Hey, everyone! Today we’re going to look at a new method of thinking about public relations and communications as a whole – equity communications. Born out of the pandemic and realizations that important messages about COVID-19 were leaving people behind, equity communication integrates strategies into communities first. Traditional public relations models develop messages based on a “silo”, a specific target audience. An equity based model proposes the opposite – communications are co-developed by communities and the organizations, they work in a partnership together.
This helps to include and listen directly to those groups that have previously been left out of communication efforts. So, instead of further targeting and privileging groups who already have a plethora of access, it creates access and community-based media for underrepresented people. There are a few things that need to exist for this approach to work, such as:
- Following the guidance and advice of community members and their lived experience
- Identifying disparities based on their experiences
- Investing in community infrastructure
- Finding solutions to communications barriers
This approach is working, let’s take a look at an outdoor focused example.
In recent years, it has become apparent just how limited outdoor clothing is in both its range of sizes and lack of gender-neutral options. This, of course, sends an underlying message that people who fall out of the traditional “small through large” sizes and don’t fit into a men’s or women’s section category don’t belong in outdoor spaces. But, thanks to advocates like CJ Greco and designers like Sue Jesch, this is changing. Brands are taking this equity-based approach to creating and communicating new apparel lines with diverse sizes and styles.
REI Co-op and Smartwool are examples of this. They recently launched product lines that go beyond gender binaries, and partnered with LGBTQ+ led organizations in the process. This is the co-creation idea that equity-based communications is centered on. These brands followed the guidance of people and groups who had the lived experience of not being able to find clothes that they felt comfortable in, and listened to that to design something that would actually benefit the community.
In the press release for the announcement of the REI clothing line they note that, “The Trailmade collection was designed from the ground-up and guided by insights from members of REI’s inclusion advisory panel of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, body positive and adaptive communities in collaboration with Unlikely Hikers, Latino Outdoors, 52 Hike Challenge and Fresh Tracks at the Aspen Institute.”
People deserve to see themselves represented in stores through clothing that is comfortable and empowering. By using an equity-based approach, REI and Smartwool were able to address this and find solutions. They identified disparities that a community faced by listening to their lived experience, and then invested in it which provided a solution. This serves as an example that the future of the public relations industry will need to incorporate these new equity-based methods if they want to truly meet the needs of all publics. This approach will shape a world with better outcomes for all – it will help transform and dismantle previous systems that no longer serve us to create a more equitable future.
Photo Credit: These photos are provided by REI.
April Winz 