What’s Ahead in 2024: Unveiling the Power of Diverse America

As we embark on the opportunities ahead in the new year, we are delighted to share insights from some of the latest diverse consumer trends, cutting-edge strategies, and invaluable research across industries that will shape your approach to winning diverse America in the coming year and beyond.

The most critical framing point that is guiding Collage Group and our members through the new year and beyond is to reveal the “why” of underlying consumer behavior in ways no one else does.

The Top Insights of 2023 Reveal Challenges & Opportunities in the Year Ahead: Discover our Latest Blog for a Full Round-Up and Additional Context

Our top insights from 2023, taken with what we know about the year ahead, helps us come up with educated predictions around what you should be thinking about.

As we approach an election year, we expect increased tension, a feeling of polarization and possibility of backlash. This will increase consumers’ demands for brands to speak up; not to become hyper-political, but to speak to the topics that are important to people.

We think an “issue-for-issues-sake” strategy to address social values is a fraught strategy. Instead, brands will grow by grounding issue strategies in who consumers are, not just what they want. And remember, cultural specificity is highly resonant with most Americans.

An Update to our Annual Calendar

Our calendar is a tool to orient ourselves, not just in terms of the exact date a study is published, but also in terms of where the big ideas come from and what research is an outpouring of that.

Traditionally we think of January as the start of the research year. But in 2024, we want to evolve that concept into thinking of the start of the research year to be earlier, specifically to the Cultural Fluency Summit in early November. Our annual Cultural Fluency Summit, last held in November 2023, is the event to present and discuss big research like our America Now study, the CultureRate report and the annual CMO panel. Instead of the wrap-up to the previous year, we’re now thinking about that event as the start to the next.

The insights within the Summit research didn’t aim to summarize 2023, but to illuminate 2024.

Three main streams of research fill this year:

• Content that spins off directly from Summit reports. Our America Now survey is huge, and we can never use all of the data collected from it in one report. Join us for additional webinars and releases for additional context throughout the first half of the year.
• Trended agenda content is the research you’re used to from us, but with a key upgrade for 2024. These are the consumer essentials, passion points, media, health & wellness, and other important studies that will be included in our member agenda. Now, however, we can trend that data from over the past three years—something new for 2024.
• And finally, a brand-new category of research: Dynamic Research. This is research that isn’t included in our member agenda because it can’t be planned for. These releases are responses to cultural moments, anticipating cultural moments, and covering other topics from new angles.

H1 2024 Agenda

The H1 2024 agenda is now available on the member site and includes a detailed agenda for Q1, our webinar schedule for Q1, and a preview at Q2. Check out our Q1 webinar offerings here:

We’re extremely excited about our research this year and we hope you feel the same way too! Contact us today to learn more.