With the rise of multiculturalism and a chaotic political climate, brands have found themselves in a tough balancing act. Often, they need to decide if they should stay on the sidelines or take action, at the risk of becoming a punchline.
In 2018, it can seem like a brand expressing a political or social opinion can be equivalent to stepping on a minefield. On Twitter and beyond, everyone is entitled to an opinion. Backlash can come quickly from either side of the political aisle. Our clients are increasingly asking us for guidance on when their brands should take a stand, and which areas are no fly zones.
To help answer this, we launched an initiative examining polarization in America. So, what social issues do consumers want brands to talk about?
In the first part of this series on standing out and winning with young Americans, we confirmed that millennials and gen-z are in fact harder to engage through advertising. In part 2, we’ll touch on some elements that actually work to increase engagement.
By nature the digital world is a fractured ecosystem. The proliferation of screens, rise of social media, and creation of new digital media outlets have converged to create unprecedented stimulation. This is acutely felt for gen-Z and millennials.
So how do brands break through the clutter? In the hyper-competitive landscape of screens and messages, how do they stand out and win with young Americans. This is the question at the core of Breaking through the Clutter, the latest work unveiled at our executive roundtables, co-hosted by Google and A+E Networks.
What does it mean to be authentic in today’s world? How can companies create content that truly resonates with key consumer targets? There are four critical areas that marketers need to assess to create compelling campaigns: casting, language, passion points, and situation.
We look at the framework through a brand lens to inform activation choices for marketers. If you’re new to this idea, start with Cultural Fluency: A Framework for Winning in Today’s America.
It’s no secret that American modern families in 2017 look vastly different from 50, or even 30 years ago. They are more diverse; going from Leave it to Beaver to Modern Family. But what do these changes mean for marketers? How can brands tap into these shifts to connect with modern families on a deeper level?
We set out to answer these questions in our latest study around modern families, here are just a few key takeaways:
In today’s media landscape, consumers are deluged with advertisements: on TV, before YouTube videos, sandwiched between Instagram posts, you name it. In the sea of content, it can be hard for consumers to differentiate between ads and remember brands.
We constantly assess what makes certain spots stick, while others fall by the wayside. Over time, the pattern is clear: consumers like content that authentically mimics their experiences, cultures, and values.
Most consumers viewed Under Armour as a brand built for men before 2014. Despite that, the company had been incredibly successful raking in $2.3 billion in sales in 2013. However, their product line for women only accounted for $500 million.
To address this, they launched a Total Market campaign targeting women, “I Will What I Want.” It features several female athletes of diverse cultural backgrounds, who speak to the hurdles they had to overcome to reach success.
This year, we’re taking a different approach to our Mother’s Day recap. We’re bringing together attitudes toward parenting and motherhood and Mother’s Day is celebrated. After all, Latina moms play a uniquely vital role in family-centric Hispanic culture.
Unleashing culture to drive brand growth