Trends
What Is The New Majority? Who They Are and Why They Matter
The New Majority is made up of the 192 million Americans under 45: Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha. They now represent 56% of the U.S. population and are the most diverse, digitally native, and soon-to-be, economically influential consumer bloc in the country. They are the "new general market." By Jacqueline Hernández and Jack Rico
“How much should we spend on marketing?”
“How much should we spend on marketing?” - - If that’s the question, the answer is usually wrong. By Rick Ramos - Fractional CMO
“Is software dead?
That's the question on everyone's mind. It's what is being whispered in boardrooms, on X, and across investor calls right now. Having built businesses in communications, marketing, and media, I've seen lots of disintermediation before. (cable fragments and ends the broadcasters' monopoly, the internet, Google and search advertising, social media and programmatic advertising, and now AI and the collapse of the creative/distribution stack), and we reinvented, survived, and thrived through it all. With AI agents cranking out code faster than ever, SaaS stocks getting hammered, and headlines screaming 'SaaSpocalypse,' it's easy to buy the panic. By Tony Dieste
Super Bowl LX (2026): A Multicultural Lens on Representation, Relevance, and Retreat
The Super Bowl as America’s Cultural Barometer: The Super Bowl is the most expensive—and most revealing—mirror of American culture. Beyond a showcase for products or creative ambition, it signals who brands believe America is, who they choose to see, who they quietly leave out, and which audiences truly matter. It remains the single most powerful stage for inclusive storytelling, now rivaled only by the year-long cultural force of the World Cup. By Liz Castells-Heard, CEO & Chief Strategy Officer, INFUSION by Castells
Major Strategic Disconnect Today Between Elected Leaders and Hispanic Voters
TelevisaUnivision released an important new survey conducted by The Harris Poll of over 500 registered Hispanic voters in Texas showing affordability is the defining priority for 2026. The poll also vividly demonstrates a major strategic disconnect between elected leaders and Hispanic voters on several important fronts.
In Latin America, when violence rises, women’s economic opportunities fall
Imagine deciding whether to work, study, or commute not based on opportunity, but on fear. Across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), high levels of crime and insecurity shape everyday economic decisions in ways that rarely show up in headline labor statistics. While violent crime affects both women and men, its economic consequences vary. Women experience violence differently, and those differences translate into unequal access to work, income, and economic autonomy. A growing body of evidence shows that violent crime acts as a structural barrier to women’s labor market participation.
Immigration will play an essential role in shaping the future of US economic growth
Immigration patterns in the United States appear to be shifting after the post-pandemic surge. Between 2022 and 2024, the foreign-born labor force expanded at an average annual rate of 4%, while the native-born labor force grew by just 1.1%. But that trend now seems to be changing: Net immigration fell sharply last year, and is expected to fall even further this year.
Memory Protects Freedom – What Exiles Teach Us About America
After conducting thousands of hours of immigrant oral histories through the Immigrant Archive Project, I have noticed a quiet pattern in the stories of political refugees. Whether they came from Cuba, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Iran, or the former Soviet Union, many arrived in the United States carrying something that people born inside stable democracies rarely have to develop. A deep awareness of how fragile freedom can be. By Tony Hernandez - The Immigrant Archive
Understanding Generation Alpha
I have a front row seat to Generation Alpha. They’re my daughters. Ruby was born in 2010 and Sophia in 2012, placing them at the beginning of the first generation born entirely in the 21st century. The name “Generation Alpha” was coined by Australian social researcher Mark McCrindle. After Gen Z, we ran out of letters in the Latin alphabet, so he moved to the Greek alphabet. Alpha. A beginning. It fits. By David Morse
Family Caregiving in an Aging America. [REPORT]
As the U.S. population ages, the need for caregivers among older adults is on the rise. There’s growing evidence that family members are increasingly taking on these roles.
FOR THE CULTURE: How Multicultural Gen Z Creators Are Shaping Brand Narratives. [REPORT] – Part 3
We are excited to share our new five-part cultural intelligence report, The Omnicultural Series. This series explores the rise of the Omnicultural segment: who they are, how they behave, and, most importantly, what this evolution means for brands and business opportunities, along with other key insights shaping today’s cultural landscape.
Black History Month Isn’t Gone. It’s Just Quiet.
This Black History Month feels unusually quiet. By Pepper Miller - Cultural Insights Strategist & Trust Steward
America’s Fastest-Growing Consumer: Radio at the Center of Growth
In a previous Sound Answers release, we explored how radio earns the trust of Hispanic consumers. It's a connection built on culture, community, language, and daily habit. That relationship remains strong. But the larger market reality tells a more urgent story.
Price premiums are the ultimate measure of successful professional relationships. Holding Companies have failed to achieve them
Clients pay extremely well for improved growth and performance. Fees paid to consultants prove this theory. Madison Avenue's pricing is commodity-like, indicating the ineffectiveness of agency work. By Michael Farmer is Professor of Branding & Integrated Communications at The City College of New York.
The New American Child
Through my work on the Immigrant Archive Project, I have interviewed thousands of immigrants about the lives they left behind—and the ones they built here. But some of the most revealing interviews I have ever conducted took place much closer to home. I interviewed my parents, and I interviewed my three daughters. What emerged was not simply a family story. It was a generational arc that explains how America renews itself. By Tony Hernandez
THE 2028 GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE CRISIS
What follows is a scenario, not a prediction. This isn’t bear porn or AI doomer fan-fiction. The sole intent of this piece is modeling a scenario that’s been relatively underexplored. This artilcle requires Brain Power
Many U.S. Counties Had High Poverty Rates Over 20 Years
In 309 or almost 10% of U.S. counties, mostly in the South, poverty rates stayed at 20% or more for two decades, according to the recently released American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates.
Latina Fandom Report. [REPORT]
Latina fans do not experience culture in isolation. They experience it collectively. They share recommendations in group chats. They bring products into family conversations. They turn brand discovery into communal validation. Culture does not stop with them, it moves through them.
Branding: last names vs lame names
When it comes to brand names, Italians do it better. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Prada, Armani, Versace, Gucci, Buitoni, Ferrero, Barilla, Bulgari, Ferragamo, Fendi, Benetton, Zegna, Ducati, Lavazza, Campari, Peroni. They just use their last names. By Gonzalo López Martí - LMMiami.com
