Cultural Diversity Campaigns: Inclusive Holiday Highlights (US) 2023

Published 06 December 2023

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4 min read

In a year when 28% of Americans planned to spend less on holiday gifting, inclusive marketing can boost purchase likelihood (+18%) and enhance a favourable attitude towards a brand (Gartner, 2023). We highlight how four brands are centring diversity with strategies that include celebrating cross-cultural kinship, harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to illustrate ethnic traditions and showcasing new bicultural norms.

Key Stats

38%	When exposed to brand marketing focused on inclusivity, 38% of Americans said their attitude or behaviour towards the brand changed in a positive way
18%	In the US, 18% of consumers say marketing focused on inclusivity makes them more likely to purchase from that brand
61.1%	In 2020, the diversity index in the US was at 61.1% (meaning there was a 61.1% chance two randomly chosen people were from different racial or ethnic groups) – up from 54.9% in 2010
47%	The diversity shift in the US is particularly apparent when comparing the youngest (under the age of five) and the oldest (85- to 99-year-olds): only 47% of the former are white and non-Hispanic, compared with 78.5% of the latter
108k	A sentimental commercial from American grocer Kroger has attracted 108k views on YouTube to date for its depiction of an American couple hosting (and bonding with) a series of international exchange students
1/5	More brands are adopting Spanglish in advertising – reflecting the fact that a fifth of Hispanic American Gen Zers say they’re most comfortable speaking Spanglish most of the time, the highest percentage of any generation
49%	Spanglish is more widespread among younger Hispanic Americans (aged 18-29): 49% say they use it often with friends and family, compared with 40% of 30- to 49-year-olds
69%	Sixty-nine per cent of Hispanic Americans grew up in a Spanish-speaking household, creating a deep-rooted emotional connection to the language
77%	Speaking Spanish ties bilingual Hispanic Americans to their culture and identity: 77% say it’s how they show their cultural pride

Kroger Presents Food as a Global Unifier (Amidst an Unorthodox Family Unit): A sentimental animated commercial from American grocer Kroger, Magic Happens When We Bring New Traditions to the Table, centres on a childless couple forging kinship with a roster of international exchange students. Represented by its Kroji (Kroger + emoji) characters, the couple is shown bonding with the students over the years by sharing food traditions. Ultimately, the now-older couple are surprised at Christmastime by former students arriving to make beloved dishes, closing with the strapline “Food connects us all”. To date, it’s accumulated 108k YouTube views and overwhelmingly positive comments.

The campaign includes an e-book with festive recipes (Italian panettone, Hanukkah latkes, tamales), ingredients for which are shoppable via a page on Kroger’s e-commerce site. Continuing the campaign, Kroger’s Holiday Remix playlist on Spotify features seasonal classics in various languages, including a new version of Silent Night by Mexican singer Carla Morrison. Kroger also convened 30 strangers to a real-life holiday dinner, with each bringing their favourite dish (highlighted on Instagram).

Kroger

Microsoft Harnesses AI to Bring Memories to Life: For its Make Your Holiday a Masterpiece campaign, Microsoft deftly contemporises traditional imagery depicting a range of holiday customs to demonstrate its cutting-edge generative AI tool. The commercial shows American transmedia artist Ellie Pritts setting up a table in New York, asking passers-by to share a seasonal memory and prompting Microsoft Designer (a Photoshop rival launched in 2022) to illustrate it. Memories include an Asian American recalling her grandmother’s Lunar New Year dumplings, an Italian American recounting his family’s Feast of the Seven Fishes and a Jewish woman reminiscing about singing Hanukkah songs around the piano with her sisters.

Shorter videos spotlight individuals from the ad as well as additional participants, like a man describing his family’s año viejo year-end ritual in Ecuador.

Buchanan’s Toasts the 200% Identity: Scottish whisky brand Buchanan’s continues its We Are the Spirit of the 200% campaign – a term coined by NBCUniversal referring to those who feel both 100% Hispanic and 100% American, a common sentiment among Hispanic Americans – with a TV commercial celebrating the commingling of traditions. The ad depicts a party that includes Saturday Night Live cast member Marcello Hernández and Mexican-American DJ Vrywvy. A female voiceover asks: “What if I’m ‘ni de aquí, ni de allá’ [neither from here nor there]?” but then welcomes the idea of mixing carols with parrandas (Puerto Rican Christmastime song fests) and coquito (an eggnog-like Christmas drink) with whisky.

See Key Stats for more on how younger Hispanics are embracing Spanglish, and Brands Speak to Bicultural Identities in Cultural Diversity Campaigns: Autumn 2023.

Buchanan's

Google Sings the Praises of Shopping ‘Black-Owned’: Since 2020, Google’s Black-Owned Friday holiday campaign has featured a Black American star in a music video mega-production highlighting Black-owned businesses to patronise (discoverable via Google’s “Black-owned” badge that brands can add to search results). This year, actress and singer Keke Palmer covers Crystal Waters’ mid-90s hit 100% Pure Love, with the chorus amended to “100% Black-owned”. Business owners, including a florist and a café owner, make cameo appearances. The campaign’s microsite has shoppable links to featured products and showcases Google resources for Black entrepreneurs, such as a webinar on e-commerce tools.

For our full round-up of key brand activations during the festive period, members can see Christmas 2023: Brand Engagement Steers, publishing tomorrow.