The New Mainstream Podcast

Being data-driven doesn't mean being bias-free.In a recent episode of The New Mainstream Podcast, ThinkNow Co-Founder and host Mario Carrasco spoke with Tim Turner, Director of Insights and Analytics at Thresholds, about a growing concern in the age of artificial intelligence: AIsystems may be reproducing the same historical inequalities embedded in the data used to train them.When Data Reflects the Past, AI Can Repeat ItArtificial intelligence is often perceived as objective. After all, algorithms rely on data rather than personal opinions or individual judgment. But what happens when that data reflects decades of inequality, underrepresentation, or systemic bias?As Turner explains, historical data isn't necessarily neutral. It reflects the decisions, practices, and social conditions under which it was collected.Consider predictive models trained on historical incarceration records. If certain communities have experienced disproportionate policing, those patterns may become embedded in the datasets used to train AI systems. Without careful evaluation, the resulting predictions could reinforce existing inequalities rather than challenge them.Being Data-Driven Doesn't Mean Being Bias-FreeOne of the most important insights from the conversation is that data itself is a human construct.People determine what information to collect, how to categorize it, which variables matter, and how to interpret the results. This means that even the most sophisticated analytical models can reflect the assumptions and limitations of the people and systems that developed them. With that in mind, it's worth asking:Are we using technology to make better decisions, or are we simply automating the biases of the past?Being data-driven isn't enough. Organizations must also understand where their data comes from, whose experiences it represents, and which perspectives may be missing.Responsible AI Starts with Responsible DataAt Thresholds, a Chicago-based nonprofit providing community mental health services, Turner approaches data and technology from a human-centered perspective.His organization evaluates opportunities to implement artificial intelligence based on three fundamental principles:Align with the mission. Technology should address real organizational needs rather than be adopted simply because it's available.Maximize value. Successful implementation requires training, strategic prioritization, and tools that genuinely support employees and the people they serve.Minimize risk. Strong governance, privacy protections, and clear policies are essential, especially when working with sensitive information.Representation is a ResponsibilityThis conversation highlights a particularly important responsibility: ensuring that the people represented in datasets reflect the diversity of the populations being studied.When certain communities are missing, underrepresented, or inaccurately characterized, the resulting insights can offer an incomplete picture of reality.The Future of AI Still Depends on Human JudgmentTechnology cannot eliminate the need for human responsibility.For Turner, the ultimate purpose of data is to empower people. At Thresholds, analytics supports clinical teams by providing relevant information to help them deliver more timely and personalized care.AI may be transforming how organizations make decisions, but people remain responsible for ensuring those decisions are well-informed, equitable, and have a positive impact.

Ann Poulose of Epsilon explores cultural complexity, media fragmentation, artificial intelligence, and the human connections reshaping marketing.In a new episode of The New Mainstream Podcast, Mario Carrasco, Co-Founder of ThinkNow, sits down with Ann Poulose, Director of Growth Operations and Multicultural Media at Epsilon, to discuss the evolution of multiculturalmarketing and what brands need to remain relevant in an ever-changing marketplace.Drawing on Ann's experience helping build Starcom Hispanic and its evolution into Tapestry, the conversation explores the relationship between culture, business growth, media fragmentation, and emerging technologies.Multicultural Marketing Is a Growth StrategyThroughout her career, Ann has witnessed the industry's shifting interest in multicultural marketing. Investment and attention have fluctuated, but the need to understandculturally diverse audiences remains.One of the conversation's most important points is the distinction between multicultural marketing and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).Although the two concepts can overlap, Ann explains that multicultural marketing serves a specific business purpose: identifying growth opportunities by understandingdifferent consumer communities.This distinction becomes especially important as brands reassess their priorities and the role of multicultural strategies within their broader business objectives.Multicultural marketing isn't just about who appears in a campaign. It's about understanding who you're trying to reach and building relevant connections that drive business growth.There Is No Single Multicultural ConsumerHispanic, Black, Asian, and other multicultural audiences are often analyzed as distinct segments. Yet within each group exists a wide range of identities, experiences, interests, and perspectives.During the conversation, Ann reflects on her experience as an Indian American and how personal history influences cultural identity and a sense of belonging.She also shares experiences outside the advertising industry that reinforced an important lesson: understanding people requires listening first, rather than making assumptions about their lives.The takeaway is clear: understanding an audience means moving beyond broad demographic categories and recognizing the complexity within each community.This is particularly relevant as brands seek to develop more precise audience segmentation and communication strategies that reflect how people actually live.Media Has Changed. Audience Strategy Must Change with It.When Ann began her career, reaching multicultural audiences often meant working with a more concentrated set of media channels. Today, attention is spread across streaming platforms, social media, content creators, digital communities, and an expanding range of entertainment and information sources.This fragmentation has made connecting with consumers more complex.At the same time, advances in data and targeting create new opportunities to understand consumers through additional dimensions, including their interests, behaviors,and passions.As Mario points out during the conversation, the evolution of audience intelligence makes it possible to address the complexity of multicultural consumers with greater precision.The challenge is understanding where each audience's attention is, what motivates engagement, and how brands can become relevant in those spaces.

In a recent conversation on The New Mainstream Podcast, ThinkNow Co-Founder Mario Carrasco sat down with Matt Lawler, VP of Data & Insights, Global Partnerships at AEG, to talk about fandom, live entertainment, data and the changing ways brands understand audiences.One idea stood out:Knowing someone’s demographic profile doesn’t necessarily tell you what will move them.A demographic label only tells part of the storyLawler argues that brands can become so focused on “diversity” that they miss what actually connects people.Race, ethnicity, gender and age are important signals. But consumers are also shaped by beliefs, behaviors, interests, communities and cultural affinities.His example is simple: Kobe Bryant.Put Kobe in front of Lakers fans and people from completely different backgrounds can immediately share a connection. The cultural symbol becomes a unifying force that cuts across other differences. That matters for marketers because the most relevant audience may not always be defined by a traditional demographic category. It might be defined by what people share.From demographics to behaviorTechnology is making that distinction even more important.Lawler points to the rise of personalization and increasingly precise targeting.Brands can understand interests, behaviors and mindsets that reveal much more about what might drive someone toward a purchase.The question becomes:What characteristics actually predict the behavior we care about?That could mean identifying people around an artist, a sports team, a lifestyle, a hobby or a particular mindset rather than relying primarily on broad demographic groups. Smaller cultural communities can also become disproportionately influential. Lawler points to sneakerheads as an example: once viewed as a niche subculture, theynow influence some of the world's biggest footwear brands.Today’s niche audience can become tomorrow’s mainstream consumer.Culture gives brands the “why”For brands,deeper audience intelligence starts by understanding the beliefs and behaviorsbehind an identity.·       What does this community value?·       What brings these people together?·       What role can the brand authentically play?Lawler's advice is especially relevant for brands trying to enter cultural spaces: understand what is already happening, listen to the community and identify where the brand can genuinely add value. Because ultimately:Demographics can help tell you who your audience is. Culture and behavior can help explain why they act.And understanding that difference may be one of the biggest opportunities for marketers trying to reach the audiences shaping what's next.

The United States spent $5.3 trillion on healthcare in 2024, approximately $15,474 per person. Healthcare spending represented nearly 18% of the entire U.S. economy.With a figure of this magnitude, one question is hard to ignore: what are we getting in return?This was one of the central questions in the conversation between Mario Carrasco and Aaron Fields, MHA, ACC, on The New Mainstream Podcast. For Fields, understanding where value is being created within all this spending is fundamental to thinking strategically about the future of healthcare.

This is part of what Alejandra Soto, Director of Latino Communications at Planned Parenthood, shared with Mario Carrasco in the latest episode of The New Mainstream Podcast: understanding Latino audiences requires much morethan speaking their language.“Latino consumers” may seem like a clearly defined audience. In reality, it includes people with very different identities, experiences, generations, languages, and cultural contexts.And that difference matters.A recent immigrant who is predominantly Spanish-speaking, a second-generation bilingual consumer, and a fourth-generation Latino who primarily speaks English may allidentify as Latino—but they can consume media, respond to messaging, and engage with brands in completely different ways.Speaking Spanish Doesn't Mean Understanding LatinosFor brands, reaching Latino audiences requires much more than translating an existing campaign.It means understanding who the audience is, what cultural context shapes their behavior, where they get information, and what makes a message feel authentic.In her conversation with Mario Carrasco, Alejandra Soto explains how research, listening, and the ability to adapt strategies are essential to building more relevant multicultural communications.Authenticity Can't Be ManufacturedCultural relevance also isn't about adding recognizable cultural symbols to an advertisement.A campaign can use the right language, imagery, or cultural references and still fail to connect with its audience.The difference lies in whether those elements reflect a genuine understanding of the community or simply reproduce stereotypes.For brands looking to Understand, Reach, and Engage multicultural audiences, that distinction can be decisive.