Written in Partnership with Bailey Raye
Viewed as much more than just an advertising agency, world-renowned creative consultancy INDUSTRY sets the bar for creatives on an international scale. With its unique design and outside of the box approach to notable brands from all over the world, the Immigrant-owned company seeks to elevate diverse voices, not only to impact people, but to shift culture in major ways. By fully understanding what ‘value’ brands are providing their consumers, they are able to connect with people’s functional, emotional and aspirational needs.
While marketing is increasingly focused on more inclusive advertising, consumers – who are increasingly diverse – expect brands to follow through in an honest and authentic way. And while we’ve seen a lot of major brands come through on their promises, we’ve also witnessed a lot of failed attempts. Designing with purpose, INDUSTRY has worked with hundreds of household names including Converse, YouTube Music, NIKE, FIGS, the city of Portland and most recently notable fashion brand Timberland. But what does INDUSTRY do to help big names reach wider demographics? INDUSTRY’s well rounded team of designers, producers and copywriters approach each and every campaign with a ‘people-first’ mindset. By choosing to tell authentic stories rather than the commercialized versions that flood the mainstream, they are able to help brands form deeper connections with their consumers. And consumers – especially the younger generations – are expecting more from these messages than just details about the latest sale.
By reflecting a range of backgrounds and experiences within their messaging, INDUSTRY is helping brands like NIKE and Timberland more effectively connect with diverse audiences. Most recently, INDUSTRY led the charge with Timberland’s ‘Built for the Bold’ ad campaign which tapped a global network of changemakers to help redefine what it means to be bold, further cementing Timberland’s place in culture as the work- and outdoor-inspired brand that fuels the bold lifestyle. At the center of the film is an anthem narrated by Mary J. Blige who led with inclusive messaging, redefining what it actually means to be ‘bold’. The campaign also employed a large group of diverse voices from many different backgrounds and life experiences.
In 2021, INDUSTRY partnered with NIKE for their Dia de Los Muertos shoe launch which allowed the brand to better connect with the Mexican community by highlighting the origins of Dia de los Muertos with their newest ad campaign Siempre Familia. Inspired by the Mictlan, the new shoe line introduced local stories to create real and personal connections within the Hispanic community. The campaign introduced one of the very first authentic tellings of the origin of Dia de Los Muertos, receiving praise from household names like HighSnobiety and Complex.
“INDUSTRY is people-first. We are real, in the way that we connect with the functional, emotional, and aspirational needs of people. With brands, we help define how to authentically connect by fully understanding what value they provide their “consumer”. Because we are people-first, the ‘WHY’ is more important than the ‘What’. Our people are unique, different, and there is so much depth that goes beyond how currently brands are trying to get their attention. We go deep.” – Oved Valadez, Co-Founder & Executive Creative Director at INDUSTRY
A concerted effort toward inclusion is happening both in front of the camera and behind the scenes in the advertising industry. And it means big change for big business. But marketers need to be intent on providing more than just superficial lip-service or else, consumers will see right through it. Guided by INDUSTRY, major brands are not only reaching new audiences, but the current climate is allowing them to evolve in progressive and long-lasting ways.
Visit INDUSTRY online here & follow their work on Instagram here.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.