America Now: Navigating Political Polarization in an Election Year

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Americans are contending with issues like inflation, “wokeness,” excitement and fears about the emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence, and increased intensity around LGBTQ+ inclusion, especially transgender and non-binary issues. Swirling around in a landscape of political polarization, various brand action has been met with immense and often surprising backlash, leaving brands scrambling to respond.

To help member brands fuel growth, we share proprietary data and expert analysis to unveil the cultural values behind political polarization, demystify backlash, and highlight two thematic approaches to steering through the modern minefield of social and political issues.

What Surprised Us:

The generational tug-of-war between Gen Z and Baby Boomers is a foundational source of polarization in the country and is instigating backlash towards brands. Generational tension isn’t a new phenomenon, but this culture shift is distinct from previous cycles in two ways:

1) Social media is amplifying individual opinions and aggravating conflict.

2) Real diversity in the United States is rapidly increasing the multitude of different cultural backgrounds and perspectives.

The Big Picture

To bridge the cultural divide and fuel brand growth, brands must act on 3 key truths:

Truth #1: Polarization Is Permanent

Political ideology now plays a bigger role in Americans’ identities, so brands must understand how that translates to personal values.

Action: Respond to amplified intersectionality, gender and sexuality shifts, and a generational transformation by telling stories that highlight a Collective Individualism – everyone’s unique identities are exactly what holds us together. Polarization is here to stay but it’s not binary. Avoid simplistic caricatures and speak to values over politics.

Truth #2: Backlash Is Inevitable

There is good news and bad news. The good news is that inclusive marketing is succeeding. Significantly more Americans now say they are satisfied with how their race, ethnicity, and sexuality are portrayed in advertising. The bad news is that bad actors are often using inclusive marketing as a wedge to provoke backlash. In order to deal with this backlash, brands must understand the nature of it and the source of that risk.

Backlash is inevitable, but it’s not all the same. Familiarize yourself with the types of backlash and protect your brand by knowing your risk and your audience.

These types include:

1) Sharing feedback about a bad experience – this risk is more apparent among conservative consumers

2) Breaking up with a brand an no longer buying from them – liberal consumers are more likely to pull this lever, and

3) Boycotting a brand and encouraging others to do the same – Liberals also engage in this type of backlash most frequently, but conservative consumers are close behind.

Action: Don’t freeze in the face of backlash. Inaction is the biggest risk. Growth will come by connecting with key consumer segments via engagement across social and political issues.

Truth #3: Brands Must (and Can) Engage

Consumers still demand brands engage in social and political issues. But doing this well doesn’t mean responding to individual issues (that can often lead to trouble), but rather speaking to powerful and unifying themes; specifically Personal Protections and Social Freedoms.

Action: Communicate across broad themes rather than getting bogged down in single issues. Don’t shy away from addressing social and political issues that fit your brand’s values and strategy.

Speak to Americans’ desire for Personal Protections: The world feels like a scary place right now and consumers want to know how you plan to look out for them.

Advocate for American’s Social Freedoms: Not everyone agrees about the specifics of modern inclusion, but most want the freedom to “be me.”

America Now is Collage Group’s signature research report identifying the national zeitgeist and how brands can build for growth within a complex national environment. America Now was first published during the pivotal year of 2020 and has since carved out a yearly, data-backed roadmap for greater brand engagement and consumer loyalty.

The world’s leading brands turn to Collage Group to build trust with this critical consumer segment and more. Contact us for additional studies on how to connect with today’s consumers, and to learn how to make your brand a winner with high-growth segments.

As we continue to navigate uncertainty, polarity, and speed of technology, it is increasingly important to understand how best to manage emotions to drive connection and loyalty with consumers. Marketing leaders across industries are all working to gain a competitive edge in understanding and influencing consumer behavior, but need to understand that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach.

Your brand must connect with and engage diverse and complex consumers across segments. Because if you do not, you are missing out on key consumers that are imperative for brand growth now and in the future.

What Surprised Us

Conventional wisdom is that the best ad steer clear of polarization altogether. This isn’t the case – in fact our research shows that 45% of the top ads actually polarize people both on emotions and on relevance of the ad to the consumer. Differing opinions on an ad’s content, its emotional resonance, or the people and issues it showcases don’t inherently diminish its effectiveness.

Understanding Emotional Polarization

With 72% of Americans advocating for brand engagement in social and political issues, the landscape demands attention. Various demographic segments express even higher expectations, signaling a shift towards values-driven consumerism. However, navigating emotional polarization doesn’t necessarily diminish performance.

The best ads use polarization in two ways: First, through the Halo Effect, by embracing common experiences underlying the expression of different cultural specifics, for example of multigenerational families, or love of sport. And second through the Kindling Effect, by resolving challenging diverging emotional responses in favor of the brand and its role in enabling resolution of these tensions.

Lessons Learned from Case Studies

Navigating emotional disagreement is a more delicate balance for brands. Just 18% of the top-performing ads are highly polarized on emotions. However, it is possible to turn negative sentiment to your advantage by leveraging the Kindling Effect, which harnesses powerful emotions triggered by an ad, to motivate consumer actions.

In examining case studies, we saw Bud Light’s attempt at transgender inclusivity resulted in backlash due to perceived inauthenticity in response to backlash. Conversely, the NFL’s ad featuring rising star Diana Flores navigated gender inequity successfully, driving enjoyment and minimizing backlash.

Interested in a deeper dive across brand activations? We would love to share with you! Partner with us and learn more.

Unlocking Cultural Insights with fluen.ci(SM)

Our fluen.ci application offers instant access to actionable cultural insights. With dynamic dashboards and category packages, fluen.ci empowers brands to understand consumer perceptions, identify strengths and weaknesses, and develop growth strategies tailored to diverse audiences.

Understanding and navigating emotional polarization is essential for brands seeking authentic connections with consumers. Contact us today to gain additional, valuable insights and actionable strategies to thrive in today’s complex marketplace.

2023 is The Year of Backlash.

Americans are contending with issues like inflation, “wokeness,” excitement and fears about the emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence, and increased intensity around LGBTQ+ inclusion, especially transgender and non-binary issues. Swirling around in a landscape of political polarization, various brand action has been met with immense and often surprising backlash, leaving brands scrambling to respond.

In the America Now 2023 presentation, we share proprietary data and expert analysis to unveil the cultural values behind political polarization, demystify backlash, and highlight two thematic approaches to steering through the modern minefield of social and political issues.

What Surprised Us:

The generational tug-of-war between Gen Z and Baby Boomers is a foundational source of polarization in the country and is instigating backlash towards brands. Generational tension isn’t’ a new phenomenon, but this culture shift is distinct from previous cycles in two ways:

1. Social media is amplifying individual opinions and aggravating conflict.
2. Real diversity in the United States is rapidly increasing the multitude of different cultural backgrounds and perspectives.

The Big Picture:

To bridge the cultural divide and fuel brand growth, brands must act on 3 key truths:

Truth #1: Polarization Is Permanent

Political ideology now plays a bigger role in Americans’ identities, so brands must understand how that translates to personal values.

Action: Respond to amplified intersectionality, gender and sexuality shifts, and a generational transformation by telling stories that highlight a Collective Individualism – everyone’s unique identities are exactly what holds us together. Polarization is here to stay but it’s not binary. Avoid simplistic caricatures and speak to values over politics.

Truth #2: Backlash Is Inevitable

There is good news and bad news. The good news is that inclusive marketing is succeeding. Significantly more Americans now say they are satisfied with how their race, ethnicity, and sexuality are portrayed in advertising. The bad news is that bad actors are often using inclusive marketing as a wedge to provoke backlash. In order to deal with this backlash, brands must understand the nature of it and the source of that risk.

Backlash is inevitable, but it’s not all the same. Familiarize yourself with the types of backlash and protect your brand by knowing your risk and your audience. These types include 1) Sharing feedback about a bad experience – this risk is more apparent among conservative consumers, 2) Breaking up with a brand an no longer buying from them – liberal consumers are more likely to pull this lever, and 3) Boycotting a brand and encouraging others to do the same – Liberals also engage in this type of backlash most frequently, but conservative consumers are close behind.

Action: Don’t freeze in the face of backlash. Inaction is the biggest risk. Growth will come by connecting with key consumer segments via engagement across social and political issues.

Truth #3: Brands Must (and Can) Engage

Consumers still demand brands engage in social and political issues. But doing this well doesn’t mean responding to individual issues (that can often lead to trouble), but rather speaking to powerful and unifying themes; specifically Personal Protections and Social Freedoms.

Action: Communicate across broad themes rather than getting bogged down in single issues. Don’t shy away from addressing social and political issues that fit your brand’s values
and strategy.

Speak to Americans’ desire for Personal Protections: The world feels like a scary place right now and consumers want to know how you plan to look out for them.

Advocate for American’s Social Freedoms: Not everyone agrees about the specifics of modern inclusion, but most want the freedom to “be me.”

Contact us to learn how you can access the full America Now report and navigate today’s intensifying social and political landscape, mitigate the risk of backlash, and grow your brand with diverse consumer segments.

The Challenge

Conventional ad testing poses challenges with legacy norms and sample bias and can exacerbate a cultural disconnect between your brand and the consumers you need to engage for growth.

The Opportunity

Built on a framework of a deep understanding of the cultural and emotional influences that inform how consumers from diverse backgrounds process ads, CultureRate:Ad helps you connect across culture.

If done incorrectly, advertising can create backlash, which we define as flipping perception from positive to negative, creating a substantial decline in Brand Favorability. According to our CultureRate:Ad research, a startling 20-25% of consumers experience a “flip” in perception after watching just one ad. Our measurement of Backlash, combined with other metrics, can reveal characteristics of your ad that could be harmful to your brand.

This is a common challenge by leading brands. Read on for several examples of consumer backlash resulting from ads that missed the cultural mark.

Jeep | Winter 2021

Washington Post
With the attack on the U.S. Capitol only a month prior to the airing of this ad, emotions were high – fear, and anger, and joy – and all still fresh in the public consciousness. Calls by Jeep for unity and “the middle” were panned as “late” and “tone-deaf.”

Featuring Bruce Springsteen, a working-class hero of days gone by, the somber embrace of nostalgia didn’t seem to be an answer to the challenges of “the road ahead.” While it may have been intended as heartfelt, especially coming from the Boss, the dissonance between tone and message seemed to offer more confusion than reconciliation for Americans across all political persuasions. The ad was eventually pulled, following consumer backlash combined with a Springsteen drunk driving scandal.

Twitch | September 2020

esports.com
In its attempt to celebrate the Hispanic community during Hispanic Heritage Month, Twitch was heavily criticized for their campaign launching “stereotypical” emotes and spotlighting primarily English-speaking streamers. The streaming community responded with outrage. Within three hours, Twitch apologized saying they “missed the mark” and removed the emotes from the platform.

Peloton | Fall 2019

New York Times
With an ad widely criticized as “sexist and dystopian,” Peloton effectively tanked their stock by nearly $1.5 billion. The ad features a woman who received an exercise bike from her partner as a Christmas gift. She’s inspired to record a video diary of her new exercise routine, which she says, “changed her.” Critics slammed the ad as “offensive” and “damaging” calling attention to the fact that she was thin at the beginning of the ad, and implying her partner was patronizing for telling her to get fitter and lose weight.

Dolce & Gabbana | Winter 2018

Fast Company
In a failed attempt at a gaffe, a D&G ad featured a confused Asian woman attempting to eat spaghetti with chopsticks. Dressed in a red, European style dress the ad subtly suggested that while the woman embraces European fashion, she’s too stupid to truly understand European culture. Chinese consumers took to social media (Weibo), calling the ad offensive, racist and deliberately misrepresenting their country as a third-world nation.

Pepsi | Spring 2017

New York Times
With borrowed imagery from the Black Lives Matter movement, Pepsi failed in its attempt “to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding”. The ad, featuring Kendall Jenner, shows attractive young people smiling, laughing, dancing, and clapping at a public demonstration. Supported by cheers and applause from the crowd, Jenner, a white woman, gives a grinning police officer a can of Pepsi. Social media erupted with criticism accusing Pepsi of “appropriating imagery to sell its product, while minimizing the danger protesters encounter and the frustration they feel.” Within a day of airing the ad, Pepsi immediately pulled it and offered a public apology.

Answering the Challenge

While connecting across diverse consumer cultures certainly comes with challenges, there is good news. You don’t have to risk spending millions on an ad campaign that generates Backlash and causes harm to your brand, and even your company’s stock price. Collage Group’s CultureRate:Ad offers brands a superior way to assess the cultural fluency and resonance of ads. 

CultureRate:Ad measures ad performance using a proprietary metric, the Ad Cultural Fluency Quotient. With a deep oversample of diverse Americans, brand leaders get rich insight into how consumers process ads across race and ethnicity, generation, sexual orientation, gender, and other factors. Brand leaders use CultureRate:Ad and CultureRate:Brand to build cultural fluency, the capability to drive total market growth from inclusive, diverse-led marketing.

Harness the power of cultural intelligence to win diverse America. Contact us to discover how you can turn insights into impact today!