It’s August 2024. The riots are kicking off, another low in the sine curve of UK race relations. My town is on the ‘list’. I stay inside, watching Kamala Harris build her campaign. I don’t dare hope she has a chance in such a polarised world. Yet, however you feel about her politics, she seems to be almost uniting different groups. And as a Black, south Asian woman to boot.

Most ethical brands and the climate action movement can only dream of connecting with such diverse groups in the UK. Heavily indexing on a white, able, middle-class audience, so much communication puts off people like me. So what’s Kamala’s secret? And how could it work here?

Something feels different about the Harris campaign. For the first time in politics, I see someone like me unapologetic about their heritage. Harris leans into her blackness, Indian-ness, and her parents’ immigrant-ness. Her mother’s ‘coconut tree’ phrase takes on a life of its own, and I wonder if we have the same mum. There are detractors, of course. But it feels almost aspirational, cool, to have this background – even for those who don’t share it. Combined with Tim Walz’s straight-talking, Democrat-in-Republican clothing, dads-gonna-dad demeanour, there’s something for many to connect to.

Leaning into codes can make you more relatable, even with people who don’t share them

In her excellent deck, Zoe Scaman explains how playing to, and in niches leads to loyalty. What’s interesting is how Harris makes this appealing to a wider audience, including meme-ifying her campaign (and her face). Sure, her infectious cool-aunt energy no doubt helps. But she also carefully places universally appealing themes behind the codes. She delights different audiences with their values in a different language.

We use this principle all the time in advertising. Some of the best ads contain little puzzles or easter eggs for the audience to recognise. Why? Because we love recognising the familiar in an unfamiliar setting.

One of the reasons we see little diversity in climate action and ethical brands is because under represented groups often feel alienated. I, and many friends have tried to engage. But organisations often rebuff the ideas our lived experiences inspire, and talk down to us about practices we’ve already adopted but not labelled as ‘sustainable’.

Want more people to reduce eating meat? Vegan food is an everyday part of life from Italy to India. Some of the most committed carnivores I know are obsessed with dal or chana masala – because it’s delicious, not because it’s vegan. Looking after our planet is a natural part of immigrant and working class lives, not to mention those with disabilities. Referencing and holding it up as an example will include us in a deeply white, able, middle-class sphere, plus make that behaviour normal to other groups. 

After all, it’s much easier to adopt something if you know Dave’s nanna used to do it. Our campaign to get more people out of their cars for Possible, is a great example. A conversation about my mum’s bus friends with our Senior Copywriter, Tommy Lee, gave insight into benefits beyond saving the planet. Getting the bus was a lifeline for my mum when she first came to this country. Making friends and having a chat saved her from loneliness. It was my lifeline too, dog-tired with two kids under two. Getting on the number four gave me a small break, while elderly passengers cooed over my girls, and reassured me I was doing fine.

Lean in like Kamala

Don’t feel you have to tone down the differentness of the people you feature. When I think back to the 2020 Christmas Sainsbury’s ad, I remember an absence of cultural references. Given the vitriol from some quarters on its release, I understand why. Just featuring a black family was an important step, but that was then. Channel 4’s Paralympics promo is a great example of the next step, as is last year’s Nando’s campaign, where youth culture delivered Nando’s truisms for all.

So don’t be afraid to lean into our codes and language to talk about themes that affect us all, or even behaviours you want to change. Using real people, their stories, and their words will help avoid appearing tokenistic or cringey.

Humans are curious creatures. The UK is a magpie nation. So much of our culture draws from others, picking up shiny things that catch our eye.

We’re already making these connections between us, from food to the rabbit hole of Nigerian-Indian/#Blindian couples (with a cheesy Bollywood-Nollywood collab). We love to see where our cultures meet, through our differences.

Don’t get left behind. After all, when you add up minorities and underrepresented groups, we make the majority.

Image credit: Gage Skidmore