How Brands Are Diversifying Inside and Out

Today’s brand landscape is ever changing at a speed that we can barely keep up with, from gender equality to redefining what your brand stands for or the rise of voice activation bots. It’s inevitable as tech innovates brands need to swiftly evolve their own identity along with consumers’ demand. So what does this all mean for your brand?

It means that you need to start paying attention to what’s really going on. Big box brands aren’t just listening to consumer demands but they themselves are morphing as well. Though some skeptics think that this is simply a trend as brands claw for inclusion but in fact it will be the new wave of branding to pay attention to.

So what kind of branding cookie crumbs are big brands trailing for us? Let’s take a look.

Gender Neutral Restrooms

This has been up for debate in many schools but brands such as Starbucks and Whole Foods have begun to address this. On a recent galavant to the trusty neighborhood Whole Foods, it was to my own surprise when I walked into what I thought was the ladies restroom to men walking out of stalls. It finally dawned on me that, oh yes gender neutral restrooms are here. Whole Foods and Starbucks aren’t the only brands to embrace gender neutral restrooms. Yelp has also started to lists business on its review platform that have gender neutral restrooms as well.

The Breastfeeding Squad

The rise of the millennial mom has caused brands such a Mamava to create breastfeeding pods. No longer do moms need to sit in a dark corner with a blankie thrown over her shoulder while trying to nourish her hungry babe. These pods are portable, private, sterile and totally equipped with outlets to charge phones and breast pumps. Mamava set out to solve the problems that all moms face, where can they breastfeed or pump that’s quiet and clean when they’re at the office or out and about.

The Hijab Meets Fashion

When Ibtihaj Muhammad became the first Muslim woman athlete competing for America to wear a hijab during the 2016 Rio Olympics she had taken on a brave stance to be true to herself. But born out of her courage to be her, Nike saw this opportunity and created a Nike Pro hijab for women athletes. Uniqlo also recognized the need to embrace head coverings as part of their product offerings. So they partnered up with Hana Tajima who created some amazingly beautiful head coverings.

Ad & Tech Industry’s Champion for Diversity

These two behemoth industries, advertising and tech are also striving for diversity which has always been a challenge. But there are two major organizations paving the way for minorities. Adcolor whose mission is to celebrate great talent in the creative industries and 20/20 Shift which advocates to helping tech and digital media companies diversify their recruitment process are both spearheading the conversation for workforce inclusion.