Keeping the promise: ANA’s Inclusion and Multicultural Marketing Alliance announces its 2021 Best of Culture list, with Ulta Beauty, USAA, Verizon and Walmart all topping the list

Keeping the promise ANA's Inclusion and Multicultural Marketing Alliance announces its 2021 Best of Culture list_ with Ulta Beauty_ USAA_ Verizon and Walmart all topping the list-01 (2)

ANA’s Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing (AIMM) and partner firm Oppside, LLC have released their Cultural Insights Impact Measure (CIIM™), revealing the best cultural brands in key consumer industries for 2021. To measure the veracity and level of real-world cultural portrayal of ads in 2021, CIIM™ conducted more than 400,000 ad reviews, testing 1,100 ads across 63 industries. 100,000 consumers viewed and rated ads based on multiple cultural attributes in the CIIM™ algorithm, including authenticity, cultural pride, celebrations, good role models, positive reflection, cultural values, representation and respect, and more. Brand ads from the retail, automotive, insurance, healthcare and telecommunications categories rose to the top by leveraging authentic and positive cultural images, pride and positive role models.

With the recent intensification of social unrest and calls for equal and equitable representation, many brands have made a commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I). However, progress in delivering on these promises has varied, and few brands have implemented comprehensive strategies to understand and connect with diverse audiences. In fact, the CIIM™ analysis revealed a decline in the cultural relevance of advertising across all consumer industries in 2021, with the largest declines in the LGBTQ community (LGBTQ), people with disabilities and Hispanic English-language media audiences.

Carlos Santiago, co-founder of AIMM and Oppside, said: “According to CIIM™ research, a brand-consumer connection begins with representation, but requires a rich, authentic cultural depiction to achieve deeper connections that drive brand enhancement and growth. As we enter With the entire industry in focus during Super Bowl weekend, these brands are a powerful example of how the same creative can be used to create impactful connections across diverse audiences. The bar has been raised and we hope others will follow suit ”

Also Read: Three Ways B2B Marketers can Capitalize on Social Media in 2022

The best cultural brands listed below, ranked by market segment, can serve as industry models for how to achieve cultural relevance through inclusive marketing:

African American

  • Ulta Beauty
  • Ford
  • USAA

Hispanic English

  • Banner Health
  • Metro by T-Mobile
  • Walmart

Hispanic Spanish

  • Chevrolet
  • Verizon Fios
  • Walmart

All consumers  = general population (weighted)

  • Banner Health
  • USAA
  • Walmart

“We are honored to be recognized by AIMM and CIIM™ as the Best Cultural Brand,” said Mayra Rivera, USAA Director of Marketing. As we celebrate USAA’s 100th anniversary in 2022, we are reminded of all the people who have helped make USAA what it is today, and in the future Everything it takes to serve our military members and their families for 100 years. Equity and inclusion are critical to our work, so we are committed to ensuring that CIIM™ continues to be an important tool for engaging diverse consumers in authentic and meaningful ways. ”

CIIM™ will continue to be a powerful indicator of advertisers making meaningful progress towards their goals of diversity, equity and inclusion, better engaging diverse communities and generating higher ROI.

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