Remixing and recontextualizing foreign cultural elements into the mainstream is one of many ways cultures evolve over time. The mass adoption of the internet and social media has accelerated this process. Through increased exposure, many cultures, genres and aesthetics that were previously obscure now enjoy a more mainstream audience. But before incorporation into the mainstream, these niches were fostered, experimented on and curated by cultural alchemists. While this is performed to some degree by most consumers, this Report focuses on those with the most active voices in US culture, Mintel’s Polycultural consumer segments: the Polycultural Pioneer,Individualist Connoisseur and Mainstream Conformist.
Of the three, Polycultural Pioneers most actively engage with multiple cultures. They are defined by their agnosticism towards mainstream and non-mainstream, their desire for exploration and validation, and high investment in community and the future. Making up a significant 25% of US population, this consumer segment trends young, Black and Hispanic, affluent, are frequent shoppers and power users of social media and are thus a highly marketable consumer segment.
This report looks at the following areas:
- The identification of five consumer segments based on their attitudes towards culture, community and adherence to mainstream or non-mainstream
- Exploring the demographics of these consumer segments and their sense of self, with a focus on the most culturally fluid and influential segments
- Polycultural consumers’ motivations for consuming leisure media and sources of their non-mainstream cultural influences
- Their preference for non-mainstream and mainstream influences, in different aspects of their lives
- Their shopping and information-seeking habits
- Marketing strategies, aesthetics and example products that align with Polycultural consumers’ values and interests
By understanding consumers’ engagement with the ever-evolving US cultural landscape, brands can contribute to this discourse in a timely, resonant and positive way.
Hiro Takemasa, Senior Consumer Lifestyles Analyst
Market Definitions
For the purposes of this Report, polycultural means relating to multiple cultures or heritages.
To identify “polycultural consumers,” Mintel used cluster analysis to create five distinct groups of consumers aged 18+ based on their attitudes toward culture, community and adherence to the US mainstream or non-mainstream culture.
This Report focuses on the three segments who best represent these consumers: Polycultural Pioneers, Mainstream Conformists and Individualist Connoisseurs.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Market predictions
- What consumers want & why
- The evolution of cultural identity – the changing nature of America’s melting pot
- In their own words: consumer perceptions of the “melting pot”
- Identity fluidity – the consequences of expanding access to non-mainstream cultures and lifestyles
- Opportunities
- Aesthetic diversity is welcomed, as long as brands remaining true to core values
- Brands can facilitate the cultural exploration of consumers with diverse priorities and backgrounds
- SEO vs AI-assisted search – metrics vs content
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POLYCULTURAL CONSUMERS: AN OVERVIEW
- Consumer segmentation
- Segmentation reveals five distinct groups of cultural engagement
- Segmentation reveals five distinct groups based on alignment with the mainstream and community engagement to identify “polycultural consumers”
- Graph 1: consumer segments based on attitudes towards culture and community, 2024
- Using cluster analysis to identify Polycultural consumers
- Graph 2: attitudes towards culture and community, 2024
- Using cluster analysis to identify Polycultural consumers
- Graph 3: component alignment, by consumer segments, 2024
- Polycultural Pioneers are aspirational and attuned to cultures of multiple sources
- Polycultural Pioneers are the aspiring arbiters of culture
- Mainstream Conformists most actively align with the mainstream cultural narrative
- Individualist Connoisseurs are immersed in their own world
- Resigned Traditionalists feel disconnected from the modern US mainstream
- The Culturally Unmoored are disengaged from community and traditions
- Polycultural consumers and the American mainstream
- (Not) defining “American mainstream”
- This Report focuses on the three segments that value exploration of cultures
- Polycultural consumers distinguish themselves from other segments by having non-mainstream “interests”
- Graph 4: culture experienced in adulthood, by consumer segments, 2024
- Brands should be cautious when using cultural or ethnic backgrounds to bucket consumer attitudes towards culture
- Graph 5: culture experienced in childhood, by consumer segments, 2024
- Polycultural Pioneers with a US mainstream childhood are more intentional in their exploration
- Graph 6: “I enjoy asking people of different backgrounds than myself about their culture” – agreement, by Polycultural Pioneers and childhood culture, 2024
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market context
- Annual inflation slightly rose in December
- Graph 7: headline CPI and core CPI, 2021-24
- Average Gen Z, Millennial and Gen X discretionary spending power rising
- Graph 8: after-tax income minus expenditures, annual consumer unit average, by generation*, 2016-23
- Financial situations change for the better over the past year
- Graph 9: change in financial situation over the past 12 months, 2023 and 2024
- Those identifying as multiracial now make up almost 10% of the US population
- Market drivers
- With each generation, the US population becomes more diverse
- Graph 10: distribution of US generations, by race, 2023
- Graph 11: distribution of US generations, by Hispanic origin, 2023
- Number of immigrants in the US is at an all-time high
- Graph 12: number of immigrants (thousands) and immigrants as share of the US population (%), 1850-2023
- Fast-growing Asian populations – Chinese and Indian, in particular – will increase mainstream exposure to these cultures
- Graph 13: Asian population, by country of origin/heritage, 2022
- Polyculturalism driver: the casualization of everyday life
- Polyculturalism driver: increased scrutiny of both traditional and modern values
- Polyculturism driver: social media is a key driver of emergent culture
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CONSUMER INSIGHTS
- Consumer fast facts – Polycultural Pioneers
- Consumer fast facts – Mainstream Conformists
- Consumer fast facts – Individualist Connoisseurs
- Understanding segments through their needs and sense of self
- Understand consumer priorities and sense of self to craft value statements and messages with broad resonance
- Graph 14: influential factors determining sense of self (select up to five), 2024
- Selectively engage culturally active consumer segments based on their sense of self
- Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs provides a framework for marketing based on consumers’ needs
- Engage Polycultural Pioneers through the communities and content they engage with
- Graph 15: Polycultural Pioneers – influential factors determining sense of self (select up to five) – select items, 2024
- Appeal to the confidence and aspirational nature of Polycultural Pioneers
- Polycultural Pioneer parents are invested in the future
- Mainstream Conformists value heritage, work and community
- Graph 16: Mainstream Conformists – influential factors determining sense of self (select up to five) – select items, 2024
- Mainstream Conformists feel comfort in being part of the mainstream
- Respect Individualist Connoisseurs’ expertise and honor their independence
- Graph 17: Individualist Connoisseurs – influential factors determining sense of self (select up to five) – select items, 2024
- Empower Individualist Connoisseurs to go down their rabbit holes
- Translating Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to consumer priorities
- Cultural influence on different aspects of life
- The of influence of “different culture” in aspects of consumers’ lives signify their comfort with variety
- Foreign cultural influence of food has become mainstream
- Graph 18: cultural influence of different aspects of life, 2024
- Food is suited for bridging cultural differences and introducing new influences
- Graph 19: cultural influence of preferred food, by consumer segments, 2024
- Video streaming and social media have normalized non-mainstream video content
- Graph 20: cultural influence of preferred video content, by consumer segments, 2024
- The sheer variety in genres hinder widespread cultural convergence in music
- Graph 21: cultural influence of preferred music, by consumer segments, 2024
- Workplace innovation and cultural change may originate with Polycultural Pioneer-type employees
- Graph 22: cultural influence of how they work (professionally or in the household), by consumer segments, 2024
- Polycultural Pioneers are a key target for international and emerging sports
- Graph 23: cultural influence of preferred sports, by consumer segments, 2024
- Diverse cultural influences on appearance are opportunities for fashion and beauty
- Graph 24: cultural influence of physical appearance, by consumer segments, 2024
- Keep within the mainstream when marketing hobbies to Individualist Connoisseurs
- Graph 25: cultural influence of physical appearance, by consumer segments, 2024
- Cater messaging to match segments’ pre-existing non-mainstream influences in their lives
- Graph 26: sources of non-mainstream influence, by consumer segments, 2024
- Use existing avenues of non-mainstream exposure to further their exploration
- Priorities for leisure media consumption
- Consumer segments differ in the reasons for consuming leisure media
- Consumers primarily want to relax when listening to music, reading or watching video for leisure
- Graph 27: priorities for leisure media (select up to three), 2024
- Polycultural Pioneers prioritize creativity, community and being on the cutting edge
- Graph 28: Polycultural Pioneers – priorities for leisure media (select up to three) – select items, by consumer segments, 2024
- To reach Polycultural Pioneers, don’t be afraid to be weird
- Mainstream Conformists are community and comfort-oriented
- Graph 29: Mainstream Conformists – priorities for leisure media (select up to three) – select items, by consumer segments, 2024
- Keep the mainstream as a pillar from which Mainstream Conformists can safely explore new cultures
- Individualist Connoisseurs value exploration, but keep it to themselves
- Graph 30: Individualist Connoisseurs – priorities for leisure media (select up to three) – select items, by consumer segments, 2024
- Sophistication and depth attract Individualist Connoisseurs
- Shu Ha Ri – the Japanese philosophy of mastery and how it applies to creative endeavors by segments
- Conflicts arise when subcultures transition to the mainstream
- Shopping and information gathering habits
- Product discovery still takes place in conventional forums
- Graph 31: typical product and service discovery platforms, 2024
- Differences between segments are reflected in their preferred product discovery platforms
- Graph 32: typical product and service discovery platforms, by consumer segment, 2024
- Consumers prioritize convenience and value
- Graph 33: venues purchased from, at least a few times a month or more, 2024
- Younger lifestages account for higher consumption by Pioneers and Conformists
- Graph 34: venues frequently purchased from, by consumer segments, 2024
- Social media meshes well with Polycultural Pioneers’ and Mainstream Conformists’ focus on community
- Graph 35: daily usage of social media platforms, by consumer segments, 2024
- Differentiate social media messaging between Polycultural Pioneers and Mainstream Conformists
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES
- Launch activity and innovation
- Capitalize on the increased awareness and interest in global beauty standards
- Fashion has traditionally been an avenue for cultural blending
- Fusion food continues its trend of introducing exotic flavors through the familiar
- Ten Thousand Villages advocate for Polycultural Pioneer values of cultural discovery and a sustainable future
- Mintel Spark concepts with potential to appeal to Polycultural Pioneers
- Marketing and advertising
- Emerging genres that would have particular appeal to Polycultural Pioneers’ tastes
- Brands can selectively embrace fan-created content to benefit from virality
- Emergent music-aesthetic genres are breeding in YouTube videos
- On cultural appropriation – honor the source and avoid overt profiteering
- Perform due diligence to ensure cultural values are not betrayed
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APPENDIX
- Market definition
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Consumer qualitative research
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
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