In the months leading up to the 2024 election, several fortune 500 companies made headlines by announcing the dissolution of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practices. Meta, Amazon, Walmart, Ford, and McDonald’s are just a few examples of major corporations walking back their commitment to DEI efforts as the newest presidential administration takes shape.

When we examine the data and take into account the numerous studies over the years, companies, brands, and businesses which invest in multicultural practices for internal and external stakeholders outperform counterparts which do not by 39%. According to McKinsey and Company’s latest report from 2023, “companies with representation of women exceeding 30 percent (and thus in the top quartile) are significantly more likely to financially outperform those with 30 percent or fewer. Similarly, companies in our top quartile for ethnic diversity show an average 27 percent financial advantage over others.” Though company ROIs can be measured by various factors, DEI and how it translates to sales and a strong financial performance in each respective industry indicates that supporting these efforts are beneficial for the business as a whole.

Here’s how Allied’s Multicultural division leverages our expertise to create effective 360 campaigns that perform well with target audiences and boosts the bottom line:

• Warner Brothers tapped Allied’s MC team for the premiere of GODZILLA VS. KONG: NEW EMPIRE. Allied’s swift and agile strategy for marketing and publicity targeting multicultural audiences activated before the film grossed $80M after opening weekend–$30M more than what was initially projected. Allied targeted leading multicultural press and media outlets for coverage and journalists received pre-screeners for review and interview access with the stars of the film. The pre-coverage promoting the movie intrigued our target demographics with a successful turnout. 62% of the audience was led by men with Hispanic and Latino audiences showing up huge at 34%, followed by 31% Caucasian, 18% Asian/other and 17% Black.The film topped the box office charts as the second-best opening weekend for the franchise.
• Essence Festival of Culture is the largest African-American culture and music event in the US held in New Orleans every year. The 2024 Essence Festival of Culture was predicted to have 500,000 attendees, in addition, more than 1 million people were expected to tune in virtually to the festival's programming. By partnering with local communities, artists, restaurants, venues, and media, Allied MC increased EFOC annual revenue to $346M, the highest since its return post pandemic. Long-lead media opportunities Allied MC was tasked with executing built buzz for EFOC as the place to be for Black women this summer. Our targeted influencer campaigns for exclusive invite-only events assisted in media coverage locally and nationally, while on-site activations with brand sponsors like AT&T and Coca-Cola supported the local economy with a boost of over 2,500 jobs. Allied MC’s work demonstrates the ROI between the intersection of business and entertainment to a city with deep heritage and roots.

Though the future of multicultural marketing and DEI programming is shifting, we must remain committed to the progress that has been made as the face of America changes. The U.S. is still on track to becoming a majority-minority country within the next 20 years. The way that we approach relating to audiences will be determined by the demand to see more content, programming, and services that reflect the new face of American culture. Want to learn more about our approach? Get in touch..