Brands want to know that they are on the right track toward achieving their goals. That\u2019s why measurement matters. Key performance indicators (KPIs) often give leaders signals to determine if what they\u2019re doing is working or if they need to adjust.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n A client I worked with a while back wanted to ensure they were effectively engaging the African-American and Hispanic communities as a part of their growth strategy. So, they tracked many of their brand KPIs by race and ethnicity. They identified that they weren\u2019t performing as well with African-Americans as they should have been. My role was to help them figure out why and help them improve those KPIs.<\/p>\n As an inclusive marketing strategist and consultant<\/a>, I\u2019ve found over and over again that traditional KPIs don\u2019t tell the full story. Marketers and business leaders will struggle to reach a diverse customer base and make informed decisions with this missing context.<\/p>\n Below, I share why traditional KPIs fall short and how metrics that focus on diverse groups are the key to unlocking customer success and brand growth.<\/p>\n In my experience, most brands\u2019 KPIs fail to accurately measure diverse communities. Why? The brands\u2019 initial marketing collateral has not been tested on a diverse audience.<\/p>\n For example, I recently gave feedback on an ad during an inclusive marketing audit. The client noted that their team tested the ad and didn\u2019t get the indication that there were any issues.<\/p>\n So, I asked them who they tested the ad with. Therein lay the problem. Their \u201cgeneral market\u201d test failed to give them an accurate indication of how their ad would be received by diverse consumers.<\/p>\n A compelling case study of this point comes from Sinners<\/em>, the highest-grossing original film<\/a> this decade. The hit movie earned $261m in domestic box office sales and $357m worldwide. Before I even saw the film, I knew there was a pivotal dance scene that mesmerized audiences. People had already been raving about it on social media.<\/p>\n When comedian KevOnStage talked about that scene<\/a>, he said that he\u2019s \u201cnever felt so seen, in a scene.\u201d Commenters agreed with him on the impact.<\/p>\n\n Given the impact this scene had on a broad diversity of viewers, I was shocked to learn that it had been cut from the film at one point during the editing process. Actor Saul Williams, who was in Sinners,<\/em> told Essence Magazine<\/a> that he saw a version of the movie that didn\u2019t include that scene because it didn\u2019t test well with general market audiences.<\/p>\n\n The performance indicators showed that the scene should be left out. However, the feedback from audiences reflected the fact that the scene was pivotal to the impact and success of the film.<\/p>\n Where did this disconnect come from?<\/p>\n The performance indicators were captured from the perspective of the \u201cgeneral market.\u201d What would have been more helpful \u2014 and this is true for most brands \u2014 is to understand how different types of audiences responded to the stimuli.<\/p>\n In short, I\u2019ve discovered that \u201cgeneral market\u201d numbers are no longer reliable enough for market and customer research.<\/p>\n First off, you must acknowledge that any metrics you track solely at an aggregate level are likely telling an incomplete story. If you want to uncover the root of what is happening and why, you\u2019ll need to go deeper. That means adjusting your performance metrics and looking at them based on subgroups.<\/p>\n Deborah Pickett<\/a>, a mathematics instructional trainer and coach, has been analyzing data with school systems for more than 20 years. One of her roles is to focus on data at schools to better understand how they are performing. She explained how she and school leadership use data to track performance. First, Pickett and her team see what percentage of students are learning the material. Then, they dig into subgroups.<\/p>\n \u201cIn other words, if we\u2019re looking at the subgroups of students, whether it\u2019s by grade level or by course or by ethnic subgroup or by students with disabilities. Are those students also performing at the same levels as the masses are? That\u2019s how we know if what we\u2019re doing is working for students,\u201d Pickett says.<\/p>\n Pickett went on to add that you have to look at several data points to uncover a more complete story.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the things we talk about often is triangulating data. For example, if you just look at teacher data, or you just look at student data, or you just look at the big picture, you miss all of the things that are happening when you look at it all together and see what story that data is telling you,\u201d Pickett says.<\/p>\n Tune into my full conversation with Deborah Pickett, which includes recommendations on what to do about the story your data tells you on this episode of the Inclusion & Marketing podcast:<\/p>\n A common objection I hear when recommending this approach is that people don\u2019t understand why they need to track performance by subgroup. I always remind clients that it is important to do so because consumers are different.<\/p>\n Moreover, with growing diversity from a race and ethnicity standpoint in the U.S. and minority groups increasing their representation, businesses simply can\u2019t afford to ignore what resonates with diverse consumer groups. The U.S. Census Bureau<\/a> predicts that non-Hispanic whites will account for less than half of the population in the next 25 years, and minority consumer spending is expected to reach $7 trillion<\/a> this year.<\/p>\n We also need to consider other dimensions of diversity apart from race and ethnicity, such as sexual oritentation, age, body size and type, neurodiversity, parental status, and disability, to name a few.<\/p>\n So, even though the consumers you serve are all coming to you to solve a specific problem, I\u2019ve found that the identities each of them has can influence a number of things that impact the journey they have with you, including:<\/p>\n The ways in which they receive messages from you. Comparing your overall data with performance metrics by subgroup will help you evaluate how effective you are with different consumer groups. That insight lets you identify when you need to make adjustments to your approach.<\/p>\n In this short video, Pickett explains why looking at data by subgroups generates better markers for success, along with an example of how this method generated positive results.<\/p>\n Brands engaging in inclusive marketing aren\u2019t as effective as they could be.<\/p>\nWhy Most KPIs Don’t Tell the Full Story<\/h2>\n
\nSinners<\/em>: A Case Study<\/h3>\n
How to Ensure Your KPIs Give You a More Complete Story<\/h2>\n
Why track KPIs for diverse consumer subgroups?<\/h3>\n
\n Whether or not they convert into a customer.
\n The degree of success they achieve.
\n How long they stay with you as a customer. <\/p>\nKey Performance Indicators Your Brand Should Be Tracking<\/h2>\n