The New Mainstream Podcast: Recent Episodes

The New Mainstream Podcast

The New Mainstream podcast features real conversations about the cultural nuances impacting multicultural communities in the U.S. and its influence on brand marketing and the importance of DEI in strategic marketing conversations.

AI and Why Human Curiosity Still Wins

Artificial intelligence is transforming the market research industry at an unprecedented pace. From survey analysis to synthetic data and predictive modeling, AI is making research faster, more scalable, and increasingly accessible.

If AI can analyze data, what becomes the role of the researcher?

In the latest episode of The New Mainstream Podcast, Mario Carrasco sits down with Vera Chien, a research and strategy leader with extensive experience in entertainment and consumer insights, to discuss how AI is reshaping the futureof research and why human curiosity is becoming more valuable than ever.

In an increasingly polarized environment, brands are facing growing pressure to define what they stand for culturally and how they position themselves on social, political, and environmental issues. At the same time, consumer behavior has changed significantly, along with expectations toward the brands people support.

This was the central topic of a recent episode of The New Mainstream Podcast, hosted by Mario Carrasco, featuring Neil Callanan, founder of LooseGrip, an agency focused on purpose driven brands, advocacy, and cultural transformation.

The Problem with Performative Activism

According to Neil Callanan, the issue is not that brands participate in cultural or social conversations. The problem arises when they do so without a genuineconnection to their corporate identity.

Today, many companies publish messages about diversity, inclusion, sustainability, or representation during moments such as Pride Month, Black History Month, or corporate responsibility campaigns. However, when these messages are not backed by real actions, consumers often perceive them as opportunistic branding efforts.

If a company claims to support a specific community or cause, it must be able to clearly explain how it does so, what resources it invests, what policies it implements, and what measurable impact those actions create.

Purpose as a Competitive Advantage

Brands that build a strong identity around clear values often develop deeper relationships with consumers. This translates into stronger loyalty, differentiation, and emotional connection, all of which are especially valuable in highly saturated industries.

Examples discussed during the episode include Patagonia, Ben & Jerry's, and Lush, companies that have integrated social and environmental causes into the core structure of their brand identity rather than treating them as temporarycampaigns.

In these cases, purpose is not simply a communication tactic. It is reflected in organizational culture, product development, talent acquisition, customer experience, and long term business decisions.

How Purpose Impacts Marketing Performance

Even when a values based campaign does not generate an immediate sale, it can still create measurable indirect benefits for a brand, including:

Stronger consumer trust
Higher brand recall
Increased purchase intent
greater social media engagement
improved email open rates
stronger emotional affinity with the company

In other words, purpose strengthens brand equity. In a market where products and services are becoming increasingly interchangeable, cultural relevance and identity have become powerful strategic assets.

The Relationship between Purpose and Talent

The conversation also explores a less discussed aspect of purpose driven marketing: its impact on attracting and retaining talent.

According to Neil, companies with clearly defined values tend to attract more engaged and motivated employees. This can directly influence factors such as:

creativity
innovation
quality of service
organizational culture
employee retention

In highly competitive industries, purpose has also become an important employer branding tool.

The Future of Branding in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Technology can optimize processes and reduce barriers to entry, but a brand’s cultural identity remains far more difficult to replicate. Elements such as trust, community, authenticity, and emotional connection continue to be deeply humancompetitive advantages

In the latest episode of The New Mainstream, Mario Xavier Carrasco sits down with Ingrid Otero, President and CEO of Casanova McCann, to discuss how multicultural marketing is evolving and what is shaping brand decision making today.

The conversation offers a grounded perspective on the forces influencing the industry.

A landscape shaped by strategic adjustments

In recent months, several brands have reduced the visibility of their multicultural initiatives. This shift reflects budget scrutiny, internal alignment, and the need to justify investment across organizations.

At the same time, research focused on multicultural audiences continues. Insights, strategy, and data teams remain actively engaged in understanding behaviors, motivations, and growth opportunities within these segments.

The continued relevance of the Latino consumer

The episode highlights the role of Latino consumers within the U.S. market. Their influence is reflected in consistent consumption patterns, strong community ties, and ameaningful role in shaping cultural trends.

For brands, this calls for sustained engagement and strategies grounded in this reality.

A central theme of the conversation is how authenticity is built.

Effective decisions are rooted in a deep understanding of the consumer, their context, and their cultural identity. Relevance comes from messaging that reflects lived experiences and real connections.

Leadership in times of change

Drawing from her experience leading Casanova McCann, Otero shares how she has navigated key decisions during periods of uncertainty.

During the pandemic, she led a transformation of the agency’s model, focusing on flexibility and independence. This involved operational shifts and a reassessment of priorities.

Implications for brands

The current environment requires clarity in how brands engage with multicultural audiences.

Strategies benefit from consistency, deep consumer understanding, and alignment across insights, creative, and execution.

As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, the conversation is shifting from what AI can generate to what it can do.

In the latest episode of The New Mainstream Podcast, Michael Nevski joins Mario Xavier Carrasco to explore the next phase of AI: agentic systems and their implications for consumer behavior, payments, and trust.

Michael Nevski, Director of Global Insights at Visa, brings a unique perspective at the intersection of data, economics, and real-world consumer decision-making.

Recognized as one of the most influential professionals in the insights industry, he shares how emerging technologies are reshaping how we understand and interact with consumers.

Listen to the full episode of The New Mainstream Podcast and explore how agentic AI is shaping the future of consumer behavior.

In the latest episode of The New Mainstream podcast, we sit down with Patrick Rose, leader of Black Star and cultural marketing at For Soccer, to examine a critical shift in American soccer culture: the rise of Black fandom, thestructural barriers that have limited participation, and the pathways that could redefine the sport’s growth trajectory.

This conversation is not just about sports.

It is about access, identity, economics, and who gets to see themselves reflected in the game.

The reflections in this article are drawn from the latest episode of The New Mainstream podcast, featuring Michelle O’Grady, Founder and CEO of Team Friday. In the conversation, we explored what the Super Bowl halftime show revealed about culture, risk, and the widening gap between where audiences are and where many brands still feel comfortable operating.

Super Bowl LX was not just a sporting moment. It was a cultural one. While the NFL rolled out multimillion dollar ads and brands leaned into the safety of familiar formulas, the performance that captured global attention was not a 30 second commercial. It was the halftime show headlined by Bad Bunny, a spectacle deeply rooted in identity, community, and Latino culture.

Although the performance was celebrated by millions and watched by more than 128 million viewers, manybrands chose to play it safe. Instead of participating in a cultural conversation unfolding in real time, they retreated to traditional creative structures. That choice offers a strategic lesson for marketing, research, and brand leadership teams.

Listen to the full episode of The New Mainstream podcast to hear Michelle O’Grady, Founder and CEO of Team Friday, discuss how culture, risk, and strategy shape major brand decisions.

In the latest episode of the ThinkNow podcast, we sat down with Jim Blair, the Assistant Dean Chair of the Faculty and Associate Professor of Marketing at Eastern Kentucky University, to unpack one of the most talked‑about (and often misunderstood) topics in marketing and leadership today: personal branding.

In a world where everyone has a platform, Jim challenges the idea that personal branding is about self‑promotion or perfectly curated personas. Instead, he reframes it as something far more strategic, human, andsustainable, especially for leaders, researchers, and professionals navigating increasingly complex markets.

Below are some of the most compelling themes from the conversation, and why they matter right now.

Personal Branding Is Not a Logo, It’s a Reputation

One of the strongest points Jim makes early in the conversation is that personal branding isn’t about visuals, slogans, or social media aesthetics. It’s about what people consistently experience when they interact with you.

Your personal brand exists whether you actively manage it or not. It’s shaped by how you communicate, how you show up in moments of uncertainty, and how others describe you when you’re not in the room.

For professionals in insights, marketing, and research, this is especially critical. Trust, credibility, and clarity are core currencies and personal branding plays a direct role in all three.

Personal Branding Is Contextual

A key insight from the episode is that personal branding is not one‑size‑fits‑all. How you show up depends on your role, your audience, and the cultural context you’re operating in.

Jim emphasizes that effective personal brands are adaptive, not performative. They evolve as people grow, as industries shift, and as expectations change.

This idea closely mirrors what we see in multicultural research: identity is layered, dynamic, and situational. The same is true for personal brands.

Leadership, Trust, and Long‑Term Impact

Perhaps the most resonant part of the conversation is the link Jim draws between personal branding and leadership.

Strong leaders don’t build brands to be admired; they build brands that:

· Create clarity

· Earn trust

· Invite collaboration

Personal branding, when done right, becomes a leadership tool. It helps teams align, organizations communicate more clearly, and ideas travel further.

Listen to the full podcast episode with Jim Blair, the Assistant Dean Chair of the Faculty and Associate Professor of Marketing at Eastern Kentucky University, to hear real‑world examples, nuanced perspectives, and practical guidance on building a personal brand that actually lasts.

For years, multicultural marketing was treated as an add on. Something layered onto a broader strategy. But in a country where diversity is now the engine of growth, that approach is no longer enough.

In this episode of The New Mainstream Podcast, Mario Carrasco speaks with Arnetta Whiteside, SVP, Multicultural Consulting, Publicis Media at Publicis Groupe, about how brands must rethink culture, representation, and who truly holds power in the marketing ecosystem.

The conversation closely aligns with ThinkNow’s The World in One City initiative, which positions Los Angeles as the place where cultural, identity, and consumer behavior shifts appear first, before spreading across the United States.

Representation is not visibility. It is influence.

One of the key takeaways from the episode is the distinction many brands still miss. Representation is not just about who appears in ads. It is about who shapes the insights, who defines strategy, and who makes decisions.

Arnetta emphasizes that when communities are visible but not influential, brands lose credibility. That disconnect leads to weaker engagement and declining trust.

This mirrors what ThinkNow sees in Los Angeles, where only a minority of residents feel brands represent them accurately, despite the city’s outsized cultural influence on the rest of the country.

Culture is not a segment. It is the system.

Another central theme is that culture can no longer be treated as a niche. In markets like Los Angeles, identity is layered, fluid, and contextual. People move between communities, languages, and cultural signals daily.

Brands still relying on rigid demographic frameworks are optimizing for a consumer that no longer exists. Those that treat culture as an operating system, not a campaign, are building lasting relevance.

The cost of misunderstanding the new mainstream

The episode also makes one thing clear. Choosing not to adapt is no longer neutral.

When brands fail to understand the communities driving growth, they lose legitimacy. When lived experience is absent from strategy, attention fades. And when cultural complexity is ignored, competitors move faster.

From conversation to action

The episode closes with a clear message. Inclusion is not just a value. It is a business advantage when backed by structure, data, and informed decision making.

Listen to the full episode of The New Mainstream Podcast with Arnetta Whiteside and explore how culture, power, and representation are reshaping marketing in the United States.

In this episode of the podcast, Mario Carrasco sits down with Carlos Guerrero Anderson, a strategic insights leader whose career spans entrepreneurship, healthcare market research, and now patient advocacy within a nonprofit organization.

Carlos’s story is a clear example of how insights expertise can move beyond business outcomes and become a force for meaningful social impact.

From Latin America to the U.S.: A Career Built on Data and Purpose:

Originally from Venezuela, Carlos built a successful career in market research before moving to the United States. For years, he helped brands and organizations better understand their audiences and make data-driven strategic decisions.

But his professional path took a pivotal turn when he chose to apply that expertise to something deeply personal and urgent: health equity.

Today, Carlos is part of the Hairy Cell Leukemia Foundation, where he has transformed his background in insights into a mission-driven role focused on amplifying the voices of patients living with a rare disease and ensuring their experiences are seen, understood, and represented.

Research That Listens, Not Just Measures:

One of the key themes in the conversation is how traditional research often overlooks small, diverse, or medically vulnerable communities.

Carlos explains why, in the context of rare diseases, collecting data is not enough. True understanding requires listening to emotions, cultural barriers, access challenges, and structural inequities that directly affect patients’ lives.

In this space, insights are more than numbers. They are stories, contexts, and decisions that can influence diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life.

Representation, Empathy, and Action:

Throughout the episode, it becomes clear that representation is not an abstract concept. In healthcare, it can determine whether patients feel invisible or truly supported.

Carlos shares how his work helps bridge the gap between institutions, physicians, researchers, and patients by using data with empathy and purpose. It is a powerful lesson for anyone working in research, marketing, or strategy.

As brands navigate a fast-changing consumer landscape, one truth has become impossible to ignore: Gen Z is rewriting every rule of multicultural marketing. For years, language served as the primary indicator of culture, especially in Hispanic marketing, but new data from Culture Decoded, a study by ThinkNow and LatiNation, shows that thoseassumptions no longer hold.

Spanish as identity marker is declining. Culture is rising. And Gen Z expects brands to understand the difference.

In an era where identity is fluid, multi-layered, and shaped by digital environments, brands must rethink how they connect with young multicultural audiences or risk losing relevance.

Identity Is Growing, and Culture IsLeading the Way

According to the study, identification with Latino culture is increasing, even as Spanish usage declines in U.S. households. Gen Z is redefining identity:

· They stack identities

· They choose elements of their heritage selectively

· And they express culture in the moment, not in the same ways previous generations did

This shift reflects a broader trend: Culture is no longer tied to language. It's tied to lived experience, digital ecosystems, and global connectedness.

That's why Gen Z today can engage deeply with Bad Bunny, K-pop, Afro-Latino creators, and English-language soccerbroadcasts with equal passion. Being multicultural isn't "Latino vs. non-Latino." It's cultural fluidity.

Authenticity Is the New Brand Differentiator

Gen Z has an extremely sharp radar for detecting inauthenticity. They instantly recognize when something feels forced or superficial.

The data shows:

· 87% detect inauthentic ads instantly

· 67% want authentic representation

· 59% reward brands that acknowledge heritage

Brands that treat culture as a box to check, especially during heritage months, lose credibility. Gen Z wants something deeper: creators with real lived experiences, content informed by cultural insights, and storytelling that feels relevant to right now.

As Oscar Padilla of LatiNation says: "Culture first. Language is secondary."

Creators and Cultural Strategists Are Essential, Not Optional

One of the clearest takeaways from the podcast: brands cannot do this alone. Authenticity requires collaboration.

LatiNation's success with shows like Desmadre demonstrates why:

· English-language content

· Spanglish moments

· Latino cultural cues

· Distribution across radio, social, streaming, and linear TV

The formula works because creators bring context, nuance, and credibility that brands cannot generate internally.

For marketers, this means shifting from "content production" to co-creation.

Gen Z Lives in a 360° Media Environment – Brands Must Keep Up

Reaching this generation isn't about choosing between TV, social media, digital audio, or streaming. Gen Z uses all of it, often at the same time.

They may watch an English-language soccer match, comment on it on TikTok, follow the creators on Instagram, and then listen to the podcast afterward.

This makes cross-platform cultural consistency essential. The question isn't "Where do we reach Gen Z?" but rather "How do we show up authentically wherever they are?"

In this episode of The New Mainstream Podcast, Mario Carrasco, Co-Founder of ThinkNow, spoke with Oscar Padilla, Head of Digital Innovation & Growth at LatiNation, about these topics and more.

Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. It starts with people who build intentional systems to understand human behavior. Data and technology may power today’s marketplace,but empathy is the true differentiator that sets brands apart. Knowing what consumers buy and why, how they use it, what challenges they face, and what makes their experience better lays the foundation for strong product development andmessaging that resonates.

Like engineers observing how contractors interact with building materials, product marketers must immerse themselves in the customer experience. Real insight doesn’t come from dashboards alone. It comes from listening without assumptions, observing real behavior, and engaging not just to gather feedback but to build empathy deep enough to understand what customers may never say outright.

Equally important is recognizing the cultural and demographic shifts shaping modern consumers.Hispanic representation is on the rise, more women are driving key decisions, and diverse communities are redefining what influence looks like. For product marketers, this is a call to move past stereotypes and build authentic connections with the people who use, recommend, and ultimately champion your products.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Agustin Hernandez, R&D Leader at Owens Corning, explores how empathy and cultural intelligence drive innovation and shape products that more effectively reflect consumer needs and solve real-world problems.

Foresight is more than predicting what’s next. It’s identifying early signals and linking them to the human behaviors driving change. By studying how people adapt, create, andrespond to their environments, organizations can design strategies and solutions that fulfill future needs while staying grounded in reality.

This approach relies on both traditional and unconventional methods, such as interviews with experts and chan, observations from industry events, and secondary research, paired with digital ethnography that surfaces new conversations and cultural shifts. The goal isn’t just to identify trends, but also to understand the motivations behind them and what they reveal about evolving needs.

A key learning from this work is that foresight succeeds when organizations are willing to challenge their assumptions. When data and cultural context point in a new direction,the ability to pivot toward what people are already doing or valuing can uncover growth opportunities. Being flexible and responsive ensures that innovation remains human-centered rather than hypothesis-driven.

Equally important is a multifaceted research approach. Diverse qualitative insights capture nuance, while quantitative data scales understanding. Returning to qualitative validation closes the loop, ensuring that what emerges reflects both the “what” and the “why.” This cycle helps teams distinguish between patterns that arelocal and those that can be applied globally. Artificial intelligence now plays a growing role in this process, accelerating the discovery of patterns across vast data sources.

On this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Jay Hasbrouck, Senior Staff Researcher at Google and author of Ethnographic Thinking: From Method to Mindset, explores how foresight, research, and AI can transform the way organizations approach innovation.

Walk through any major city in the U.S. and you’ll see it. Consumer demographics are shifting. From local shops to national brands, multicultural communities are driving commerce and key economic trends. Yet, while consumers are evolving, many marketing strategies are not. Too often, multicultural audiences remain an afterthought rather than the center of business growth.

Brands that succeed in multicultural marketing start by recognizing that inclusion is a business imperative, not optional. Data shows that in many regions, net population growth and the dollars that come with it are driven by Hispanic, Black, and Asian consumers. Failing to engage these audiences is a missed opportunity, putting brands at a competitive disadvantage.

For brands that are investing in multicultural marketing, authenticity is foundational. Campaigns that perform best are rooted in local insight and cultural nuance, often brought to life through relatable storytelling and community-driven engagement. For example, influencer partnerships that reflect real family dynamics, humor, and everyday experiences resonate far more deeply than ads simply translated from English. When creative control is shared with culturally fluent voices, brands earn credibility and build relationships.

Technology powers these relationships, offering new ways to reach, engage, and measure audiences. Artificial intelligence, for instance, can help brands understand consumers, but without culturally diverse data, it misses the nuances that define communities. Human insight is critical to ensuring inclusion and minimizing bias.

On this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Liz Pedraza, Director of Hispanic Marketing at Pinnacle Advertising andPresident of CIMA Advertising, explores how multicultural insight, data, and authentic storytelling create measurablebusiness impact for brands.

Storytelling has long been recognized as a powerful way to bridge differences and build empathy across communities. To advance health equity, stories that transform complex medical terms and statistics into human experiences can break down barriers and even save lives. When people hear from survivors or caregivers who share their culture, language, or background, it fosters trust, a crucial stepin opening access and promoting advocacy within historically marginalized communities.

Health equity means people have access to resources specific to their needs, not simply offering the same solution to all. Equality may give everyone a bike, but equity ensures each bike is suited to its rider. In breast cancer care, thisdistinction is life-saving. Black women in the U.S. are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than White women, despite similar screening rates. Latina women are often diagnosed later, when treatment options are fewer. These disparities stem not from personal choice but systemicbarriers such as language gaps, misdiagnoses, and limited access to culturally competent care.

Addressing these inequities requires intentional, culturally relevant programs that provide wraparound support. Initiatives like patient navigation services, bilingual resources, and financial aid assistance help dismantle barriers and guide patients through overwhelming diagnoses, ensuring they are not left behind. Partnerships with faith communities, advocacy groups, healthcareproviders, and media allies are also important in expanding the reach of resources while demonstrating a commitment that extends beyond awareness months.

The future of storytelling in multicultural marketing within healthcare requires authenticity and accountability. Communities expect organizations to listen, act, and show up consistently in ways that align with their values.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Nikki Hopewell, Director of Multicultural Marketing at SusanG. Komen, shares how storytelling, equity, and authenticpartnerships intersect to advance breast cancer awareness and care.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping society, but with its transformative power comes pressing ethical, cultural, and social questions. The conversation around AI often centers on new capabilities, but equally important are the implications for equity, transparency, and human values.

A key concern is the concentration of AI development in a handful of industries, particularly technology and finance, which risks creating tools that benefit only a narrow segment of society. When innovation prioritizes speed and competition, the so-called “AI race” can result in systems being released prematurely, riddled with bias, or inaccessible to much of the global population.

Language representation in AI models is another critical issue. Many large language models are predominantly trained in English, resulting in the underrepresentation of other languages and cultural perspectives. This imbalance not only limits accessibility but also reduces the quality of AIoutputs. Advocates stress that LLMs trained on multicultural data lead to better, more representative systems, onescapable of reflecting the world’s diversity rather than reinforcing existing biases and stereotypes.

Still, the potential for AI to drive positive impact is significant. From creating accessible tools for immigrants navigating new systems to providing voice-based digital companionsfor older adults, socially conscious applications of AI can foster inclusion and improve quality of life.

On this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Norman Valdez, CEO of BrainTrainr, discusses the urgency of developing responsible AI and highlights both the dangers ofexclusion and the opportunities for technology to serve as a force for good.

Money habits aren’t formed in a vacuum. They’re shaped by the crises we live through, the culture we’re raised in, andthe tools we trust to manage our future. Today’s financial landscape is being redefined by generational shifts, cultural influences, and emerging technologies, like artificial intelligence, each impacting how people save, spend, and invest.

Gen Z is proving to be more disciplined and frugal than Millennials, driven by the economic crises they’ve witnessed in their households and their determination to avoid the same pitfalls. They’re saving earlier, budgeting more carefully, and leaning on side hustles to build financial security. Millennials, however, often lean toward spending on experiences, despite having endured many of the same economic setbacks. These differences highlight howcontext and culture influence money decisions in ways that numbers alone can’t explain.

Race and ethnicity also significantly influence financial priorities and levels of trust in financial institutions.Disparities in homeownership, retirement readiness, and perceptions of financial health remain stark, underscoring the need for inclusive financial education and culturally relevant outreach. Providing access alone falls short of creating solutions that meet people where they are.

And while technology is reshaping the landscape, trust remains a hurdle. Many consumers are open to using AI forsimple financial tasks, but skepticism grows when higher stakes are involved. The key is balance. Pair AI with human oversight, clear guardrails, and transparent communication to build confidence across generations.

On this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Aijaz Hussain Shaik, Senior Director of Thought Leadership & Research at Empower, unpacks how generational shifts, cultural influences, and technology are redefining financial behavior and what it takes to create more inclusive financialsystems.

Veterans are undoubtedly our nation’s heroes. They bring with them a set of skills honed through years of service, skills that, if clearly communicated, can achieve the same success in business that they achieved on missions. The key to transferring these skills to civilian roles is breakingdown what was done in a military context into terms that show hiring managers how those capabilities can drive results for a company.

Yet too often, employers overlook or diminish this value. Without awareness, unconscious bias and outdated stereotypes can pigeonhole veterans into narrowroles. The reality is that the discipline, strategic execution, and situational awareness cultivated in service are exactly what organizations need to navigate the complexity of the marketplace and rally teams toward common goals.Employers who are intentional about being inclusive and who make the effort to understand these skills gain access to a high-performing, job ready talent pool.

Community-building within organizations amplifies that impact. Veterans’ networks, for example, offer mentorship and onboarding support from the start of the hiring process.Once hired, employee resource groups provide safe spaces that foster belonging, educate allies, and dismantle biases, ultimately creating an inclusive workplace culture. Even smaller companies can take meaningful steps by partnering with local veteran groups to source talent or provide job training.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Ari Friedman, Talent Development Manager, Global Early Careers at Microsoft, offers strategies for translating military skills into business impact and creating workplaces where veterans can thrive, benefiting both talent and employers alike.

As the workforce becomes increasingly diverse—not just in terms of race and ethnicity, but also in education, language, and lived experiences—brands must rethink how they communicate internally. It's not enough to craft a compellingmessage if it isn’t understood, or worse, if no one cares.

For communication to be effective, it must be accessible, relevant, and actionable. Employees need to clearly grasp what the message means for them and what, if anything, they’re expected to do next. Without that clarity and connection, even the most well-crafted message falls flat.

Effective internal communication begins with empathy, which starts with recognizing the diversity of today’s workforce. Across a single organization, employees mayspan multiple job shifts, job functions, languages, education levels, and cultural backgrounds. Inclusive communication must be multilingual, multi-channel, and well-timed to meet people where they are, both physically and cognitively.

Traditional top-down communications often fall short because they’re designed for a single type of audience. However, when messages are designed with a broader range of identities in mind, and supported by data, feedback, and direct human connection, they drive authentic engagement and build trust. Employees feel seen, heard, and valued, and they recognize the company’s effort to include them.

When language barriers exist, translating core messages into employees’ native languages and using transcreation to adapt them for cultural context becomes essential. Communication plans must consider how different audiences will interpret a message, what cultural context might alter its meaning, and, most importantly, why they should care.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Jenna Marston, Communications Manager at BASF, shares how she uses inclusive, multilingual strategies to engage employees across geographies, leveraging an approach rooted in activelistening, cultural awareness, and authentic connection.

People make assumptions. While that may seem like a common character flaw, it can have serious implications on brand perception. When marketers rely on outdated stereotypes and beliefs about the American public, they are ignoring the complex reality in which consumers live. Today’s consumer is far more nuanced than the binary labels imposed upon them, e.g., Democrat vs. Republican. Clinging to binaryframeworks in a rapidly shifting cultural and political landscape leaves brands vulnerable to costly missteps.

To avoid pitfalls, brands must do the work upfront. Trust in traditional institutions may be eroding, but people still want something to believe in. This creates opportunities for marketers to partner with market researchers to do a deepdive into the cultural drivers that activate and define theaudiences being engaged.

But navigating today’s sensitivities requires more than curiosity. It demands intentionality. Brands must know who they are, know who they’re speaking to, and test their messaging, values, and assumptions across lines of identity.Many Americans share core values like freedom and fairness, but how those values are interpreted depends on who you ask. That’s why words matter.

There’s often a gap between what brands think their words mean, what they intend them to mean, and what people actually hear. Closing that gap is critical. But brandsthat attempt to please everyone risk saying nothing at all. Instead, marketers are encouraged to double down on their core identity and speak directly to their audience, even if it means not appealing to everyone.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Julia Glidden, Group President, U.S. Public Affairs and Ruth Moss, SVP, Senior Client Officer at Ipsos North America unpack the findings from the newly released “Know the New America” report that explores how political, cultural, and economic shifts are transforming the consumer and business landscape.

For many entrepreneurs, success isn’t just about top-line growth. It’s seizing opportunities to break barriers and shape their identities as cultural and economic drivers. That’s especially true within the Latino community, where small businesses continue to power economic growth in both the U.S. and Mexico. But thriving in today’s marketplace requires more than determination and grit. On a practical level, it takes access to digital tools.

One of the biggest barriers for Latino entrepreneurs remains the digital gap. During the pandemic, many small business owners, particularly in underrepresented communities, found themselves forced to adapt overnight. They made a digital leap in three months, setting up e-commerce and learning video conferencing, that others took years to accomplish. Their determination highlights a crucial truth for marketers: to reach multicultural audiences, you must meet them where they are, not where you assume they should be.

Adaptation means more than bridging the digital divide, however. Global companies have traditionallyviewed Mexico as just a source of inexpensive labor or materials. But today, it’s a hub for innovation, driving change not just in Mexico but worldwide. For brands, this means rethinking how they engage with the Mexican and broaderLatin American markets, seeing them not just as suppliers but as partners and sources of influence.

In this new episode of The New Mainstream podcast, IsraelSerna, entrepreneur and Partner Marketing Manager at Autodesk, shares how his work in digital education, entrepreneurship, and cross-border collaboration isreframing what it means to do business in a global, multicultural economy.

Inclusive marketing isn't just about doing the right thing—it’s about doing what works. When companies fail to speak the cultural language of their audiences, they risk more than lost market share. Brands lose trust, relevance, and relationships. But when inclusion is rooted in strategy rather than performative gestures, it becomes a powerful business driver for long-term growth. Even in industries not typically associated with emotional connection, like utilities or manufacturing, marketers can find more meaningful ways to engage. That starts with listening to real people, using data to understand their needs, and communicating in ways that reflect their everyday lives. The goal isn’t to craft the perfect message for everyone as much as it is to show each group that they matter.The same applies inside the workplace. Inclusion has to go beyond written policies and procedures and glossy posters on the wall. It must be part of everyday actions being taken and decisions made, showing up in how people are treated, included, and supported. That means being mindful of the different life experiences employees bring, whether they have children or not, are married or single, or navigate life in a myriad of other ways, and ensuring every team member feels valued. When inclusion is lived, not just stated, it creates a culture where people feel safe to contribute, grow, and thrive.In this episode of The New Mainstream Podcast, Crystal Marie McDaniels, Senior Manager of Product Marketing & Acquisition (B2B) at Duke Energy, shares how leading with inclusion in the marketplace and the workplace builds stronger brands and better teams.

Trust is at the heart of effective communication today, particularly when it comes to science and healthcare. In a time when mistrust of institutions is growing, communicators must prioritize building authentic connections rather thanrelying solely on facts and figures. It’s not just about relaying information. Brands must understand audience concerns and engage in storytelling that resonates with people’s core values.

Employees are brands most powerful storytellers. Their real-life experiences help humanize organizations and build credibility both internally and externally. Tapping into employee stories not only enhances brand trust but also strengthens employer branding efforts, particularly as competition for talent intensifies.

In addition to positioning employees as brand ambassadors, research plays a crucial role in brand building. Balancing qualitative and quantitative methods enables organizations to gain a deeper understanding of stakeholders and craftmessaging that is both authentic and effective. Whether preparing for a rebrand or launching a major campaign, starting with research ensures the strategy is informed and adaptable.

Inclusivity remains critical. Organizations that reflect the diversity of their customers and workforce cultivate stronger connections and build loyalty across both external and employer brands. Authentic, inclusive storytelling elevates underrepresented voices and drives measurable business results, helping brands navigate complex expectations from various stakeholder groups.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Kate Smiley, Head of Global Employer Brand at GE Healthcare, emphasizes that in an era of skepticism, trust is essential. By combining storytelling, research, inclusivity, and emerging technologies like AI, brands can build authentic relationships and achieve real business results.

Latin music is no longer a niche. It’s a global phenomenon reshaping how brands navigate an increasingly digital and culturally diverse landscape. Streaming platforms are breaking down barriers to discovery, giving artists instant access to global audiences and perpetuating cultural diffusion across borders. But with that access comes disruption and a need to rethink how value is created and shared. For marketers, this means looking beyond conventional metrics and focusing on where and how people engage with content.

Technology also accelerates creativity, but with it comes new challenges. While artificial intelligence now makes it possible to generate music with a prompt, it also raises seriousethical questions around authorship, ownership, and compensation. As AI becomes more embedded into creative workflows, the industry is grappling with how to protect the integrity and livelihoods of human creators.

The ethical use of AI is also closely tied to cultural resonance, especially with Gen Z, an audience that values authenticityand resists being confined to traditional genre boxes. Their listening habits are shaped more by mood, context, and cultural nuance than by conventional categories, challenging marketers to meet them with content that feels personaland real.

Ultimately, music rooted in cultural truth, even when fused with other sounds, has the power to bring people together regardless of background or geography. The consumershapes what’s popular, and technology amplifies that influence, making it easier for audiences to discover, share, and champion the music that speaks to them.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Jose Abreu, Vice President of Digital Marketing & Streaming, Latin Iberia Region, at Sony Music Entertainment, explores how technology, culture, and consumer behavior are reshaping the future of music and what brands can learn from it.

Despite America’s growing diversity, multicultural marketing continues to face persistent underinvestment andinconsistency. While Black and Latino consumers make up approximately 30% of the U.S. population, early multicultural campaigns received less than 5% of national advertising budgets, a gap that has improved slightly but remains amajor challenge today. Even now, multicultural efforts are often the first budgets cut when financial pressures arise, undermining brand loyalty and growth opportunities.

There has been a shift from language-driven strategies to culture-driven ones. In the past, Spanish-language media buys were often seen as enough. Today, success demands deeper cultural insight, recognizing that diverse consumers live multigenerational, multiracial, and bilingual realities. Authentic connection, not just language, is now the key to meaningful engagement.

Brands like Honda offer a blueprint through initiatives like Honda Stage, which uses music as a universal passionpoint to unite diverse audiences organically without forcing segmentation. Meanwhile, missteps like Target’s recent DEI pullback show how quickly consumer trust can erode when companies abandon their multicultural commitments.

Another critical takeaway is the growing importance of first-party data and minority-owned media partnerships.As privacy regulations limit traditional targeting methods, collaborating with platforms that genuinely understand their audiences becomes even more valuable.

Ultimately, brands must shift away from chasing fleeting viral moments and instead focus on building real, lasting community relationships.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Randy Gudiel, SVP, Media Director at Orci, shares valuable insights on why consistency, cultural authenticity, and sustained investment are now essential for brands that want to thrive in an increasingly diverse marketplace.

Meet Our Guest:

Randy Gudiel is a media strategist with over 15 years of experience in media planning, buying, and integrated marketing. He began his career in General Market advertising, supporting automotive and hospitality brands. Early in his career, he transitioned into multicultural marketing—where he led media strategy for clients in financial services, tech, government, CPG, and gaming, helping them better connect with Hispanic, Asian, and African American audiences.

Today, as SVP, Media Director at Orci, Randy leads cross-channel, performance-focused media strategies rooted in cultural relevance, consumer insight, and a Hispanic-first perspective. His work reflects the understanding that effective multicultural marketing starts with intention, not adaptation. His current portfolio spans categories includingentertainment, automotive, and grocery, with a focus on building media plans that center Hispanic audiences while thoughtfully engaging the broader multicultural landscape.

Over the course of his career, Randy has also supported clients in healthcare, nonprofit, QSR, and entertainment—bringing a thoughtful, data-informed approach to every challenge.

A first-generation Guatemalan-American, Randy brings a valuable blend of lived experience and strategic expertise to the work, ensuring that every plan is inclusive, intentional, and built for impact.

Despite the U.S. being home to the second-largest Spanish-speaking population in the world, investment in multicultural marketing, particularly Hispanic marketing, remains disproportionately low, representing just 6–7% of total ad spend. This is a missed opportunity and a risk for brands looking to stay relevant in an increasingly diverse marketplace. Ignoring this reality isn’t just shortsighted,it’s bad business. To stay competitive, brands must reflect the communities they serve. Today’s consumers, especially Millennials and Gen Z, more than half of whom are multicultural, demand more than generic messaging. They value authenticity,cultural relevance, and purpose. These digital natives engage with brands across social media, streaming, and other digital platforms. For them, it's not just about what brands sell but the stories they tell on these platforms.

Telling those stores, however, has become increasingly difficult. Some brands may revert to “total market” approaches for short-term gains amid political tensionand economic uncertainty. But playing it safe often results in diluted messaging that fails to connect meaningfully with any audience. Multicultural marketing isn’t going away. Itis central to business strategy and, perhaps more importantly, business longevity. And here’s why.

Demographic shifts aren’t coming; they’re already here. The U.S. is on the fast track to becoming a multicultural majority. Even as some companies quietly rebrand or downplay DEI efforts, multiculturalism is moving forward. “Inclusive growth,” which links diversity to tangible business outcomes, is emerging as a competitive advantage for forward-thinking brands.

Others, however, treat multicultural marketing as an add-on rather than a strategic priority, often due to a lack of leadership, education, or long-term vision. Change must start at the top. Executives need to empower their teams, invest in insights, and reimagine how they engage because doing so pays off.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Hernan Tagliani, President and Founder of Tagliani Multicultural, explores how shifting demographics are redefining marketing and explains why brands that fail to invest in multicultural marketing risk being left behind.

Despite the headlines, rollbacks, and legal battles, the conversation around race has never been more crucial for marketers and businesses. While diversity and inclusion (D&I) often dominate discussions, doing so serves only as adistraction from the broader concerns surrounding the racial dynamics embedded in our society. The issues of race aren’t simply about diversity. They are structural and historical and are tethered to the fabric of consumer behavior.

Race has been a determining factor in shaping how consumers experience various markets, from grocery stores to hospitals. It’s not enough for companies to aim for a "diverse" customer base. They must understand the unique racial dynamics at play. Without acknowledging the social and historical factors behind these dynamics, marketing strategies fall flat and fail to resonate with the very consumers they aim to engage.

However, addressing race in marketing requires deeper engagement with communities, not just performative gestures. Companies often fall into the trap of "woke-washing," offering initiatives that sound good but lackauthentic connection. Consumers, especially those from marginalized groups, can quickly see through these disingenuous efforts. This can damage the trustbusinesses work hard to build, which is crucial for lasting brand loyalty. A meaningful, long-term focus on racial equity, in both action and strategy, is essential for companies to succeed in this increasingly diverse market.

The latest generation of marketers is entering the workforce with a heightened awareness of these issues, but they face significant challenges when discussing race within a business context. Learning to address these issues with sensitivity and data-backed insights will ensure that brands not only avoidperpetuating harmful stereotypes but also foster more genuine, inclusive relationships with their audiences.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Dr. Sonya A. Grier, Kogod Eminent Scholar Chair in Marketing at the Kogod School of Business at American University, examines how race influences consumer behavior and why businesses must go beyond diversity to create inclusive marketplaces.

Meet Dr. Sonya A. Grier:

Sonya A. Grier is the Kogod Eminent Scholar Chair in Marketing, at the Kogod School of Business at AmericanUniversity. Her expertise spans issues of race, diversity, and equity at the intersection of markets and society. She has examined the racial dynamics underlying consumption issues in gentrifying neighborhoods, digital marketing to youth of color, and racialized food marketing. Sonya builds on her expertise to identify how inclusive marketing practices can enhance individual, community, and societal well-being.She shares her research in academic journals, photographic narratives, and two award-winning documentary films. Sheremains connected to practice through consultations with diverse organizations across business, government, and non-profit sectors. Dr. Grier is a co-founder and current President of the Race in the Marketplace (RIM) Research Network, which has nurtured the sub-field aimed at advancing our understanding of the role of race in markets.

Influencer marketing has evolved into a powerful strategy for brands looking to engage diverse audiences. Influencers leverage their broad reach to drive awareness and inspire consumer buy-in, while creator marketing enables passionate content creators to engage and connect with niche communities. Brands are increasingly incorporating both approaches into their communication strategies, with social media being a key platform.

However, with both approaches, the goal goes beyond brand visibility. It’s about achieving third-party validation, where trusted voices, such as influencers or creatives, endorse a brand. While these endorsements may be paid, the willingness of these individuals to put their reputations on the line for a brand speaks volumes. This is essential for building consumer trust, as audiences connect more deeply with authentic experiences shared by relatable individuals than with traditional advertising.

A key aspect of this is ensuring that influencers and creators genuinely reflect the audiences brands aim to reach and ensure they are compensated fairly based on engagement and reach. By prioritizing this, brands can cultivate stronger,long-term relationships with influencers and creators. This approach benefits all parties—influencers and creators feel valued, and brands gain more authentic brand advocacy.

One of the biggest mistakes brands make with creator and influencer marketing is dictating content rather than trusting the influencer or creator to do what initially drew the brand to them. While key messaging is necessary, giving them thefreedom to be creative ensures the content feels natural and authentic. When they seamlessly integrate brand messages into their content, it enhances both engagement and credibility.

In this episode of The New Mainstream Podcast, Gabe Mederos, Vice President of Creator Marketing with Edelman, discusses the importance of authenticity, diversity, and relationship-building in creator and influencer marketing.

Meet Gabe: Gabe is a creator marketing professional with extensive experience in influencer relations, strategy development, content strategy, analytics, and leadership. AUniversity of Toronto graduate with over 19 years of PR and communications experience in corporate, not-for-profit and government, Gabe has completed his social media and digital marketing certification. Gabe has held senior digitalroles at top Canadian brands such as Scotiabank, TELUS, and Nestlé Purina PetCare.

Gabe is currently a Vice President of Creator Marketing at Edelman, where he heads up the creator marketing function for an assortment of clients in Canada, including Samsung, Microsoft, PepsiCo, and eBay. Gabe is also an Instructor at Humber College, where he teaches social media and digital marketing.

The transition from working in large companies to owning a startup is a journey of both challenge and opportunity. For many entrepreneurs, it's a chance to reconnect with their passions, streamline their offerings, and create deeperemotional connections with clients. However, all companies, regardless of size, must navigate the complexities of maintaining a strong brand identity and making decisions that align with their core values.

In today’s competitive marketplace, companies are not only navigating fluctuations in market demand but also facing intense scrutiny in the court of public opinion. Take Target, for example. Once celebrated for its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and its thoughtful multicultural marketing campaigns, the retailer now faces boycotts from consumers and the loss of popular brands that once graced its shelves.

As many brands discovered in 2020, companies that stay true to their mission, vision, and values resonate more deeply with consumers. People invest in brands that align with their values, and when companies genuinely uphold their principles, their community will support them.

In this episode of The New Mainstream Podcast, Maribel Lara, Founder of Beget Love Consulting, shares insights on her journey into entrepreneurship and how authenticity can helpbrands thrive, even when faced with challenges.

The perception of masculinity is evolving. Historically, men have been socialized to be providers—strong, confident, and financially successful. However, shifts in culture, gender dynamics, and societal expectations have tipped the scales.As women gain economic independence and redefine their roles, many men find themselves at a crossroads, navigating new expectations of identity and purpose.

Rigid societal definitions of masculinity have given rise to phrases like “man up” and “turn in your man card,” which reinforce outdated ideals and make those who deviate from them feel inadequate—both by women and other men. However, data shows that traditional markers of masculinity,such as hypersexuality and the “perpetual bachelor” persona, are losing their appeal.

As these outdated constructs fade, fatherhood, for example, is emerging as a defining trait of contemporary masculinity. While past generations focused primarily on financial provision, today’s fathers take pride in active parenting, embracing their role as engaged caregivers. This shift is reflected in branding and media as advertisers move away from the clueless dad trope and toward representationsof nurturing, competent fathers who confidently handle household tasks, from doing laundry to joyfully playing dress-up with their daughters.

Despite progress, challenges remain. Many men still struggle with emotional expression, and societal expectations often discourage vulnerability. However, conversations around masculinity and mental health are becoming moremainstream, signaling slow but meaningful change.

On this episode of The New Mainstream, Whitney Dunlap-Fowler, Owner and Chief Brand Strategist, of Touch of Whit Creative, explores shifts in masculinity and their impact on culture, relationships, and branding.

It has been widely reported that the advertising industry faces critical challenges, particularly around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) in the workplace. Among the most pressing issues is the prevalence of sexual harassment, which systematically hinders female leadership and drivesout underrepresented talent. Addressing these concerns requires organizations to take bold, proactive steps to eliminate bad actors and dismantle the systems that enable them while cultivating inclusive environments.

However, creating systemic change extends beyond workplace reform. For underrepresented and marginalized groups, entrepreneurship offers a powerful avenue for reshaping workplace cultures. By building their own businesses, these groups can design environments informed by their lived experiences. Having encountered bias firsthand, they understand the barriers that need to be addressed and are uniquely equipped to implement infrastructure that promotes equity and inclusion.

DE&I is more complex than the headlines suggest. It is not just about increasing representation. To drive real change, the focus must shift to dismantling the systemic barriers that perpetually limit individuals' potential, such as sexualharassment, hiring bias, and societal taboos that obstruct funding equity for founders.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Cindy Gallop, Founder and CEO of MakeLoveNotPorn, discusses how challenging biases and championing inclusivity can helpindustries unlock untapped potential and create environments where all voices are empowered and valued.

In today’s fast-paced world, consumers face a constant stream of messages, making it increasingly difficult for brands to stand out and for customers to commit. Relationship design is emerging as a key strategy to reduce churn and foster long-term brand loyalty. By crafting thoughtful customer interactions – whether in person oronline – brands can create spaces where they feel safe, supported, and valued. This approach builds trust, encourages engagement on their terms, and instills theconfidence they need to spend freely.

A cornerstone of relationship design is the concept of "feedback loops." Actively seeking customer input allows brands to refine their offerings and continuously strengthen connections with their audience. As brands scale, maintaining these relationships requires systems that enableconsistent engagement and feedback to ensure the bond remains strong over time. This dynamic helps brands stay attuned to evolving needs while demonstrating a genuine commitment to their customers.

Human connection is at the heart of relationshipdesign. Personalized emails, meaningful social media interactions, and attentive customer service are just a few ways brands can cultivate trust and authenticity. Additionally, brands that authentically live out their values and mission resonate more deeply with consumers, particularly when those values align with the consumers' own beliefs.

Ultimately, relationship design goes beyond selling a product or service—it’s about crafting meaningful experiences that inspire repeat business and transform customers into brand advocates. When executed effectively, it’s a win-win forboth the brand and the consumer.

In an episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Cairo Marsh, Founder & Executive Partner at relativ, shares insights on how brands can thrive by fostering a culture of care andconnection through relationship design.

The transformation from traditional media to digital streaming has fundamentally shifted how companies connect with consumers across the U.S. and Latin America. With streaming platforms offering direct insights into viewer behavior, media companies are now closer to understanding their audiences—albeit with someunique challenges.

Historically, media companies operating through traditional channels like TV and radio relied on third parties for consumer data and insights. The shift to streaming has changed this dynamic. Today, digital platforms offer a direct window into consumer behavior, making real-time data about content consumption moreaccessible.

Interestingly, while platforms have evolved, consumer behavior remains largely stable. Consumers still seek engaging content, whether it’s on cable, streaming platforms, or social media. They simply want to watch their favorite shows, regardless of the medium. The platform may change, but the core desire for entertainment remains consistent.

One of the challenges in the digital space is managing data from numerous platforms. Content distribution spans not just streaming and cable but also social media,websites, podcasts, and even gaming. That data isn’t easily consolidated. Each platform operates with unique metrics and KPIs, complicating efforts to form acohesive picture of the audience. Using syndicated tools to normalize and aggregate data across these various channels helps achieve a more holistic view of the consumer landscape.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Marcela Doria, VP of Insight for WBD Latin America/U.S. Hispanic, sheds light on how the shift to digital impacts data, consumer relationships, and media consumption across the U.S. and Latin America market.

The entertainment industry is at an exciting crossroads, with increasing diversity in programming and more creators establishing their own content studios.However, it also presents significant challenges, particularly for producers and creators from underrepresented groups. As the industry has drasticallyshifted over the past few years, with streaming platforms altering the demand for content, it is essential to be disciplined and realistic about what the market can absorb. Great ideas are not always enough if they cannot find the right platform or audience.

There is no single path to success in entertainment, and creators must often work across different formats—whether in English or Spanish, scripted or unscriptedcontent—to find opportunities. The industry’s changes, while presenting obstacles, also offer the chance for creators to wear multiple hats and diversify their work across genres and platforms.

But inclusivity remains a significant challenge. While there is a growing demand for authentic storytelling from diverse communities, the reality is that opportunities arestill limited. Diverse stories, especially from Latino creators, often face more scrutiny and may be met with criticism from both inside and outside the community. There is a need for more support, unity, and collaboration within marginalized communities to uplift and champion their own stories rather than critique them for not representing every facet of their experience.

On this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Flavio Morales, Board Member, KCRW 89.9FM and Estrella Media, Inc., explores how the rise of new digitalplatforms present more opportunities for independent creators to engage directly with their audiences while maintaining greater control over their content, offering new pathways to success.

The way we consume media has completely changed. Today, marketers need to be savvy in their understanding of how different audiences behave and what they areinterested in. One area seeing significant growth is musicand video content, particularly through mobile and connected TV platforms. For brands, leveraging these platforms to engage with underrepresented communitiesis critical for building long-term relationships and driving top-line growth.

Music is a universal language, but it carries distinct meanings across cultures. To connect meaningfully, brands must align their messaging with the preferences of various demographics, recognizing that specific genres and cultural trends resonate differently across communities. By grasping these cultural nuances, marketers can create more impactful campaigns and foster stronger connections with multicultural audiences.

Incorporating music videos, especially within social content, is essential for marketers targeting younger consumers and diverse groups. Research shows that nearly two-thirds of Hispanic American viewers, for example, place high importance on content that reflects their cultural heritage and personal identity.Additionally, younger generations, especially Gen Z, are increasingly exploring music and media beyond their cultural backgrounds. While language plays a role,authentic representation is the real driver for this demographic, especially as most U.S. Hispanics are bilingual. Language isn’t a barrier—what matters is cultural authenticity. Brands that incorporate genuine cultural signals are far more likely to resonate with these audiences.

Ultimately, inclusive marketing must be data-driven. Marketers should ask early on how their brand connects with diverse communities and then create campaigns thatfit with what people want today. Brands that fail to beintentional about inclusion or roll back their commitments risk missing out on the opportunity to engage with what will soon be the most diverse consumer market in history. That’s not just a missed opportunity—it’s poor business strategy. Companies can “future-proof” their brands by consistently and authentically engaging with diverse communities across their preferred platforms.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Robert Vélez, Vice President of Inclusive Network & LATAM Sales at Vevo, discusses how brands must proactively pursue inclusion to cultivate opportunities to connect with diverse audiences.

McKinsey's fourth report in its series on the business casefor diversity reinforces the idea that companies that invest in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are more likely to outperform those that do not. Integrating DEI into the DNA of an organization is not only socially responsible but also a sound business strategy. Companies thatprioritize DEI in their decision-making are better positioned to foster an inclusive and dynamic culture that attracts and retains diverse talent, anticipates emerging trends, and connects with broader audiences.

The development of a corporate DEI strategy is essential for guiding these efforts. Such strategies typically involve both overarching themes that apply to the entire organization and specific plans tailored to the needs of individual departments. This dual approach ensures consistency while allowing for flexibility, enabling teams to address their unique challenges effectively.

To be effective, however, companies must approach DEI with the same level of detail and analysis as they do other business functions. This includes understandingthe connections between DEI initiatives and business outcomes, which helps make the case for DEI as a driver of innovation and growth, not just checking the boxes.

Integrating DEI in some industries, like the arts and publishing, is sometimes easier said than done, and the recent backlash against DEI in the business landscape istaking a toll. In response, some companies are doubling down on their DEI efforts, while others are pulling back. Yet, for those willing to endure the scrutiny, committing to DEI as a business practice can be highly rewarding.It reaffirms a commitment to people and community and organically strengthens the bottom line as consumers and employees are drawn to companies that align withtheir values.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Kimberly Ayers Shariff, Executive Vice President of Strategy for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Penguin Random House, makes the business case for DEI as a long-term strategic imperative.

The pandemic didn't create new consumer trends butsignificantly accelerated existing ones. The consumer landscape is dynamic, continuously evolving as people change, societies evolve and cultures shift. Consequently, researchers must stay adaptable, embracing new methods and technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). AI enables innovations like automating tasks, personalizing experiences and enhancing data through synthetic samples, which closely mimic human responses. However, AI should complement, not replace, human connection.

One effective way to cultivate this human connectionis through market research communities (MROCs). These communities provide a platform for obtaining in-depth consumer insights through ongoing conversations, allowing researchers to more profoundly understand consumer needs and frustrations. However, the success of MROCs relies on planning and execution.

As consumer behavior evolves, researchers face newchallenges, however. Today’s consumers are demanding simplicity and security. To address these expectations, researchers must design studies that are both easy to participate in and protective of sensitive data. The integration of AI, with its associated privacy concerns and potential for inaccuracies, adds to these challenges.

Ultimately, a successful researcher blends a deepunderstanding of consumer behavior with a readiness to adopt new technologies. By integrating traditional research methods with innovative approaches, researchers can gain valuable insights and help brands stay competitive.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Dan Comenduley, Senior Manager of Consumer Insights at UScellular, explores how AI can enhance consumer data collection while emphasizing the importance of preserving the human touch in research.

Meet Our Guest:

Dan Comenduley has been with UScellular for 3 years and is a Senior Manager on the Customer Insights Team. Dan has a wide range of experience including working at Philip Morris, Pillsbury, Discover Card, United Airlines and Synchrony and a few other places.

He has run a wide range of research and analytic projects, sponsorship campaigns and evaluations and social media and advertising campaigns. Dan is focused on customers and representing their thoughts and lives to the entire organization. 

Dan earned his Bachelor’s degree from The University of Illinois and his MBA from Vanderbilt University.  

In his spare time, Dan likes to travel and wants to visit every state 5 times and every continent at least once. Dan also was a DJ and enjoys sports and he is working on being a published author.

Despite gaining significant momentum in 2020 following a surge in social justice awareness, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has faced recent backlash. Yet, inclusive marketing remains essential for businesses seeking long-term success.

Inclusive marketing is not just about representation. It is a strategic approach designed to build deep connectionswith diverse audiences, celebrating diversity at every customer touchpoint. This can only be achieved by understanding these communities, inviting them to share their lived experiences and cultures, and using thoseinsights to inform the creative process. Market research, such as focus groups, online surveys, and direct engagement with current customers, is critical totransforming data points into actionable insights that drive effective and inclusive marketing strategies that enhance ad relevance and cultivate brand loyalty.

Inclusive marketing cannot exist in a silo, however. And it’s about more than just doing the right thing or making people feel good. It’s also a powerful driver of business growth. Companies that execute inclusive marketing well enjoy a competitive advantage because they have embedded it across the entire organization, from talent acquisition to product development and launch.

Data and business growth strategies supportthe effectiveness of inclusive marketing. Courageous companies that prioritize DEI, even amid challenges, often discover new market opportunities, drive innovation and establish themselves as responsible corporate citizens.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Devoreaux Walton, MBA, a Brand & Marketing SeniorConsultant at relevant and host of The Inclusive Consumer podcast, discusses the relevance of inclusive marketing in today’s complex business landscape.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Mario Carrasco and Michael Roca, who currently spearheads the Cross-Cultural Center of Excellence at Omnicom Media Group, delve into the evolving landscape of multicultural marketing and media.

Multicultural has shifted from a niche segment to a central focus for many brands and agencies. This change reflects a growing recognition that diverse audiences arenot just a part of the market but key drivers of growth and innovation. Understanding and engaging with these audiences can lead to more effective marketing strategies and expand market share.

Historically, companies housed multicultural marketing expertise in separate units. Over time, these teams were often folded into Total Market efforts. Doing so, however, diluted the specific focus needed to genuinely connect with diverse audiences.

As the U.S. moves towards becoming a multicultural majority, a nuanced understanding of the complex and multifaceted identities of diverse audiences becomes critical. However, many sectors underinvest in multicultural marketing and media despite the clear benefits. Brands must move beyond analysis paralysis and take actionable steps toward inclusivity. By incorporating these perspectives from the beginning, brands can create more authentic and impactful connections.

Tune in to the full episode of The New Mainstream podcast to gain valuable insights into the future of multicultural marketing and media.

Younger generations of workers have fully embraced the "work from anywhere" concept, prompting employers torethink conventional methods. With the rise of remote and hybrid work models, flexible and adaptive workspaces have become more critical than ever. The pandemic accelerated the shift towards more distributed teams, andorganizations are now adjusting their real estate strategies to support this new reality. Inclusive design plays a crucial role in creating environments that foster collaboration, productivity and a sense of belonging, whetheremployees work from home, in the office or in a hybrid setup.

Inclusive design, which extends beyond thetraditional idea of universal design, emphasizes the importance of involving a diverse group of people in the design process to create solutions that cater to a broad range of needs and experiences. This approach is not only about accommodating physical differences but also considering the varied socio-economic backgrounds, gender identities and other factors that influencehow individuals interact with their environments.

By creating spaces that cater to diverse needs, companies can enhance employee well-being, foster psychological safety and increase productivity. Doing so is socially responsible and makes good business sense, as it helps attract and retain top talent in a competitivelabor market.

In this episode of The New Mainstreampodcast, Ryan Anderson, Vice President of Global Research and Insights at MillerKnoll, shares insights into the practical applications of inclusive design and its role in shaping the future workplace.

About Ryan Anderson:

Ryan Anderson serves as VicePresident of Global Research and Insights at MillerKnoll. His team leads MillerKnoll’s research, shares insights publicly across the world, and provides workplace strategy and application design services to MillerKnoll customers. With thirty years of industry experience, Ryan’s work has centered on how the places we inhabit can be better designed to support healthy, inclusive, and productive communities. Ryan hosts MillerKnoll’s About Place podcast on the future of the workplace and regularly speaks at public events about MillerKnoll’s historical andcurrent research. Ryan is a contributor to Forbes, and has been featured in a wide variety of additional publicationssuch as The Wall Street Journal, NPR, the BBC, Fortune, Bloomberg, and beyond.

Marketing is both an art and a science, shaped by the experiences and perspectives of its practitioners. Initially, multicultural marketing was considered a niche orspecialized area within broader marketing strategies. However, there has been a gradual shift towards integrating multicultural marketing into the coremarketing approach. This shift involves incorporating multicultural perspectives into product development, pricing, placement and promotion—the four P's—ensuring these efforts are not isolated but integral to the overall brand strategy.

Market research is critical here. Post-pandemic, marketers have leaned more heavily into qualitative and ethnographic research to understand consumers deeply — not just their product preferences but also their lived experiences and the issues they are trying to navigate – by uncovering insights that traditional surveys might miss. This allows the brand to determine how to solve their problems by connecting the dots for them.

Deeper insights also enable more sophisticatedsegmentation strategies beyond demographic factors. Evolving from standard acculturation models, which categorize consumers based on their time in thecountry or language preferences, to more nuanced approaches that consider cultural mindsets and value systems enables marketers to connect more authentically with diverse consumer groups, recognizing that cultural identity is complex and multifaceted.

On this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Glory Alcántara, Director of Multicultural Marketing at General Mills, discusses the importance of understanding and integrating multicultural perspectives into mainstream marketing strategies.

The marketing landscape is evolving, driven by the rapidly changing demographics in the U.S. Today's consumers are culturally diverse, tech-savvy, and vocal about their needs and wants. Among them, to be represented authentically in advertising. For marketers, this requires a change in the paradigm, a move beyond general marketing strategies to embracing a multicultural marketing approach. Its effectiveness, however, hinges on the quality of the data driving the decisions.

Enter contextual technology. This powerful tool allows marketers to delve into the nuances of cultural identity and consumer consumption habits, including understanding specific media channels, content preferences, and purchasing behaviors of multicultural audiences. This granular data empowers marketers to craft targeted digital advertising campaigns that resonate deeply.

Artificial intelligence has impacted advertising, adding another layer of complexity as marketers navigate its use, contending with hallucinations and exploringunconventional sources of consumer insights, like synthetic data. But AI also brings about opportunities. By leveraging machine learning and rich contextualdata, marketers can create hyper-targeted campaigns that speak directly to diverse demographics, such as Hispanic, Black, AAPI or LGBTQ+ communities.

Ultimately, embracing multicultural marketing with the support of contextual technology isn't just about driving sales; it's about building a future where everyone feels seen and valued in the media they consume.

On this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Tony Gonzalez, CEO & Co-Founder at Mundial Media, shares how contextual technology can build deeper connections with diverse audiences to drive brand engagement.

Black Americans, comprising about 14% of the U.S. population, wield significant economic influence, with buying power surpassing $1.5 trillion. Their culturalimpact is equally undeniable, shaping everything from music and fashion to cuisine and beyond. Yet, generally, brands fail to invest in the market research needed to truly understand the complexity of this demographic.

Like most multicultural consumers, Black Americans are not a monolith. Within this group are subcultures that extend far beyond skin tones and hair textures to differences in culture, countries of origin, geography andlanguage.

Beyond demographics are psychographics, right? Traumatic events like George Floyd's death deeply affected many Black consumers, prompting shifts in their brand interactions. Despite these challenges, there's a growing interest among brands in understandingand serving Black consumers, particularly Gen Z. Authenticity emerges as a crucial factor, with Black consumers seeking brands that acknowledge them,invest in their communities and empower them.

However, the lack of diversity within the market research industry remains a glaring issue, jeopardizing efforts to engage this consumer group. The failure to builddiverse and inclusive teams hinders authentic insights and decision-making processes, leading to tone-deaf marketing campaigns and underwhelming customerexperiences. Brands that genuinely understand what Black consumers like and build real connections with them will discover a vast, hidden market just waiting to be explored.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Dawn V. Carr, CEO and Founder of Mahogany Insights, discusses the importance of increasing diversity within the insights industry and how it can lead to more meaningful connections with Black consumers.

Whether refreshing an existing brand orlaunching a new one, the fundamentals remain the same— understanding the "why" behind your brand is critical to its long-term success. While logos and color palettes are often seen as the face of a brand, they are merelyidentifiers, visual representations of a brand’s ideals. But branding goes deeper than that.

Branding is the culmination of all the experiences, values, and perceptions that define a brand. It's the emotionalconnection customers feel, the stories they tell about you, and the reasons they choose you over competitors. It's essentially your reputation – what people say about you when you're not around.

But building a strong brand isn't just about how you present yourself to the world. It’s also vital to cultivatinginternal alignment. Engaging your employees, understanding their needs, and empowering them to live the brand's values are essential to brand sustainability. When employees believe in and embody the brand ethos, they serve as ambassadors of it in the marketplace.

Beyond the customer relationship is the synergy between brand strategy and business strategy. A well-defined brand strategy clarifies your market position, informs your marketing efforts, and shapes a cohesive customer experience at every touchpoint.

In this episode of The New Mainstreampodcast, Darren Horwitz, Founder of TenTen Group, delves into branding basics and the role brand strategy plays in achieving business success.

Effective market research goes beyond understanding trends to identifying opportunities in the market. But many companies struggle to translate data insights intotangible financial gains. This struggle stems from a tendency to diminish the significance of market research instead of acknowledging its profound potential as a revenue generator. Failing to see the strategic value of research hurts the bottom line and creates distance between the consumer and the brand. Companies need a deep understanding of consumers, and market research is the most effective way to achieve that.

How market research does that is changing, however. Artificial Intelligence is transforming the market research industry. New AI-powered methodologies, like synthetic panels, are creating opportunities for marketers to achieve similar results in less time with fewer budget constraints.

But AI isn't a silver bullet. Though rapidly evolving, the technology is new, and the accuracy of these models is still questionable. These new tools should be seen as complements, not replacements, for proven research methodologies.

One thing is certain – the future of market research lies in effectively integrating data, insights, and human curiosity. By leveraging these elements, researchers can become strategic partners, driving real-world business results and ensuring market research is a true value-add, not just a cost.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast,Michael Nevski, Director of Global Insights at Visa, delves into the vital link between market research and revenue growth and explores the potential of AI to reshape theindustry.

Diversity isn't just about optics. Today’s consumers prioritize authenticity and base their purchase decisions on how brands show up. But authenticity does not start when the products hit the shelf. It must be woven into every stage of the go-to-market strategy, including market research – from panel recruitment and survey design toselecting moderators who foster open and honest conversations. Understanding diverse consumer perspectives requires more than just surface-levelrepresentation.

One crucial aspect of fostering authenticity in market research is the composition of research teams. Selectingmoderators, for example, that reflect the demographics of the survey participants helps ensure authenticity in their responses. The psychological safety that the environment presents reduces the need for codeswitching, liberating respondents to be their authentic selves.

Beyond focus groups, greater diversity is needed across the market research industry. Often, diverse teammates doing the work—running the data tables and visualizing the data—aren’t the ones presenting the work, and that needs to change. There’s value in bringing those in the back of the house to the front to create equal opportunity for advancement.

By prioritizing inclusivity and authenticity internally, companies can forge deeper connections with consumers externally and drive meaningful change in the marketplace.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Kai Fuentes, President and CEO of Ebony Marketing Systems, discusses how the market research industry can benefit from intentionally cultivating and championing diversity and inclusion.

Today's consumers are confidently embracing their authentic identities, and forward-thinking brands are following suit. Inclusive beauty giants like Ulta Beauty proudly defy gender norms, while others prominently feature same-sex couples and individuals with disabilities and promote body positivity in their advertising campaigns. On the flip side, some brands are succumbing to the fear of appearing overly “woke.” The increasingbacklash against diversity, equity and inclusion has prompted a few to backtrack on commitments made during the peak of social unrest in 2020, leavingconsumers feeling angered and confused.

Multicultural consumers, who represent almost 100% of the population growth in the U.S. and are on track to become the majority by 2050, seek genuine connections with brands. Central to this is a brand's ability to authentically understand its audience and allow thatauthenticity to drive consumer engagement.

Brands that bridge cultural divides are the ones that thrive. By genuinely connecting cross-culturally, companiesseamlessly align DEI with their bottom line. Inclusivity isn't optional – it's the fuel for long-term success. From diverse workforces to inclusive marketing campaigns, a focus on inclusion strengthens every aspect of a brand.

Understanding multicultural consumers meansappreciating their commitment to holistic well-being. Black women prioritize mental health, while Gen Z seeks a shift from the “grind” to self-care and mindful living. Brands that tap into these trends resonate with a broader audience.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast,Will Campbell, Co-founder and CEO of Quantasy,shares his perspective on the state of multicultural marketing and how young, diverse generations are driving wellness trends.

In the dynamic landscape of sports fandom, one demographic stands out for its potential to reshape the future: young bilingualLatino fans. These individuals bring a unique perspective to sports, craving innovative ways to express their passion for the game. But that passion goes beyond the field to the experience, whether tailgating or engaging with brand activations. For brands to truly connect with these fans, they must seek to understand and cater to their needs, redesigning the fan experience to create a more inclusive and engaging community.

But what does that look like? Traditionally, sports fandom has been defined by loyalty to teams and players. But that’s evolving as bilingual Latinos navigate between cultures and languages. Understanding cultural nuances and generational differences within the Latino community can translate into higher ticket sales, greater demand for merchandise, and overall fan engagement for leagues.

Because of this, major sports leagues, such as the NFL and MLB, are increasingly embracing the importance of diverse narratives and communities within their fan base. Aside from drafting Latino players and sponsoring Spanish-language simulcasts, leagues and franchises successful at leveraging Latino fandom understand the elements of their sports entertainment offering that appeal to Latinos and invest in supporting those features.

Tapping into this demographic represents a substantial economic opportunity. With nearly 20% of the US population identifying as Latino and 40% considering themselves avid sports fans, there'simmense potential for growth and innovation. However, capturing the attention and loyalty of young bilingual fans requires more than gestures like heritage nights, which can be perceived as performative if not integrated into a broader engagement strategy. Engagement demands a deep understanding of Latinos'cultural backgrounds and preferences and a commitment to authentic representation. Sports leagues must incorporate these insights into their growth strategies, ensuring the fan experience reflects the diverse communities supporting them.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Jesus Chavez, co-founder and CEO of CABRA Sports, delves into Latino sports fandom, exploring the strategies and cultural insights drivingthe industry’s evolution.

As Women's History Month approaches each year, theremarkable strides women have made in business become increasingly clear. However, despite these advancements, certain industries, such as the insights industry, continue to struggle with leadership inequities and a lack of workforce diversity.

While the insights industry prides itself on understanding and reflecting diversity in consumer populations, this awareness often stops short within its own workforce. This creates a troubling gap: the voices informing strategies may be representative, but the decision-makers interpreting and implementing those insights remain predominantly homogenous.

This lack of diversity leads to blind spots and missed opportunities, potentially limiting strategy effectiveness and perpetuating biases. Closing the gap between measured and internal diversity unlocks the full potential of insights, creating more opportunities across the board.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Ali Henriques, Global Director of Research Services at Qualtrics, delves deeper into leadership diversity and its impact on recruiting and retaining diverse talent.

The evolution of financial technology, commonly referred to as 'fintech,' has undergone a remarkable surge in recent years, empowering consumers to conduct their banking activities on their terms from any location. So high is the demand for online financial tools that banks like Bank of America, which started shuttering its drive-through teller lanes in 2013 due to low usage,have pivoted to establish robust digital solutions. These solutions are tailored to help consumers manage their personal finances exclusively through online channels. This shift is not limited to central banks, however. Online banks like Ally Bank and neobanks like Chime are also vying for consumers' attention, offering both traditional and non-traditional banking services and greater flexibility than their brick-and-mortar counterparts.

Among the consumers embracing fintech are Latinos, who do so at a higher rate than other demographic groups. This trend can be attributed to a few factors. The Latino population in the U.S. skews younger, and as younger consumers are generally more predisposed to adopting new technologies, fintech becomes a natural choice. Additionally, Latinos may face language barriers and systemic challenges such as discrimination, making fintech options more attractive and accessible.

Regardless of how consumers choose to bank, most agree that understanding and managing one’s finances is essential to building wealth and economic self-sufficiency. For Gen Z, especially those subscribing to the concept of 200%, where individuals embrace their dual identity as both American and Latino and whose motivations for wealth-building differ from their parents and grandparents, using an in-culture digital-first financial platform to demystify complex financial concepts is key to engaging them.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Beatriz Acevedo, CEO and Founder of Suma Wealth, underscores the importance of developing culturally relevant fintech tools to increase financial literacy in the Hispanic community. To download the SUMA App, click here.

While diversity and inclusion have recently come under fire in several industries, the expectation consumers set in 2020 for brands to be more inclusive stands. A ThinkNow study revealed that over 45% of consumers are willing to go out of their way to shop at a store they've never frequented if the brand has made a public commitment to D&I. Forty-seven percent of consumers are willing to spend more in a store. This demonstrates a significantshift in consumer priorities, with many placing a high value on brands that align with their beliefs.

While different, D&I and multicultural marketing often converge in practice, creating a powerful synergy for reaching and engaging diverse audiences. The growing multicultural majority in the U.S. has shifted consumer behavior, with individuals increasingly seeking brands that reflect their own diverse identities and values. As a result, multicultural marketing has become an essential tool for brands. A fundamental understanding of D&I and how it integrates into multicultural marketing, from representation to authenticity and cultural competency, helps brands realize the full potential of thissynergy.

However, the challenge with multicultural marketing often lies in the limitations imposed on it. Often, multicultural marketing is viewed as separate from mainstream marketing strategies, leading to limited budgets and resources that can negatively impact campaign performance and jeopardize relationship-building efforts with diverse audiences.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Javier Farfan, Culture Marketing Strategist at the National Football League (NFL), delves into various multicultural campaigns the NFL has launched to effectively reach and engage multicultural audiencesand how the league overcomes multicultural marketing pitfalls.

Soaring interest rates on borrowing and sharp increases infood prices have become harsh realities for many Americans. While there is speculation about inflation easing, the stark reality is that millions of Americans grapple with food insecurity.

Many argue that the food system in the U.S. is fundamentally flawed. Despite boasting the world's largest gross domesticproduct (GDP), the nation remains plagued by rising rates of homelessness and hunger. Countless children go to school hungry every day, relying on free or reduced-price lunches, often their only nutritious meal of the day, before returning to homes lacking access to fresh, healthy food.

Two common approaches to combating social issues like food insecurity involve programs and policies. One such program is theSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps, while the policy in question is the Farm Bill.

SNAP serves as the first line of defense against hunger. However, the stigma associated with the program and misconceptions surrounding its benefits and accessibility have made it a target for some lawmakers and their constituents.

Systemic barriers restrict access to the program for those who need it most. For instance, while seemingly fair on the surface, the requirement to work a minimum of 20 hours per week fails to account for the realities of life experiences stemming from poverty, such as lower education levels and criminal history, factors that can significantly impact employability.

SNAP's modest benefits, amounting to essentially $2 per person per meal, are inadequate to cover the rising cost of food today. Nevertheless, it helps keep food on the table for families and supports small businesses like local farmers who grow and sell food to local markets, creating jobs in the community.

Critics of the program point to a perceived lack of personal responsibility among those in need as reasons to dismantle it. However, hunger is not a consequence of personal failings but a symptom of systemic injustice. Programs like SNAP shouldbe more inclusive of the people they serve and not be subject to policy changes designed to cut government spending without addressing the underlying needs that necessitate these programs. Such changes are often based on harmful stereotypes.

Everyone feels the impact of an unhealthy food system. By actively informing Congress about the real-life struggles of those affected, we can collectively advocate for meaningful solutions.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, ChristinaWong, former Director of Public Policy & Advocacy at Northwest Harvest, shares insight into the Farm Bill’s SNAP provisions and the push for food equity.

Please Note: Christina Wong now serves as Vice President of Programs at Washington Conservation Action.

Consumers are demanding more from brands when it comes todiversity, equity and inclusion. They are tired of the social polarization surrounding DEI and how these concepts are exploited to foster division and isolation. They support brands committed to creating a culture of respect and understanding where everyone feels valued, seen and heard in the workplace and the marketplace.

But too often, DEI initiatives in organizations go nofurther than high-level training and one-off workshops. DEI is more than bias training, however. It's about embedding DEI into all aspects of the organization, from hiring and promotion to product development and marketing.

Brands demonstrating their commitment to DEI will resonate with consumers, especially multicultural segments and younger generations. These consumers are increasingly looking tosupport brands that align with their values, and DEI has become one of their core values. Studies show that African American and Hispanic respondents, for example, are the most likely to support a company that makes a public commitment to diversity and inclusion initiatives. They do this by sharing support on social media, spending more money at stores, and going out of theirway to shop in specific stores.

Removing limiting factors like bias and stereotype threatfrom organizational culture liberates employees to perform at their best, resulting in increased productivity, improved work outputs, and higher revenues.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Maria Morukian, CEO of MSM Global Consulting, discusses how to buildhigh-performing, inclusive workplaces that better serve employees and consumers.

Americans are feeling the pinch in their wallets, with fears of a government shutdown looming and prices for everyday goods and services rising. Consumers have been on an economic roller coaster for a few years due to COVID-19, which left millions jobless, and George Floyd's murder, which sparked national protests for social justice. These events have caused a ripple effect throughout the economy, leaving many people struggling to make ends meet.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many consumers went fromoverspending to spending far less as household incomes fluctuated. Those who could afford to spend increased their e-commerce purchases and invested in new financial instruments like cryptocurrencies. However, with the continuing economic uncertainty, consumers are generally being more cautious with their spending.

Generationally, Gen Z consumers aged 16 to 25 have provenresourceful when it comes to personal finance, particularly “Zennials” (also known as “Zillennials”), older Gen Z and younger Millennial consumers on the fringes of their cohorts. But unlike Millennials, who as a generation are struggling to catch up to where they should be from a savings perspective due to factors like student loan debt and pandemic losses, have struggled to plan. But their younger siblings, Gen Z, have watched and learned, leaning into advice from family and friends on what to invest in and leveraging fintech tools to manage their money.

Fintech is addressing the gaps in financial planning bymeeting consumers where they are – online. Thus, the rise of fintech apps enabling consumers to forgo traditional banking models and embrace digital tools to handle money matters. This has become particularly important to underserved consumers who experience banking differently.

Younger generations are open to using AI-based tools formoney management, but they still value human input from parents and financial advisors.

On this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Lilah Raynor, CEO of Logica Research, explores the money management habits of Gen Z and Millennials and sheds light on AI's impact on financial services.

Over 60% of the population has curly hair, but not everyone loves their curly locks. Cultural norms in the U.S. tend to equate attractiveness and professionalism with straightened hair, while natural coils are often stigmatized as too ethnic and unprofessional. There is a hierarchy of hair texture, with straight hair sitting at the apex. Consequently, this creates pressure for one to conform to land their dream job and live an ideal lifestyle. But the tide is turning, particularly among Black women tired ofsubjecting themselves to harsh chemical relaxers that have long been associated with increased risks for diseases, prompting a rise in products catering to their natural hair needs.

In general, however, consumers are becoming more aware ofthe chemicals used in common beauty products and asking more questions. They are reading ingredient lists and scouring product reviews to educate themselves, and many are pivoting to clean and inclusive brands due to what they learn.

Legislatively, the CROWN Act (Create a Respectful andOpen World for Natural Hair), now legal in 24 states, prohibits employers, labor unions, and employment agencies from discriminating against any employee “on the basis of hair texture or protective hairstyle associated with race.”

People feel more empowered now than ever to embrace theirauthentic selves, including their natural, curly hair in all its glory. As demand soars, more CPG brands should take note, research, and engage with this emerging market.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Stephanie LaFlora, Co-Founder and CEO of Crownhunt shares insight into the natural hair market and how brands targeting black and brown consumers need to show up.

Mainstream media often focuses on the economic and racial disparities that plague Black communities, and brands misunderstand and misrepresent Black Americans in advertising. Despite this, Black Americans are a resilient consumer group with $1.6 trillion in purchasing power and undeniable influence on American culture.

But reducing Black Americans to their economic potential is a disservice to their value as people. Because they speak English and have acculturated in many ways to various circumstances, often to access better opportunities or for safety, there is a tendency to roll them into the mainstream instead of seeing them as a unique demographic with their own set of values, experiences and behaviors. And even within the Black population, it’s important to note that Black consumers in the U.S. are not a monolith. Like Hispanics and Asians, Black Americans are diverse — from skin tones to language, culture rules to mores. One in 10 Black consumers living in the U.S. is foreign-born, bringing with them the cultural nuances of their countries of origin.

The diversity of Black American sub-cultures makes it essential for marketers to close the gap of misunderstanding about the Black consumer collective through market research and insights.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Pepper Miller, president and senior analyst at Hunter-Miller Group, returns to the podcast to discuss the importance of market research in understanding underrepresented consumer segments and her new book, “Let Me Explain Black, Again.”

The workforce is evolving, and with it, expectations of companies to be more inclusive in their hiring and retention practices. Younger generations, particularly Gen Z, are entering the workforce with a strong sense of self-confidence and a clear idea of what they want in a work experience. They are willing to pass on a job, even if it pays well, if it does not align with their values or create a supportive work environment.

So how do companies compete for talent? Post-pandemic, many attempted to attract younger demographics by dismantling their cubicles and building open workspaces with pool tables. Then the pandemic shifted how we work. Offices were shuttered, and employees worked from home, creating the “work from anywhere” culture many companies now find contentious. Gen Z, on the other hand, has fully embraced it and seeks to align with companies that value work/life balance and offer opportunities for growth and development.

But job candidates don’t just want employers to dismantle their cubicles. They expect companies to aid in the dismantling of systemic racism and other pressing issues plaguing society, like climate change. Developing an employer brand that appeals to Gen Z requires a visible and vocal commitment in these areas. With seasoned workers aging out of the workforce, taking their institutional knowledge with them, the balance of power has shifted to young job candidates, making those commitments essential.

Gen Z is the first multicultural majority generation in U.S. history. They are tomorrow’s leaders, and the onus is on employers today to create an early career talent pipeline to replace outgoing talent.

That won’t be easy, especially for companies unwilling to evolve with culture. In the past, the employer sat in the seat of power, and now it’s the candidate, and they aren’t asking about pool tables. They want to hear about the companies’ DEI goals and progress, employee resource groups (ERGs) and the annual DEI report. Failing to make this information accessible could jeopardize the employer brand.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Henal Majethia, Diversity Recruiting Manager, University Relations at Eastman, discusses the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in building healthy early career talent pipelines and strengthening the employer brand.

Meet Menal Majethia

Henal (“hen-null”) Majethia began her career after graduating from the University of Tennessee at Amazon Fulfillment, supporting Operations, Supply Chain, and Distribution, and later launching the Operations University Recruiting initiatives for the East Coast. In this role, Henal supported US and CA hiring goals and was able to spearhead the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and HSI (Hispanic-Serving Institutions) recruiting presence. She was exposed to DEI during this tenure. Upon completing graduate school at Northeastern University, Henal joined Eastman, where she continues leveraging her skills in early career talent and DEI in her current role.

Today’s discerning consumers crave personalized marketing experiences in which they feel seen and heard. The paradigm has shifted, and brands looking to stay ahead of the curve are working to foster genuine connections with consumers by committing to inclusivity in products and services and participating in meaningful community engagement. This is particularly important for hard-to-reach demographics, like multicultural consumers, who have endured generations of misrepresentation and underrepresentation in advertising.

While traditional advertising revolves around reaching the masses, often at the expense of the consumer experience, network marketing, on the other hand, leverages person-to-person interactions by independent sales teams to directly engage communities. Popular beauty brands like Avon, Mary Kay and Beautycounter have harnessed the power of this model, often referred to as multi-level marketing, to build global billion-dollar enterprises.

Yet, disparities between corporations and communities persist. There lies a need for adaptive strategies that bridge these gaps, ultimately culminating in enriched consumer experiences.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Dr. Raymona H. Lawrence, founder of Dr. Raymona H. Lawrence Coaching, LLC, explores the intersection between brands, communities and marketing strategies.

The American ethos of “individualism,” which prioritizes self-reliance, independence and frugality, has tremendously impacted general market advertising strategies. Marketing to Hispanic consumers, however, requires a different approach. The Hispanic ethos embodies collectivism, emphasizing the belief and practice of interdependence and interconnectedness among individuals. Twenty-eight percent of Hispanics live in multigenerational homes where bilingual-bicultural family members typically serve as digital sherpas for Spanish-dominant loved ones who need assistance with online purchasing decisions and online/offline searches.

Interestingly, when Hispanics search online, they prefer to search in English, particularly among the highly acculturated. Marketers may misinterpret this to mean that English-dominate or English-proficient Hispanics are receptive to general market ads when they are not. While advertisers may be reaching Hispanics with these ads, they are not truly connecting with them if they are not brand loyal. And how can they be brand loyal if they do not see themselves reflected in the campaigns? At that point, it becomes a transaction driven by price or availability, not a genuine connection with the brand.

To effectively engage with the bilingual-bicultural Hispanic market, brands must embrace and understand the importance of community, family, and shared experiences. Rather than solely focusing on individual benefits, marketers should emphasize these cultural values in their marketing campaigns. Highlighting how a product or service contributes to the collective well-being and fosters connections can resonate more deeply with Hispanic consumers.

In this episode of The New Mainstream Podcast, Maria (Lopez) Twena, Chief Marketing Officer at Adsmovil and children’s book author of the MariVi the Master Navigator series, discusses the importance of cultural values like collectivism to marketing to bilingual-bicultural Hispanics.

For more Hispanic Consumer insights, get the free report, “The Hispanic Market is not a Monolith but it is Collective,” presented by Publicis Media, Adsmovil and ThinkNow. Download it here.

Meet Our Guest:

Maria (Lopez) Twena, Chief Marketing Officer, Adsmovil

Maria (Lopez) Twena serves as Chief Marketing Officer of Adsmovil, a leading minority-owned and certified mobile advertising and digital media pioneer.

An award-winning marketer with extensive expertise in technology, digital media, and branding, Twena has over thirty years of marketing acumen. Prior to joining Adsmovil, she served as CMO of Entravision Communications and as CMO of Pulpo Media.

Widely recognized for her expertise in branding, positioning, and multicultural consumer segments, Twena’s accolades include receiving the ADCOLOR Award (2009) for her groundbreaking achievement in identifying, segmenting, and targeting bilingual/bicultural Hispanics while at MRM (McCann Worldgroup). There, she founded a discipline that developed Best Practices for advertising to the Hispanic bilingual/bicultural cohort.

She has served as a Board Member of the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies and as a faculty member of the Association of National Advertisers (ANA). She is also a ThinkNow Advisory Board Member. Twena is a graduate of Loyola University of the South (B.A. Psychology) and the University of New Orleans (M.A. Mass Communications, with a specialty in Film and Television).

She has also authored a children’s book and TV series: MariVi, the Master Navigator Series, which follows its heroine, MariVi, a bilingual/bicultural character, and her family, the Abascals, as they adapt to life in the U.S. The first of the MariVi television series premiered on Nuestra.TV in April 2023.

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The future of AI may be uncertain, but one thing is clear, it will fundamentally transform how we do business and deliver value to clients. The technology is constantly evolving, pushing boundaries and challenging our preconceived notions. This rapid evolution sparks a sense of anticipation and enthusiasm across industries. But it also raises concerns and uncertainties about how to adapt to these changes effectively and responsibly.

In the insights industry, AI has the potential to revolutionize the process of gathering and analyzing data. AI-powered tools and algorithms can enable researchers to derive valuable insights from data faster. This newfound efficiency allows for quicker and more confident decision-making. Testing and evaluating multiple opportunities in a fraction of the time through AI is another advantage that can lead to new innovative strategies that drive market success.

Despite the advantages that AI brings, there are also legitimate concerns. Some industry professionals worry about AI replacing human panelists and the potential biases embedded within AI systems that may lead to "hallucinations" or false interpretations. The fear of losing the human touch and intuition in favor of automated processes creates uneasiness and resistance to adopting AI solutions, prompting calls for cautious integration to ensure AI technologies are designed to augment human capabilities, not replace them.

On this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Rick Kelly, Chief Strategy Officer at Fuel Cycle, discusses the impact of AI on the insights industry and Fuel Cylce’s new partnership with ThinkNow to amplify multicultural audiences.

June presents organizations with opportunities like Pride and Juneteenth to actively engage with and support diverse communities. But demonstrating a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion requires a consistent and continuous effort at all levels of an organization if it’s to foster an inclusive environment in which people feel valued, seen and heard 365 days a year.

At the heart of that commitment are the individuals within the organization who greatly benefit from a sustained effort to foster inclusivity – employees. Typically, within inclusive cultures, employees are more engaged, which impacts retention and productivity, ultimately benefiting the bottom line. When employees carry the values of diversity and inclusion outside the workplace into the community through volunteerism, for example, they amplify the organization’s commitment, generating positive brand sentiment.

Organizations can also partner with external groups such as nonprofits and civic organizations to develop relationships and implement programming that brings long-term benefits to marginalized groups, not the occasional performative headlines.

Post-2020, there was a rush to quickly onboard DEI programs in fear of public backlash. But many organizations have since learned that doing it right is far better than doing it quickly.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Sue Schmidlkofer, Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at UPS shares DEI best practices for actively engaging employees in driving sustainable change.

Meet Our Guest: Sue Schmidlkofer is the Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at UPS. In this role, she oversees the company’s global strategy centered around its mission statement, ‘You Belong At UPS.’ Monitoring workforce diversity aspirational goals, supporting more than 200 Business Resource Groups, and developing top talent are her key areas of focus in 2023.

Throughout her 28-year career at UPS, Sue has held a variety of roles primarily within Human Resources in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, and currently at the global headquarters in Atlanta. Sue serves on the board of the Georgia Diversity Council, the Atlanta Diversity Management Advocacy Group, and The Drake House, a non-profit organization that supports women and their children experiencing homelessness. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Spanish and a master’s in Business Management and HR. Outside of spending time with her family, her interests include reading, writing, baking, and tennis.

During the Fall League Meeting in 2022, the National Football League announced enhancements to its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across its 32 clubs and the league office. Essential to the success of these initiatives is culture, and people are at the center of culture. Peter Drucker is often credited with saying that "culture eats strategy for lunch" due to the influential role of organizational culture in driving employee engagement, retention, and performance, which ultimately has a profound impact on the bottom line.

Organizations approach culture differently, but those that do it well are open and willing to cultivate psychologically safe spaces that foster trust and transparency and honor vulnerability. Since organizational culture and business operations are interconnected, removing barriers presents opportunities for employees to participate in driving that culture. It empowers them by making them feel part of something bigger than their current job role.

Employee resource groups, led by employee volunteers, are incredible development opportunities to cross-collaborate, create unique business synergies, and foster a sense of belonging. Those synergies, however, cannot exist in a silo and must be diffused throughout the organization. Communication is vital to culture building, particularly when an organization is undergoing change management.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Alissa Lieppman, Vice President, Head of Culture & Business Operations for NFL Media at the National Football League (NFL), shares insights on how the league effectively navigated the challenges of an office relocation while also emphasizing the importance of culture on change management.

May is Maternal Mental Health Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about the intersectionality of motherhood and mental health. It serves as a reminder that behind the joy and anticipation of becoming a mother, there may also be hidden struggles and challenges that need to be acknowledged and addressed, like access to quality care, particularly for Black women.

Women of color frequently encounter healthcare providers who hold unconscious biases that impact the quality of care they receive. These biases can lead tomisdiagnoses, inadequate pain management, dismissive attitudes, and a lack of culturally sensitive care. Such experiences jeopardize the physical health ofwomen of color and erode their trust in the healthcare system.

In a recent report released by the CDC , 89% more women died from pregnancy-related issues in 2021 than in 2018. Black women are nearly 3 times more likely to die than White women and 2.5 times more likely than Hispanic women. The majority of these deaths were preventable.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Denise Evans, Principal, CEO & Founder of Consult Me, and Senior Learning & Development Specialist at Corewell Health, discusses the impact of implicit bias on Black maternal health and how to advance health equity in public health.

Meet Our Guest:

Denise Evans is a trained facilitator, public health educator, and Truth Racial Healing Transformation practitioner. She has specialized training in health equity and social justice, cultural intelligence, and unconscious/implicit bias, as well as technologies of participation facilitation. Denise serves as a contentexpert for the National Healthy Start Association and the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality and served the National Association of County & City Health Officials and state and local health departments on issues of equity, justice, bias, diversity, belonging and inclusion.

For the past 25 years, she has worked diligently to connect community organizers, faith-based organizations and public health professionals from New York City to Los Angeles in a collective effort to disrupt systems of oppression and build a more equitable future for those living in our nation’s most vulnerable communities. Ms. Evans is a two-time past chair of Spectrum Health’s (now Corewell Health) System Inclusion Council and a founding member of the Greater Grand Rapids Racial Equity Network.

Implementing a multicultural marketing strategy is one of the most impactful ways brands can tap into the new mainstream. The U.S. consumer marketis speeding toward a multicultural majority. Marketers are tasked with gaining a deeper understanding of these diverse consumer segments and craftingmessaging that appeals to them and motivates them to action. Hispanics comprise the largest ethnic group, while Asian Americans account for about 7% of the U.S. population. Among them, Chinese, Asian Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese and Korean are the largest groups.

But marketing to Asian American consumers can be challenging for some marketers, as two-thirds of this group are foreign-born. This demographic difference means their motivations, preferences, and purchasing behavior may differ significantly from their U.S.-born counterparts. Similarly, researchersmust be mindful of these differences when conducting consumer surveys and providing insights to marketers, as insights that apply to U.S.-born AsianAmericans may not apply to foreign-born Asians.

In general, online sample providers have not kept pace with the consumer market's changing dynamics to the same extent as they have done to reduce fraudin the industry. Many researchers recruit survey respondents in English only from the general market, resulting in a lack of representation of diverse consumers on panels and low incidence rates.

On this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Iris Yim, Principal and Chief Strategist at Sparkle Insights and Board Member and Vice Presidentof the Asian American Advertising Federation, delves into the mechanics of effectively engaging Asian American survey respondents and the impact it has on multicultural marketing.

Meet Iris Yim:

Iris is a seasoned researcher well versed in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. Her experience in research across different industries and cultural segments makes her a versatile researcher that approaches research in a holistic and innovative way to solve clients’ business problems and uncover insights.

The types of studies Iris have conducted include market opportunity assessments, customer satisfaction, attitude and awareness, ad testing, positioning, segmentation and new product development. She has experience in a wide range of industries including CPG, travel and leisure, financial services,automotive, and healthcare.

Iris is the Research Chair of the Asian American Advertising Federation and serves on the Supplier Diversity Committee of the Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing, affiliated with Association of National Advertisers. She is an alumna of the RIVA Training Institute and holds an MBA from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in public relations from the University of Southern California.

The racial reckoning of 2020 brought diversity, equity, and inclusion to the forefront, although the concept itself is not new. Unfortunately, many brands have taken advantage of this movement for their benefit, resulting in broken promises and hollow commitments that have undermined their reputation. However, for brands like LVMH, there is an urgent need to approach DEI with genuine commitment and intentionality, actively embracing cultural differences to enhance the employee experience and drive business results.

For Benefit Cosmetics, an LVMH brand, DEI expands beyond human resources to developing inclusive products and other elements that impact all facets of the organization. This culture shift is important as the U.S. consumer market becomes increasingly diverse, blurring the lines between DEI and multicultural marketing.

Implementing DEI is not only the right thing to do from a moral standpoint but is also a savvy business move. Brands that fail to tap into the purchasing power of diverse communities, particularly Black and Hispanic consumers, are missing out on a significant opportunity.

Yet, the beauty industry still lacks a broad spectrum of cosmetics that cater to the diversity within these groups. It's essential to look beyond race and gender and start meaningful conversations around other dimensions of diversity, such as ability and sexual orientation. Brands have a unique opportunity to raise awareness of the barriers that underrepresented groups face and use their privilege to empower them.

Mia Talavera, Director of Global Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Benefit Cosmetics (LVMH), stops by The New Mainstream podcast to share her insights on the urgent need for genuine commitment and intentionality concerning DEI at the organizational and product levels.

Meet Our Guest:

Mia Talavera is a high-performing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leader passionate about inspiring positive culture change by designing and driving global DE&I strategies to promote and advance inclusion in the workplace. Mia has advised and consulted organizational leaders across various industries on leveraging innovative DEI initiatives, most recently driving real change within the beauty sector with Benefit Cosmetics.

Mia is the Director of Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Benefit Cosmetics (LVMH). She is also a certified Unconscious Bias Facilitator and earned a Bachelor's Business Degree and D&I certification from Yale Business School of Management.

The global economy runs on transportation, and if that transportation moves people or things and needs service and maintenance, technicians are doing the work. Yet less than 3% of employed technicians are women and a major contributor to that statistic is the stereotypes around who "can" or "should" be a technician.

Gendered roles and responsibilities, from the workplace to the home front, slam the doors of progress and perpetuate a narrative of exclusivity. Breaking the cycle requires featuring people from various backgrounds in different circumstances. This is especially crucial for marketers to connect with contemporaryconsumers, notably Gen Z, who reject conventional societal norms. That's why brands such as Ulta Beauty showcase both male and female models in theiradvertisements, and it's no longer newsworthy for men to wear skirts on the red carpet.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Dana Rapoport, Chief of DE&I at TechForce Foundation, discusses gender-neutral roles and the importance of a diverse workforce.

Regardless of size, many organizations struggle to implement effective diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This challenge can be incredibly daunting for smaller organizations that may not have a dedicated HR department or the necessary expertise in this area. Working with DEI consultants can help theseorganizations overcome these obstacles.

DEI consultants have specialized knowledge and experience in a wide range of areas, particularly in talent acquisition, training and development, policy creation,and culture change. By leveraging their expertise, organizations get guidance in creating and implementing DEI initiatives that will help them reach their goals.

However, organizations need not be DEI experts to create a more diverse and inclusive workplace. Rather than trying to navigate this complex and ever-evolving field independently, organizations can serve as a conduit for DEI expertise to enter their workplace by utilizing consultants.

On this episode of The New Mainstreet podcast, Ali Sheehan Mignone, Head of People, Diversity, and Inclusion at Theatre Projects, discuss how outsourcingDEI can help small teams improve their workplace culture and diversity initiatives.

Companies prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion often experience higher rates of productivity and increased profits. That diversity goes beyond racial and ethnic differences, however. Diversity of thought is equally important, which drives innovation and creative problem-solving.

From a talent management perspective, fostering an inclusive workplace is essential to attracting and retaining talent and developing talent, particularly for marginalized and underrepresented groups. The process begins with acknowledging that these groups require programs specifically designed to build equity within an organization. While people generally have a shared humanity, understanding that systemic “isms” have moved the finish line for marginalized communities is essential to advancing equity.

DE&I initiatives existed before 2020, but post-George Floyd, many organizations have stepped up their commitments, partly because it's the right thing to do but also in fear of public backlash. An increasing percentage of consumers want to shop with brands that prioritize DE&I. Similarly, a growing number of consumers are willing to stop frequenting a store that does not publicly and consistently support diversity and inclusion. It is not just consumers unwilling to support a brand that does not meet DE&I expectations. Prospective and current employees within an organization are hyper-aware of this, and they use it to decide whether to take a job or not or stay or leave their current jobs.

Ultimately, an organization's culture is not inclusive if people are invited into a space unwilling to change. People need a sense of belonging to feel included and authentically accepted for who they are. But creating that environment in an organization is challenging because it is not easy to change hearts and minds. People have deeply ingrained values and beliefs, which make behavioral change difficult.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Tanya Diaz-Goldsmith, Director of Talent Development & Diversity for Related Companies, shares how DE&I programs focusing on behavioral changes can foster inclusive workplace environments and increase employee retention.

Meet Tanya:

Tanya Diaz-Goldsmith is the Director of Talent Development & Diversity for Related Companies. She leads Related’s diversity efforts, working to embed best in class diversity and inclusion practices into all facets of the business in order support the company’s commitment to advancing equity. Since joining Related, Tanya has developed robust strategies to promote diversity that prioritize a holistic, people centric approach and makes use of her decades of experience in real estate and nonprofit. She continues to leverage her background to build an organizational culture that inspires and supports ideation, innovation and inclusion. An enthusiastic and passionate advocate for DE&I, Tanya is known for her commitment to increasing diversity within the real estate industry.

Impact investing has emerged as a powerful tool for directing private capital toward social and environmental causes while generating financial returns for investors. This approach is particularly relevant for black and brown entrepreneurs who often face systemic barriers that limit their access to capital and resources. Many of these entrepreneurs are creating businesses that address social and environmental challenges faced by their communities, such as access to affordable housing, healthcare, and education. However, they often struggle to secure the funding they need to grow and scale their businesses.

Despite the data documenting the opportunity gap for diverse founders compared to their White counterparts, there is a persistent narrative that suggests no correlation between race and ethnicity and business enablement. Yet, their funding journey varies significantly and getting people to buy into social impact as a business strategy isn't easy.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Jessica Salinas, Chief Investment Officer at New Media Ventures, discusses how impact investing can empower diverse entrepreneurs and contribute to a more just, equitable, and sustainable society.

Dynamic storytelling is a powerful way to inspire others to take a desired action. For companies and brands, this could mean purchasing a product, attending an event, or signing up for a subscription service. Consumers, who share their perspectives with researchers on what they want and need, play an influential role in shaping these narratives.

By leveraging quantitative and qualitative research, researchers get a 360-degree view of the consumer, which fosters cognitive empathy. In a sense, researchers are empathy activists entrusted with sharing knowledge about consumers to help brands make better marketing decisions that drive engagement.

Cognitive empathy works to dismantle judgments and biases. Researchers engage people through surveys, focus groups, and other data collection methodologies and offer insights that reveal stereotypes, biases and untruths. Marketers must act on those insights and deliver relevant marketing campaigns based on truth.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Ron Volpe, CEO of Ignite 360 and author of Tell Me More About That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time, shares how cognitive empathy can foster diversity and inclusion in the insights industry.

Florida’s recent block of an Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course for high school students sent shockwaves across academia and enraged supporters. Providing all students with access to diverse educational opportunities broadens their perspectives and fosters empathy for each other’s plight. To limit those opportunities is to limit their growth.

Limits lead to disparities between educational environments, resulting in barriers to learning for some, and privilege for others. As a result of these inequities, Black and Brown communities have disproportionate access to advanced curricula like STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics), which are essential to achieving high-income careers and establishing generational wealth, which could alter the trajectory of underserved and under resourced communities.

On this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Dr. Hassan Brown, founder of Career Catalyst, talks about his journey into ed tech and the importance of training the next generation of BIPOC youth for STEAM careers.

About Dr. Hassan Brown:

Dr. Hassan Brown is the Chief Executive Officer of Career Catalyst, an education technology and multimedia endeavor within the Kapor Center, designed to cultivate confidence in young people of color from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue academic and professional STEM opportunities, increasing their odds of being full participants in the future of work and innovation economies, leading to more gainful employment and economic security.

Brown is passionate about bridging the gap between social justice, workforce education, and emerging technologies. He has served as the director of Harvard Innovation and Ventures in Education (HIVE) and has also been a startup advisor for the Harvard Initiative for Teaching and Learning (HILT), and currently serves as a startup advisor for Headstream, an accelerator from SecondMuse that focuses on youth wellbeing and centering youth voice in the discourse around emerging technologies.

Dr. Brown holds a Bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College, Master’s degree in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Masters in Education from Hunter College, and Doctor of Education Leadership degree from Harvard University.

Volunteer-led Employee Resource Groups aim to foster inclusion, belonging, and community among employees. An ERG with executive sponsorship, a clear vision, and shared values can increase employee engagement and be a vital component of a successful organization.

There are many different types of ERGs, and in recent years, organizations have focused these efforts on promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. Many of these groups center around employee populations disproportionately represented within an organization. Those tasked with leading these groups are the bridge between group members and organizational leadership. It’s a heavy lift, often without additional compensation, but it’s not without its benefits.

Participating in ERGs gives employees, particularly leaders of the group, access to various tiers of the org chart and opportunities to execute meaningful programming for persons who identify with those groups and the employee base as a whole. ERGs also facilitate professional development and the ability to showcase skills and capabilities, which can lead to job promotions and recognition. But key steps should be taken to launch and sustain an effective employee resource group.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Illianna Acosta, Senior Manager of Channel Sales and Global Co-Chair of LinkedIn’s Hispanic ERG, shares how ERGs can be used to create an environment of inclusion and how to measure their impact.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion have been at the forefront of public consciousness since 2020. While these tenants were commonly known in academia, awareness among the general public is relatively new. Many companies and brands, in particular, are now grappling with balancing consumer expectations for DEI and navigating their learning curve.

DEI doesn't exist in a silo, however. It's not a department or a destination – it's a journey that winds through every aspect of an organization. It takes the total commitment of executive leadership for DEI to permeate an organization's culture and show up in its practices, from hiring diverse talent to launching inclusive marketing campaigns. This is particularly pertinent for firms interested in multicultural marketing. Firms with little to no representation of diverse professionals will find it challenging to attract multicultural consumers, and these firms may also find it harder to attract qualified candidates. Like consumers, job seekers want to work for an organization that shares their values, especially Millennials and Gen Zers, who comprise a large percentage of today's talent pool.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Dominique Dickson, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager at Heidrick & Struggles, explains why executive buy-in is crucial for building an inclusive workplace culture, attracting diverse candidates, and achieving better business outcomes.

About Our Guest:

Dominique Dickson is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager at renowned executive search and leadership consulting firm, Heidrick & Struggles. She began her career there in 2016 as a member of the Global CEO & Board practice that manages recruitment of the world's top leaders across a wide range of industries. Dominique was promoted to the internal DE&I function at the firm in 2021. Prior to joining Heidrick, she held various corporate operations, communications, executive support and project management positions in the legal, asset management and business consulting industries.

The difference between organizations that implement diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives well and those that stumble is intentionality. Two years after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, people of color are still waiting to see systemic change economically, politically and socially.

Companies and brands that employ millions of workers can make a tremendous impact here if that influence is wielded to take a stance on social justice issues, level the playing field for black and brown workers, and increase representation in marketing and advertising.

That work begins with the talent pipeline. Organizations that intentionally fill the pipeline with diverse candidates are more likely to hire employees with diverse backgrounds. That diversity impacts culture, innovation, creativity and, ultimately, business outcomes.

For marketers, when hiring, it’s important to remember that what’s happening inside the organization often shows up on the outside. Without cultural competence and representation, inclusive marketing will be difficult to achieve. Simply put, failing to diversify your talent pipeline is why your marketing is missing the mark.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Carole Smith, Marketing Director and Executive Sponsor of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council at Aquent, discusses the role of diversity in talent acquisition and how it improves business outcomes.

Minority small businesses are driving the U.S. economy, particularly women-owned firms. Forty percent of U.S. businesses are women-owned. Black women represent the fastest-growing segment of entrepreneurs, and there are over 2 million Latina-owned businesses in the country. Large corporations have become increasingly interested in supporting small businesses over the last two years. Just recently, Macy’s announced plans to invest $30 million to help minority-owned businesses in retail scale, and there have been a number of other announcements.

What’s important to note here is that many of these companies are in it for the long haul. When minority businesses thrive, business owners and employees reinvest those funds in their communities. Thriving communities stimulate a healthy economy, resulting in more discretionary spending, benefiting all businesses. But companies looking to partner with minority-owned businesses must do so from a place of empathy and authenticity. How organizations show up in diverse communities matters. Helping small businesses scale isn’t a box to be checked, but a long-term commitment to business equity.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Roberto Martinez, Founder & CEO of the Braven Agency discusses the small business ecosystem and how corporate investment improves business equity.

One in four adults in the United States lives with a disability. Yet, many aspects of society do not accommodate disabilities, and market research is no exception. When it comes to online surveys, people with disabilities are often left out of the conversation. The surveys do not adapt to their needs, so they are inaccessible.

Survey completion is one of the most important metrics for researchers. In the end, however, the primary objective should be to gather quality representative data. By failing to adapt a survey for blind or deaf people, for example, you imply that their opinions do not matter. Although that wasn't the researchers' intent, that's how it presents, and perception is reality.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Timothy Cornelius, founder of P3 Technology, discusses the importance of accessibility in online research and ways researchers can promote disability inclusion in online panels.

According to a 2020 study by the American Medical Association, fewer clinicians are starting their own practices and instead seeking jobs at hospitals or larger medical groups. The economic fallout of the pandemic hit private practices hard, and many are still struggling to get patients back into the office. Some clinicians are willing to forgo autonomy in favor of the paycheck security and benefits hospitals provide, particularly Black and Latino individuals, who may graduate with more debt and less support than their White counterparts.

Fintech innovations enable minority clinicians to reimagine private practice and use it as a means to return to their communities to start, scale, and sustain these small businesses and improve health outcomes in their communities.

Ease is an all-in-one financial practice operations platform that helps clinicians build new practices online in minutes, offering the first and only corporate card for private practices and other automated financial systems.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Mario Amaro, Founder and CEO of Ease, discusses how fintech can help clinicians accelerate the growth of their private practices and provide equitable healthcare.

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 accustomed to segmenting these groups by factors like country of origin but often overlook the biculturalism that exists among niche groups, like Latinx consumers of Asian descent who immigrated from Latin America to the States in the past few decades.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Silvia Li Sam, founder of Slam Media Lab (Slam), talks about her experience as a Peruvian Chinese American and how marketers must leverage research to understand the complexities of the Latinx consumer market.

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 time off work, alongside the fear of deportation for undocumented Latinos, further exacerbate the problem. As a consequence, some Latinos forgo care, and that decision could prove fatal.

To address these barriers and improve health outcomes for Latinos, it’s essential to understand their patient journey and identify the friction points, one being the lack of community navigators. Community navigators, more commonly known as community health workers, are the bridge between the healthcare system and patient care. Community health workers are essential to underserved communities as they attempt to simplify and demystify the complex systems that have historically ignored the needs of minority communities.

In Latino communities, these navigators are known as promotores de salud (promotoras). Promotoras play a critical role in educating Latinos and directing them to resources, like primary care physicians, which is in stark contrast to them relying on informal information sources like social media or family. These individuals, seen as trusted messengers, are often Latino and understand the plight of Latino families and make recommendations that align with the Latino lifestyle in efforts to close the health equity gap.

Zócalo Health has its finger on the pulse of Latino health care and champions the use of promotoras. Through its innovative virtual-first family medicine service for Latinos, it’s committed to helping remove barriers to healthcare by offering convenient, transparent, and culturally-aligned care to members.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Mariza Hardin, Co-Founder, Head of Strategy and Operations, and Erik Cardenas, Co-Founder, CEO of Zócalo Health, share the importance of promotoras (community health workers) in improving health care outcomes for Latino communities.

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 well. Alcohol consumption has soared, particularly among women ages 21-25 for the first time in history.

Yet, outside of oversexualized ads, the beer industry has largely ignored women in advertising and the c-suite despite the growing number of female founders of craft breweries like Golden Road Brewing and Jack A Lope Brewing Company. Bad behavior and gender disparities are not uncommon in the beer industry. Last year, a brave female founder took to social media to call out sexist and abusive behavior toward women in the industry, leading to resignations, firings, and a new perspective on women's contributions.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Jessica Infante, Managing Editor of Brewbound discusses gender diversity in the beer industry and what brands need to do to be more inclusive.

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 popularity among other demographics, it's thriving with Hispanics thanks to the likes of former boxer turned promoter Oscar De La Hoya and the new generation of boxing's elite, like Javier Fortuna, Ryan Garcia, and Canelo Alvarez. Boxing is the ticket to a better life for some Latinos, and for others, it is a cherished tradition passed down from generation to generation, as families gather to watch the fights and cheer for their heroes.

The fandom is paying off for some networks. Of the 25 largest pay-per-view events, 14 featured Hispanic fighters. Spanish-language networks Telemundo and Univision broadcast boxing regularly, while English-dominant networks can't seem to commit. Boxing has proven to be a viable and accessible medium for brands interested in reaching Hispanic audiences.

Roberto Andrade, a feature writer at ESPN, joins us on The New Mainstream podcast for a casual conversation about Hispanics and boxing and why pairing the two just make sense.

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 are increasingly diverse. Gen Z is the first majority-minority generation. As they come of age and enter the workforce, they look to work for organizations that prioritize diversity and inclusion. Recent findings show that 68% of Gen Z define diversity and inclusion as racial equality, followed closely by gender equality at 67%, with differently-abled equality rounding out the top three, at 48%. Among Millennials, 69% define diversity and inclusion as racial equality, but fewer define it as gender equality(58%). Differently-abled equality and LGBTQIA equality are tied for third.

Why is this important? If the market research industry hopes to attract younger generations, it must adopt a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Young multicultural adults must see themselves reflected in leadership, so they have something to aspire to. Ultimately, the industry's culture must support diversity and inclusion in principle and practice by creating equitable and inclusive workspaces were people from all backgrounds have a sense of belonging.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Misty Wilson, Director of Marketing at Greenbook, shares perspectives from her journey as a woman of color in market research and what the industry needs to do to attract diverse talent.

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 leveraging the creator economy in new ways, paying them for their insights into what’s trending and developing that content to post to the brands’ platforms instead of the influencers’ news feeds.

Equity partnerships have also increased. Multi-hyphenated creators, many of whom are athletes, entertainers, or personalities, are being approached by brands to become ambassadors for their products in exchange for equity in the companies, e.g., 50 Cent and Vitamin Water and P. Diddy and Ciroc Vodka.

Other creators have expanded even further, like The Kardashians, Rhianna, and LeBron James, who have gone way beyond being Insta-famous or making music or moves on the court to launching media empires that are challenging conventions. The next frontier, the metaverse.

Donnelle Branche, Talent Manager at Digital Brand Architects, joins us on The New Mainstream podcast to discuss the evolution of influencer marketing and how multi-hyphenated creators are changing the game.

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 they are. Language has been one of the biggest indicators of that. In the past, immigrant parents may have insisted that everyone in the household speak only English and stifle their native tongue.

But today, bicultural bilingual households across the U.S. are thriving, primarily driven by younger generations who refuse to confirm or apologize for their lineage. Gen Z is the first multicultural majority generation, and Latinos have the highest rate of interracial marriage.

So how should marketers engage this demographic? Connecting with the new mainstream requires understanding the dynamics they navigate daily, taking into account their cultural lens, contextual environments, and behavior. To do that, they must be invited to the conversations and a part of the decisions being made. By relying on people with these experiences, you can assess the authenticity of your marketing efforts and decrease the chance of missing the mark.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Vanessa Vigil, General Manager, mitú, distills the notion of "the 200%" and why it's important for marketers to dive deeper into multicultural consumer insights.

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 and working for less to gain experience.

Fast forward a few years, amid a global pandemic, Lauren landed a job at one of the most beloved brands in the world, Mattel.

As Associate Marketing Manager of the Barbie Global Brand at Mattel, Inc., Lauren’s team is responsible for the strategy behind the Barbie family segment, including Barbie, her sisters, pets, and the Netflix series. And they have harsh critics – Generation Alpha.

This young consumer group, powered by the pocketbooks of their Millennial moms and dads, represents a treasure trove of revenue for the brand. Like their predecessors, Gen Z, these "mini millennials" also challenge the brand to address societal stereotypes, particularly around gender identity. Mattel has released inclusive product lines like Barbie Fashionista featuring dolls of varying body shapes, abilities, hairstyles, and gender-neutral dolls.

“The more multifaceted we can make characters, the more kids will be interested and build empathy naturally because they see people that look different on the shows and products they like,” says Lauren. The intention is to take inclusivity from being a checkmark in a box to a storyline featuring loveable characters kids will be interested in regardless of background.

Tune in to the latest episode of The New Mainstream podcast as Lauren Triplett, Associate Marketing Manager, Barbie Global Brand at Mattel, Inc. and founder of BiteSized Consulting discuss the evolution of gendered toys and how inclusivity leads to greater empathy.

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 is a step in the right direction toward developing a more inclusive culture that impacts how you work, how you hire, and how you market.

Ironically, marketers turn to market research to give them insight into specific audiences. But the challenge within the research industry is its lack of diversity, and it can have a real impact on results. When there is a lack of representation when developing sample frames, for example, the questionnaires lack objectivity. And when you only pull in researchers of color when you want to run a multicultural campaign, your general market campaigns lack that perspective.

Researchers of color are first and foremost researchers and should be considered team members, not just leads on special projects or multicultural checkpoints. The industry needs more people of color to fill the vacancies on these teams. Essential to attracting diverse talent is an inclusive recruiting strategy.

Awareness of market research careers should be raised on the campuses of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and jobs posted on inclusive job boards like Mimconnect. When candidates are hired, they must see themselves growing at the company. If there isn’t representation at the top in key leadership positions, it sends the wrong message.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Whitney Dunlap Fowler, founder, A Touch of Whit and Insights In Color and Shazia Ginai, CEO, Neuro-Insight and board chair, Colour of Research (CORe), share their experiences in the market research industry, and how intentionality is key to driving diversity.

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 consumers driving these trends and showing up authentically, in-person and online. It's becoming increasingly important for brands to take intentional actions like staffing stores and restaurants to mirror the communities they’re serving. Birria lovers craving authenticity, for example, may give a restaurant a side-eye if no one in the kitchen serving up these tasty tacos is Latino. To them, insiders serve as translators, a bridge between the brand and the consumer communicating the needs and desires of the community.

But authenticity often gets misinterpreted in food. Dishes made generations before will naturally evolve based on what is available now and life experiences. Yet authenticity does drive purchases in CPG and food, from ingredients to labeling, especially among Hispanics and African Americans.

Luis Cachua, Director of Multicultural Strategy and Brand Partnerships at Food Beast, stops by The New Mainstream podcast to discuss the importance of authenticity in the food and CPG space and the love of birria tacos!

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 stereotypical themes. In response, there has been a more consistent focus on multicultural.

That focus extends beyond just reaching consumers to engaging minority-owned companies, particularly media companies. It's unlikely that a brand can fully engage a diverse group if they are not supporting companies within that group. For example, it would be beneficial for a brand targeting Black consumers to work with a Black-owned media company with access to Black consumers. Understanding that many minority-owned firms may be smaller and unable to deliver the reach necessary makes collaborating with larger firms essential, opening the door for robust supplier diversity programs.

But it’s important to note that building relationships with diverse audiences is a long game. Loyalty comes over time, and engaging multicultural audiences thoughtfully and respectfully builds goodwill. Consumers want brand allies who care about what they value and stand in solidarity with them, not brands that just see them as dollar signs.

Tune in to this episode of The New Mainstream podcast where Marina Filippelli, CEO of Orci, discusses the importance of brand allies to building consumer loyalty and why partnering with minority-owned media companies matters.

Marina drives both business strategy and day-to-day operations for multicultural initiatives at Orci, working closely with her team to deliver engaging, effective campaigns that help global brands like Honda, Acura, Dole, VCA, Anheuser Busch, Chevron and ExtraMile build meaningful relationships with diverse targets in the U.S. and Latin America.

With roots in Mexico and Argentina, she has been passionate about communicating with the Latinx community since she first launched her career at Orci, ultimately returning after leading the multicultural division of Heat and client teams at Zubi Advertising and Conexión.

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 education is supposed to be the great equalizer that levels the playing field, then the digital divide tipped the scales.

Technology has the power to build equity in underrepresented communities in areas of education, healthcare, and economic development. For Hispanics, who at 60 million represent about 18% of the U.S. population, technology is the key to fostering upward mobility. By 2050, 25% of Americans will identify as Hispanic, and 6 out of 10 will be Millennials or younger. One out of three women will identify as Hispanic by 2060. So the future is clearly multicultural, but the opportunities for advancement aren’t keeping pace. Hispanics are underrepresented in Fortune 500s and in technology sectors, and Latinas face a significant pay gap.

Education is the long-term economic strategy, and technology is part of the equation. Creating pathways for Hispanics to learn technology skills helps diversify the talent pipeline for corporations and creates favorable conditions for Hispanics to launch tech startups. Unity is power, and it will take a collaborative effort by local, state, and federal governments and the private sector to ensure digital equity for everyone.

Lili Gangas, Chief Technology Community Officer, Kapor Center and co-founder of LTX Connect discusses ways tech companies and government can close the digital divide in minority communities and create access to equitable education.

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’t be summed up in a social media post. Instead, it required a concerted, internal and external effort to fundamentally change who they are and how they present in the world.

There are concerns, however, that the push for representation will wane. That multicultural marketing will be used as a tactic and not a strategy requiring an investment in research, time, and attention. But the next generation of leaders, particularly Gen Z, the first majority-minority generation, is poised to reshape multicultural marketing as we know it. Gen Z is consuming the brands that align with their values, and they are making it clear to employers as they enter the workforce what their expectations are around diversity and inclusion.

In the past, multicultural marketing has typically focused on Hispanics, not representing the full diversity of the multicultural diaspora. Companies have started paying more attention to their multicultural audiences in the last couple of years. They now include Hispanics and Black and Asian consumers, who may be smaller in size but are enjoying increased purchasing power and population growth, as well as stepping outside of race to include ability and the intersectionality of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The first step to reaching these audiences is identifying the gaps in your data. Most organizations are surprised to find they have more insights than they thought but just haven't connected the dots.

LaToya Christian, Managing Partner at GroupM, returns to The New Mainstream podcast to discuss the evolution of multicultural marketing over the past two years and why it’s not too late for brands to begin their multicultural marketing journey in 2022.

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 term coined by Latina venture capitalist Ilse Calderon, principal at OVO Fund, is defined as second-generation Gen Z or young Millennials between the ages of 18 to 30 who identify as 100% Hispanic and 100% American. They fully embrace the traditions and culture passed down to them by their Hispanic parents while fully immersing themselves in American culture, forming a pseudo-culture authentic to how they live their lives.

This consumer cohort uses social media and other digital platforms to discover and drive trends, embrace and share culture, and engage and influence their communities while cultivating friendships and spheres of influence with other demographics.

Despite the benefits of activating this audience, larger companies with decades of red tape find it difficult to convert this segment. Startups, who may be led by members of this community or closely aligned with them, cultivate relationships with this cohort from the onset, giving them an advantage.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Ilse Calderon, discusses why the Hypercultural Latinx consumer represents the next generation of growth for emerging brands.

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 "Castaway" to her name, launched Native Tongue Communications (NTC), the first and only minority-and-female-certified media agency in the U.S. committed to bringing to life innovative, thought-provoking and culturally relevant ideas that authentically connect brands to diverse and growing populations.

NTC's success can be attributed to its concept of "micro-culturalism," which means picking up on the nuances that differentiate even homogeneous groups. By doing a deeper dive into micro-cultural insights, marketers have an opportunity to build a more engaged group around a common theme and increase the probability of sales conversions, versus pursuing a broader theme, which may yield the numbers but lack consumer engagement.

Some marketers reject the notion of micro-culturalism for fear of being "too niche." Yet, data shows that the companies who make an effort to understand consumers at the micro level cultivate more meaningful connections by creating more relevant experiences, which yields better results.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Marissa Nance, Founder and CEO of Native Tongue Communications, discusses how micro-cultural insights can help marketers use empathy to improve marketing performance.

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 driving demand among enthusiasts. The brewers’ backstories add an interesting flair that appeals to the palette and instills pride in shopping local. Brewers like East LA native Ray Ricky Rivera, founder and brewer of Norwalk Brew House beer company and co-founder and operator of SCC Distribution Network. His career in music led to a craft beer revolution infusing cultural influences with Latino inspired flavors to create limited edition brews whose proceeds support under-resourced communities.

Yet despite success stories like Ricky’s, who along with six other homebrewers founded the largest Latino homebrew club in the United States, SoCal Cerveceros, a recent study by the Brewer’s Association sampling 500 randomly selected breweries show that only 2.2% of craft beer makers are Latino and 93.5% are Non-Hispanic White. However, according to Rivera, the opposite is true of craft beer drinkers. The industry is seeing a significant uptick in the number of people of color and women enjoying the taste of their local brew.

As the demographics in the United States continue to evolve, the growing influence of multicultural consumers will create more opportunities for Latino brands. But it all boils down to authenticity. Ethnic consumers are more likely to seek products that reflect their heritage, and Non-Hispanic White Millennials are embracing more ethnic flavors in the foods and beverages they consume, expanding the market for brands like Norwalk Brew House. Non-Latino owned brands attempting to enter the market with Latino inspired flavors should avoid stereotyping if they want to authentically connect with Hispanic consumers.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, master brewer Ray Ricky Rivera delves into the Latino craft beer scene and shares how Norwalk Brew House delivers on its promise to make good beer to do good things.

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 this young consumer group wielding its purchasing power in support of culturally sensitive brands. But it's not just Hispanics. American consumers are a collective of labels, from race to ethnicity, religion, age, to sexual orientation. Organizations tasked with tapping into new markets will look to the collective to seek opportunities, exposing the need for cultural research and a deep dive into how diversity, equity, and inclusion show up within an organization.

Multicultural, multifaceted, and complex, U.S consumers are redefining identity and challenging stereotypes. Brands can either pivot and play or resist and run the risk of being left behind. Multicultural marketing is no longer a value add. It’s a business imperative for marketers navigating the new norm.

Marcela Gómez, the founding partner of the Culture Shift Team, talks about the importance of culture and innovation and the future of multicultural marketing on this episode of The New Mainstream podcast. As the head of CST’s multicultural marketing and public relations division, Marcela has worked with universities, public utilities, packaged goods companies, consumer, corporate, nonprofit, and business-to-business clients in transportation, education, government, banking, and health care.

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 suppliers are not given the opportunities to contract for public sector work at the rate of their non-minority and male counterparts despite the explosive growth of entrepreneurship among minority and women-owned firms. What’s not as clear is how much organizations lose, financially and socially, by failing to be dogged in their pursuit to diversify their supply chains. Research shows that consumers are more likely to engage a brand that publicly commits to diversity and inclusion. In general, when buyers give more firms a chance to compete for businesses, it’s better for business.

Diverse suppliers are often told that the key to getting contracts is relationship building. That’s the way we do business, right? Relationships – who we know. The flaw in that logic is that it’s not an equitable process. How many opportunities do diverse suppliers miss because they aren’t in the right rooms, not on the golf course? Relying solely on relationships leaves a lot of talent on the sidelines to the detriment of everyone involved.

In this episode of The New Mainstream, Jason Trimiew, Director of Global Supplier Diversity at Facebook, shares his perspective on the economic and social impact of supplier diversity and the power of intentionality.

Facebook has now spent more than $1.7 billion cumulatively with U.S. companies certified as minority, women, veteran, LGBTQ, or disabled-owned in categories spanning creative services, network infrastructure, facilities management and more.

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's death, Juan Medina started to wonder if he’d gotten to know his father as well as he should have. This internal struggle, common in the grieving process, drove him to seek tools to learn more about his past. So, he used popular genealogy and DNA research sites like Ancestry and 23andMe to trace his heritage and get in touch with relatives in his native country, Bolivia. Juan recorded these conversations and curated photos, eventually creating a biography of timelines and maps to share with family members. The response to the project was so positive that he wondered how he could scale it, and the short answer was – tech.

Lalo taps into the emotional aspects of death – memories, photos, stories, even recipes – things that can get lost when death occurs in a family. The startup provides a safe, ad-free space people can go to intentionally preserve family memories instead of focusing on death and loss.

Juan was encouraged to launch the app on iOS first. But for multicultural audiences, specifically Hispanics and African Americans, the first point of entry to the internet is a mobile device. Hispanics and African Americans in the U.S. primarily use Android, and over 90% of smartphone users in Latin America do as well. So, Lalo is being developed for Android and iOS to ensure inclusivity. Taking the iOS route would have been a huge miss for making Lalo accessible to black and brown audiences.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Juan Medina, Founder and CEO of Lalo, shares the origin story of the death tech app designed to create a hub for families to preserve the memories of deceased loved ones.

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 hesitancy, for example, isn’t a matter of just pushing out messaging on the vaccines’ effectiveness. It’s also necessary to uncover and comprehend the narratives people are being exposed to and have erroneously accepted as truth, so messaging can be created to combat misinformation. Trusted messengers within target communities are vital here as those influencers are more likely to have the social currency to shift the conversation. With the pandemic, that “ear to the ground” approach contributes to harm reduction.

Whether it's vaccinations or consumer packaged goods, multicultural marketing has and will continue to evolve as the demographics in the U.S. evolve. Seventy percent of Generation Alpha (born 2010-2025) will be bi-racial. So if companies and brands aren’t preparing for that now, they’re missing out on the opportunity to start building relationships with an entire generation of multicultural consumers and future voters.

The term “multicultural” or “multiculturalism,” however, when looking at it broadly, is inadequate in describing the complexity of people of color in the U.S., which varies not only in ethnicity but also by culture, region, and numerous other factors.

This complexity demands that marketers change the conversation around identity and belonging in the next iteration of marketing and advertising. No more assumptions based on last name, zip code, how people sound, or where you think they’re from. Ground truthing fills the gaps and provides the cultural context to support the findings.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Michelle O'Grady Caballero, Founder and CEO of Team Friday, introduces the concept of “ground truthing” and how it can be used to combat false narratives and challenge assumptions.

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 though some overlap between market research and strategy may occur, they are two distinct disciplines. Data informs while insights inspire. It is the strategists' responsibility to discern nuances in the data and codify campaign strategy to engage targeted segments of the population, in-culture. About eight years ago, however, the total market approach threatened in-culture marketing. Essentially a synonym for general population, total market made few allowances for diversity and inclusion. While the popularity of the approach started to wane a few years later, it was the cultural awakening of 2020 that sealed its fate. Or so we thought. More consumers became culturally aware last year, but many brands still struggled to identify and connect with subcultures present within the general population authentically. Brands subscribing to the total market approach casts a wide net, diluting their messaging and alienating multicultural consumers. As a result, the total market era was plagued by cultural missteps and marketing faux pas because brands were simply out of touch. In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Deadra Rahaman, Vice President of Brand Strategy at Huge, discusses the relationship between market researchers and strategists and how the total market approach threatens in-culture marketing.

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 behavior and, ultimately, purchase decisions.

When consumers share their experiences online or inquire online through search, marketers often make assumptions based on that online behavior but neglect the sensory component. The how, what, and why of our actions are shaped by culture. The more we experiment with new things and elaborate on those experiences, the more culture becomes malleable, bending towards new dimensions.

Understanding this intersectionality is critical to any multicultural marketing strategy. Marketers, however, tend to over-rely on common cultural elements like values and language and underinvest in subtle elements that evoke nostalgia, like colors, music, even smells. Brands that dial into these cultural nuances consider how people feel and build those elements into the brand experience to create meaningful connections.

By making insights immersive and inspirational, marketers build cultural intelligence attuned to the dynamics driving culture.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Kalil Vicioso, founder of Tiny Hat Consulting, explores the intersectionality of sensory research, social media, and search and how they help marketers build cultural intelligence.

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 organizations to drive authentic diversity and inclusion efforts that advocate for a broad range of differences helps internal teams understand the ethics of D&I while making the business case for it.

For change agents to succeed, they need sponsors, internal influencers who advocate for them and advisors, trusted resources they can turn to for feedback and guidance. Whether through employee resource groups (ERGs) or forming new departments, products, and services, tuning the lens for diversity and inclusion, and providing a space and resources to incubate ideas, will benefit the brand and bottom line.

From a consumer perspective, organizations looking to focus on multicultural audiences must speak the language of their consumer, literally and figuratively. There is a way to do right by a consumer that aligns with business goals, and one of the best ways to do that is through market research. Connecting the dots in an impactful way enables companies to understand their consumer better and create relevant and meaningful experiences. Culture is a metaphor for race and ethnicity, and inclusive marketing considers nuances and various behavioral drivers. These drivers may vary by subculture, and research helps reveal those nuances so messaging and approach can be adjusted accordingly. That attention to detail could impact customer lifetime value and loyalty.

Data tells the story that needs to be told, and culture provides context and support. However, the first step to creating more culturally inclusive marketing is to build a diverse and inclusive team. Without it, the rest will be meaningless.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Eliana Murillo, founder and CEO of Eliment & Company and co-founder of Alquimia Tequila, discusses how employees can create the change they want to see within their organizations and how data helps brands tell the stories that need to be told.

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 opportunity. In response, many companies create employee resource groups facilitated by black and brown employees where like-minded professionals can connect for emotional support. These employees assume the additional burden of running these groups without additional compensation and nearly no new opportunities to impact their career trajectory.

But black employees aren't the only ones calling out hollow DEI claims and blanket messaging. Consumers of color demand representation in marketing. Savvy marketers are tapping into the value chain of specificity for a more customized consumer experience instead of taking a broad approach. Culture impacts all aspects of human life. The narrower the focus, the greater the message's resonance for the intended audience and those who appreciate the effort to demonstrate authenticity.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, we talk with Sequoyah "DataBae" Glenn, founder of the Black Marketers Coalition and 924 CoOperative: A Multicultural Marketing Agency, about empowering black marketing and research professionals and the need to redefine the general market.

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 market research for consumer insights to inform their strategies. But if researchers aren’t asking the right questions about identity, consumers can’t show up in the data authentically.

It has become increasingly clear that a new set of industry standards around sampling that moves and reacts to culture is needed, starting with redefining demographic questions in surveys. Reflecting on how consumers identify in the way research is conducted moving forward ensures more representative and inclusive insights.

In this podcast, we’re joined by Whitney Dunlap-Fowler, Founder of Insights in Color, Talia Lipkind, Team Lead, Trust & Safety Ops and John "Tre" Rials, Associate Director of Partner Programs at Lucid, to discuss a new collaboration focused on defining new parameters and standards around identity when conducting market research today and in the future.

At this point, the business case for diversity, equity, and inclusion is a no-brainer. Not only is it a moral obligation, but research suggests maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce improves business outcomes and financial performance. So, essentially, implementing DEI initiatives within your organization is common sense and just makes cents, right?

Yet, many firms fail to look at how DEI supports the overall business strategy. Most are pushing and shoving for market share in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Cultural relevance is pulling ahead as the competitive advantage, yet companies are leaving money on the table by ignoring marginalized communities. The most effective and authentic way to remain relevant to an increasingly diverse marketplace is to have an increasingly diverse workforce. Many organizations, however, still struggle to incorporate DEI meaningfully from the top-down, resulting in missed opportunities, advertising faux pas, and internal struggles.

Many tensions are a product of under-investment. Companies routinely invest time, money, and resources into consumer research but overlook the consumer closest to them – employees. Employee experience is social currency that can be reinvested to drive performance, retention, and overall corporate well-being. Failing to invest in employees and programs that create a culture of belonging hurts the company’s marketability, both internal and external.

But DEI can’t just sit in Human Resources. It is just as important to strategy teams as it is to talent and workplace culture. Maintaining diverse teams mitigates the risk of missteps resulting from missing insights. To get that insight, you have to have it on the team. Even then, DEI falters if not supported by executive leadership.

In this episode of The New Mainstream Podcast, Camille Leak, Inclusion, Diversity & Equity Program Manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS), discusses the business case for DEI, the cornerstones of successful programs, and how companies can implement and measure change.

The symbiotic relationship between data and storytelling has emerged as a powerful tool for diversity and inclusion initiatives within companies. Post-2020, organizations are now prioritizing D&I under mounting pressure from employees and other stakeholders demanding representation within the workplace, product and service offerings, and marketing and advertising.

Storytelling is the catalyst for change. It creates intentional moments of intimacy that enable people to learn more about one another and appreciate similarities and differences. This process is essential to successfully integrate diversity and inclusion practices, and even more so, a sense of belonging within organizations and brands. This is especially important for underrepresented communities. Hispanics, for example, make up a growing percentage of affluent consumers, yet the overarching narrative about this consumer group is negative. To combat this negative perception, it’s important to tell Latino stories from various perspectives to reflect the cultural complexity of this diverse group accurately.

Data complements the narrative by quantifying the story. Together, storytelling and data communicate the reality of how consumers feel, how they live, and the nuances surrounding each. As organizations attempt to right past wrongs, multiculturalism must be incorporated within the organization. It can no longer be just a department. It must be intentionally and fully integrated into the organization to reflect what America looks like today or risk being relegated to meeting quotas.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Pedro A. Guerrero, CEO of Guerrero Media and Founder of Hispanic Executive and The Alumni Society, discusses storytelling and data's importance in achieving diversity and inclusion goals within organizations and marketing and advertising.

Customer expectations are much higher in 2021. Today’s empowered consumers know who they are, expect brands to understand their needs, and use their social currency to influence perception in favor of or against brands. Enlightened brands listen, build intelligence, and use those insights to make products more attractive to buyers.

Product Managers play a vital role in bringing new products to market. They work with R&D to develop the product and create strategy and oversee the tactical execution of that strategy. Ultimately, product managers work to launch products that are accessible, high in utility, and easy to use, thus reducing the friction in the customer journey. Most importantly, effective product managers launch products that resonate with the intended audience.

Consumers favor brands that consider their unique needs and foster inclusiveness not only in the physical offering but also in its delivery. When solving for the underserved market, brands, in essence, solve for the broader market, as designing around the needs and wants of a niche benefits the entire value chain. This intentionality appeals to more people, improves customer experience, and generates positive word of mouth. Alternatively, developing a product that solves for everyone solves for no one, as individual needs are not taking into account.

Miles Montes, Chief Product Officer of DocSpace, join us on The ThinkNow New Mainstream Podcast to discuss the value product managers bring to the lifecycle of products and the importance of inclusivity in product development.

Miami is quickly becoming the next Silicon Valley. Fueled by the tech explosion permeating South America and corporate America’s waning interest in settling out west, Miami has become a bustling hub for upwardly mobile Hispanics.

Tech companies looking to put down roots in the coastal city are either looking to secure tech talent or are scouting locations to set up shop, or both. The result, an empowered Hispanic base with the disposable income to buy what they want and need to support multigenerational households or, in some cases, extended family in their countries of origin.

While household incomes of upscale Hispanics are higher than average, it often takes a two-income household to reach this milestone, unlike their White counterparts. Across the board, other economic factors like homeownership are also trending up among Latinos.

Some high-end marketers incorrectly assume that once Hispanics reach a certain income level, they assimilate to U.S. culture and can be targeted like a Total Market consumer. However, despite their socioeconomic status and due to their multifaceted culture, Hispanics are unique in how they spend their income and with whom. Many affluent Hispanics are bilingual. Brands need to understand that as Hispanics become more wealthy, speaking Spanish and English becomes a status symbol. This is attractive to employers and should be equally as important to brands.

U.S. born Hispanics – Millennials and Gen Z – present the biggest opportunities for growth for brands. Unlike their parents, who were less likely to be vocal consumers due to factors like immigration status, younger Hispanic generations exercise their ability to choose the language they speak and how they identify, which often determines which brands they support and the content they consume.

Gabriela Alcantara-Diaz, Founder and President of Semilla Multicultural, joins us on The New Mainstream podcast to discuss the importance of understanding upwardly mobile Hispanic American culture and how it’s impacting niche markets.

At the height of the pandemic, focus group facilities were primarily silenced, accelerating the shift from in-person to online qualitative studies. For agencies, this shift happened at a critical time for brands as COVID-19 and racial injustice cases spiked. The need to get a pulse on consumer sentiment was palpable as companies found themselves navigating the pandemic while showing solidarity for social justice issues.

While quantitative research has had the advantage of regularly being conducted via online survey trackers, qualitative researchers pivoting online had to find the most effective tools to mimic the in-person experience while sourcing respondents, many of whom are unfamiliar with online tools like Zoom. However, online focus groups aren’t a fit for all brands, especially when privacy is a concern.

When companies have research that necessitates an in-person experience, prioritizing safety and setting expectations is essential. Respondents need to understand the safety measures being taken and the expectations for all parties involved.

The residue of 2020 has also prompted additional changes in how focus groups are conducted. Digital check-ins and online recruiting methods are trends that will likely outlast the pandemic. We’ll also see more inclusive language in recruiting screeners and moderators who reflect the respondent pool.

Crystal Martinez, President of Fieldwork Webwork, joins us on The New Mainstream podcast to discuss the state of online focus groups and the trends expected to outlast the pandemic.

Latino consumers continue to outpace the general market in technology use. This trend is driven primarily by the youth of this demographic. Nearly six in ten U.S. Hispanics are Millennials or younger, and Gen Z is the first majority-minority generation. These generations are digital natives and thrive on the mobile experience, which impacts how they interact with e-commerce, social media, and entertainment.

More specifically, Hispanics over-index on e-commerce, especially among Hispanic Millennials, many of whom are bilingual, living in multigenerational households. They act as “digital sherpas,” interpreting the purchase experience for Spanish-dominant loved ones. Almost 70% of Millennials purchase something on behalf of a family member, which speaks to their collectivist nature.

For Hispanics, culture is portable, either through technology or proximity, enabling them to stay connected to loved ones in their countries of origin. Technology also delivers insights that enable marketers to segment consumers more effectively and deliver messaging in-culture, which counters the Total Market approach.

This week, Roberto Orci, Executive Vice President of Strategic Growth at Captura Group, joins us on The New Mainstream podcast to discuss the shift to in-culture marketing and how technology and segmentation improve marketing performance.

While Latinos over-index on using certain technologies, such as smartphones and social media, broad adoption of video conferencing apps and other online platforms being used to accommodate the shift from in-person to online qualitative research is not as prevalent. Over the last few months, market researchers have been tasked with helping multicultural consumers understand these tools so they can share their thoughts and opinions in qualitative studies.

However, the technology being used to administer online qualitative research is often designed for the moderator’s comfort, not the respondents. For multicultural consumers, especially Hispanics who prefer face-to-face interactions, this presents a challenge. But the shift to online qualitative research, a trend that was accelerated not created by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, also offers opportunities to increase multicultural consumer participation in focus groups by removing barriers like travel time to focus group facilities, finding childcare, and planning around non-traditional work schedules. For moderators, shifting online means less travel time.

In many ways, the shift to virtual focus groups has made qualitative research more inclusive. But there are drawbacks. While respondents can participate in an online focus group from anywhere, they are also subject to more distractions, which could impact the thoughtfulness of their responses. Moderators lose the ability to pick up on subtle nuances that can only be gauged in person.

Whether or not online qualitative research is sustainable long-term is an ongoing debate, but one thing is certain – it has changed how researchers and respondents interact. Some best practices remain the same, such as selecting moderators that reflect the ethnicity of the participants, which facilitates information sharing and preserves the cultural integrity of the research.

This week, Natalia Infante Caylor, Ph.D., President and Founder of Infante Consulting and Research, joins us on The New Mainstream podcast to discuss how the shift to online qualitative research helps foster a more diverse and inclusive environment for multicultural consumers.

The pandemic has accelerated the shift to digital for many industries, including market research. More specifically, qualitative research. In-person focus groups and face-to-face in-depth interviews (IDIs) have been replaced by online research methodologies that enable consumers to share their thoughts and attitudes from the safety of their homes. Essential to the success of online qualitative research, however, is the respondent experience.

Selecting virtual platforms that are user-friendly yet effective reduces the friction that can result in respondent frustration and subsequent disengagement. The convenience of the virtual environment saves time and money and makes the research opportunity more accessible to respondents who may otherwise decline to participate. Yet, the shift to online qualitative research has its share of disadvantages. Historically, recruiting respondents for in-person focus groups has been difficult, especially among Hispanic and Black Americans. Those challenges carry over into the virtual space. Shifting online has improved accessibility, but unfamiliarity with the platforms and limited internet bandwidth connections are just two factors that researchers have to contend with.

The shift to online qualitative research may have been the industry’s pivot to stay viable, but clients requesting qual studies aren't in a rush to return to in-person, signaling a shift to mix models moving forward.

To share further insights into the industry’s pivot online, market research industry veteran Delphyne Lomax Taylor, Principal of V&L Research and Consulting, Inc., joins us on The New Mainstream podcast to discuss the pros and cons of online qualitative research and the importance of the respondent experience.

Linguistic anthropology dives into how people use language to create culture, enact different identities, tell stories, and create relationships. But language is continuously changing.

In the U.S., Hispanics are becoming more English dominant. Spanish speakers or descendants of Spanish speakers are encountering a different linguistic experience as language evolves to meet the needs of Hispanics in the present day. The Spanish language has been influenced by the American ethos resulting in a hybrid language, known as Spanglish, which sits at the intersection of language (Spanish and English) and culture. By allowing people to enact both sides of their identities as Spanish speakers and English speakers, you enable them to show up authentically.

However, moving beyond language to how people actually talk and see themselves is essential to creating resonant messaging. With Spanglish, for example, marketing materials that have as little as one Spanglish word see an uptick in overall receptiveness even among Hispanics who speak little to no Spanish. The use of the term Latinx, on the other hand, is only preferred by 2% of Hispanics, so its use in marketing is unrelatable to most of the population.

Language and how it’s interrupted has a tremendous impact on behavior. And for marketers, that’s where translation and transcreation work hand in hand. While translation renders an original text into a target language, transcreation works to make the concept of that copy real for the audience, evoking the same emotional response the original copy intended but in the targeted language. The challenge for marketers is understanding how to tie all these pieces together.

This week, linguistic anthropologist Jill Kushner Bishop, Ph.D., Founder & CEO of Multilingual Connections, is our guest on The New Mainstream podcast to discuss the intersection of language and culture and why marketers need to understand how translation and transcreation work together.

Humans, in general, use metaphors to assign meaning to various aspects of our lives. By creating images in our minds, we make sense of the world around us and form associations that guide our behavior. Those associations can be aspirational, pushing us to pursue a certain status, or protective, warning us to steer clear of perceived danger. Understanding those associations is essential for marketers to activate consumer groups and deliver engaging content that meets them where they are.

To do this, marketers can look to metaphoric research to analyze deep metaphors shaping the human psyche. Often, consumers see an ad and articulate a feeling but take an opposite action due to cultural beliefs and identity, and external influences. Understanding these dynamics helps marketers close the “say and do” gap by providing insight into the images playing out in consumers’ minds as they engage with products and services in the marketplace.

This week, we welcome Hannibal Brooks, Senior Insight Associate at Olson Zaltman to The New Mainstream podcast to discuss how metaphoric research can be used to reveal deep metaphors driving culture and consumer behavior.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion took center stage in 2020, with many brands rushing to restructure internal teams and re-evaluate advertising campaigns in response to calls for social justice. There was a cultural shift among the general population. Multicultural consumers became the focal point, and forward-thinking brands responded by creating culturally relevant marketing that appealed to multicultural consumers.

But the relationship between the brand and the multicultural consumer extends beyond the register to those running the register. Multicultural employees wield tremendous influence over the brand experience. When these employees feel valued and heard, they often become brand ambassadors among shoppers and within their communities. As a result, they have the potential to influence purchase habits. To create more holistic experiences for diverse audiences, brands must go beyond traditional DEI initiatives and study the intersectionality of employees, customers, and their communities and how these dynamics affect brand affinity.

This week, Solomon Bennett, Director of Marketing Guest Insights at Target, is our guest on The New Mainstream podcast presented by ThinkNow to discuss the importance of multicultural employee perspectives to brand strategy and customer experience.

Latin American brands often feel overly confident in entering the U.S. market. Having experienced success in their home markets, they look to replicate that brand affinity north of the border, often using the same strategy that won at home. But, that affinity doesn’t always translate into a successful entry, especially when brands fail to realize and plan for the shift from a mostly homogeneous cultural group to a more diverse society composed of varied multicultural backgrounds, cultural influences, and behavioral drivers.

The tendency of LatAm brands to target their core Hispanic constituency can cause missed opportunities to reach broader markets. It’s imperative that brand marketers shift their mentality to include multicultural perspectives, adjust their strategies, and allow the multicultural segment's influence to take the brand mainstream. Essential to gaining those consumer insights is market research. By leaning into market research, Latin American brands can satisfy their core audiences' needs while exposing the brand to new segments of the population, thus building the brand domestically.

This week, Jackie Bird, Founder and President of Redbean Society, LLC, joins the ThinkNow New Mainstream podcast to discuss how Latin American brands can successfully use multicultural market research to scale in the U.S.

Across industries, the pandemic has radically altered the way we conduct business and communicate. Market research is no exception, with social distancing requirements prompting innovation in online survey instruments, panel selection, focus groups, and other data collection methods to mitigate the risk of coronavirus spread.

Despite this year’s challenges, 2020 has also presented new opportunities for market researchers to pivot and connect with one another, clients, and respondents in more authentic ways. Digital tools like webinars, online chats and surveys, and a resurgence of traditional practices like conference calling and phone intercepts facilitate new networking and collaboration prospects and provide greater access to panelists. These digital interactions have humanized communication when in-person experiences are canceled, but the need for human connection is not.

This week on The New Mainstream podcast, Shelley Forrester, Founder and CEO of Forrester Network, joins ThinkNow to discuss how market researchers can pivot their communications strategies during the pandemic to engage colleagues, clients, and consumers.

Bilingual and bicultural Latino Americans often serve as “digital sherpas,” or guides, for foreign-born family members who have yet to master the American ethos and language. Navigating the intersectionality of both U.S. and Latino value systems, these interpreters often inform brand and product purchases, search, and content consumption for friends and family members from an early age.

These “digital sherpas” wield their authority at many points in their lives by influencing purchase decisions and demystifying new technologies and services. This sphere of influence only continues to grow as they mature, making them critical players in the Hispanic buyers’ journey and an essential cohort for marketers who wish to connect with Hispanic buyers emotionally and build long-term brand advocates.

This week, Maria Twena, Global Head of Consumer X at 9th Wonder, returns to the ThinkNow New Mainstream podcast to discuss her new children’s book, School Crossing. The book is the first in the MariVi Master Navigator series andexplores the challenges faced by bilingual/bicultural children of immigrants and details how conflicting cultures create “culturally agnostic” or hybrid American and Latino experiences.

Market research has traditionally been more reactive, “reinventing the wheel” with each new client request, resulting in new trackers and survey instruments. Extracting accurate multicultural insights from these methodologies are difficult to obtain, as most surveys aren’t designed to attract or engage ethnic audiences.

Market researchers must include more multicultural developers in the research design and development process to solve this problem. Diversifying your team will help organically eliminate survey bias and add more culturally relevant perspectives to questionnaires and other data collection methods. Technology can also be used as a powerful tool to mine multicultural data and automate processes that create more consistent research workflows overtime.

This week on The New Mainstream podcast, Zontziry “Z” Johnson, VP of Customer Transformation at Zappi, discusses why automation is integral to developing market research consistency and the importance of including multicultural developers in market research design.

Multicultural consumers comprise about 40% of the U.S. population and are important to brands searching for growth outside of saturated markets. Essential to penetrating this consumer group is understanding the nuances of it. Sample providers fulfilling census-representative sample requests or requests for multicultural sample, in general, must build out their panels to include multicultural perspectives from a broad spectrum of respondents across ethnicity, gender, income levels, and other factors. This ensures they obtain functional insights into the diversity of attitudes, interests, and lifestyles that define this multifaceted consumer.

But sourcing sample providers who are well versed in the complexities of fielding multicultural data are few and far between. Panels are often underfunded and under supported. Not enough resources are invested in attracting, engaging, and retaining multicultural respondents due to factors like budget. This underinvestment is especially problematic when sourcing hard to research audiences like Gen Z, who make up the lion share of multicultural consumers in the U.S. today. With limited access, vendors struggle to strike a balance between over and underusing minority samples or have trouble finding minority respondents who aren’t survey or sample fatigued.

This week on the New Mainstream podcast, Joi Gladman, Vice President of Field Operations at Edge Research, discusses ways the sample industry can attract and retain more multicultural respondents and tackles top issues affecting the integrity of sample data collection.

At 13% of the U.S. population, Black Americans are key drivers of mainstream cultural trends. From music to sports, fashion, and the latest Tik Tok dances, the influence of Black American culture is evident in almost every facet of daily American life. But unlike other multicultural groups, African Americans are often still treated as a monolith by marketers. Faulty sampling methods and inadequate segmentation give marketers an inaccurate view of the Black American experience. And while social justice movements have pushed the needle of change forward for D&I initiatives, the complexities and nuances of Black American subculture are still widely misunderstood.

To gain deeper insights into Black American need states and content consumption habits, marketers must fully immerse themselves in the “Black experience.” They must study Black television, movies, and literature to understand Black American interests and purchasing behaviors better. Marketers must also immerse themselves into the communities and spaces where Black Americans spend their time if they are to understand their pain points, motivations, and expectations.

This week, we welcome Bianca Pryor, Vice President of Consumer Insights, Content Strategy, and Optimization at BET, to the ThinkNow New Mainstream podcast to discuss how marketers can meaningfully engage Black American consumers, create more inclusive representative samples, and become cultural anthropologists of Black American culture.

Multicultural audiences are significantly driving mainstream identity and influencing emerging trends. According to UM’s Annual Cultural Dimension study, two out of five general population consumers indicate being influenced by Latino, Black, and Asian segments when it comes to passion points like music, fashion, hair care, food, sports, and more.

As consumer behavior shifts in response to cultural identity and increased exposure to cultural norms via the internet and social media, brands work overtime to cultivate relationships steeped in the remix culture, which is primarily defined by a mindset, not the consumer. This paradigm shift is changing the fabric of what we know today as American culture.

This week, Oscar Allain, VP, Group Partner, Cross-Cultural Strategy & Research at UM Worldwide, joins the New Mainstream podcast to discuss the growing influence of remix culture and the action steps brands must take to stay relevant among a changing demographic.

From search to content consumption, purchase to advocacy, Hispanic consumers take a unique collective approach to e-commerce. The ethos of this collectivist culture greatly influences brand experience and purchasing behavior. Hispanic consumers conduct searches to assist spouses, friends and family members, both inside and outside their household. Marketers and advertisers need to learn how to better engage the “digital Sherpas” within Hispanic communities.

To guide us, Maria Twena, Global Head of Consumer X at 9th Wonder Agency, returns to the New Mainstream podcast to discuss new research conducted by ThinkNow and 9th Wonder Agency on the dynamics of Latinx purchase behavior, including their online shopping habits – from the digital touchpoints they choose to the products they buy and their collective spend – and what it takes to facilitate brand fandom.

Financial literacy among U.S. Hispanics is lower, on average, than the general population. Numerous factors are contributing to the gap, such as youth, language barriers, lower income, and fewer assets. As a consequence, many Hispanics have a limited understanding of personal finance and how to build wealth, especially among Spanish dominant consumers.

In this week’s episode of The New Mainstream podcast, we sit down with Francisco Javier Arceo, Founder and CEO of Unidos, to discuss financial literacy in Latino communities and how technology can make personal finance simple and accessible to Hispanic consumers.

Forty percent of American consumers are ethnically diverse, yet only five percent of advertising dollars are allocated to environments that are contextually relevant to these audiences.

As racial injustice protests accelerate conversations about inclusion marketing, brands must contend with the fact that fielding multicultural data is no longer optional. It is now necessary to create equity with these communities, extending far beyond sales to corporate social responsibility.

This week, Latoya Chrisitian, Marketing Partner at GroupM, joins us to discuss multicultural marketing strategy and how to use multicultural data to quantify opportunities and create culturally relevant content on the right platforms.

Marketers looking to gain deeper insights into multicultural audiences must first move beyond blanket assumptions. Essential to doing that is leveraging data and understanding the value of audience segmentation. Some marketers, however, are uncertain as to how to find the data needed or adequately use the data when found to segment their audiences effectively.

This week, Demetrius Parker, Integrated Marketing and Communications Strategist at the CDC, joins us to discuss the power of think tanks, data aggregator tools, and the elements of culture marketers can tap into to build deeper connections with multicultural consumers.

Influencer marketing has the power to fuel brand buy-in. But its brands that work to progress culture in ways that inspire and contribute to society that endear themselves to pop culture.

This week, we sit down with Marco Valadez, Partner at ID Agency and Executive Producer of “LA Originals” on Netflix, to discuss the benefits and examples of influencer marketing, its impact on community, and why it’s essential to building brand loyalty.

Multicultural consumers are poised to be at the forefront of economic recovery in the U.S. Due to COVID-19, minority women-owned firms are pivoting to innovative strategies to continue delivering value to their clients. In many cases, they are discovering more profitable ways to do business. Essential workers, who are predominantly multicultural, are working on the front lines in healthcare, municipal services, and retail to sustain our communities. Yet, diversity and inclusion within the fabric of these communities is still elusive.

This week, Yai Vargas, Diversity & Inclusion Consultant and Founder of The Latinista, joins the New Mainstream podcast to discuss the challenges women of color face in business, the importance of diversity and inclusion to business growth, and how multiculturalism will lead America’s economic recovery.

Before the pandemic, Latina owned businesses were among the fastest-growing in the United States. Now, many are facing the threat of permanent closure.

Access to funding continues to plague Latino business owners, as 91% were unable to obtain funds from the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program. Hispanic women-owned businesses, in particular, are absorbing the lion’s share of these financial losses, as they make up the majority of microbusinesses within this demographic.

Lucy Flores, CEO and Co-Founder of Luz Collective, joins us on The New Mainstream podcast to discuss the unique challenges Latina business owners face and how COVID-19 has impacted their viability.

Since the onset of COVID-19, global communities have been rallying around one another in solidarity, giving marketers a unique window into the cultural nuances reshaping consumer behavior.

As brands peer into the looking glass of the next normal, much of the context for their brand strategy will be dictated by these cultural connections and new patterns in consumer behavior.

This week, Dr. Jake Beniflah, Executive Director of the Center for Multicultural Science, stops by The New Mainstream podcast to discuss the influence of cultural DNA on brand strategy, recession marketing, and the future of brand loyalty during the pandemic.

In the wake of global protests denouncing police brutality and racial inequality, many companies have issued statements of solidarity and are actively pledging to work towards building more inclusive workspaces.

But often, diversity and inclusion are reduced to hiring and recruiting metrics, and not considered in the broader context of culture, product development, and content creation.

This week, we sit down with Ish Verduzco, Diversity Specialist and Strategic Partnerships Lead at Snap Inc, and author of “How Successful People Get Ish Done,” to discuss how diversifying your teams naturally increases engagement of multicultural audiences and has a sizable impact on your bottom line.

Semiotics -- the study of symbols and their usage in a broader context -- is a major element of effective brand strategy but is often overlooked and underutilized. Marketers tend to analyze consumer behavior at a high level but fail to look at the subconscious forces that influence consumers’ thoughts, feelings, and ultimately purchasing decisions.

This week, we speak with Whitney Dunlap-Fowler, semiotics expert, brand strategist and founder of A Touch of Whit Creative, to examine the history of culture, the differences between culture and multiculturalism, and how semiotics can be used by brands to get a more comprehensive narrative of consumer behavior.

As the coronavirus continues to spread across the U.S., brands are looking for ways to stay connected to consumers and to understand the impact of the virus on their lives in real-time, especially among multicultural groups who have been hit disproportionately.

This week, we sit down with Natasha Pongonis, co-founder of Nativa and CEO of OYE! Business Intelligence, to discuss how social media insights reveal nuances in multicultural conversations, including keywords and geographic sentiments, that brands can use to meet the needs of diverse audiences and stand out with relevant messages during the pandemic.

Bilingual and bicultural, most second-generation Hispanics (and those who immigrated early in life) must navigate the nuances of both American and Latino ways of life. Often the only English speaking members of their families, they are the interface of their family’s online purchasing decisions and digital transactions.

This week Maria Twena, Global Head of Consumer Acts at 9th Wonder Agency, talks with us about the “bi-directional toggle”, and how the behavior of bilingual consumers can be used to guide more comprehensive marketing and branding strategies.

Asian American Millennials are rising stars in the cultural influencer market, outspending American Baby Boomers and emerging as pioneers of technology and innovation.

As the fastest-growing minority group in the U.S., Asian Americans’ collective spending power is quickly becoming a focal point for aspiring brands.

This week, to celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month, we speak with Selina Guo, Director of Strategic Planning, and Max Davidson, Chief Integrations Officer at Admerasia about Asian American market trends, implications for brand strategy, and combating xenophobia in the wake of COVID-19.

Many small businesses are finding new ways to breathe life into their revenue streams during the COVID-19 pandemic to offset slow customer traffic and trickling income.

This week, Barney Santos, CEO of Gentefy and BLVDMRKT, discusses how Hispanics in the restaurant industry are adapting sales initiatives to social distancing, and why virtual marketplaces will be essential to small business success as consumers adjust to post-quarantine life.

Today’s multicultural consumers are younger than the general population and tech-savvy, making mapping their digital DNA essential to a company’s value chain. The issue is that some of that intel comes too late in the process.

This week, Charlie Echeverry, founder of Black Brown Collective, discusses the intersection of digital, diversity, and youth and how putting diverse consumers at the top of the value chain will be a game changer for companies and brands looking for sustainable growth.

Music is one of the most prolific forms of cultural expression and influences consumer behavior and brand affinity. In this week’s episode, Nidia Serrano, Audience Marketing Director at Pandora, discusses how cultural cues impact trends in music marketing research, and how advertisers can use those insights to create relevant content for multicultural audiences.

In this episode, we examine how redefining diversity and inclusion positively impacts business performance and reveals unique opportunities for businesses to bootstrap growth.

Kristin Luck, Founder of ScaleHouse and WIRe (Women in Research), discusses the pitfalls of the corporate patriarchy and ways industry, in general, can help level the playing field for marginalized groups.

Latinos are the entrepreneurial engine of the U.S. economy. Latinas are starting more businesses than any other ethnic cohort and the trend isn't slowing down. Yet, despite this staggering growth, minority-owned businesses, in general, struggle to scale. Maribel Lara Senior Vice President, Head of Consulting at The Sasha Group, discusses some of the barriers minority, women-owned businesses face and shares growth hacks MWBEs can use to accelerate the growth of their firms.

This podcast delves into the significance of Latin X, underserved yet influential consumers within the Hispanic market who drive significant revenue and advocacy for brands. We explore key differences in individualistic and collectivist cultures, how Hispanic immigrants adapt to the American ethos, and what it all means to marketers trying to touch today's new mainstream: multicultural consumers.

Guest: Maria Twena, Global Head of Consumer X at 9thWonder Agency

This podcast explores the relationship between language and brand engagement and how Fortune 500 companies can use the Spanish language to fortify their marketing assets and unlock the potential in the market through in-language campaigns.

In this conversation, we will explore how brands can play a role in addressing social justice issues in the Black American community by helping improve the lives of Black American consumers while driving brand engagement, loyalty, and sales.

Speakers: Pepper Miller, Recognized Black American Market Researcher, Author, Subject Matter Expert and Speaker | @peppermiller | http://peppermiller.net and Reginald Osborne, Strategic Business Leader & Cultural Expert

The ThinkNow Mobile App Report is a nationwide survey that looks at how Americans use and perceive their mobile device apps. The report includes the following insights:

The majority of mobile devices users download applications at least once a month

Younger people are more likely to download an app to share with others

Users access their apps an average of 8x a day

And More...

Download the full Report here -http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/thinknow-mobile-app-trends-report-2018.html

We track cross-platform viewing, streaming habits, gaming, and binge viewing habits across the total market. The study contents include the following:

Types of TV service received at home

Methods of watching TV programs and viewership trends

Average number of shows watched in one viewing

The "Why" behind Online Streaming vs Cable/Satellite preferences

Video Game consumption and device usage

ThinkNow conducted a national survey of Americans aged 18-64 across various ethnic groups. We asked them about their interest in starting businesses, industries chosen, revenue goals, motivations, barriers and utilization of support services. The study contents include the following:

Success and Business Ownership

Business Ambition

Motivation

Obstacles/Challenges

Business Owner Resources

In our newest report, Social Media & Digital Usage in 2018, done in conjunction with mitu, we take a closer look at the latest social media and digital trends across all U.S. consumers. The study contents include the following:

# Daily Device Usage - Hispanics Vs. NH Whites # Daily Digital Activity - Hispanics Vs. NH Whites # Digital Insights - Hispanics Vs. NH Whites # Smartphone & TV Usage by Day-part # and more...

Download the full report here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/thinknow-social-media-digital-usage-report-2018.html

Our national consumer study of soccer fans reveals how Hispanics engage with soccer on social media and how they plan to follow & cultivate the World Cup experience, how they will engage the World Cup and how receptive they are to social media advertising.

You download the full report here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/thinknow-hispanic-soccer-fan-study-2018.html

ThinkNow Research conducted its annual Consumer Sentiment Study across a representative sample of Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians, and non-Hispanic whites. Below are insights gleaned from this year's ThinkNow Pulse study:

Most American's household income stayed the same in 2017

In 2017, fewer Americans experienced a job loss or a reduction of work hours or salary

Employment numbers improved in 2017 across the four major race/ethnic segments

Just under half of consumers are anticipating a better year financially in 2018

About half of Americans feel the US economy is growing

Listen in as special guest, Mark L. Madrid, Executive Director of the Latino Business Action Network, joins Mario X. Carrasco, Managing Partner at ThinkNow Research for the #ThinkNowMRX Podcast Series, to discuss the findings of ThinkNow Pulse™:

Download the Full Report Here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/thinknowpulse-total-market-consumer-sentiment-report-2018.html

Special Guest, Juleyka Lantigua-Williams, CEO & Founder of Lantigua Williams & Co., joins Mario X. Carrasco, Managing Partner at ThinkNow Research for the #ThinkNowMRX Podcast Series, to discuss the findings of ThinkNow Voice™, our recent market research study on how adoption of home voice devices like smart speakers differ among multicultural consumers. The study contents include the following:

Top Smart Speaker Product In The Market

Smart speakers Most Popular Among Younger Consumers

Consumer Plans To Purchase Smart Speakers During The Holidays

And More...

You can download the full report here: http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/thinknow-voice-report-2017.html

Insights into the shopping behaviors of multicultural consumers this holiday season. The study contents include the following:

Spending During The Upcoming Holiday Season
Top Reasons For The Anticipated Increase In Holiday Spending
Where Consumers Find Holiday Gift Ideas
Most Popular Holiday Gift Categories
Most Commonly Used Device For Making Holiday Purchases And More...

Special Guest, Jennifer Elena, CEO & Founder of JElena Group, joins Mario X. Carrasco, Managing Partner at ThinkNow Research for the #ThinkNowMRX Podcast Series, sponsored by Lucid, to discuss the findings of the report:

Download The Full Report Here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/thinknow-retail-report-2017.html

ThinkNow Media™ - Streaming Services, Gaming & Media Consumption Habits Report 2017 explores streaming and live TV habits of total market consumers. The study contents include the following:

Most Popular Type of TV Service
Primary Way of Watching Programming
The popularity of TV Streaming Services
Binge Watching & Watching Preferences
Use of Multiple Devices And More...

You can download the full report for free here -http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/thinknow-media-report-2017.html

ThinkNow Money™ is a nationwide survey that investigates Americans' attitudes around their money and financial situation. The study looks at Americans as a whole and by key race / ethnic segments. The study contents include the following:

Concern About Their Financial Future
Belief In Investing Their Money
Attitude Towards Spending Their Money
Overall Perception of Banks
Different Sources in Choosing a Bank And More...

You can download the full report here - http://www.thinknowresearch.com/money-report/

The automotive industry is showing early signs of becoming one of 2017’s fastest evolving industries. Electricity and hydrogen now power our vehicles straight out of the pages of a sci-fi thriller down paved streets that turn into our driveways.

To better understand what’s driving this change, ThinkNow Research surveyed a representative sample of U.S. Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians, and non-Hispanic whites regarding their vehicle purchasing habits. ThinkNow Drive™ is our latest research study that focuses on automobile buying trends and habits.

You can download the complete report here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/thinknow-drive-auto-buying-and-habits-report-2017.html

If there is one “truth” that has persisted in multicultural marketing throughout the decades, it is the assumption that less acculturated Hispanics are more brand loyal than their bi-cultural and more acculturated Hispanic counterparts. But this persistent trope has trickled outside of the confines of Hispanic marketing. Less acculturated Hispanics are now considered the most brand-loyal consumer segment out of non-Hispanic whites, Asians, and African-Americans.

But where did that ideology come from? Let’s look at the genesis of how this may have come about. Less acculturated Hispanics are typically the recently immigrated population in the U.S. Because they are unfamiliar with the brands in the U.S., they look to advertising to help guide their purchasing decisions.

Highly visible brands compete for mind-share among less acculturated Hispanics. Top performing brands became “top” of mind as less accultured Hispanics assimilate to life in the U.S., creating loyalty that will last throughout the consumers’ lifetime and potentially to future generations as they pass down these purchasing habits.

In theory, it all makes sense. But, as we’re seeing across several consumer verticals right now, behavior is changing.

ThinkNow Affinity TM analyzes brand loyalty across the Total Market & several core CPG categories giving brands insight into how they can attract and retain brand loyalty among key demographics. The study contents include the following:

Brand Switching by ethnicity
Brand Switching by Category
Brand Purchase Behavior by ethnicity
Brand Purchase Behavior by Categories
Brand Purchase Behavior by Hispanic Segments

Download the full report here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/thinknow-affinity-brand-loyalty-report-2017.html

While Millennials still get the lion’s share of attention, Gen Z, the demographic cohort nipping at the heels of their older siblings, are beginning to take center stage. Known as the Plurals, Founders, or the iGeneration, Gen Z consumers may be setting their own rules, somewhat, but because of their age, still look to their parents and friends to make purchase decisions.

In the second wave of the ThinkNow Gen™ We Are Gen Z Report, a collaboration between ThinkNow Research and Sensis Agency, we take a closer look at how Gen Z shoppers make purchase decisions and how finances impact those decisions.

You can download the complete report here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/thinknowgenz-we-are-shoppers-report-2017.html

First quarter 2016 revealed the vulnerability of the casual dining industry. The bar-and-grill segment, typically a strong player, struggled, as the 4.1-percent decline in same-store sales at Chili’s last quarter showed us. And unfortunately, the second quarter of the year, at this point, isn’t looking much better.

ThinkNow Research has taken a closer look at this sector from a Total Market perspective. We were looking for signs of potential demographic trends that could help the casual dining industry regain its footing in the increasingly competitive restaurant industry.

you can download the full report here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/total-market-casual-dining-2016.html

Binge viewing has not slowed down in 2016. Streaming services’ plot to keep us on our couches for as long as possible is working. Thankfully instacart is coming to more cities now so we can get our groceries delivered to us while we binge watch the last four seasons of House of Cards.

Regardless of age, binge viewing is a trend that is continuing to increase in popularity. Streaming services have been on a buying spree since Cannes last year, and it looks as though their investment is paying off. However, a more nuanced approach to content is still missing.

Our report delves deeper into the binge viewing habits of not only Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites, but also African-American and Asian viewers. Our data points to viewer habits that vary across ethnicities and our previous reports point to a distinct cultural difference in terms of the types of story-lines that resonate with each group.

you can download the full report here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/total-market-binge-viewing-habits-2016.html

Earlier this year, ThinkNow Research conducted its annual consumer sentiment study among a representative sample of U.S. Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians, and non-Hispanic whites. This is the third year we have conducted this study, and it has now become one of the most widely cited consumer sentiment studies for its focus on multicultural consumers.

While our focus here is on African-American consumers, our data goes in depth across all cohorts.

you can download the report here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/total-market-consumer-african-american-focus.html

Virtual Reality has been feeling like it is on the cusp of being main stream for several years now. The purchase of Oculus Rift by Facebook for 2 billion dollars jutted virtual reality into the public consciousness. Flash forward two years and the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S7 brought free virtual reality headsets to those that pre-ordered the phone and now the HTC Vive has launched, making virtual reality a purchase within reach.

But is the interest in virtual reality relegated to gen-pop Techies? ThinkNow Research wanted to know how multicultural consumers feel about virtual reality and what they find interesting about it use.

You can download the full report here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/total-market-virtual-multicultural-reality-2016.html

Back in March, we started a conversation about the sharing economy. Industry disruptors like Uber and Airbnb have used technology and a non-traditional business model to redefine how consumers purchase goods and services.

The heartbeat of the sharing economy is the consumers themselves, now empowered by a model that allows them to rent services from one another. And while the regulatory uncertainties persist for brands like Uber and Airbnb, “collaborative consumption,” is still booming and shows no sign of slowing down.

As these companies continue to forge new roads for the average consumer, we wanted to better understand what degree of this growing movement impacts multicultural consumers, hopefully shedding light on growth opportunities for these peer to peer brands.

We took a representative sample of U.S. Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians, and non-Hispanic whites, and asked several questions regarding the sharing economy, its major players, and its use among these cohorts.

You can download the report here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/sharing-economy-report-2016.html

ast year we presented a series of reports on US Millennials with a focus on the Hispanic segment. An interesting thing happened though as we were comparing Hispanic Millennials to non-Hispanic Whites, African Americans, and Asians in wave after wave of research. One group of Millennials stood out like a game of “Which one of these is not like the others?” – Asians.

You can download the full report here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/hmp-asian-focus-2016.html

By many measures, 2016 was an eventful year, to say the least, for Americans. From one of the most inspiring Olympics on record to a contentious presidential election season, many are exhausted and looking forward to a fresh start in 2017. Using this year of extremes as a backdrop, ThinkNow Research conducted its fourth annual Consumer Sentiment Study across a representative sample of Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians, and non-Hispanic whites. Below are insights gleaned from this year’s ThinkNow Pulse™ Consumer Sentiment study.

Our snapshot report looks at the top 5 insights uncovered from our ThinkNow Retail : Total Market Holiday Shopping Trends report. The study contents include the following insights from the Asian cohort:

Asian-Americans Are Online Shoppers
Online Reviews Are Critical
Asian-Americans Think Outside The "Friends/Family" Box
Black Friday Is Big For Asian-Americans
Online Offering Is Critical For Asian-Americans

you can download the full report here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/thinknowretail-asian-holiday-shopping-trends-2016.html

Holiday Shopping season looks to be a bright spot for U.S. retailers, significant lift among Hispanic consumers expected. All signs point to a strong holiday season so far despite the typical pullback in consumer spending in September and October due to a presidential election. Deloitte expects up to a 4% increase in holiday spending from last year pushing total holiday sales to more than $1 trillion in 2016. The consulting firm also anticipates a 17% to 19% increase in e-commerce sales to more than $96 billion compared with last year.

With almost 40% of the U.S. population comprised of Hispanic, African-American, and Asian consumers, we were curious to learn how each group’s holiday shopping habits are similar and different to each other. We’ve done so in our in-depth research series: ThinkNow Retail™ Total Market Holiday Shopping Trends.

Download Our Report Here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/thinknowretail-hispanic-holiday-shopping-trends-2016.html

African-American Millennials cemented their position as trendsetters in the media and technology space in 2016. But this cohort has been setting the tone for the conversations feeding social media and the web at large with an influence that vastly outweighs its user base for some time now.

We found several opportunities in the technology and media space for companies to focus resources.

Download our full report here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/af-american-millennials-media-habits-report-2016.html

Total Market Consumers Prefer Taste Over Health When It Comes To Fast Food Choices. The fast food industry is projected only to grow about 2% annually over the next five years according to IBIS World. As a result, many top fast food chains have tried to meet the challenge of presenting menu items for price-sensitive customers who want healthy options. However, is that what they really want?

Our report takes a closer look at the preferences among total market consumers eating at quick service restaurants.

Download Our Report Here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/fast-food-dining-report-2016.html

Read Our Blog on the Report - http://www.thinknowresearch.com/blog/what-are-consumers-lovin-about-fast-food-maybe-not-what-you-think/