According to an HP-commissioned study of 2,000 people, 74% percent believed that the typical household in this country fits the generational and societal “white picket fence” stereotype, i.e. a heterosexual white man, woman, and children. However, according to the 2010 US Census, only one in four American families matches that description.
HP brought together 13 Chicago families of different races, ethnicities, ages, genders and sexual orientations. Each person was purposely separated not to reveal which families they were connected to. From there, a smaller group was brought in and asked to choose individuals to put together what they believed constituted an “all-American family.” None of the people choosing the families got it right.
“The social experiment helped spotlight the beauty and range of American families and what makes a family portrait,” said Carlos Ricardo, head of print marketing, Americas for HP. “This made us think about the family photo and how the family itself has evolved.”
“When marketing and communications are most powerful, it holds up a mirror to our lives and reflects who we are and what is most important,” added Karen Kahn, HP’s chief communications officer.
The spot, Family Portraits, is the latest in the brand’s ‘Reinvent Mindsets’ campaign that celebrates inclusion and highlights unconscious bias that affects both the corporate world and society at large.
In addition to the film created by Edelman Digital, HP will release its extensive research project that revealed a bevy of surprising statistics, e.g. 80% of respondents agree that defining an “all-American family” is difficult due to the country’s diversity.
Access the video here.
Source: Zanger, D. (2018, August 28). What Does an ‘All-American Family’ Look Like? HP Created a Challenge to Show the New Reality. Adweek.
Editor’s Note: Research on diversity generated this four-minute commercial/film via agency Edelman and their client HP. Link to the video is included above.