America Now: Highlight the Critical Strategy of Inclusion to Drive Growth
Today’s inclusive marketing is caught in a cycle of diminishing returns. This signature research teaches brands how to escape the cycle and build toward growth with the New Inclusive Marketing.
2024 is defined by rapid change and supersized cultural events. From groundbreaking music releases celebrating intersectional identities to a tumultuous election year featuring powerful protests for Gaza and the electrifying Caitlin Clark/Angel Reese rivalry in the WNBA, Americans are navigating a cultural landscape that demands engagement. However, this excitement is tempered by a sense of burnout. Many Americans feel overwhelmed by the constant flood of big events and unfulfilled promises for change.
In this complex environment, the urgency for brands to embrace inclusive marketing is paramount. Yet, brands find themselves caught between responding to backlash with caution or ignoring the risk to lean in more. Our research reveals that this is a false choice destined for disappointment. Instead, brands need to evolve their inclusive marketing to break today’s stagnation and foster growth in 2025 and beyond.
Download a sample of our America Now report for our guide to driving growth, building trust, and gaining momentum with new inclusive marketing strategies.
Fill out the form to download slides from our research report.
The Big Picture:
1.) America is stuck in a cycle. That includes Inclusive Marketing – a.k.a. campaigns focused on diverse representation and engagement.
2.) American consumers still want brands to engage in cultural storytelling and outreach.
3.) To grow in 2025, brands must adopt the next evolution of inclusive marketing.
What Surprised Us:
Over the past few years, consumer satisfaction with representation in advertising has steadily improved across various demographics. However, this year marks a notable shift, with 40% of Americans expressing dissatisfaction with how they are portrayed. This plateau in satisfaction reveals a critical gap that brands can no longer afford to ignore, highlighting the urgent need to align marketing strategies with evolving consumer expectations.
Collage Group’s Strategies to Evolve Inclusive Marketing:
Inclusive Marketing has evolved before and it’s time for it to evolve again. We’re calling the new practice Inclusive Marketing 3.0 and it builds off of the cultural specificity of version 2.0 to zoom in even closer. Inclusive Marketing 3.0 highlights the most resonant everyday moments, unifying struggles, and collaborative boosts that produce cultural storytelling with the power to move more American consumers.
Interested in more? Contact us to learn how you can navigate this cultural complexity, especially as the U.S. continues to diversify. Brands that use cultural and linguistic cues relevant to their target audience and facilitate content or product information sharing will enable them to connect more dynamically with this diverse demographic, fueling further growth.
We look forward to partnering with you and continuing our contributions to authentic brand engagements that elevate diverse consumer voices year-round.