Automated Detection of Skin Tone Diversity in Visual Marketing Communication

Companies invest heavily in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Specifically, the representation of people in visual marketing communication is often considered a manifestation of diversity policies. We propose a standard framework built on machine learning to create novel measures quantifying skin tone dynamics. We first use the Swin Transformer to extract skin pixels from images. Next, the K-means algorithm is deployed to classify skin tone components from the extracted skin pixels, accounting for multiple people with distinct skin colors in an image. Using images posted by 34 fashion brands on Instagram and Twitter, we demonstrate a useful application of the tool. The results highlight that, in the past two years, the fashion industry has slightly increased its diversity, represented by the increased variety of skin tones of people included in social media posts. Our method allows for automated detection of objective measures of skin-tone diversity in visual marketing communications

How to prioritise humans in artificial intelligence design for business

Through the pervasive use of massive amounts of data to automate decisions and processes, artificial intelligence (AI) constitutes one of the most impactful developments for businesses and organisations in general. However, this fast-paced and unstoppable trend raises ethical issues. How can we ensure that AI development is fair, when the algorithms at its core are designed with (often unconscious) racist, sexist, or other biases? Lorena Blasco-Arcas and Hsin-Hsuan Meg Lee propose a human-centred view for the design of specific frameworks and regulatory systems

The role of consumer data in marketing: A research agenda

[EN] Increased access to various kinds of consumer data has opened up new avenues of value creation for companies, but it also poses new challenges. The proliferation of digital data sources alongside new technologies for tracking consumers in physical spaces has added complexity to consumer data management, thus reshaping marketing activities. Despite heightened interest in understanding the role of consumer data in marketing, significant gaps related to their conceptualization remain. This research offers an integrative framework that focuses on the forms of consumer data disclosure and the company usage of consumer data. Using topic modeling, we analyze a sample of 1846 articles pertaining to three quadrants of consumer data research expansion due to the impact of technology. In addition, we identify research directions that suggest key aspects to advance research in each of the relevant quadrants of expansion.Blasco-Arcas, L.; Lee, HM.; Kastanakis, MN.; Alcañiz Raya, ML.; Reyes-Menéndez, A. (2022). The role of consumer data in marketing: A research agenda. Journal of Business Research. 146:436-452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.03.05443645214