Latest News Articles
March 5, 2025 | TIME
Why Some Shoppers Are Launching a 40-Day Target Boycott
Starting Wednesday, some shoppers have decided to participate in a month-plus-long boycott of Target due to the retailer’s new shift away from diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies.
March 5, 2025 | MediaPost
Broken Promises: How DEI Rollbacks Are Deepening The Brand Trust Crisis
A new study reveals that consumer trust in brands is eroding, with diversity rollbacks becoming a key flashpoint in an already widening gap.
February 11, 2025 | QUIRK’S
The Real Cost of Scaling Back DEI: How Consumers are Adjusting Their Purchasing Behaviors
In recent years, brands have faced increasing scrutiny over their corporate commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). As some companies scale back their DEI programs in response to external pressures, consumer reactions are shaping up to be more than just social commentary.
February 10, 2025 | Forbes
Evaluating President’s Day Promotions: How Brands Are Adapting In 2025
As brands navigate the uncertain terrain of President’s Day 2025, they also need to consider a broader shift in marketing strategies—one that focuses on inclusivity, unity, and cultural co-creation. Jack Mackinnon, Senior Director of Cultural Insights at Collage, explains that consumers expect brands to acknowledge real-world challenges while maintaining an optimistic tone. “Given the politically polarized climate, brands are moving away from overt patriotic appeals and focusing on themes of unity, progress, and economic relief,” Mackinnon says.
February 6, 2025 | EMARKETER
Google Reverses DEI Commitments as it Expands Government Ties
One-third of all consumers have stopped or reduced purchases from brands that have pulled back on DEI, per Collage – including 45% of Black, 45% of Hispanic, and 58% of LGBTQ+ consumers.
February 6, 2025 | KCBS RADIO
How DEI Pullbacks Could Affect the Economy
As the Trump administration advocates for the rollbacks of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs nationwide, the economic impact could be staggering. New research from Collage shows scaling back on these policies could cost brands a third of their consumers. For more on this, KCBS Radio anchors Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart spoke with David Wellisch, CEO and Co-Founder of Collage, which conducted this research.
February 3, 2025 | Adweek
Why We Should Remember that Twenty Years Ago, the Home of the Super Bowl was a Human Rights Catastrophe
Jack Mackinnon, senior director of cultural insights for Collage, points to some 2024 year-end research conducted by his firm that suggests that, even if older Americans are inclined to remember the Superdome’s role in Hurricane Katrina, many are so worn down by today’s sociopolitical tensions to reflect on it for very long.“Everybody is feeling sick and tired of being in the cycle of expecting new things, expecting change, and the government underdelivering,” Mackinnon said. “Everybody is feeling a sense of burnout.”
January 31, 2025 | QUIRk’s
The Weekly News Queue
Collage has launched its proprietary AI-enabled platform to improve how brands uncover cultural insights, identify and connect with growth segments and drive revenue. It has also appointed David Albert as chief insights officer and Jason Moore as VP, sales.
January 31, 2025 | Mediapost
From Beloved To Boycotted: Target’s DEI Retreat Ignites Consumer Fury
Target is one of many companies that have backed off diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. But because the company has been perceived to be a sincere proponent of DEI, with extensive commitments to Pride events in support of the LGBTQ community, extensive marketing to Hispanic audiences, and support of Black-owned brands, the move feels like a betrayal. While the company is welcoming Black History Month with plenty of Black-owned brands, calls for “Boycott!” are ricocheting around social media. Marketing Daily asked Zekeera Belton, vice president of Collage Group, a market research company specializing in cultural insights, for her perspective.
January 29, 2025 | ADWEEK
4 Brand Challenges Facing McDonald’s New CMO
Collage’s America Now 2024 study showed that 81% of Americans say inclusive marketing is just as or more important to them than it was four years ago, and that number rises among Gen Z, millennials, Black, Hispanic, and LGBTQ+ consumers.“Consumers have a low tolerance for what they see as performative efforts right now, and if brands look like they’re caving to political pressure rather than standing by their values, it could hurt them in the long run,” said Jack Mackinnon, Collage’s senior director of cultural insights.
October 31, 2024 | WASHINGTON TIMES
Most Parents Say Social Media, Polarization has Made Their Job Harder than in the Past: Survey
The Collage Group, a consumer research firm based in Bethesda, Maryland, reported this week that 78% of parents of school-aged children responding to a recent survey agreed with the statement that “being a parent in today’s world is more difficult than it used to be.”
October 28, 2024 | Forbes
Five Smart CMO Moves For Successful Multicultural Marketing
During interactions with marketing leaders across the industry, CMOs frequently ask how they can build their multicultural marketing knowledge and that of their organizations.
October 24, 2024 | Admonsters
Diverse Data Matters: Unpacking AI, Culture, and Inclusivity at BlackWeek
Despite the power of AI, Zekeera Belton, Vice President of Customer Success & Cultural Strategist at Collage Group reminded the audience that human oversight is still critical — especially when it comes to cultural representation. “AI is a tool to enhance our work, not replace it,” she explained. It’s not enough to gather surface-level insights — Belton stressed that cultural fluency should be at the heart of any AI-driven strategy. Brands should dive deeper, examining things like multi-generational family dynamics within Hispanic communities or the nuances of Black consumer behavior.
“You can’t just say ‘Latinos love their families’ and leave it at that,” Belton said. “It’s about understanding the layers of cultural specificity.” These are the nuances AI models can’t yet grasp without diverse, high-quality data, and that’s where human intervention still matters most.
October 22, 2024 | MRWEB
Collage Rolls Out New Audience and Insight Tools
Cultural intelligence firm Collage has rolled out new products Audience Profiles, Custom Audiences, and Trended Data; and launched a multicultural trends report called C-Pulse.
October 4, 2024 | Pet Product News
Millennials and Gen Z are Reshaping the Cultural and Pet Market Landscape
As reported by Collage Group (“2024 Generational Demographics”), Gen Z is “far more likely to openly identify as LGBTQ+ than older generations,” at 34% of 13- to 18-year-olds and 25% of 19- to 26-year-olds, versus 6% of boomers.
Among Gen Z, LGBTQ+ households index at 155 (55% above average) for cat ownership. Among millennials, LGBTQ+ households index at 130 (30% above average) for cat ownership.
October 3, 2024 | adweek
The Real Reasons Why So Many Brands Have Broken Their DEI Promises
David Evans, chief insights officer for consumer intelligence firm Collage Group, points to another factor he believes has prompted brands’ cool on DEI. It’s an incident known as the “Brew-haha.”
“Not only did you see largely white, largely conservative individuals backlashing,” Evans said, “but LGBT+ communities and their allies backlashed as well.”
October 2, 2024 | emarketer
How Gen Z Engaged with Beauty Content in Q3
While 63% of LGBTQ+ adults say they don’t see their lifestyle represented enough in advertising, per April 2024 data from YouGov, the same percentage say advertising that only happens during or around Pride Month seems insincere, per July 2023 data from Collage Group.
October 1, 2024 | Adweek
From Ford To Lowe’s, These 7 Brands Reversed Their Big DEI Promises This Year
With hot-button issues like reproductive rights and affirmative action at the center of ever more heated debates on TV and online, many brands are pulling back from initiatives that didn’t feel so risky two years ago.
“We know historically that brands lockdown for major potentially polarizing events like elections,” said David Evans, chief insights officer for the Collage Group.
October 1, 2024 | portable plants
Strategies to Effectively Manage Gen Z Employees
Gen Z is the first American generation where multicultural groups make up more than half the population, according to Natalie Griffith of Collage Group. “Brands must understand the massive demographic shift toward multicultural America that Gen Zers represent,” Griffith says. “While it may be obvious that focusing on this cohort will attract Gen Z dollars now, it also future proofs a business as the nation’s shift toward diversity is here to stay.”
The more diverse workforce also demands employers take a stand on more significant social issues. Collage Group found that Gen Zers are likely to support brands that offer support to women, Black people, and people with disabilities. Wise employers will create a sense of larger purpose for business activities and then emphasize how employee actions contribute to that initiative.
September 20, 2024 | emarketer
What Marketers Get Most Wrong About Consumers
There’s some data from Collage Group which shows the reasons why U.S. LGBTQ+ adults feel that LGBTQ+-focused ads seem insincere. This is from last year, the number one reason was, “Only happens during or around Pride Month.”
September 16, 2024 | ADAGE
Hispanic Heritage Month— Brands Need Engagement Strategies, Not Celebrations
Evaluate your current strategies for reaching and engaging Hispanic consumers. Are your efforts authentic, inclusive and relevant? Should you do some original research? Sure, if you have the time and money. But there are great secondary sources. Have you spoken to bespoke multicultural researchers such as Collage Group? Have you spoken to people close to your consumers in your own organization who can give you a sense of what’s working and what’s not? It’s remarkable how much is right at our fingertips.
September 15, 2024 | The Latin Times
Only 4% of Latinos Use the Term ‘Latinx’ but Awareness has Almost Doubled in the Last Five Years
A study by Collage Group provided insights into the major trends concerning how people with Latin American heritage feel about the various terms used to identify them. According to the survey, conducted exclusively with people of Spanish-speaking Latin American origin for this portion, the preferred term was “Hispanic” (35%) over “Latino” (21%).
September 10, 2024 | MediaPost
YouTube, WhatsApp Power Multicultural Media Use
Multicultural audiences engage with media somewhat differently, and new research from Collage uncovers some connection powerhouses. Black and Asian audiences spend more time on YouTube than any other channel, at 45% and 48%, respectively, and say it is gaining trust more quickly than other platforms.
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Latest Press Releases
January 28, 2025 | GlobeNewswire
Cultural Intelligence Leader Collage Launches Proprietary AI Solutions to Fuel Client Brand Growth, and Announces New Chief Insights Officer and New Head of Sales
Collage, the leading provider of cultural intelligence, has launched its proprietary AI-enabled platform to revolutionize the way brands uncover cultural insights, identify and connect with growth segments, and drive revenue. In addition, the company added prominent leadership hires to accelerate transformative growth.
October 23, 2024 | YAHOO! FINANCE
Cultural Intelligence Leader Collage Releases Q3 Products to Enable Marketers to Future-Proof Their Brands
Collage, the leading provider of cultural intelligence, is pleased to announce several new innovations – officially rolled out in Q3 – across its product portfolio.
The company is also sharing its Cultural Fluency Maker Award honorees, which recognizes the world’s leading brands for applying cultural intelligence for impact.
July 15, 2024 | Yahoo! Finance
Cultural Intelligence Leader Collage Unveils Latest Innovations: Brand Love Dashboard, Competitive Comparisons, Sports Intel & More
Collage, the leading provider of cultural intelligence, announced several new innovations, deepening the company’s unmatched cultural insights about today’s diverse consumers to enable brands to drive revenue growth. Collage’s brand redesign and website relaunch (collagegroup.com) both signify the company’s transformation into the cultural intelligence engine that fuses consumer, brand, and industry insights to empower brands to attract the fastest growing incremental segments. The Q2 releases offer deeper, more meaningful cultural data and enhanced capabilities, accelerating the time to business impact.
April 3, 2024 | Yahoo! Finance
Tech Innovator Collage Group Launches New Industry, Audience, and Head-to-Head Insights to SaaS Cultural Intelligence Engine
Collage Group, the cultural intelligence leader, announced today several new innovative features to its fluen.ci SaaS application. The enhancements will enable brand marketers to improve brand health, benchmark brand performance against competitors within industry, optimize ad reach and effectiveness, and expand into new segments and markets.
March 20, 2024 | Yahoo! Finance
Cultural Intelligence Leader Collage Group Announces First Chief Marketing Officer, Elizabeth Jackson, as Company Accelerates Growth
Today Collage Group, a leading provider of Cultural Intelligence, announced Elizabeth Jackson as the company’s first Chief Marketing Officer – a pillar in fueling the organization’s growth. As a seasoned CMO, she possesses more than 30 years of experience in marketing, strategy, insights, and new product innovation.
January 26, 2024 | Hispanic Marketing Council
2024 HMC Strategic Excellence Awards Open with Expanded Jury of Senior Leaders from Brands, Media Houses, Agencies & Market Intelligence Firms
Over the course of three years, the Hispanic Marketing Council (HMC) has experienced explosive year-to-year growth in entries for the HMC Strategic Excellence Awards, the only award competition of its kind recognizing strategic excellence in Hispanic marketing and advertising and cultural fluency. As a testament to this award’s singular position in the marketplace, HMC welcomes cultural intelligence leader Collage Group as an exclusive partner of the awards.
October 31, 2023 | Yahoo! Finance
Collage Group Launches New Software Solution, fluen.ci, Offering Instant Access to Brand-Specific Cultural Insights
Cultural intelligence powerhouse Collage Group unveiled a new, AI-powered software solution, fluen.ci, providing instant access to culture-centric, brand-specific insights for marketing and insights leaders at America’s iconic brands. Grounded in more than 12 years of rich, cultural research, fluen.ci promises to unlock the consumer insights needed to provide direction and validation for brand growth and the competitor and industry comparisons necessary to win diverse American consumers, our country’s growth driver.
May 4, 2023 | GlobalNewswire
David Wellisch, CEO of Cultural Intelligence Leader Collage Group, Honored as Entrepreneur of The Year® 2023 Mid-Atlantic Award Finalist
Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) has announced that David Wellisch, CEO and Co-Founder of Collage Group has been named an Entrepreneur of The Year® 2023 Mid-Atlantic Award finalist. Now in its 37th year, Entrepreneur of The Year is a preeminent competitive business award for transformative entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who are building a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous world for all.
December 13, 2022 | Yahoo! Finance
Revealed: Top Ads Resonating Among Younger Black Consumers
A recent study examining more than 80 commercials determined which advertisements resonated the best among younger Black consumers aged 18-42.
The analysis, conducted by cultural intelligence leader, Collage Group, assesses ad performance using the Ad Cultural Fluency Quotient (A-CFQ) which measures consumer sentiment across four key dimensions. These include Brand Fit (the ad fits the brand), Relevance (the ad is for people like me), Message (the ad has an important message) and Enjoyment (the ad is enjoyable to watch).
November 17, 2022
The Impact of Culture on American Holiday Celebrations: Collage Group Explains
In anticipation of the coming holiday season, cultural intelligence company, Collage Group, explored how American consumers prepare for and celebrate the winter holiday season. Calling on findings from its multicultural Holidays & Occasions research, experts examined how culture impacts several end-of-the-year holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Kwanzaa.
November 10, 2022
Multicultural Americans Believe the American Dream is Still Reachable, Says Collage Group
Findings from a new study reveal that multicultural Americans have strong faith in the “American Dream.” In fact, 78% of Black, Asian, and Hispanic American consumers say they have achieved or believe they can achieve the American Dream, as compared to 69% of White consumers. This is according to the just-released annual report titled “America Now 2022: Harnessing American Identity to Navigate Social Issues,” produced by cultural intelligence company, Collage Group.
October 12, 2022
Collage Group Appoints Gregory Cypes as Chief Product and Technology Officer
The leading source of cultural intelligence, Collage Group, announced today that Gregory Cypes has joined the team as Chief Product and Technology Officer, a new leadership role. With more than 20 years of experience in the tech sector, Cypes is expected to shape the future of the company’s cultural intelligence platform, and data & technology offerings, which are currently used to guide over 300 of America’s iconic brands partnered with Collage Group.