Businesses Show America How to Advocate for Inclusiveness With Style and Humor

Eroding Values” by smithadri licensed under CC BY 2.0

By Priscilla Rodriguez | mOppenheim Media

Major corporations have recently produced some amazingly effective ad campaigns addressing issues such as inclusiveness and the value of diversity in America as a response to the anti-immigration rhetoric that has gained a foothold in America.

The Budweiser commercial that ran during the 2017 Super Bowl last week, “Born The Hard Way”, depicts the travails of the beer company’s immigrant founder.  The commercial highlights the hardships and poor treatment faced by immigrants at the hands of those already here in this country, balances the negative depiction by highlighting those that lend a helping hand to immigrants and the potential that the perseverance of immigrants unlocks for America.  By depicting the white, European roots of Budweiser’s founders and by drawing a comparison with the experience of other immigrants, the ad invites us all to reconnect with our own immigrant heritage.

The storyline of the “This Land” commercial released by the whiskey company, Johnnie Walker, follows a similar trajectory of highlighting the value of immigrants or foreigners in America. The commercial is punctuated with the tagline “Cheers to the road ahead…to those who with every step take America further… the ones who believe that progress comes from diverse minds working together.”

Speaking to race tensions, other companies, like Nike, Adidas, and Airbnb, released commercials in late 2016 to make statements defending racial and cultural diversity and social equality. An Airbnb ad, which also ran for the 2017 super bowl, specifically advocated for acceptance of people of all races, religions, sexes, ages and identities, with its final statement: “We accept.”

Companies like Corona and Tecate released commercials that specifically target the Trump administration’s idea of building a physical wall between Mexico and U.S. , and commented on the wall as a literal and figurative obstacle that creates barriers of understanding within the human race.

The electronic commerce company, Amazon, also stepped into the ring with the “A Priest and Imam meet for a cup of tea” ad, which ran in November 2016. The ad is perhaps a response to actions that are viewed as anti-Muslim as Fortune reported in a recent article.

Corporations have tended to shy from taking political and social stances, and these companies deserve recognition for adjusting their brands and messaging to align with a more realistic representation of the people of America by advocating for equality, inclusiveness and diversity.  Other notable examples include Apple’s 2016 ad “The Human Family” for the Olympics; Campbell ’s Star Wars themed commercial depicting a gay couple and their son; and the clothing company, H&M’s “She’s a Lady” ad, depicting women in various lights to dismantle gender stereotypes, released in late 2016.

Arts Media & Culture, News
Arts, Media & Culture, News