Hearing aids became available over the counter in the U.S. in October 2022, making them more accessible and lowering prices. The change has enticed consumer electronics companies including Bose and Sony, who see potential in the market and are entering the category alongside the traditional specialist marketers. A few collaborations are starting to emerge in […]
Archive | Diversity/Inclusion
Designers Bring Diversity to Hockey
Professional hockey clubs, like pro teams in other sports, are increasingly collaborating with local designers on limited-edition lifestyle apparel collections, many with an eye toward diversity: The Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League introduced a new third jersey at the beginning of this year in collaboration with designer Rhuigi Villaseñor, founder of the luxury […]
A Higher Profile for Hanukkah at Retail
As Hanukkah began last evening (December 18, 2022), it seems like a logical time to look at the increased focus on Hanukkah products at retail this year, with expanded merchandise arrays at retailers from Target to Michaels. The trend includes a number of collaborations—although these remain relatively rare overall—often involving designers: Judaica Standard Time, a […]
Collaboration, Not Appropriation
By Karen Raugust on November 14, 2022 in Demographic groups, Design and content themes, Diversity/Inclusion, Fashion, Licensing
Last month, the wife of Mexico’s president alleged that the Ralph Lauren fashion label had plagiarized a number of designs associated with Mexico’s indigenous Contla and Saltillo communities. The brand said it had thought all such goods had been removed from retail stores a few months earlier, when it had first recognized the issue, and […]
Accessibility: Making a House a Home
By Karen Raugust on August 1, 2022 in Demographic groups, Diversity/Inclusion, House and home, Licensing, Retail
Marketers have been expanding their offerings of merchandise designed for consumers with disabilities, especially in categories such as apparel and Halloween costumes, over the past three years or so. Licensed and collaborative examples have occasionally been part of the mix as well. The idea is to create solutions that are accessible, but also stylish and […]
On-Screen Representation
Children’s entertainment properties, particularly television series, are increasingly including characters with visible disabilities—that is, they use wheelchairs, leg braces, or crutches—as part of the main friend group portrayed on screen. They are shown living their everyday lives and participating fully in the group’s activities, modeling inclusion and normalizing disabilities for young viewers. Some examples: MixMups […]
Black Beauty
By Karen Raugust on April 21, 2022 in Demographic groups, Diversity/Inclusion, Health/beauty, Licensing, Retail
Retailers’ beauty departments represent one area where progress has been made on the road toward more diversity, equity, and inclusion over the past two years, and change continues. While each effort is unique, in general retailers have diversified their product mix to make more offerings available for women of all colors and skin and hair […]
They Are NFTs, Hear Them Roar
Women-led NFT projects are starting to proliferate, although they remain a small slice of a landscape that has been male-dominated to date. Female artists, for example, account for less than 16% of the NFT art market and just 5% of NFT sales overall, according to ArtTactic. Most of the female-led NFT projects are positioned as […]
Male Celebrities Prioritize Skin Care
The men’s and gender-neutral sectors of the beauty industry have both been growing fast over the past decade, especially since 2019, with the expansion expected to continue and even intensify in the foreseeable future. In addition, since at least 2020, the industry has been focused on increasing diversity and inclusion in both product offerings and […]
Black Characters Star On Screen and On Shelf
By Karen Raugust on February 28, 2022 in Character/Entertainment, Content, Diversity/Inclusion, Licensing
As is the case every February, many product, promotional, and content announcements and launches involving licensed properties have been timed to Black History Month in 2022. The initiatives have cut across all property types and product categories. One particularly active space this year has been children’s entertainment and media, with new projects expanding representation for […]