Times have moved on since the reign of television commercials, billboards and telephone box posters. The world of marketing is constantly evolving, now merging traditional ways of spreading a message with modern technology. The result? A powerful, lucrative and unstoppable industry.
While these changes have certainly been impactful, something else has changed the way we approach marketing forever: a shift in society and our perspectives on the world.
Any successful marketer will tell you that language matters. The way we communicate with our audiences can have a major impact on brand perception, trust and KPIs, so choosing our words wisely is essential.
Today we’re sharing 13 inclusive language swaps that every business can incorporate to update your marketing for a modern-day audience.
13 Inclusive Language Swaps to Modernise Your Marketing
Gender Neutral / LGBT Swaps
1. Ladies + Gentlemen → Folks / Colleagues / Friends
In recent years, we’ve all come to understand that gender is a spectrum. Many people don’t identify with the sex they’re assigned at birth, and their gender may not strictly match their visual expression. As a result, it’s always better to keep language gender neutral – this ensures everyone feels included, no matter what their sex or gender identity.
Next time you’re hosting an event, holding a meeting or sending out a letter, why not try swapping out ‘ladies + gentlemen’ for something more inclusive?
Folks, colleagues or friends are all great options, depending on the scenario at hand.
2. Husband or Wife → Partner or Spouse
Much like gender identity, sexual orientation can’t be defined by the way someone acts or dresses. As a result, it’s always better to keep things neutral when discussing relationships to avoid making anyone feel uncomfortable or misrepresented.
Whether you’re asking how someone’s other half is doing or inviting them along to an event, you should always aim to refer to them as ‘partner or spouse’, instead of ‘husband or wife’. It’s an easy language swap to make, but will make a big impact on your target audience.
3. Maternity or Paternity Leave → Parental Leave
Maternity and paternity leave are gendered terms, and while it’s okay to use them when describing our own choices or those closest to us, it’s always better to keep things neutral in work or commercial settings.
Let’s say you’re marketing a product that’s great for keeping small babies occupied. Specifically mentioning maternity leave narrows down your target audience, but it also assumes that everyone looking after children must be a woman.
Using terms like ‘parental leave’ or ‘parental time off’ is much more inclusive, and acknowledges the part both men and women play in the raising of children. Consider the stereotypes quashed!
4. Sexist Phrases
When we’re taking a more casual tone on social media, incorporating common phrases allows us to connect on a closer level with our audiences. While this is great most of the time, it can also lead to using sayings that can carry negative connotations (even when we don’t mean to).
There are lots of examples of sexist phrasing that crop up in our everyday vocabulary – some we may not even realise are inherently wrong. This includes:
- Boys will be boys
- Act more ladylike
- Fight like a girl
- Wearing the pants
- Man up
- Grow a pair
- Drama queen
Instead of using these age-old phrasings, try to keep your marketing gender neutral – even if your product or service is targeted at one particular gender.
For more gender neutral language guidance, take a look at the UN’s helpful strategies.
Disability / Mental Health Swaps
5. Blindspot → Missed Opportunity
Lots of the phrases in our everyday vocabulary are not only sexist, but they’re often ableist too. This means they’re not inclusive of people with disabilities or mental health issues – usually because they carry negative connotations.
For example, in business speak, we often refer to a missed opportunity or a failure as a ‘blindspot’. Instead of using this archaic language, we can just call it what it is and avoid hurting anyone’s feelings in the process.
6. Tone Deaf → Insensitive
Similarly to the previous swap, ‘tone deaf’ is used to describe our insensitivities or inability to see how something we’ve said could be interpreted differently. Ironically, this is the exact same impact using terminology like this can have.
Next time something doesn’t quite align with your values, describe it as insensitive or inconsiderate instead to avoid offending anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing.
7. Mental → Outrageous / Shocking / Unbelievable
Historically, people with mental illnesses have been treated badly by society, and while our values have certainly changed, some of that age-old language very much remains. When we describe someone acting strangely as ‘crazy’ or ‘mental’, we’re implying they may have a mental illness that causes them to act in this way. Similarly, calling someone a ‘loon’ originates from the word ‘lunatic’ – a phrase we left behind long ago.
Instead of using words entrenched in ableist language, try using plain adjectives instead. Outrageous, shocking or unbelievable are all good alternatives, and they won’t upset your audience in the process.
8. Lame → Uncool
‘Lame’ is another word that exists in our vocabulary, without us understanding its origins or connotations. While it was originally used to describe animals who can no longer walk due to illness or injury, the term has historically been used to describe humans with similar conditions.
At some point in the very long history of language, the word eventually became a synonym for something dull, boring or uncool. So you can imagine why it might be upsetting to some audiences to hear it used in this way.
Instead of describing something as lame, why not get creative instead? Uncool will do the trick, but any good copywriting agency will be able to help you come up with something more exciting if the occasion calls for it.
Ethnicity, Race and Nationality Swaps
9. Guru → Expert / Guide
‘Guru’ is a word we often use to describe someone who knows all, or an authority on a certain subject or area of expertise. With this in mind, it’s understandable that this has become a popular term in service marketing – but is it appropriate for anyone to use it?
Guru connotes ‘teacher’ in Sanskrit, but its significance in ancient Indian traditions means much more than that. As a result, appropriating the term to describe your company or product’s expertise doesn’t seem quite right.
Instead, why not just say expert or guide? As well as making your marketing more inclusive, plain language might actually appeal to a wider audience too.
10. Tribe → Group / Collective / Community
‘Tribe’ generally refers to a select community or culture linked by religion, social practices or blood ties. While the word in itself isn’t necessarily offensive, it has been used historically by Western civilisations to undermine or other indigenous groups.
It’s for this reason that steering clear of vocabulary referring to ‘tribes’ or ‘tribal’ ways of doing things is the best approach for modern-day marketers.
Any great copywriting agency can help you to come up with some stronger alternatives for your next campaign, but words like collective or community are a great place to start.
11. Powwow → Meeting / Catch-Up
‘Powwow’ is a term most commonly used to describe a get-together or social gathering, often in office settings. However, using it in such a casual way is considered to be offensive due to its Native American origins and cultural importance. While words on a basic level don’t necessarily hold such weight, appropriating them in the wrong setting can be incredibly insensitive – bad for your audiences and for business.
Avoid using the word powwow and come up with some alternatives instead. Stand-ups is a popular option for short daily meetings, as is gathering or get-together.
12. Blacklist / Whitelist → Deny / Allow List
It shouldn’t really need to be said that using ‘blacklist’ as a synonym for people to be avoided is wrong, but somehow this common phrase still slips through the net. In fact, the earliest known usage of the term dates back to the mass enslavement and forced deportation of Africans in the European colonies.
With this in mind, it’s imperative to remove such racially-charged language from our marketing vocabularies. Instead of curating a blacklist or whitelist, just use plain english: avoid or deny list serves the same purpose.
13. Cakewalk → Easy Victory
Another phrase that dates back to the period of enslavement comes in the form of ‘cakewalk’, now used to describe an easy win or victory. The cakewalk was originally a pre-Civil War dance performed by slaves on plantation grounds with the hopes of winning some cake to eat.
Ditch the historically racist language and swap out for something more inclusive, such as easy victory, easy win or walk in the park.
Inclusive Language Matters, So Why Not Consult an Expert?
By working with a copywriting agency, you can ensure every piece of content you share online is written with a modern-day audience in mind. At Inspired Copy, we ensure every project is backed by thorough research, especially when it comes to tackling sensitive subjects.
Whether you need show-stopping social media captions, exceptional email sequences or world-class website copywriting, our professional team of writers are here to help.
Get in touch today to tell us about your next project – we can’t wait to start writing!
