EDI Together One Month On

We’re almost a month on from EDI Together 2026, so it’s time to look at some of our favourite insights from the day. Don’t forget, you can still watch each of the panels below:

1. Availability does not equal accessibility

One of the strongest themes came from Jay Taylor at HSBC, who highlighted the difference between a service being available and it being accessible. A bank account may technically be available to everyone, but barriers such as trust, language, confidence, lack of documentation, or unfamiliarity with the system can still prevent engagement.

Marketing implication

Many brands assume awareness solves engagement. Your audience may already know about your product but still feel:

It’s not for people like them
They won’t understand it

The communications challenge is therefore not always about reach. It’s about reducing perceived barriers.

2. Representation works only when it’s backed by action

Across all 3 panels, there was a consistent warning against performative diversity. Simply showing diverse people in advertising is not enough if the customer experience, product, or service hasn’t been adapted to support those audiences.

Marketing implication

Representation should be the proof of inclusion, not the strategy itself.

Communications become far more powerful when they can point to tangible actions, partnerships, programmes or investments rather than simply diverse creative.

3. Community participation builds more trust than advertising

HSBC spoke extensively about showing up at community events and cultural celebrations, whilst the others demonstrated how physical participation creates stronger relationships than awareness campaigns alone.

Marketing implication

Trust is increasingly built through experiences, not impressions.

Audiences are more likely to trust brands they:

Meet
Interact with
Experience
See supporting causes or communities they care about

For brands, the most effective communications strategy often combines paid media with real-world interaction.

4. Co-creation is becoming more effective

One of the most interesting discussions came from London Youth Games, where young people actively help shape campaigns, content, creative ideas and strategy through their Youth Board. Rather than marketing to young people, they are creating marketing with young people.

Marketing implication

Brands are shifting from audience targeting towards audience participation.

Communications teams often spend a great deal of time trying to understand audiences through desk research, when directly involving those audiences can yield stronger results.

5. Data tells you what. Conversations tell you why.

All three sessions highlighted a similar pattern:

Data identifies engagement gaps.
Research identifies trends.
Conversations identify causes.

HSBC used research to identify underserved communities before speaking directly with those audiences. London Youth Games combined audience data with young people’s lived experience. London Sport tested assumptions with councils, housing associations and residents before launching the More Ball Games campaign.

Marketing implication

Too many communications strategies stop at audience profiling.

Knowing an audience is:

18-24
Based in Urban Areas
Diverse Ethnicity
Stay socially connected

It doesn’t explain behaviour.

The real insight comes from understanding:

What motivates them
What worries them
What barriers they face
What would make them trust you

The most effective communications programmes combine quantitative audience data with qualitative human insight.

The overarching marketing insight

Across all three discussions, the strongest conclusion is:

The future of marketing communications is not about reaching more people. It’s about understanding why certain people aren’t engaging and removing the barriers preventing them from doing so.