communities or individuals. As with all other terms presented here, it’s important to do the work to get clear on how the individuals in your target segment relate to the term.

Forward arrow

Get in Touch

Language, Please is a living resource and will be updated regularly. Have a question, suggestion, or addition? We’d love to hear from you.

Contact Us

Find an Inclusivity Reviewer

Access our inclusivity reviewer directory here.

View Directory