The stage is set! Advertisers, don’t miss this cultural moment. ADWEEK House The Big Game is headed to New Orleans on February 7. RSVP.
The success of advertising rests on clear, concise, and culturally considerate communication. Yet only 22 days into 2025, legal mandates and corporate maneuvers would suggest that facts are not important to consider when crafting what we say, how we say it, or how we show it.
Everyone was left a little shaken following Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement that Meta will be eliminating its fact-checking policies across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads—his grounds being free rein for free speech, but whether the speech is accurate in depiction or description is no longer a disqualifier. If opinion can be taken as fact or misconstrued, whether deliberate or not, it undermines the reliability of the data we depend on to inform marketing strategies.
This is compounded by recent developments in state privacy laws affecting the data we aggregate: So far, 19 states have deviated from the Washington Privacy Act, which regulates the management and oversight of personal data. The reason is that ethnicity, race, and related attributes are now being treated as sensitive personal information that must be redacted.
While these measures are honorable in preventing information from being used to discriminate, there is a flip side: Data that is mapped against how a person self-identifies helps us understand diverse perspectives. It’s an integral component for quality control. Without this context, we’re hindered from recognizing nuanced insights necessary for creating equitable and effective campaigns.
The fundamental problem with these two developments—Meta’s policy shift and changes to data privacy laws—is the ripple effect in marketing. They’re effectively license to compromise ethical standards when designing narratives that represent diverse cultures.
According to a study by Nuance Matters, 44% of people believe brands focus too much on surface-level representation, neglecting deeper cultural understanding. This is a clear indication that we must take extra care to avoid misshaping how people view the belief systems, behaviors, or values of others from what we create.
The stakes are high. African American, Asian American, and Native American households collectively represent 17.4% of U.S. purchasing power, equating to nearly $1 of every $5.75 spent. Hispanic buying power is projected to reach $2.8 trillion by next year. Failing to engage these communities meaningfully could mean losing billions in potential revenue. We tread a fine line of either affirming or dispelling biases, and if consumers feel sidelined, that’s dollars walking right out the door.