June 2017 Latinum Digest

This month, we’ll be splitting the digest in five categories:

• Multicultural Marketing Must-Knows: The five must-read’s of the month to stay up-to-date with multicultural marketing executions
• Celebrate Pride: June is National Pride Month – a look back at some of this month’s best Pride-centric campaigns
• Multicultural in Sports: A look at what’s trending with multicultural consumers in sports
• Cultural Altruism: Check out companies that celebrated diversity through giving back
• Culture & Crossover:  A mash-up of multicultural pop culture

Each summary includes an external link for reference.

Multicultural Must-Knows
Yoplait promotes acceptance through humor and diversity of experiences		Yoplait’s latest ad shows moms of varying ages and ethnicities exclaiming proudly that they reject judgement about how they choose to mother their children: one mother talks about how she chose not to breastfeed, while another breastfeeds in public. The humorous ad makes a careful point to have a diverse cast and playfully gives insight into aspects of motherhood that are often seen as taboo. For more
Mattel rolls out diverse line of Ken dolls		Wish you had a Ken doll with a man bun? Mattel launched its most diverse line of Ken dolls to date: with three body types, seven skin tones, and three hairstyles. The company says this is in an effort to allow consumers to buy dolls that reflect the people and communities they live in. Multicultural consumers crave better representation in media, and this is a great step towards this on Mattel’s behalf. For more
Wonder Woman delivers action-packed, female-centric origin story		Warner Brothers’ newest blockbuster is making a big splash at the box office. Wonder Woman features Israeli actress Gal Gadot, and has been hailed as a subversively feminist, empowering movie. It addresses head on why it is important to have female leads in action movies, and parodies many of the classic tropes that action movies often pigeonhole women into. Learn more about what and how consumers watch other movies here. For more
Chrysler launches Hispanic-targeted “Hero” campaign		Chrysler just unveiled its latest ad for the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, a minivan. The Spanish-language ad depicts a bicultural Hispanic mother driving her young son to school, while her son daydreams about how he can make the minivan seem cool to his carpooling partner crush. The ad endearingly uses humor, among other winks to bicultural Hispanics, to demonstrate the variety of features the car has to offer. For more
Wall Street’s “Fearless Girl” statue sweeps at Cannes Film Festival		In March of this year, investment firm State Street Global Advisors erected a statue of a brazen young girl opposite Wall Street’s long-standing Charging Bull statue. The sculpture generated huge buzz on social media about everything from art in politics to corporate feminism. In June, the installation took home the prize for the first three competitions at Cannes Film Festival, including the Glass Lion Grand Prix. For more

Celebrate Pride
Budweiser is written into Nashville’s arc to empower a gay celebrity		To make nods to Pride, Budweiser commissioned CMT show Nashville to write Budweiser into the show’s storyline. In the show, Budweiser casts an openly gay character who is a country singer to be the star of their ad, saying that he is the “pinnacle of masculinity.” The dialogue makes explicit reference to the fact that it’s revolutionary that a gay country star can be seen in this light. Art imitates life here, as we’ve seen consumers and brands becoming more open to progressive values. For more
Wells Fargo raises awareness for LGBTQ+ foundations		In celebrating this year’s Pride Month, Wells Fargo created short films which highlight the impact that four LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations have had on their communities. Wells Fargo supports each of these organizations financially, has been a longstanding public advocate of the gay rights movement. Although their support has resulted in backlash more than once,  it has also driven support and gratitude for the brand. For more
Marriott’s Love Travels campaign promotes inclusion through art		For the past five years, Marriott has run a Pride-centric campaign called Love Travels. In this year’s iteration, Marriott asked celebrities and guests alike to contribute to a mural in person or through social media. For every submission they received, the brand donated to Casa Ruby and the True Colors fund, which help stem homelessness among LGBTQ+ youth. Read our 2015 case study on the #LoveTravels campaign here. For more
Equinox creates short-form video on LGBTQ+ alphabets		Upscale gym Equinox created a 5-minute video which defines 26 terms, A to Z, about the LGBTQ+ community. The video highlights why it is important to recognize that not everyone falls into a simple L, G, B, or T definition, and encourages the audience to think beyond labels. It features LGBTQ+ influencers and dancers, and aligns with the brand’s central messaging scheme to “Commit to Something.” For more

Multicultural in Sports
Samsung honors Russell Westbrook		Samsung has released two ads which feature NBA MVP Russell Westbrook. The first explores Westbrook’s childhood in LA and the obstacles he has overcome, while the second chronicles the string of epithets he has been called until his latest achievement of being crowned MVP. Samsung’s ads give Westbrook a chance to talk about his background in a nuanced way, and highlights how he is a powerful African-American influencer beyond just the basketball arena. For more
Foot Locker ad gives Lonzo Ball the chance to poke fun at his dad in Fathers’Day spot		A few weeks before Fathers’ Day, Foot Locker partnered with several African-American players awaiting the NBA draft. The spot features several African-American men, including Lonzo Ball, talking about how their father influenced their game. Ball’s father Lavar, a former NFL star, is infamous for his outbursts both on Twitter and on the court. Lonzo playfully talks about his father’s various outbursts courtside and how they got him where he is today. The Balls, who don’t have a traditional family dynamic, are a great example of a modern family in today’s society. For more
Gatorade highlights failures of Michael Jordan and Serena Williams failure		Gatorade’s latest star-studded spot features clips of key athletes talking about their lowest moments of sports, and closes with the tagline: “Make Defeat Your Fuel.” Serena Williams talks about a massive upset, while Michael Jordan remembers when he got cut from his high school varsity team. Instead of highlighting these stars’ athletic prowess, the ad makes these players more mortal, and authentically portrays vulnerable times in their journey. For more

Cultural Altruism
Whirlpool expands its educational initiative		Thousands of children skip school because they don’t have access to clean clothes. Realizing this, washer-dryer manufacturer Whirlpool donated washers and dryers to two school districts in highly multicultural MSAs in California. They identified at-risk students, and saw that students who used the machines had decreased truancy and increased involvement in extracurricular activities. Recognizing the success of their pilot program, Whirlpool expanded their initiative nationwide. This is a great example of a humanity-connected campaign, which is just one part of the Cultural Weight equation. Read more about cultural weight here. For more
Starbucks joins forces with Lady Gaga to empower school children		Starbucks and Lady Gaga have partnered to release a limited-time “Cups of Kindness” drink line. Portions of proceeds from Lady Gaga’s lines go to the Born this Way Foundation, a non-profit founded by Gaga which promotes education about diversity and helps schools put steps in place to prevent bullying. This partnership shows Starbucks’ ongoing commitment to honoring diversity and empowering youth. Multicultural consumers respond well to brands who authentically support causes. For more
Lin-Manuel Miranda encourages consumers to donate to pro-immigration coalition		Lin-Manuel Miranda’s latest project is to raise awareness for his non-profit, Immigrants: We Get The Job Done Coalition. To drive awareness, he released a stunning music video which highlights the immigrant experience in the United States. He also launched a social media initiative which asks people to post videos of themselves singing their favorite Hamilton song, donate, and tap friends to do so as well, a la 2014’s Ice Bucket Challenge. Manuel is a great example of a cultural influencer who has used his influence to activate around cultural issues that he naturally aligns with. For more

Culture and Crossover
The Slants, an Asian-American band, win naming case at the Supreme Court level		Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that Asian-American band The Slants could trademark their band name, which the US trademark office had previously rejected because it was offensive. The band argued their name is part of a larger movement to reclaim “slants” away from being racial slur. Asian consumers tend to have strong pride in their cultural identity. This ruling will have a ripple effect on other brand names that could be construed as offensive, like the Redskins. For more
Twitter and Chance the Rapper use symbiotic relationship for new spot		Chance the Rapper is a huge Twitter user: he makes announcements exclusively through the social media site, and uses it as his main vehicle of communication with fans. Recognizing him as a natural influencer partner, Twitter created a spot as part of their #SeeAllSides campaign where Chance asks his fans for song suggestions before a concert. In the ad, he receive a barrage of positive and negative feedback. This authentic ad highlights how digitally engaged younger consumers are, and how Twitter affects the lives of the influencer and the fan. For more
Orange is the New Black makes minor cultural faux pas, eliciting big Twitter reaction		Netflix Original series Orange is the New Black satirizes life in a women’s prison. In the latest season, two Hispanic inmates get their hands on a contraband cell phone and become beauty influencers. One character talks about how she creates her makeup palette using everyday Hispanic kitchen spices: “cinnamon, cumin, and Sazón Goya.” As she says Sazón Goya, she points to a bottle of Adobo. Twitter erupted, calling her out on the mistake. Don’t make a similar mistake! Check out our study on authentic cooking here. For more
BBC creates miniseries highlighting diversity		The BBC premiered a new mini-series, Sorry Not Sorry, which explores stories about individuality and self-identity. Each episode spotlights a diverse person, exploring anything from the nature of what it is like to be a trans man, to coming out to ones’ family, to marrying ones’ first cousin. The series reflects growing cognizance in the media of the importance of highlighting diversity in life experiences. For more