J. G. Navarro
Research expert covering advertising and marketing with a focus on South America
Get in touch with us nowPerhaps paradoxically, the quest for diversity intertwines with the pursuit of relatability. According to the same study, two out of three U.S. adults favored a brand hiring a spokesperson who looked like them. This preference oscillated depending on the respondents' backgrounds. Among self-identifying white and Hispanic consumers, the share was roughly the same as the average. But three out of four Black interviewees appreciated spokespeople similar to them. This significantly higher favorability rate indicates that ads in the U.S. still have a long way to go in depicting and giving a platform to minorities.
What makes a brand 'woke' for U.S. consumers
The current use of the word "woke" as an adjective for being aware of social injustice and discrimination is common in African-American English (AAE). Yet consumers tend to distance the term from racial issues or broader causes, focusing instead on another group of people. A July 2023 survey asked U.S. adults what companies' actions they considered the most "woke." Supporting the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month ranked first – the acronym stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or questioning) persons, and other sexual orientations and gender identities. The second place was a tie between aligning with LGBTQ+ advocates and promoting diversity and inclusion in branding.Sexuality and, again, generation seem to play a role in the perception of this community. Over one-third of non-LGBTQ adults in the U.S. were uncomfortable with their children seeing LGBTQ people on social media, according to a mid-2023 study. Meanwhile, at least 60 percent of U.S. consumers aged 18 to 44 favored brands hiring LGBTQ spokespeople. Less than half of people aged 45 and above expressed that same approval.
