For Inclusive Content, Think 'We,' Not 'He' and 'She'
Here's the thing about marketing in 2026 – we've gotten really good at personalization. We can serve you an ad for hiking boots three seconds after you think about hiking boots. We can predict your next purchase before you've finished your morning coffee. But somewhere along the way, a lot of us forgot something fundamental: personalization isn't just about what people buy. It's about who they are.
And if your content is still defaulting to "he" and "she" like it's 1995, you're not just behind the times – you're actively telling a chunk of your audience that they don't exist.
Let me be clear: this isn't about being "woke" or checking a box for your DEI report. This is about basic marketing math. If your content excludes people, those people don't engage. They don't convert. They don't become loyal customers. And in a world where trust is the new currency, that's a problem you can't afford.
The Numbers Don't Lie (They Never Do)
According to Pew Research Center, about 1.6% of U.S. adults identify as transgender or nonbinary – meaning their gender differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. Now, I know what some of you are thinking: "Jon, 1.6% is a rounding error. Why should I restructure my content strategy for a rounding error?"
Here's why: because that 1.6% doesn't exist in a vacuum.
A Public Religion Research Institute study found that 80% of Americans support laws protecting people from discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation. Eighty percent. That's not a niche audience – that's basically everyone except your uncle who still thinks email is "the cloud."
When your content feels exclusionary, you're not just losing the 1.6%. You're risking the trust of the 80% who notice and care. As Ruth Carter, author and principal at Carter Law Firm, put it during a Content Marketing World presentation:
"Your company or your client may not care about this tiny little group, but I bet they care about 80% of the audience they are trying to cater to."
Ruth Carter
Marketing is like dating – you don't propose on the first ad impression. But you also don't start the relationship by telling someone they don't belong at the table.
The Low-Hanging Fruit: Pronouns and Greetings
Let's talk about the easy wins, because I'm a big believer in momentum. You don't have to overhaul your entire brand overnight. Start with the basics.
Ditch "Ladies and Gentlemen." I know, I know – it sounds polished. It sounds professional. It also sounds like you're hosting a 1940s radio show. Try "Welcome, everyone" or "Hello, folks." Or do what the Green Bay Packers do and create a custom term for your audience. "Cheeseheads" isn't gendered, and it's memorable. Win-win.
Update your style guide. If your content team is still defaulting to "he/him" or "she/her" when referring to hypothetical users, it's time for a refresh. The singular "they" has been grammatically acceptable for centuries (yes, really – Shakespeare used it), and it's the simplest way to include everyone without making your sentences sound like a legal disclaimer.
Rethink your forms. As Content Marketing Institute notes, registration forms often include drop-down menus with only "Mr.," "Mrs.," or "Ms." Add "Mx." (pronounced "mix") as a gender-neutral option. Better yet, ask yourself: do you even need an honorific? If the data isn't serving a purpose, stop collecting it.
New Zealand's Spark telecommunications company took this a step further with their Beyond Binary Code campaign, introducing a single piece of code that enables standard website forms to be updated to more gender-inclusive alternatives. They co-created it with OutLine Aotearoa and nonbinary communities. That's not just inclusive – that's innovative.
Beyond Pronouns: The Customer Journey Audit
Here's where it gets interesting. Inclusive content isn't just about swapping words – it's about perspective.
Put yourself in the shoes of someone who doesn't identify as male or female and walk through their customer journey with your brand. Where might they feel excluded? Where might they feel seen?
Levi's did this brilliantly with their Unlabeled Collection, which defines gender as "being really confident in who you are and feeling free to identify yourself by name, not by a label of male or female." That's not just a product line – that's a brand statement.
Mastercard's True Name feature is another standout example. Launched in 2020, it allows financial institutions to issue credit cards displaying the customer's chosen first name – without requiring legal name change documentation. As their director of consumer marketing Anthony DeRojas explained in the company's news release:
"We wanted to go beyond being just a logo in a sea of other Pride sponsors. We wanted to do something that was impactful for the community."
Anthony DeRojas
That's the difference between performative inclusion and authentic inclusion. One gets you a rainbow logo in June. The other builds lasting trust.
The CRM Problem No One Talks About
Here's a detail that keeps me up at night: even if you update your forms and your style guide, what happens when that data hits your CRM?
If someone updates their name or pronouns in your system, does that change propagate everywhere? Or are they going to get an email next month that misgenders them because your marketing automation is pulling from an outdated field?
As Content Marketing Institute emphasizes, creating content that reflects consumers' authentic selves sends a powerful message – but that message needs to be consistently executed across every touchpoint. One slip-up can undo months of goodwill.
This is where the martech stack conversation gets real. Inclusive content isn't just a creative challenge – it's a data architecture challenge. And if your systems aren't set up to respect people's identities, your content strategy is built on a shaky foundation.
The Bottom Line
Look, I've been in this industry long enough to know that change is hard. Every new initiative feels like one more thing on an already overflowing plate. But inclusive content isn't a trend – it's a baseline expectation for brands that want to stay relevant.
Data tells you the what, but brand tells you the why. And the "why" here is simple: people want to feel seen. They want to feel like they belong. And when your content makes them feel invisible, they'll find a brand that doesn't.
So the next time you're reviewing copy, ask yourself: who might this exclude? And then fix it.
Because in 2026, "we" isn't just a pronoun. It's a promise.
