Cultural Diversity as Brand Management in Cable Television

Abstract

Abstract:This article explores the strategic use of cultural diversity as brand management tool in cable television via the case study of The Fosters, a prime-time soap on ABC Family. Specifically, I examine three interrelated facets of The Fosters and its industrial context, namely the program's representation of meaningful cultural diversity, how this meaningful diversity functions as a strategy for ABC Family's brand of "A New Kind of Family," and how media scholars can make sense of a discourse of diversity imbricated in corporate brand management. Instead of dismissing branded diversity, I argue that we should closely examine it to recognize the possibilities and constraints of culturally diverse representations emerging out of and enabled by television brand management.Keywords: Audiences, Branding, Cable, Distribution, RaceImagine the following TV program: a family drama about an interracial lesbian couple raising a multiethnic group of children in which the plot explicitly addresses the following issues: racial and ethnic difference, sexuality and gender, class, and the failure of institutions, especially the foster care system. This program embodies the kind of meaningful diversity for which media scholars frequently ask, but it seems utopian to imagine such a drama would appear on American television. Yet this program exists. It is called The Fosters (2013-) and airs on the Disney-owned cable channel ABC Family. Using The Fosters as a case study, this article explores the strategic use of cultural diversity as brand management tool in cable television. Specifically, I examine three interrelated facets of The Fosters and its industrial context. First, I analyze the program's representation of meaningful cultural diversity. According to Mary Beltrán, meaningful diversity in television occurs when characters of color move beyond token status and appear as complex people with rich interiority and the agency to drive the narrative forward. 2 Second, I demonstrate how this meaningful diversity functions as a strategy for ABC Family's brand of "A New Kind of Family," turning it into what I call branded diversity. I use "branded diversity" to describe the inclusion of cultural diversity in television programming that is motivated by and contributes to a channel's branding strategies. Finally, I examine how media scholars can make sense of diversity imbricated in corporate brand management via a few examples of how meaningful and branded diversity overlap in The Fosters. Instead of dismissing branded diversity, I argue that we should closely examine it to recognize the

Sexism and racism negatively predict preference for diverse characters in Star Wars fans.

“…In effect, greater diverse representation in media can be beneficial in reducing viewers' prejudices. As producers of media make casting decisions to include greater diversity (Kohnen, 2015; Luther et al, 2017; Molina-Guzmán, 2016; Salminen, 2021) they should be aware of the potential for fan backlash even if it is only from a small, but vocal, portion of the fandom (Eeken & Hermes, 2021; Sweet, 2018; Wray, 2020). Real-world prejudices can have an impact on media industries (e.g., casting decisions), power structures (e.g., reducing prejudice in viewers), and fan cultures (e.g., toxic fandom).…”

“…Marginalized groups are frequently underrepresented in U.S. media, and, when they are present, their portrayal is often rampant with stigmatizing stereotypes (Burgess et al, 2011; Monk-Turner et al, 2010). Although not perfect, producers have gradually been including greater diversity in their media (Kohnen, 2015; Luther et al, 2017; Molina-Guzmán, 2016; Salminen, 2021). However, across a variety of fandoms fans have been observed vocally disagreeing with casting individuals from marginalized groups on social media (Driessen, 2020; Proctor, 2017).…”

Streaming difference(s): Netflix and the branding of diversity

“…Cultural diversity, defined as the sum of various kind of difference – ethnic, racial, or cultural – and their articulations with gender and sexuality (Siapera, 2010), has been widely addressed in media studies. However, several critics (Fuller, 2010; Kohnen, 2015) have pointed out that, while this line of research has produced ground-breaking results, little attention has been paid to the ways in which the representation of diversity is also part of the corporate strategies of media brands.…”

“…Melanie Kohnen (2015) introduces the term ‘branded diversity’ to show how television channels capitalised on controversies around race, gender and/or sexuality to promote themselves as edgy and cool and further cement their brand identities (see also Fuller, 2010; Himberg, 2014). From the use of blackness as marker of an urban channel (Fuller, 2010; Gray, 2021) to the use of queer identity to promote a liberal and open-minded network (Aslinger, 2009), scholarship shows how, particularly in the 1990s, the representation of identity categories stemmed from an industrial shift within the television industry motivated by corporate interests.…”

Distributing Whiteness: Please Like Me and Global Television Circulation

“…Freeform is the perfect home for EGBO : its tagline “from first kiss to first kid” (The Walt Disney Company 2015) loosely represents the circumstances presented in the show: Nicholas needs to take responsibility for two teenagers whose first romantic and sexual experiences are major story arcs in the first season. In contrast to Pivot, Freeform (and its previous incarnation ABC Family) has been highly successful in drawing its target audience to the channel’s programing (Kohnen 2015; Selznick 2018).…”