Fashion label Old Navy has reignited a fiery debate over the lack of ‘black faces’ represented in the media.
Their controversial tweet from April 29 – promoting a 30% off sale in the US – was slammed for its inclusion of an interracial family.
The brand – initially bombarded with racist tweets by some – was soon praised for its celebration of multiculturalism in America by others on social media.
Thousands of followers expressed their support by tweeting personal images of their own interracial families; highlighting the need for diversity in global marketing campaigns.
Here’s a list of 10 brands that continue to promote and celebrate cultural diversity, especially for First Nations Peoples…
Target
Target utilises high profile ambassadors and ‘everyday people’ to successfully promote First Nations culture.
In 2015, their ‘Target Loves Every Body’ campaign was deemed a global success for its use of curvaceous and ethnic women to launch an ‘inclusive’ range of swimwear.
On Australian soil, Target is continuously embracing diversity; using Jessica Mauboy as a Brand Ambassador and featuring Indigenous models such as Samantha Harris and Keyarny Lamb in their runway shows.
Coca-Cola
Coke is known for its simple approach to marketing; one that subtlety promotes inclusion and diversity world-wide.
It was Coke’s ‘It’s Beautiful’ campaign which successfully captured America’s diversity with a one-minute ad featuring a colourful range of voices and faces from around the country.
Throughout the duration of the ad, ‘America the Beautiful’ is sung in 6 different languages to celebrate the variety of cultures thriving in the States today.
Apple
Similarly, Apples 5c television advertisement entitled ‘Greetings’ features a host of people from around the world saying 'hello' in various languages.
Apple further embraced cultural diversity with their updated emoji board which included 5 more skin-tone variations; from yellow to white and dark brown.
Dove
Source: NITV
Dove also created a set of 27 curly-haired emoji’s to encourage women to embrace their natural waves. Their unique keyboard – available through iTunes and Google Play – is the result of Dove’s successful and ongoing ‘Real Beauty’ campaign which promotes natural beauty. The global brand uses real bodies with real curves to debunk the stereotype that only ‘thin and white’ is beautiful.
Swifter
Swifter’s ‘sweeper and duster’ ad campaign revolves around a real family, not actors. The Rukavina family used in this commercial consists of father (a white amputee), a mother (who appears to be of African-American descent) and their child to represent America’s modern-day families.
Did you know? McDonalds was one of the first global enterprises to celebrate disabilities with their ‘My Best Friend’ commercial in 1981.
Cheerios
Cheerios have also portrayed ‘an American family’ as one of mixed race. The interracial couple (a black man and a white woman) are featured here with their daughter to represent families in the 21st century.
Did you know? Pepsi was one of the first major brands to include an African-American family in advertising with this poster from the late 1940’s.
Source: NITV
Banana Republic
International fashion sensation Banana Republic has shamelessly included a gay couple in their recent campaign to celebrate same-sex relationships.
The company – born out of a warehouse in San Francisco - wanted to reflect the sexually diverse world it lived in. In doing so, it successfully promoted diversity and put LGBTI issues on the political agenda.
Did you know? Furniture giant, IKEA was the first brand to use a gay couple in mainstream marketing with this TV commercial from 1984:
