I have told several of my friends and family that we’re launching Unity Works, a DE&I communications specialist proposition this month. I have been met - by and large - with a good giggle. 

I understand! It is not the natural year of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Political headwinds are blowing against ‘woke’ cultural movements, major US companies - including Google, JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, and BlackRock [1] - are scaling back their DE&I policies and targets, and economic stagnation combined with tariff chaos means business leaders have other things to worry about. Perhaps it is a moment of madness. 

But I think there's a method in it too. 

There are three main issues facing businesses when it comes to marketing inclusion, and they’re not going anywhere. 

Firstly, __consumer spending power continues to follow authentic inclusive campaigns__. No cultural vibe shifts can mask the realities of an ever-more diverse population, and that diverse population wants to spend its money on brands doing things well. Adverts featuring black people perform better[2], 50% of people are more likely to recommend a product or service if their advertisements are diverse and representative[3], and 71% of LGBTQ consumers are more likely to interact with an online ad that authentically represents their sexual orientation[4]. With marketing budgets contracting, performance and ROI is everything; authentic inclusive campaigns are a financial must-have. 

Secondly, __regulatory and legislative pressure is bedding in, not backing off__. At a sector level, the FCA’s DE&I in FS consultation paper is crystal clear: “diversity and inclusion are regulatory concerns”[5]. Even with no new DE&I rules and regs[6], the FCA still plans to support industry initiatives which boost diversity. Concurrently, the Financial Reporting Council’s revisions to the Corporate Governance Code - which came into play this January - place additional pressure on Boards in particular, requiring a diversity of personal attributes, inclusive culture, and diverse executive pipeline for good corporate governance[7]. 

And at a broader policy level, last Autumn, the Labour Government announced a draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill[8] confirming their intention to introduce a mandatory requirement for employers of 250+ employees to publish their disability and ethnicity pay gaps. While there’s no set date, it is likely the mandate for firms to have this data collected will hit within the next year - and this brings a whole host of challenges to communicate the findings well. 

Thirdly and lastly, all of those concerns about productivity, growth, and the bottom line are all well and good, but the UK is 80% service-led… and those services are driven by people. The __UK is heavily dependent on an engaged, happy, productive workforce__. Our recent research revealed that 71% of C-suites and HR Directors in the UK believe DE&I is going to be more important to prospective employees in the next couple of years. Businesses that fail to talk about diversity properly will fall behind in the recruitment race - and those that can run engaging, authentic, cool campaigns will be top of the list for young talent.

So with these three pressures, AND a more complex societal conversation, it actually feels like businesses are crying out for expertise more than ever before. 

That’s why we’re launching Unity Works, and why we’re launching it now. We can use our truly second-to-none specialist skills, across strategy, PR and research, social and search, digital development, content, and creative to solve client communications challenges which link to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We can do it as consultants, balancing business needs with communications excellence. And we can do it with passion, energy, and authenticity - we love inclusive comms, and we’re here to help you love it too. 

To find out more about Unity Works, check our our webpage [here](https://www.teamspirit.co.uk/insights/unity-works) or email [unityworks@teamspirit.co.uk](mailto:unityworks@teamspirit.co.uk)

## Sources:

1. [https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/03/01/state-street-drops-corporate-board-diversity-requirement-here-are-all-the-companies-cutting-dei-programs/](https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/03/01/state-street-drops-corporate-board-diversity-requirement-here-are-all-the-companies-cutting-dei-programs/)
2. [https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/big-uplift-performance-when-black-people-themselves-represented-ads/1730746](https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/big-uplift-performance-when-black-people-themselves-represented-ads/1730746)
3. [https://www.statista.com/statistics/1331225/customer-attitude-diversity-inclusion-in-advertising-us-uk/](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1331225/customer-attitude-diversity-inclusion-in-advertising-us-uk/)
4. [https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/future-of-marketing/management-and-culture/diversity-and-inclusion/inclusive-marketing-consumer-data/](https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/future-of-marketing/management-and-culture/diversity-and-inclusion/inclusive-marketing-consumer-data/)
5. CP23/20: Diversity and inclusion in the financial sector – working together to drive change - Foreword p3 
6. [https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/mar/12/bank-of-england-decides-against-new-rules-on-improving-diversity-and-inclusion](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/mar/12/bank-of-england-decides-against-new-rules-on-improving-diversity-and-inclusion)
7. [https://sustainability.slaughterandmay.com/post/102j73g/the-uk-corporate-governance-code-2024-changes-from-a-sustainability-and-di-pers](https://sustainability.slaughterandmay.com/post/102j73g/the-uk-corporate-governance-code-2024-changes-from-a-sustainability-and-di-pers)
8. [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/office-for-equality-and-opportunity-to-break-down-barriers-to-opportunity](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/office-for-equality-and-opportunity-to-break-down-barriers-to-opportunity)

A moment of madness?

The 2025 edition of our [For The Better award](https://www.teamspirit.co.uk/for-the-better) is open for nominations. And to help celebrate our 30th birthday this year, we’ve increased the For The Better prize fund to a very tidy £20,000 worth of marketing expertise!

For The Better is our annual award where we give our services, free of charge, to a purpose-led, not-for-profit organisation that’s transforming financial services for the better. You can [nominate](https://www.teamspirit.co.uk/for-the-better) an organisation you work for or just simply admire (although get their permission first!).

All nominations are put before our panel of expert judges (more on them at a later date). They choose a winner and then we get to work. Providing pro bono services across a range of marketing disciplines, from strategy and creative to PR, web design and social media.  You can see what we got up to for previous years’ winners [here](https://www.teamspirit.co.uk/work/vestpod)

__…and better than ever.__

Along with our biggest prize fund yet, we’re also giving more not-for-profit organisations a better chance of winning. We’re opening up the award to any not-for-profit that’s breaking down barriers in finance. Be that boosting inclusion, promoting financial education or driving innovation. Anything that’s helping people think and feel differently about money.

So get nominating! The deadline for entries is Friday 20th June. For more information, visit our [For The Better page](https://www.teamspirit.co.uk/for-the-better). And, in the meantime, good luck!


For The Better: Now bigger…

I was recently invited to speak at the Digital Accountancy Show, in an expert panel session on how client feedback can best be used to drive revenue and profit growth.

Key take-aways for the marketing and communications professionals attending were:
- __Feedback needs to be embedded as part of organisational culture, not as a bolt-on__. We discussed how client feedback has most value as part of a wider client-centric approach that incorporates all business touchpoints and propositions.
- __One size doesn’t fit all.__ In structuring a client feedback methodology focused on growth, there’s a need to design for distinct client typologies, based on sector, services purchased to date, value and more. This enables a more granular means of qualifying the risk and potential axes.
- __Qual. and Quant.__ Cross-tabulating big picture quantitative feedback with individual qualitative work is a powerful enabler of where potential and cross-sell opportunities lie.
- __Identifying both recognized and latent needs.__ Interrogating data using qual. and quant. also allows you to identify more than what clients say they want.  Many don’t yet know their needs or what services you could deliver for them, enabling innovation and higher value service tailoring, aligned to their specific business goals.
- __Validating your point of difference.__ Research can help identify whether the primary points of difference your business thinks separate it from competitors match what your customers believe. And, if not, use that data to re-align the two.
- __Benchmark your ‘how’ over your ‘what’.__  Many companies focus overly on the latter, while it’s the ‘how’ that clients remember, value and retain you for.
- __Internal barriers need to be overcome;__ client leads being sometimes reluctant to explore and embrace the findings from client feedback.

A big thank you to Liz Hobkinson of VerityRI for inviting me to speak at the event, and to my panel partner Gregor Angus from AAB. If you’d like to discuss how our experience could help you drive understanding and growth, please contact me @ [eevans@teamspirit.co.uk
](mailto:eevans@teamspirit.co.uk)

How do you turn client  feedback into growth? And what are the most common barriers to adopting findings?  Here’s our view, delivered at the Digital Accountancy Show

Using client  feedback as a driver for growth

Wallflowers don’t get to dance. In saturated marketplaces, such as financial services, where B2C and B2B products and services regularly blur into a sea of sameness, harnessing the standout power of brand personality is crucial. It’s no longer enough to have a quality product; how a brand shows up and engages is what truly sets it apart. 

In our overpaced world we’re at a point of filtering out the noise – with exposure to 4,000 to 10,000 ads daily[1] and making 35,000 decisions a day[2]. Which is why brands need to be memorable. Audiences aren’t just looking for features – they’re seeking meaningful connections. 

In the helter-skelter chase for growth, financial services brands will continue the innovation charge – from self-directed investment platforms; to new ETF wrappers; to on-demand managed portfolio services; and IFA-accredited influencers. But product and service innovation isn’t enough. The brands have to be badges of trust and meaning. Awareness is only half the battle. And in a world with budgets increasingly heading towards performance-led activity[3], the need for brand-building behaviour that creates stature and esteem remains evergreen.

Never has the risk of ‘blanding’ been more pronounced than now.  

In our report ‘[NoticeMe!](//downloads.ctfassets.net/sxw14dxmazhg/3f5Ii0cJv8Dxd1x76biHyq/8f3217202291e6c5e2a6be8f395d2349/9988_TS_Notice_Me_Report_2025_RGB_UK_AW4_MO.pdf) Why financial services need fame’, you’ll find our view on why financial services need to unashamedly chase fame; our definition of what we mean by fame; a host of noteworthy examples from within and outside the sector; and how to create it.

[Yes.  I want a copy of NoticeMe! please](//downloads.ctfassets.net/sxw14dxmazhg/3f5Ii0cJv8Dxd1x76biHyq/8f3217202291e6c5e2a6be8f395d2349/9988_TS_Notice_Me_Report_2025_RGB_UK_AW4_MO.pdf)

## Sources:

1. [https://colorlib.com/wp/advertising-statistics/](https://colorlib.com/wp/advertising-statistics/)
2. Cowry Consulting. Memory EQ. 
3. [Ebiquity and the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) report](https://www.marketingweek.com/advertisers-focus-performance/)


Financial services firms need fame more than ever.  Find out why and what’s cutting through by downloading our report: ‘Notice Me!’.

NoticeMe! Why financial services need fame

On Saturday 21st October, two of our creative team, Tim Glister and James Maxwell, were panellists at the fourth [LGBT Leaders](http://lgbtleaders.co.uk/) conference in Canary Wharf. 

![LGBT Leaders Booklet](//images.contentful.com/sxw14dxmazhg/5MoZaK6UtqGwCMOSM86am6/b7509af28d558a0d22930ec802330319/LGBT_Leaders_Booklet.jpg)

The conference is the largest undergraduate conference of LGBTQ students in the UK, and involves panels and workshops on different career paths and LGBTQ activism issues. Sandy Downs, an account executive in our PR team, is one of the founders, and this year Chime were gold sponsors of the event.

Tim and James ran a PR & Marketing workshop for over 50 attendees, leading a conversation about entry points into the industry and the efforts that Teamspirit and Chime are making in the field of diversity and inclusion. The duo also took part in a panel discussion about coming out at work, the role of ethics and activism, and how the changing landscape of the media is impacting public perceptions of social justice. 

More widely, the conference tackled some of the biggest inclusion issues in business and politics. Munroe Bergdorf, the trans model fired by L’Oréal for her anti-racism comments, was a keynote speaker in conversation with Josh Rivers, the editor of Gay Times Magazine. Other speakers included Nia Griffith MP, Baroness Liz Barker, and Pink News CEO Benjamin Cohen.

![LGBT Leaders 1](//images.contentful.com/sxw14dxmazhg/4fvTyiZMMEWc2kMuuQ2O4e/2136c369d8fcbda5077760f0bf4d56ed/LGBT_Leaders_1.jpg)

Written by Sandy Downs, Teamspirit

On Saturday 21st October, two of our creative team, Tim Glister and James Maxwell, were panellists at the fourth LGBT Leaders conference in Canary Wharf. 

LGBT Leaders Conference

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NoticeMe! Why financial services need fame