From Exclusion to Inclusion: An Introduction to the Special Issue on Marketplace Diversity and Inclusion

ew attention is needed for often overlooked and undervalued consumers. Some would argue that there has been sufficient attention to these groups, but perhaps the problem, from a public policy perspective, is with the marketing strategies that have been used to attract and retain their patronage. Some companies fear making a mistake and thus shy away from potentially complex markets. Still other firms fail to recognize the value of such niche markets because they see no potential for economies of scale. However, in this special issue, we argue that it is no longer a viable strategy for companies to stick their collective “heads in the sand.” Instead, private and public sectors should enact policies to ensure active interest in and respect for diverse marketplaces throughout the globe. We conceptualize global marketplace diversity and inclusion to incorporate the traditional four Ps of marketing (product, price, place, and promotion) and interactions in the marketplace, which include business to business, business to consumer, supplier diversity, consumer to business, and consumer to consumer settings (see Figure 1). Such diversity may be with respect to ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and physical (dis)ability, among other factors. Whereas it is true that more multicultural consumers and products exist than ever before in the marketplace, there is certainly more change to come. As the world becomes more connected through technology (e.g., the Internet, mobile technologies) and transportation (e.g., airplanes, trains), policies for diverse marketplace opportunities become paramount. Next, we briefly discuss ways in which the marketing mix (product, price, place, and promotion) may be considered from a diversity perspective.