Faculty Research: What Holds Back D&I in Multicultural Marketplaces?

Research by Verónica Martín Ruiz, assistant professor of marketing, was honored as the paper making the most significant contribution to the understanding of marketing and public policy issues from the past three years. The 2024 Thomas C. Kinnear Award recognized the article, “Institutionalizing Diversity-and-Inclusion-Engaged Marketing for Multicultural Marketplace Well-Being,” which appeared in the April 2021 issue of the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. 

Martín Ruiz published the paper with 12 coauthors from around the world, seeking to identify barriers that inhibit effective implementation of diversity and inclusion initiatives in today’s multicultural marketplaces.

“Marketing practitioners, researchers, and educators care deeply about advancing DEI,” says Martín Ruiz, who focuses her research on topics ranging from cultural norms in healthcare and retail settings to multicultural markets and consumer behavior research methodologies. “Our collaborators helped us identify not only the many barriers they face when legitimizing their diversity and inclusion–engaged marketing (DIEM) initiatives, but also what efforts are needed to overcome them.

“More importantly, this work does not stop here,” she adds. “We periodically engage with our collaborators via our Multicultural Marketplaces Network and, together, we continue to identify barriers and develop solutions to help move DIEM forward.”

The research offers insights into systemic changes needed for diversity and inclusion–engaged marketing to be effective. Multicultural studies conducted across continents inform strategic action recommendations that marketing professionals, educators, researchers, and public policy makers can use in coordinating efforts for DIEM advancement in the marketplace and maximizing the effectiveness of DIEM initiatives.

“In a day and time where affirmative action and DEI efforts are being not only questioned but banned and delegitimized, this recognition is much more than an honor to us,” says Martín Ruiz. “It is a confirmation that this research matters and encourages us to continue our work. I am deeply humbled by this honor and tremendously thankful to my co-authors and our network members for all their hard work and support.”