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Showing posts from March, 2025

Springing Forward & Out of Synch

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In the U.S. most of our clocks have sprung forward by one hour while marketing images for some major brands in the swim industry remain stuck many decades backward into the 1950s.  [a split image: top half shows a website homepage with a newsletter pop-up prompt of a young woman in a 2-piece swimsuit who's kneeling on the beach; bottom half shows a website homepage with a newsletter pop-up prompt of 6 young adults standing in a circle with their arms around each other's shoulders as they gaze down into the camera lens]  This company's brand is synonymous with swimming.  When the newsletter pop-up with the 6 models (who are not responsible for the exclusionary context in which it's being used) first came to my attention almost 2 years ago, here's what sprang to my mind: Tell me no one in your company recognizes (or cares?) that the imagery used to inspire engagement with the brand embodies the opposite of inclusion without saying a word.  That same newsletter sign-up...