Marketing isn’t just about making noise—it’s about making connections. When businesses ignore entire demographics, they don’t just miss an opportunity. They lose trust, revenue, and, in many cases, their competitive edge.
Consumers today expect more from brands. They want to see themselves reflected in advertising, product offerings, and corporate messaging. When that doesn’t happen, they walk away—and they don’t always come back.
Some of the biggest brands in the world have learned this lesson the hard way. Let’s take a look at what happens when companies fail to recognize the importance of inclusion.
Why Ignoring Inclusion is a Costly Mistake
Marketing shapes public perception. It signals who belongs, who matters, and who is valued. When businesses exclude certain groups—whether intentionally or not—the impact is far-reaching.
Three key consequences often follow:
- Lost Revenue – Consumers are less likely to buy from brands that don’t acknowledge them.
- Reputation Damage – Exclusion can lead to public backlash, often going viral.
- Missed Loyalty – Consumers support brands that support them, and once trust is broken, it’s difficult to rebuild.
Some of the most well-known companies have suffered the consequences of ignoring these realities. Here are four case studies that show what happens when businesses fail to be inclusive.
Real-World Cases of Brands That Got It Wrong
1. Victoria’s Secret: Refusing to Adapt to Consumer Expectations
For years, Victoria’s Secret was the undisputed leader in lingerie. Its heavily produced runway shows and supermodel-driven marketing dominated the industry. But while the world evolved toward body positivity and inclusivity, Victoria’s Secret stayed frozen in time.
In 2018, the company’s then-Chief Marketing Officer, Ed Razek, publicly stated that Victoria’s Secret had no interest in featuring plus-size or transgender models, claiming the brand was based on “fantasy” (Vogue, 2018).
Consumers responded by turning away from the brand. Victoria’s Secret’s sales dropped year after year, and in 2019, it was forced to cancel its once-iconic fashion show due to declining viewership.
Meanwhile, brands like Aerie and Savage X Fenty filled the gap. Aerie’s unretouched models and size-inclusive approach won over customers. Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty, which highlights a diverse range of body types, quickly became a billion-dollar business.
Victoria’s Secret has since attempted to rebrand, but for many, the damage was already done.
(For more on why representation isn’t just about visibility but about consumer connection, read Why Representation Hits Harder Than You Think.)
2. Pepsi’s Kendall Jenner Ad: When Inclusivity Becomes a Gimmick
In 2017, Pepsi launched an ad featuring Kendall Jenner, portraying her as a model-turned-activist who joins a protest and hands a police officer a can of Pepsi as a peace offering. The message? That Pepsi could somehow solve deep-rooted social justice issues.
The backlash was immediate. Critics accused Pepsi of trivializing activism and using social movements as a marketing tool without acknowledging the real struggles behind them. Many pointed out the eerie resemblance to real-life protests, particularly the Black Lives Matter movement (The Guardian, 2017).
Pepsi pulled the ad within 24 hours and issued an apology, but the damage was done. The brand lost credibility, and Jenner faced personal backlash for her involvement.
This case highlighted a major marketing misstep—diversity and inclusion cannot be performative. Brands that try to capitalize on social issues without genuine commitment to the communities they’re representing will face consumer rejection.
3. H&M’s “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle” Hoodie: A Lack of Diverse Voices
In 2018, H&M released an ad featuring a Black child wearing a hoodie that read “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle.”
The backlash was swift. Given the long history of racist stereotypes linking Black people to primates, the image was widely condemned. Celebrities like The Weeknd and G-Eazy cut ties with the brand, and social media was flooded with calls for boycotts (BBC News, 2018).
H&M quickly apologized and pulled the hoodie, but the controversy exposed a deeper issue—the company lacked diversity behind the scenes. Had there been more diverse voices at the table, this misstep could have been avoided.
Diversity in marketing teams isn’t just about fairness—it’s about ensuring that blind spots don’t turn into full-scale brand crises.
(For more on how businesses overlook entire communities and what it costs them, read Who Are We Missing? Overlooked Communities with Big Impact.)
4. Abercrombie & Fitch: When Exclusivity Backfires
In the early 2000s, Abercrombie & Fitch built its brand on exclusivity. Its marketing featured thin, young, mostly white models, and its CEO at the time, Mike Jeffries, openly admitted that the company only wanted “cool” people wearing its clothes (Business Insider, 2013).
For a while, the approach worked. But as consumer values shifted toward body positivity and inclusivity, Abercrombie’s image turned from aspirational to outdated.
Sales plummeted, stores closed, and the company scrambled to rebrand. Today, Abercrombie markets itself as size-inclusive and diverse, but it took years to rebuild trust. Many consumers never returned.
The lesson? Exclusion isn’t a long-term business model. Brands that position themselves as “not for everyone” may find that, eventually, no one wants them.
What Businesses Can Learn from These Failures
These brands didn’t fail because their products were bad. They failed because they ignored who their consumers actually were.
To avoid making the same mistakes, businesses need to:
- Listen to Their Audience – Consumers will tell you what they want—if you’re willing to listen.
- Hire Diverse Teams – The more perspectives at the table, the fewer blind spots in marketing.
- Prioritize Authenticity – Representation should feel natural, not like a marketing stunt.
- Adapt to Change – Consumer expectations evolve. Brands that refuse to evolve with them get left behind.
How The it Crowd Can Help
At The it Crowd Marketing, we specialize in marketing that resonates with real audiences. Whether it’s crafting inclusive branding, ensuring accessibility, or avoiding the pitfalls of exclusion, we help businesses connect with the people they should be reaching.
Because marketing isn’t just about visibility—it’s about getting it right.
Exclusion is Expensive
Brands that fail to be inclusive don’t just lose customers—they lose relevance. The world is diverse, and businesses that ignore that reality are setting themselves up for failure.
The next time your company launches a campaign, ask: Who is missing? Who isn’t being represented? Who are we leaving behind?
Because the brands that include everyone aren’t just doing the right thing. They’re building the future.
