The New Mainstream Podcast

Consumption has changed since the pandemic, as consumers consider their lifestyles more deeply. Companies and brands are following suit, studying how their actions, systems, and beliefs impact the consumer dynamic and striving to be more inclusive in their marketing and advertising. However, not all consumers feel seen. Latinx consumers in the U.S. are not a homogenous group. Marketers are accusto...

The patient journey starts with vulnerability. There is a need yet all too often within minority communities, that need isn’t met with adequate resources. Latinos, in particular, face several obstacles to accessing health care, from difficulties finding information in their native language to a shortage of Latino or bilingual doctors. Additionally, lack of transportation and reluctance to take tim...

In 1978, former President Jimmy Carter legalized home brewing beer giving rise to what we now know as craft beer . There are currently over 9,000 craft breweries in the U.S. challenging legacy beer brands for market share and consumer mindshare. As beer has evolved, brand offerings have expanded to include non-alcoholic beers and non-beer products like hard seltzers. Beer drinkers have evolved as...

Sports fans have been predicting the demise of boxing for years, but lovers of the sport say that trope is played out. Boxing may be controversial, but its fans love the heated rivalries and public feuds that make the headlines, and they're willing to pay for ringside seats. Latinos are one of the consumer groups driving this craze that often goes unnoticed. While boxing may be declining in popula...

Attracting young, diverse talent to the market research industry is essential to its longevity. But this task has proven difficult to date, and it may be a matter of timing. Engaging younger generations in college could lead to greater interest in careers in insights. But that requires intentionality on the part of research companies. Engagement is just half of the story, however. America’s youth...

From Coachella to Taco Bell, creators are monetizing their crafts to bridge the gap between consumers and brands. Powered by social platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Twitch, the influencer market for branded and platform deals is projected to reach $28 billion by 2026. And the models keep changing. Hashtag sponsored posts – influencer marketing 1.0 - represents where we’ve been. Brands are now...

Latino immigrants once feared that practicing their native cultures would make them seem "less American" and thus less accepted, so they tried to acculturate to American ways of life quickly. Fortunately, most Latinos have evolved in how they see themselves. They embrace the concept of the "the 200%" (100% Latino and 100% American) and the ability to be ones authentic self without abandoning who t...

After taking a Behavioral Economics class at Florida State University, Lauren Triplett knew she had found her passion. Marketing bridges the gap between brands and consumers by helping marketers understand why people do what they do and purchase what they purchase. Lauren found this fascinating and spent the next few years building her expertise, including starting her own digital marketing agency...

People want easy solves. It’s not uncommon for companies and brands to retain the services of an expert in multicultural marketing or diversity and inclusion to be told what to do rather than coming to the table with what they want to do. You have to set the intention. While you may not know how to get there, doing the soul searching needed to uncover the vulnerabilities within your organization i...

Food in America is multicultural. It’s a fusion of various tastes, ingredients, and cooking styles from around the world that culminate into a rich flavor profile of cultural diversity. But at its core, it’s American food, representing the swiftly changing demographics in the U.S. as it trends toward a majority-minority nation. Brands in the food and CPG space are tasked with understanding the con...

Multicultural marketing is finally being embraced as a necessity, not a nice-to-have. Marketers have traditionally been interested in marketing to diverse audiences around the release of Census data when they realized the changing demographics of American consumers. That’s changed within the last two years. Consumers have been more vocal, taking brands to task for cultural insensitivity and stereo...

When the pandemic shut down schools and sent students into virtual learning environments, the disparity in access to reliable technology was apparent. Families in underserved and under-resourced communities found themselves at a disadvantage, having limited access to devices and internet services within households, putting students who are already at risk in jeopardy of falling further behind. If...

2020 was a year of highs and lows. For marketers who have always maintained a commitment to diversity and inclusion, the calls for social justice strengthened their resolve. For many others, however, the momentum of acknowledging the problem gave way to frantic, reactive statements that quickly fizzled out or failed. A year later, companies realized their approach to diversity and inclusion couldn...

Younger and more tech-savvy than their majority counterparts, Hispanic consumers present significant growth opportunities for brands looking to expand their consumer base. Yet, even with larger budgets and bigger teams, many of these brands stumble through their multicultural outreach. Worse case, they ignore them entirely, as is the case with the “ hidden generation .” Hypercultural Latinx, a ter...

After college, Marissa Nance headed to New York City with just enough cash to cover a month of expenses and more than enough talent to land a job at one of the largest advertising agencies in the world. Fast forward a few years, this pioneering media expert, fearless marketing executive, and groundbreaking content producer with credits like "Survivor," "Top Chef," "The Biggest Loser," and "Castawa...

Craft beer brands are carving out a significant niche in the beer industry. Mass market favorites like Bud Light, Miller Lite, and Michelob have dominated grocery and convenience store shelves for years but are now making room for craft beer alternatives targeting a growing contingent of beer drinkers preferring the nuanced flavors of local brews. But it’s not just the taste of craft beer that’s d...

In port cities like Miami and New York, it’s common for people of Latin American or Spanish descent to identify with their countries of origin. However, the term "Hispanic” becomes more prevalent the further inland you go, as immigrant communities assimilate to the American way of life defined by labels. The label “Hispanic” represents a diverse mix of cultures, traditions, and ideals that define...

Supplier diversity programs were developed to level the playing field for diverse suppliers, including minority, women, LGBTQ, disabled, and veteran-owned businesses. By connecting entrepreneurs to economic opportunity, ideally, organizations can harness the power of the marketplace to drive social impact. However, supplier diversity often falls short on the data. It’s widely known that diverse su...

The death care industry is evolving to keep pace with how consumers perceive death and experience grief today. Expensive funerals with caskets and traditional burials are being replaced by body composting (green funerals) and memorial stones made from the remains of loved ones. Among the innovators in this space are tech startups, more specifically, death tech startups, like Lalo. After his father...

When consumers have a good experience, they tell three people. When they have a bad one, they tell ten. Doing a deep dive into conversations taking place on the ground is essential to identifying and combating false narratives that can derail a multicultural marketing campaign. This is especially important when that campaign is in the interest of public health. Addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitanc...

Market researchers and strategists have a symbiotic relationship. Strategists offer a hypothesis or point of view, creating meaningful relationships between data and facts. It’s a matter of connecting the dots, not collecting the dots. While data gives voice to the consumer, strategists factor in cultural context to present a holistic picture of the narrative the data is trying to tell. Even thoug...

Cultural conversations thrive at the intersection of social media and search. Some consumers use social media to engage in external dialogue in the “public square” of society. While others look to validate their points of view without public scrutiny by typing inquiries into search. Collectively, these shared experiences provide a window into factors driving cultural shifts that impact consumer be...

Organizations often launch diversity and inclusion initiatives as strategic imperatives to create more equitable and inclusive work environments. While it's the right thing to do, it’s often assumed that there’s immediate buy-in across the board. That’s not always the case, however. Within the company, there are ways to be an intrapreneur and make an impact. By empowering individuals within organi...

Modern-day corporate America has a uniform – typically white, male, and of certain affluence and political view. However, diverse talent across the board is calling for a new lens that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives both within and outside of organizations. Marketers and researchers of color, for example, seek equity in pay and more seats at the table, as well as equal oppor...

How consumers choose to identify is changing, breaking away from conventions historically used to categorize and hypothesize about who people are and how they live their lives. Yet, traditional constructs aren’t keeping pace with the evolution of identity and leaves no room for the grey areas an increasing number of consumers choose to live in. For agencies, this presents a challenge. They rely on...