Are We There Yet?

By Roberto Orci

2021 is filled with promise when it comes to multicultural marketing, but there are troubling signs suggesting that we still have a way to go in order to be truly inclusive in society and in business.

In the Post George Floyd era, we have seen significant changes in how corporations are willing to stand for fairness and inclusivity. Here are some recent examples.

·     Pepsi is helping black-owned restaurants with their “Dig In” effort by highlighting several black-owned eateries in a national TV spot. They are also providing business services, training and mentorship to help selected restaurants grow. The Coca-Cola Company also denounced the violence.

·     Ben & Jerry’s has never held back in their support of progressive causes jumped in this week in calling the pro-Trump assault of the U.S. Capitol “a riot to uphold white supremacy.” They went further and called for Trump to resign.

There are many companies of course who, like Nike, have stood in favor of Black Lives Matter, in support of the environment and other good causes. But where does that leave us when it comes to SUSTAINED support for equality and inclusion in business and marketing?

If I were a Pollyanna, I would happily say that we turned a corner, and all is well now that the new administration will take over on January 20. Discrimination is over. But, frankly, we are not there yet. I applaud the steps taken so far by companies in support of BLM. But true equality comes from accepting all people of color.

Consider this, Trump called COVID 19 “The China Virus” without rebukes from many corners. This resulted in threats to our Asian citizens. The issue of caged Hispanic children at the border and separation from their parents is still unresolved with not much movement to address it. Further, marketers are still treating multicultural segment marketing as secondary when in many categories the projected sales growth is slated to come from Hispanics, African Americans and Asian consumers. Yet only 5% of marketing dollars are targeting multicultural segments representing nearly half of the U.S. population. Admittedly, some corporations have announced plans to address this inequity, but not enough of them have. And plans are not action.

And Hollywood, the bastion of progressivism, is not doing much better. According the 2019 study from the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California, Hispanic representation in films is “abysmal.” Hispanic actors in lead or co-lead roles were featured in 5% of films, compared to their 18% share of the population. Black people and Asians fared better with 16% and 7% of leading roles, respectively.

To borrow a sentiment from Yoda, “Invest or don’t invest. There is no try.”

About Roberto Orci

Roberto is a marketing and advertising leader with extensive experience across numerous industries and a leading voice in diversity and inclusion as a business imperative. He can be reached at [email protected]. @LDC @ANA_AIMM