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With Black History Month well underway, we want to explore how the rich history among Asian, Black and Afro-Asian communities has influenced present-day culture and politics and what that means for brands. The history of Afro-Asian solidarity dates back decades and has shaped the way Asian and Black communities interact today. There are significant historical examples of such solidarity, including Asian Americans who were at the forefront of the Civil Rights movement, with advocates such as Grace Lee Boggs and Yumi Kochiyama supporting change in the face of injustice. The 1955 Bandung Conference was another instance where Asians residing in…

Brands have long implemented third-party cookies to capture consumer data, such as shopping preferences and browsing habits. The goal was to present consumers with personalized ads and browsing experiences. Thanks to cookies, brands have established closer relationships with consumers and engaged with them more efficiently. But users are becoming increasingly concerned about the privacy of their information online, especially now that people spend more time connected. Forty-five percent of Black audiences are spending significantly more time on the Internet. In comparison, 46% of Hispanics and 40% of AANHPI adults say they spend significantly more time online, according to Intelligence Center...

Smart home tech is rapidly gaining ground in the U.S. In 2023, an estimated 47% of American households will actively use smart devices at least once per month to manage their homes. This includes innovative tech products that monitor or control key areas like lighting, access, or temperature. Why Multicultural Audiences Feel Excluded Despite the rapid growth of these devices, Intelligence Center’s 2022 Smart Home Tech study suggests a gap between smart home tech brands and Black, Hispanic, and Asian-American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) audiences. Based on the report, we can theorize three reasons multicultural consumers feel excluded from this…

The Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) audience is among the most influential market segments in the U.S. Even though the community accounts for under one-tenth of the country’s population, it has nearly doubled between 2000 and 2019 and is projected to become the largest population cohort by 2060, according to The Brookings Institute. In addition to their rapid growth, this audience’s purchasing power rose 314% in the last 20 years, outpacing other ethnic or racial groups. But based on Intelligence Center’s 2022 AAPI Consumer Fact Pack, only 3 out of 10 AANHPI adults say that companies understand them…

Mental health and wellness have become a focal point of conversation in the media since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, brands continued to prioritize wellness in their marketing, and talking about mental health went from being a trending hashtag in May during Mental Health Awareness month to a year-long conversation that has changed the well-being of many Americans.  Additionally, in the last two years, the wellness market has boomed and is now estimated at more than $1.5 trillion, with annual growth of 5-to-10 percent. Products from at-home fitness technology to meditation apps to workout apparel are selling faster than some…

The advertising calendar in the United States focuses on a set number of Christian and Anglo-Saxon holidays such as Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Even though multicultural audiences engage enthusiastically with these celebrations, there are other dates that brands need to keep in mind when designing short and mid-term marketing strategies.  For advertisers, it is key to have a 12-month plan that celebrates the holidays and speaks to the traditions that different communities hold dear. These include, among many others, Chinese New Year, Ramadan, Day of the Dead and Diwali.  Chinese New Year Chinese communities have a…

By Parker Morse, CEO of My Code 2022 brought many new beginnings and chapters to our company’s history and I am incredibly proud of our team and their continued dedication to elevating what multicultural marketing means in the world today. When the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2022, there was only H Code: the company I founded in 2015 to forge authentic connections between brands and Hispanic consumers. Ten days later, we formally announced the launch of My Code to bring together a traditionally fragmented media market and simplify the complexities of the multicultural marketing landscape. By June, we’d…

Over the past decade, the racial and ethnic landscape of the United States has transformed into one that’s more diverse than ever before. An August 2021 report released by the U.S. Census Bureau found the country is more racially and ethnically diverse compared to 2010. In 2010, the White alone non-Hispanic population made up 63.7% of the U.S. population. In 2020, that number dropped to 57.8%. Nearly half of the population today consists of minority groups. By 2045, it’s projected the country will become “minority White,” according to The Brookings Institution. Now more than ever, advertisers and brands must create…

The holiday shopping season is one of the busiest times of the year for brands and retailers. When crafting a strategy to reach bigger audiences and drive sales, marketers need to understand that not all consumers are the same. Brands need to keep multicultural perspectives and cultural approaches regarding holiday shopping in mind to convert consumers across broader demographics into purchasers. For the past two years, My Code’s Intelligence Center has analyzed the behavior and purchase intentions of diverse holiday shoppers so that brands can effectively reach these segments. Early Shopping Trends According to Intelligence Center’s annual Holiday Gift Shopping…