To sell in the United States, it's important to have a brand with a strong identity

Brand values allow for the establishment of strong connections with American consumers

Many American brands are working to drive change in the fashion industry through inclusive values associated with the brand

The agency Zebedee Management is gaining ground with many luxury and non-luxury brands. Founded in the United Kingdom, Zebedee represents disabled, trans, non-binary, and alternative models and now works with numerous companies operating in the United States. This indicates that the retail world in the USA is beginning to give brand values the importance they deserve.

Although diversity still struggles to appear on high fashion runways, it is well-established that brands like Gucci, Fenty Beauty, Tommy Hilfiger, and Estée Lauder have made inclusivity a core value. These are popular companies in America that can have a real impact on consumer perception while simultaneously increasing sales thanks to the image they project.

On its launch day in 2017, the U.S. brand Fenty Beauty introduced 40 shades of foundation at a time when no makeup brands truly reached all American consumers, allowing many women to relate to the brand and feel included. Fenty triggered a chain reaction among brands in the industry to expand their makeup lines to be more inclusive.

The case of Gucci is also indicative of the change underway: one of the most appreciated Gucci Beauty photographs ever (2020) featured a little-known model with Down syndrome wearing mascara from the beauty brand on a bare, flushed face.

Brands aimed at selling in the United States must reflect their core values and remain responsive to a changing market

The best way to succeed with inclusive marketing in the USA is to share authentic and emotionally significant stories with American consumers

The process of branding or rebranding to enter the American market requires listening and extensive research. Values are important components of a brand and a company's culture and must be visible in everything the company does, especially now that the U.S. retail sector has been disrupted by the pandemic.

Moreover, the approach to inclusivity marketing for companies looking to expand into the United States must be absolute. This means that merely talking about a brand's core values is not enough: those values must be shown, delivering real messages that make the word “inclusive” unnecessary.

Inclusive marketing is not just a box to check: to win over American consumers, you need to be serious

There are many layers of diversity beyond gender and skin color. Diversity involves age, geography, socioeconomic status, ability, and sexuality. All nuances that, if well communicated, can provide the added value needed by brands targeting the American market to succeed.

But as we said, storytelling is not enough. To make real progress toward inclusive branding, it's important to implement tools and processes to monitor the company's refinement in the USA, ensuring that the values shaping the brand are not contradicted by the company's image reaching American consumers.