As the new post-pandemic normal settles in and people adapt to a context of uncertainty, constant adversities, and pessimism, we are moving away from a moment in which consumers expected brands to rise up to society's challenges and into one when they’re demanding genuine allyship from businesses.

Diverse representation is an expectation, but as individuals no longer allow themselves to be defined in singular terms, there's mounting pressure on brands to understand and sensitively reflect how the intersections between race, gender, class, and ability impact people's everyday lives.

Does saving the planet have to start at home? Has polarisation made it normal to be strongly opinionated? And does a brand seem less genuine if it brags about its good behaviour? In this part of the 2018 Expert Outlook series, we speak to three experts about what’s changing in people’s – and brands’ – perceived role in society.

Around a fifth of African Americans say that when it comes to investments and financial planning for their family’s future, their knowledge is lacking. Crowdfunding platform Buy The Block is tackling this problem by helping them easily invest in real estate and support their community in the process.

From France’s law against ‘unhealthy-looking’ catwalk models to activist hashtags such as #droptheplus, 2015 saw radical changes in how women’s clothing was sold. So far, so good – for women at least. But what about men? How do blokes who don’t look like David Beckham want to shop?

While nearly half of women say they prefer to buy from companies that challenge gender stereotypes, branded feminism in the form of pink-washed products and #girlpower hashtags is often seen as insensitive and unimpressive. So, how can marketers empower women in an authentic way?