Natasha Miller Williams

Flavors like these also represent the increasing diversity across the United States. The 2020 U.S. Census showed that the Diversity Index, which measures "the chance that two people chosen at random will be from different racial or ethnic groups" is higher than ever at 61.1 percent. And for businesses — especially CPG companies — this change in the consumer base no longer makes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) a nice-to-have; it's now become critical to a company's growth — and even its survival. It's no wonder that "Diversity" was named by the Association of National Advertisers as the ANA 2021 Marketing Word of the Year.