General Mills "gets" it; their critics don't

Pepper Miller, author of Black Still Matters in Marketing, and co-author of What's Black About It? has this to say on the recent brouhaha about the appearance of a bi-racial child and her white mother and black father in a  short television advertisement for Cheerios. When the ad appeared on YouTube, many people decided the company was fair game for criticism. Pepper writes: 

Rather than aiming criticism at General Mills for using a brief advertisement for Cheerios that features a bi-racial child, her white mother, and black father, executives at General Mills should be applauded. The people who are critical are living in a fantasy world where the only intact, deserving families are white and middle class. The executives at General Mills "get" that the United States, indeed the world, is changing and that younger generations could care less about the color of someone's skin or their sexual orientation.

This advertisement is one of several shorts for Cheerios that show children in all types of families and engaging in all kinds of cute behavior with the intent of bringing smiles to the faces of those who view them. In the one being criticized, the little girl asks her mother if it is true that Cheerios help the heart. Her mom confirms that the box says that it does. The next frame shows dad waking up from a nap with Cheerios, much to his surprise, sprinkled on the left side of his chest. 

Another of these commercials shows a mother coming downstairs to find a trail of Cheerios on the floor. It leads to her little girl (white mother, white child) sitting at a small table happily eating her breakfast. Mom says something like, "I see you made your own breakfast?" and the little girl replies, "How do you know?" Nobody seems to be criticizing that commercial because Mom didn't make breakfast or the little girl made a mess.

All people like to see themselves reflected in print, TV, and social media advertising. Wise marketers make every effort to include a variety of different scenarios, races, ethnic groups, and families. People who agree with General Mills' approach should not allow themselves to be drowned out by the critics. The U.S. is changing and those who refuse to get it will find themselves left behind.

Growing Diversity Means More Multi-racial People and Families

The growing diversity of the United States inevitably leads to a growing number of bi- and multi-racial individuals and families. The May 12th edition of NPR's Weekend news program examined the growing trend in a story entitled,  "Checking more than one box: A growing multiracial nation."

In part, the story, from Minnesota Public Radio, reports, "It's not just that there are more multiracial and biracial people. The government is now counting the group differently. For the first time in modern history, the 2000 Census allowed us to check off more than one box for race."

"The last Census showed 9 million people, about 3 percent of the population, reporting more than one race. That's an increase of one-third from the decade before.

"'The youngest age group, kids under 5 [years old], 7 percent are identified as having more than one race group,' says Jeffrey Passel, a senior demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center. 'If we look at the elderly, over 65, it's only 1 percent.'

"That means more people are choosing spouses outside their own race. The change, Passel says, comes from evolving attitudes. Over the past few decades, he says more people have simply come to view intermarriage as no big deal."

Younger people are even more likely than older generations to accept bi-racial marriages within their own families and among their friends.

This growing trend presents a new challenge for marketers. Several authors of books by Paramount Market Publishing include information about bi-racial individuals and their unique set of circumstances and perspectives. You may want to check out Black Still Matters in Marketing by Pepper Miller or Miriam Muley's excellent book on marketing to women of color, The 85 % Niche. Or explore other titles on multicultural consumers on PMP's website.