In a clever move, American baby food company Gerber has reflected current marketing trends regarding increases in the use of more diverse models in advertising – in this case more racially diverse baby models – in their recent campaign. The company, which has been running for over 80 years, has updated their iconic look to feature several babies from various ethnic backgrounds as a modern alternative to the image of a single Caucasian baby model which was previously used to represent and promote the brand.

This move comes on the back of reports that by 2042 America’s majority population is expected to be non-white. According to new census figures, America currently has less white babies than minority babies in its population and white children could be the minority in America by 2019; a situation which is already a reality in 10 states. This new look American population is partly due to the impact of a dramatic growth in Latinos, with approximately two million American children currently known to have different raced parents.

According to ABC news, demographer William Frey said of the change: “The idea where we had a white, middle-class population that we talked about in the 1950s and 1960s, that’s disappearing.”

With America’s substantial media influence on the Western world it is clear that the emergence of such facts and figures will result in an increase in the representation of ethnic diversity in marketing; a situation that leading UK male, female, teen, child and baby model agent Models Direct feels is long overdue. Though we are already seeing an impressive growth in the inclusion of ‘real’ models in advertising – plus-size models, mature models, petite models and even disabled models – Models Direct believes that it’s important for advertisers to fully embrace this positive trend to reflect the real world. Not only does this inevitably prove a more effective way of advertising, we also feel it is a healthier approach to represent all groups wherever possible. Models Direct maintains its inclusive attitude and is proud to have a reputation for this outlook.