The advocacy surrounding inclusion in entertainment over the last several years has brought the issue to the forefront of news and created industry pressure. Despite the noise and intensity of protest, activism and awareness have generated little real or lasting change. Our research has shown that across 900 popular movies from the last decade — including the 100 top-grossing films of 2016 —...
The Bread and Butter…
Confession: I’m a foodie. No, I don’t cook often – almost never to be honest – but my committed following of food-based online and social pages classifies me as a self-proclaimed food connoisseur. Yes. I’m one of those people who flood your timeline with my favorite food finds of the day and yes, I am also the future of online video content for businesses across...
Homelessness remains a serious social issue in the United States, affecting more than a half-million Americans on any given night. Over a fifth of this number are estimated to be children. Nearly 40,000 are veterans. More than 35,000 were unaccompanied homeless youth, who are some of the most vulnerable overall, at high risk for physical and sexual abuse, substance abuse, unwanted pregnancy...
Blended in every way, this diverse, digitally rooted generation that spans from kindergarten to college grad is changing the foundation of retail and marketing at lightning speed.
They are the first generation to grow up seeing interracial relationships, gay marriage and equality for all on mainstream media. Fifty percent identify as mixed race or as part of an ethnic group. And,...
Michael Jordan once said, “Republicans buy shoes, too,” and that statement could not be more relevant than it is today. In an environment that is becoming more and more politically divided, it was only a matter of time before the polarization plague infected big corporations. Brands are increasingly finding themselves in a catch-22 situation. The WE Worldwide’s Brand in Motion study reminds us...
When Donald Trump exclaimed “You are fake news!” to CNN’s Jim Acosta during his first press conference as president-elect, the popularity of the phrase erupted. But it is ironic that “fake news” is only now an issue in the U.S.: It has existed quite openly in many Asian countries for decades under the name of “propaganda.”
In China, the government department responsible is 中共中央宣传部,...
Our current hyper-partisan, polarized world has a range of implications on corporations, one of which is the challenge communicators and marketers face in building communities for their brands. It seems like everything these days is seen through a partisan lens, so companies must be especially careful.
Building meaningful communities that strengthen relationships between a brand and...
A year ago, I wrote about how technology is reshaping the future of commerce. Fast forward to 2017 and a convergence of dynamics are accelerating this secular shift.
We’ve seen hundreds of store closures among previously stalwart retail giants, acquisitions of iconic offline chains by e-commerce players, as well as massive, lumbering offline retailers desperately seeking a foothold in...