After a whirlwind of criticisms from the public of romanticizing slavery, Ancestry.com apologized and pulled down it’s recent commercial. The video attempted to explain the White heritage of many Black Americans by highlighting an interracial romantic snippet, but downplayed the gravity of slavery and its consequences.

This is not the first time a brand’s been deemed tone deaf (here is a list for more criticized ads if you fancy some Friday entertainment). There wasn’t a single major social site that didn’t jump on the topic of Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi ad.

Especially as marketers, we’re tempted to simplify these situations with, “How did this ever get passed so many people?”. But this serves as a lesson for us to consider when reviewing our own work:

First is if we’re understanding our people well. Have we put ourselves in their shoes? When speaking to a niche audience, do we simplify them into boxes and stereotypes, or consider the possibility of being a wider spectrum? Do we stop to question what terms have become “normal” in the industry, or make effort use appropriate terms like Latin X and Black Americans instead of Hispanics and African Americans? Our lingo makes a difference especially to the younger audience like Millennials and Gen Z who are more conscious and take it personally.

Secondly, in our processes and structure, are we giving a platform for different opinions to be expressed, concerns to be voiced, and constructive criticisms to be shared? Do we mirror diversity in our decision making – cultural, gender, expression?

Third, we know different demographics have different values & consumption trends, take Gen Z for example who are more likely to connect and support brands that align with their values yet often prefer to consume content that’s funny, bizarre, and unexpected (i.e. memes, dark humor, ‘finstas’). So, to speak to them authentically, brands have the responsibility to walk the font fine line between voicing values/opinions whilst communicated often in a fun and light-hearted way.

Understanding the human mindset is not as simple as an algorithm (even though sometimes algorithms push the boundaries to do it better). We need to consider these key points to ensure we’re developing a larger brand voice that is fitting and natural for the specific target in mind.

Students and University administrations are creating Instagram accounts such as @Penn2023 and @WashU2023 to create a space for prospective students to make friends, share tips for classes and/or transportation, etc. before they came on campus. Each student sends in a picture of themselves and a short bio to the account, and each school’s account will validate and posts on the account.

While traditionally, universities have created these accounts on Facebook, they’re quickly adapting to the platforms that are being utilized by this audience – the freshmen Class of 2023 is the Instagram generation rather than the Facebook generation.

Currently, these accounts are not recognized as “official” school accounts, but this trend is growing throughout the US to proliferate into more schools. What this means for brands is that sponsoring activities are no longer on campus ground, or even bound to the traditional fall to summer time. Since most acceptance letters go out during spring, there’s an online opportunity to sponsor these prospective students during the 6-8 months before they are even physically on campus!

San Francisco may become the first city to ban facial recognition software with an ordinance called ‘Stop Secret Surveillance’. Many are starting to view this technology as an invasion of privacy and gathering of information for unknown purposes. Under this ordinance, surveillance technology includes license plate readers, biometrics (Iris and facial scanners), and software that allegedly forecasts criminal activity. Part of what ignited this ordinance is China’s current surveillance and monitoring of Muslim citizens.

While AI is growing and being refined, we must consider consumer’s negative perspectives, which largely is the presumption that their privacy is becoming threatened. As we’ve seen before, data leaks and hacks have left many consumers weary of sharing their data. While using AI such as voice activation/recognition, AR and other new forms of technology are innovating for brands, there still needs to be conscious efforts to gain their consumer trust and data protection.