Multicultural
Retail Spending Continues as Spending on Activities Rises

U.S. consumers have started to spend on in-person experiences again, but the pull-back on general merchandise retail spending that is expected to coincide with it has not played out. At least, not yet. Experiential spending reached 91% of 2019 levels, as of the end of 2021, but general merchandise retail spending remained elevated 19% above pre-pandemic levels, according to The NPD Group. Some diminished demand has been evident, with retail unit sales declining in nine of the first ten weeks of 2022, when compared to last year. However, revenue rose in excess of 5% in four of the same ten weeks.
The Immigrant Archive Project collects the stories of coming to call the U.S. home [PODCAST]

The Immigrant Archive Project, a collection of oral histories from the nation's immigrants, will be housed at the Library of Congress. NPR's Debbie Elliott speaks to archive founder Tony Hernandez.
1 in 5 Black Americans Find Black History Month Promotions Offensive [What The US Hispanic Market can LEARN]

As February comes to a close, brands big and small have concluded the discounts, sales, and promotions they launched to commemorate Black History Month 2022. While these promotions are ostensibly meant to celebrate Black history, do Black people believe that the promotions are held in good faith, with the intention of supporting the Black community?
Brand Allies: Seeing Multicultural Consumers As People First, Not Dollar Signs [PODCAST]

Multicultural marketing is finally being embraced as a necessity, not a nice-to-have. Marketers have traditionally been interested in marketing to diverse audiences around the release of Census data when they realized the changing demographics of American consumers.
The five zeros reshaping stores

Shoppers are reshaping the retail landscape faster than ever before. Nearly 40 percent have switched brands or retailers during the pandemic, and more than 80 percent have new shopping behaviors. More than half of those who used a new channel or service such as “buy online, pickup in store,” for example, said they would continue the practice post-COVID-19. As such, the omnichannel consumer has never been more powerful. They make purchases 70 percent more often and spend about 34 percent more than people who shop exclusively in store
Go Long: 5 Ways To Grow Your Brand

I grew up in Houston and, like most high school boys, we could not get enough football. During the week we had daily football practice. And most weekends, rain or shine, it was touch football in the park. We wanted to be the best. By Roberto Orci
ANA calls on Marketing Industry to combat Online Hate Speech

Ninety leading marketers, agencies, media companies, social media platforms, trade groups, and NGOs have pledged to take definitive action to combat online hate speech through their support of the ANA’s #EngageResponsibly initiative.
How to make marketing change management more successful

There has been an incredible amount of change within marketing departments (and of course businesses overall) over the past 2 years.
Why grocery advertising has never been more effective

Ad spend will yield better returns today than before the pandemic, as consumers are more receptive than ever.
Modern marketing dilemmas: Where does performance marketing meet brand building?

We unravel the criticism against Marketing ROI as a key metric, and explore how to get the balance right between short and long-term measurement.
5 Steps to Restructure Your Marketing Organization [REPORT]

Many marketing leaders are still feeling the long-lasting impacts from the pandemic, which has forced their organizations to be more agile and creative, even with restricted budgets.
Unlocking the core antagonists of resilience: The personal realm

How self-awareness and self-mastery are paramount in C-suite leadership
Estimates of Undercount and Overcount in the 2020 Census

Census Bureau released results from two analyses about the quality of the 2020 Census counts. While both showed the strength of the count for the total U.S. population, each analysis revealed that the 2020 Census overcounted or undercounted various demographic groups.
Want to produce great work? Stop treating your advertising agencies like dirt

A really fun thing about working in marketing is that anyone who has ever seen an ad reckons they know how to do your job.
Second chance for marketers in Second Life

No, this is not a reference to the current metaverse that marketers are going gaga over, it is the title of a blog post I wrote back in 2007. But you know what? I think the marketing issues raised in the post are just as relevant to marketers today as they were then. If you are going to spend your budget on setting up shop in the new metaverse, perhaps you should figure out how your brand will add value to that experience. By Nigel Hollis
TV’s starring role in exposing health disparities for Black women

Empowering historically excluded people to lead in the media industry means bringing their talent—as well as their lived experiences—to the forefront. Telling their unique stories often means opportunities for audiences to connect more deeply with the characters or headlines that represent their own path; one that may have otherwise gone unseen.
Three principles from four decades of media practice

Global media expert Ben Jankowski, former SVP Global Media at Mastercard, shares his key learnings from his forty-year career in media as he ends his impressive 11-year tenure at the company and eight years as a global chair of WFA’s Media Forum to start a new consulting venture.
How Black audiences are engaging with audio more than ever

For African Americans, content is the common language.
MAGNA Hosts 2nd Annual Equity Upfront Focused on Deep Engagement and Collaboration with Diverse-Owned Media Companies in 2022 and Beyond

MAGNA, the investment and intelligence company of IPG Mediabrands, announced its second annual Equity Upfront™, taking place on April 5 – 7th, 2022. The theme for this year’s event is “Invest for Impact” and will be a hybrid experience, both virtual and in-person, focusing on highlighting the impact of diverse audiences on media consumption and their impact on brand loyal
Minority-Owned Media Gets A Boost With Nielsen’s New Study

The movement for racial justice over the last two years empowered diverse communities to raise their voices and call for action and advocacy from brands and businesses. The marketing and advertising industry met the call to action by committing to increase investment in diverse-owned media. As agencies and brands readied to invest, they found some bumps in the road. Which media companies are diverse-owned beyond the major players? How do we evaluate the power of diverse-owned media in delivering audiences? What about diverse targeted and diverse operated media companies? By Isaac Mizrahi - Co-President of ALMA Agency