Cancel Culture Isn’t New - It’s Collective Accountability
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“Cancel culture” isn’t about cancellation. It’s about accountability, powered by the speed, scale, and visibility of social media. What many call an overreaction is often a global audience drawing a line in the sand: enough. We’ve had enough of power without responsibility, enough of small moments that reflect big patterns, and enough of brands that preach values but practice silence.
It’s not a witch hunt. It’s a cultural shift.
Social Media: The World's Fastest Accountability Channel
We live in an age where every smartphone is a broadcast tower. A second of bad behavior doesn’t just travel; it goes global. Within hours, it’s been viewed, reposted, commented on, and debated by millions. But here's the truth: the outrage isn't about the moment. It’s about what the moment represents.
When a CEO is caught on camera in a compromising position (see: the Coldplay concert video), or an adult steals a baseball from a child (see: Phillies home run), or a grown man snatches a signed hat from a young tennis fan, what we’re really seeing is a crack in the social contract. These aren’t just personal lapses—they’re public reflections of deeper issues: entitlement, inequality, narcissism, and disregard for others.
These aren’t “oops” moments. They’re mirrors.
If It’s Caught on Camera, It’s Probably Not the First Time
Let’s stop pretending that what gets captured is the anomaly. More often than not, it’s the evidence. When a leader is filmed acting inappropriately, it’s rarely their first act of poor judgment—it’s just the first one with a digital witness. And if that’s how they act in public, what does that tell us about the culture they’ve cultivated behind closed doors?
The firing of CEOs following viral clips is often presented as swift justice. But if we look closer, many of these firings feel more like crisis containment than genuine change. One minute they’re out, the next they’re appointed to the board. Performative accountability, strategically timed to stabilize share prices—not driven by values, but by optics.
Ask yourself: if the board acted quickly only after the world saw the footage, what does that tell you about what they tolerated before?
The “One Bad Apple” Excuse Is Rotten
We’ve been told again and again that bad behavior is the exception. That one executive’s misstep doesn’t reflect the whole organization. But it does. Leadership character reflects company culture. A CEO is not an outlier. They are a product of the environment, often protected by it.
Let’s revisit the toxic workplace allegations at The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The program championed kindness on-air while fostering a damaging behind-the-scenes culture. It wasn’t just one person. It was a system that allowed harm to grow unchecked—until viewers and former staff made it impossible to ignore.
No values statement, annual report, or brand refresh can wallpaper over a rotten foundation. Eventually, the truth peels through.
This Isn’t Cancel Culture. It’s a Culture of Consequence.
What people want—what they’re voting for with their attention, their voices, and their wallets—is simple:
Fairness.
Equity.
Respect.
Decency.
It shouldn’t be radical to expect that people with power act responsibly. That leaders model values. That brands practice what they preach. What was once whispered in the margins is now public discourse. Epstein’s unsealed files, for example, spotlight not just individual crimes but the powerful institutions that looked the other way, protected names, and delayed justice. This is not just about personal wrongdoing—it’s about systemic rot.
“Cancel culture” is the modern mechanism by which regular people demand a higher standard—and get it.
The New Math of Brand Value: Character + Culture = Longevity
Brands can’t afford to ignore the moral calculus of modern consumers. In a fractured, uncertain world, people are choosing brands that reflect their values. It’s not just about quality or price—it’s about alignment.
And here’s the thing: consumers don’t just walk away silently. They walk away loudly—with hashtags, reels, think pieces, and screenshots.
Leadership must understand:
Advertising campaigns can’t save a broken culture.
Your internal practices will leak into your external reputation.
Values aren’t statements. They’re behaviours.
Today, being “cancelled” doesn’t mean someone wants your brand to disappear. It means they want you to do better—and they’re no longer giving you the benefit of the doubt while you figure it out.
What’s Next for Brands, Leaders, and Marketers?
If you’re leading an organization today, know this: we are living in the age of values verification. People are watching, not to catch you out—but to see if they can trust you. And trust is no longer built through perfect messaging. It’s built through consistent action.
Five questions every leader should be asking:
Do our internal policies reflect the values we put on our website?
Would our employees say the same thing about our culture that we say publicly?
Have we been silent when we should have been accountable?
Do we respond differently to issues based on who gets harmed?
Is our leadership a reflection of our ideals—or just our profits?
Cancel Culture Isn’t the Problem. It’s the Reckoning We Asked For.
We’re not more sensitive. We’re more aware. We’re not less forgiving. We’re less willing to accept silence, spin, and secrecy as leadership. The world hasn’t lost its mind—it’s finally finding its voice.
And that voice is saying: Character matters. Culture matters. People matter.
If your brand is built to last, build it on values you’re proud to have filmed.
Would you like this adapted into a LinkedIn carousel, blog, or a downloadable thought leadership piece with visuals and a call-to-action? I can also create a checklist or boardroom workshop companion based on this article.
Future-Proof Your Brand in 2025
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When the classic levers to drive growth year over year - downsizing, price increases, ingredient swaps, supply chain efficiencies - have been pulled to their limit, marketers are left with the one lever that can’t be replicated by private label or undercut by inflation: authentic connection.
Why Inclusive Marketing Builds Stronger Brands and Lasting Business
Marketing has always been about connecting with people. The challenge in 2025 is that the people brands want to reach are more diverse than ever, across culture, language, age, ability, gender, and lived experience. This is not a trend. It is the reality of our world.
That is why inclusive marketing is not a “nice to do.” It is a business strategy. Done well, it strengthens loyalty, drives growth, and builds brands that last.
1. Diverse audiences are your growth engine
Canada, like much of the world, is becoming more diverse every year. StatsCan projects that by 2041, nearly half of Canadians will belong to a racialized group. In Europe and the US, similar demographic shifts are reshaping consumer markets.
If your marketing does not reflect this reality, you risk missing the very people who will drive your future sales. Inclusive marketing helps you reach more of the customers who are already here and those who are shaping the next decade of growth.
2. Loyalty is built through belonging
People stick with brands that make them feel seen. When someone recognizes themselves in your campaign, not as a stereotype but as a whole person, they feel like your brand is for them. That sense of belonging turns first-time buyers into long-term loyal customers.
On the flip side, exclusion or tokenism does the opposite. It erodes trust and makes people quick to walk away. Inclusive marketing builds loyalty because it treats customers with respect.
3. Brands with longevity reflect culture, not just sell into it
The strongest brands do not just sell products. They become part of culture. Think about how music, food, fashion, and sport shape how people connect with each other. Marketing plays a role in that cultural storytelling.
Inclusive marketing makes sure your brand’s story reflects the culture of today and tomorrow. That reflection keeps your brand relevant, credible, and future-focused. Without it, brands risk becoming outdated, irrelevant, or even harmful.
4. Inclusion is operational, not extra
Inclusive marketing is often dismissed as “extra work” or a side project. In reality, it is about working smarter. By building inclusion into the tools and processes your teams already use, like briefs, templates, content calendars, and review checklists, you make it part of how the work gets done every day.
This is how brands move from performative gestures to authentic action. It is also how inclusion becomes scalable and sustainable.
5. The bottom line: results
Inclusive marketing is not charity. It is smart business. It drives sales by connecting with more people. It grows loyalty by making customers feel like they belong. And it builds brand longevity by keeping you relevant in a rapidly changing world.
In 2025 and beyond, inclusive marketing is a business imperative. Brands that integrate it deeply into their operations will win. Those that do not will fall behind.
The Elephants in the Room: Why Many Marketers Resist Inclusive Marketing
Elephants - The metaphorical elephant in the room represents an obvious problem or difficult situation that people do not want to talk about.
Walk into any agency brainstorm, brand planning session, or comms review and you’ll hear it — sometimes said plainly, sometimes quietly:
“This slows down an already time-starved process.”
“We can’t possibly include everyone.”
“If we focus on one group, aren’t we ignoring others?”
“Equity-seeking groups don’t want to be spotlighted.”
These are the stories we tell ourselves. The reasons (and excuses) that keep inclusive marketing parked at the edge of the agenda or on the side of the desk. Let’s call them out and put them into perspective.
1. “It slows us down.”
Marketers are under constant pressure — briefs are rushed, budgets are tight, and approvals take weeks. Adding inclusion into the process can feel like an extra step.
But here’s the truth: when inclusion is built into your Standard Operating Processes (SOPs), storyboards, and briefing templates, it’s not extra work. It’s just how you work. Brands that integrate inclusivity at the process level don’t lose speed — they reduce costly re-work, avoid brand damage, and build long-term loyalty.
2. “We can’t include everyone.”
Correct. You can’t. No one can. That’s not the goal.
The goal is to be intentional. To know which audiences align to your brand’s promise, and to represent them with accuracy and care. Trying to reach “everyone” leads to watered-down work that connects with no one. Inclusive marketing is about depth of resonance, not breadth of reach.
3. “If I spotlight one group, I’m turning away others.”
This fear comes from a scarcity mindset — the idea that attention is a finite pie and if one group gets a slice, another goes hungry.
In reality, spotlighting one group often builds broader trust. When people see a brand consistently showing care for a community, it signals authenticity to everyone. The audience isn’t just the group shown in the ad — it’s everyone watching how your brand chooses to show up.
4. “Equity-seeking groups don’t want to be spotlighted.”
This is partly true — nobody wants to feel tokenized. What audiences don’t want is to be used.
When representation is done with dignity, co-creation, and context, people welcome it. The discomfort comes when brands reduce lived experiences into a “check the box” moment. The solution isn’t silence — it’s partnership, listening, and investing in authentic stories.
5. “Our leadership/board/investors won’t sign off.”
This elephant often sits quietly in the corner. Senior leaders fear backlash or worry that inclusion looks like “taking sides.”
Here’s the business case: consumers are noticing when brands go quiet. In Canada, nearly 70% of consumers say they are more loyal to brands that reflect their values (Ipsos, 2023). Inclusive marketing is not just a social good — it’s a growth driver. Boards understand loyalty and market share. The language might need reframing, but the case is clear.
6. “We’ll get called out if we get it wrong.”
Yes, mistakes can happen. But silence is also a choice — and it carries its own risk. A thoughtful misstep followed by accountability earns more respect than avoidance. Brands that build inclusive practices into every stage (briefing, concept testing, reviews) reduce that risk significantly.
7. “This isn’t our priority right now.”
Inclusion is not a seasonal campaign or a special-project extra. It’s a future-proofing strategy. No brand that wants to exist positively in the next 10 years can afford to ignore it. The market, the workforce, and the culture are already moving — whether your brand moves with them is the only question.
The Bottom Line
Inclusive marketing is not about making everyone happy or ticking boxes. It’s about being intentional, consistent, and aligned with your brand promise.
The elephants in the room are real — but they’re not immovable. They shrink the moment you design inclusion into the way you work: your processes, your tools, your storytelling.
That’s not more work. That’s just good marketing.
Safe Space? There’s No Such Place.
What even is a safe space? Is your idea of one the same as mine? Can someone else create that for you?
I came across this definition by Elise Ahenkorah (she/her), and it stuck with me:
“A safe place is a place or environment in which a person or group of people can feel confident that they will not be exposed to discrimination, criticism, harassment, or any other emotional or physical harm.”
(Source: “Safe and Brave Spaces Don’t Work (and What You Can Do Instead)”, Medium)
The term safe space received a lot of attention in 2020. There was a wave of public commitments to inclusion, belonging, and diversity. DEI strategies were announced. Training budgets were approved. Statements were made.
Now it’s 2025. And many of those same organizations have quietly stepped back. What once felt urgent is now optional again. For those of us outside the dominant culture - and I’m intentionally not using terms like “minority” or “equity-deserving” - this isn’t new. The promises were never ours to begin with.
So let’s go back to this idea of a safe space.
If you’re visibly a member of a non-dominant group, you already know: safety has never been guaranteed. Microaggressions, harmful language, erasure - they happen every day. Not because people are always malicious, but because “safe” means different things to different people.
The return-to-office push is making this even more urgent. In a 2023 Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion survey, 72% of racialized employees returning to in-person work said they expect to encounter more microaggressions and bias compared to remote work. In the UK, a 2022 Race at Work survey found 41% of employees of colour felt less comfortable speaking up in physical workplaces than they did online, compared to just 25% of white employees. These statistics underline what many already know: physical proximity can increase exposure to harmful behaviours when cultures of respect and accountability aren’t in place.
Here’s what I believe:
Every person deserves respect. Especially in the workplace. But that doesn’t come from buzzwords or well-meaning posters in the lunchroom. It comes from accountability.
Accountable spaces - that’s what we should be aiming for.
Spaces where people take responsibility for their words and actions. Where harm is acknowledged, not debated. Where the impact matters more than the intent.
That means doing the work. Checking our assumptions. Asking questions. And being open to hearing that we got it wrong. It also means holding each other - especially those with power - accountable.
And for those who deserve accountable and respectful spaces, let’s also extend grace. When someone uses the wrong pronoun, it may not be a malicious act but a sign they need time to learn and adjust. However, if the incorrect pronoun use becomes persistent, followed by a chuckle, laugh, or joke, that is not respectful - and it should be addressed.
Still unsure if what you’re about to say might land the wrong way? Try this: ask yourself if you’d say it to your mother. Your brother. Your child. Your best friend. When we shift from “them” to “us,” the words often change. So does the tone. So does the outcome.
Let’s stop pretending safety is a shared experience. It’s not.
But respect? Accountability? Those we can build together.
And that’s the kind of space where people don’t just survive - they thrive.
Why AI Is the Antithesis of Inclusive Marketing
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AI is not neutral - it mirrors the biases we’re trying to dismantle through inclusive marketing. The responsibility is on us as marketers to use these tools with intention, so we don’t replicate this unconscious bias.
The Tension
AI promises speed, scale, and personalization. Inclusive marketing demands empathy, context, and equity. At first glance, they look like opposites - and sometimes they are. The truth is, AI often amplifies bias instead of dismantling it. That’s why human oversight isn’t optional; it’s the work.
In my practice, I use a discipline called Strategic Inclusive Marketing to make sure oversight isn’t just “good intentions.” It’s built into process, systems, and checkpoints. That lens helps us understand why AI can be the antithesis of inclusion - and how to use it responsibly, without erasing equity-deserving groups.
Why AI Is the Antithesis of Inclusive Marketing
AI isn’t neutral. It learns from the data we feed it, which means it inherits bias baked into history. UNESCO research found that popular language models associate women with domestic roles four times more often than men, while men were linked to words like “executive” and “career.” And in advertising, algorithms have shown high-paying job ads to men more often than women.
Travel brand Black & Abroad put this bias on full display. When they asked a generative AI to place Black travellers in vacation images, the AI lightened their skin, straightened their hair, or dropped them into scenes of poverty. Why? Because its training data had almost no diverse travel images. The result was erasure - the opposite of inclusive representation. Personally, I’ve felt the impact of this erasure. When I travel, I’m often ‘mistaken’ for staff, a tour guide, or a local. Rarely am I recognized as a tourist. I believe this is a direct result of the erasure of different abilities, cultures, gender identities, and skin colours in travel, airline, hospitality, and tourism campaigns. This is why inclusive marketing and AI clash: one is about broadening representation, the other repeats what it has already seen.
When AI Goes Wrong
The failures pile up quickly when oversight is missing. Microsoft’s Tay chatbot was hijacked by trolls and began spewing racist tweets within hours of launch. Amazon scrapped an AI recruiting tool after discovering it downgraded résumés containing the word “women’s.” And just this year, Vogue drew backlash for running a Guess ad featuring an AI-generated, blonde, blue-eyed model - a move critics said sidelined real, diverse talent.
What these cases share: a lack of structured guardrails. Without humans asking, “Who’s being erased here? Who’s harmed if this goes live?” AI turns into a liability.
When Humans Get It Right
Some of the most successful inclusive campaigns have deliberately minimized or rejected AI. Dove’s “The Code” campaign, for example, highlighted how generative AI produced a narrow vision of beauty - thin, light-skinned, blond women - when asked for “the most beautiful woman.” Dove responded by publishing a Real Beauty Prompt Playbook and pledging never to use AI to generate women’s images. The campaign resonated because it stayed human and authentic.
Fenty Beauty’s launch with 40 foundation shades didn’t need AI. It needed awareness that entire demographics were ignored. That awareness turned into a cultural movement and business success - proof that listening to underserved audiences builds loyalty.
Nike’s “Dream Crazy” with Colin Kaepernick is another example. Critics predicted boycotts. Sales rose 31%. Inclusive marketing rooted in human conviction connected more powerfully than any algorithm ever could.
Using AI for Good (With Oversight)
So where does AI fit? It can support inclusive marketing - but only when humans set the boundaries. Here’s how:
Audit language and imagery: Use AI tools to flag potentially biased words or representation gaps, but always review with human judgment.
Co-create with lived experience: Involve equity-deserving groups in reviewing AI drafts. Representation is not optional; it’s oversight.
Set bias briefs: Document what inclusion looks like for your brand - inclusive language, cultural nuance, accessibility standards and apply that consistently when using AI tools.
Expand accessibility: AI can speed up captions, translations, and alt-text creation. Use it to break barriers, not to cut corners. Be deliberate in your prompts.
Measure representation: AI analytics can help you quantify who shows up in your campaigns. Humans then interpret the results and adjust.
The goal is simple: let AI do the heavy lifting, but keep people responsible for the values.
Bringing the Human Into Oversight
This is where a discipline like Strategic Inclusive Marketing matters. It makes oversight practical by embedding it into everyday processes: Standard Operating Procedures, briefings, creative reviews, and measurement. It ensures that equity-deserving groups are not erased or minimized by the speed of technology.
When marketers adopt this lens, AI becomes a tool to scale inclusion, not to undermine it. It becomes an assistant, not the author. And that’s the balance we need: high-tech capability guided by deeply human judgment.
The Bottom Line
AI doesn’t understand equity. People do (or should). Our job as marketers is to make sure inclusion isn’t an afterthought, even when AI is in the mix. With structured oversight, we can use AI to expand access, audit bias, and personalize responsibly - without erasing the audiences who deserve to be seen.
Inclusive marketing will always be human work. AI can help us go faster, but only if we keep it aligned with our values.
When Inclusivity is on the Menu: Shake Shack’s Canadian Playbook
Image Description: Shake Shack Green logo: Green line-drawn hamburger icon with a domed top bun, wavy middle line, and two stacked rectangular layers.
Written and researched by Sheryl Johnson
Sheryl Johnson founded Strategic Inclusive Marketing to help brands grow by integrating inclusive practices into every stage of marketing and operations - from SOPs and processes to PR and communications - to drive business growth and real social change. With over 20 years of experience, she partners with global brands to create authentic, values-driven narratives that resonate with diverse audiences
Shake Shack’s recent launch in Toronto this year, spotlights a powerful case study in inclusive, smart, and collaborative marketing. The well-known New York City-born burger brand didn’t simply drop a standard formula into a new city, it crafted a local-first approach that resonated from Gen Z to Baby Boomers. By engaging the community, partnering with local creatives and suppliers, creating unique menu items that cater to Canadian tastes, nurturing an inclusive team culture, and leveraging social media for good, Shake Shack demonstrated how to “Stand For Something Good” in practice.
Marketers, business leaders, communications teams, and agencies can draw actionable lessons from this launch to apply in their own strategies. What follows is a breakdown of the key tactics Shake Shack employed during its Toronto market entry and why they were effective.
Community Engagement and Social Good
From day one, Shake Shack wove community impact into its Toronto launch. Before the doors even opened, the company announced that a portion of sales from the new location would support local charities. Shake Shack pledged a share of overall sales to Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue organization. It also earmarked 5 percent of Shack20 bottled water sales for Water First, an Indigenous-focused water charity, and 5 percent of the More S’mores Concrete for Campfire Circle, supporting children with serious illnesses. These commitments signaled to Toronto customers that Shake Shack was investing in the local community, not just doing business there.
Shake Shack turned its grand opening into a community event. In the lead-up, it hosted a “Housewarming Party” contest on Instagram, inviting Torontonians to follow the new @shakeshackca account, tag a friend, and earn a chance to attend an exclusive pre-opening party. For every contest entry, Shake Shack donated five meals to Second Harvest, up to 15,000 meals. The campaign built social buzz while directly fighting hunger. It attracted local influencers and media, who amplified the excitement. By tying promotion to a charitable cause, Shake Shack generated positive press and goodwill that crossed generational lines. Younger audiences valued the authentic activism. Older customers appreciated the charitable sensibility.
Once the restaurant opened, Shake Shack kept showing up in the community. It formed partnerships to host fundraisers and volunteering, aligning with its ethos that each Shack supports its communities through donations, events, and service. In its first year, Shake Shack rolled out a food truck touring Toronto neighborhoods in summer 2025 to celebrate its anniversary, further embedding the brand in the local scene and literally meeting people where they are.
Lesson: Ground your launch in local needs. Cause marketing and community engagement aren’t add-ons. They are strategic drivers of brand love and trust.
Partnering with Local Creatives and Businesses
A hallmark of Shake Shack’s Toronto entry was its deep collaboration with local creatives and suppliers. Rather than rely on a U.S. playbook, the company partnered with Canadian talent to give Toronto locations a unique identity. For the flagship at Yonge-Dundas Square, Shake Shack tapped Toronto artist Briony Douglas for an art installation and vibrant mural that launched ahead of opening day and brought a burst of creativity to the heart of the city.
Briony Douglas: “I really wanted to pay tribute to the iconic locations that have made Toronto what it is today, Honest Ed’s, Sam the Record Man, Massey Hall, while also celebrating Shake Shack coming to town! The bright and colourful illustrations represent the joy and excitement of the first location spreading through the city.”
As Business Director Billy Richmond shared, each new Shack aims to reflect the spirit of the neighbourhoods it serves, and local artist partnerships are a key way to achieve that. As Shake Shack expanded in the GTA, new locations featured murals by artists like Blake Angeconeb, an Anishinaabe artist, and Kirsten McCrea, known for bold, unapologetic patterned murals, to celebrate each community’s culture.
Partnerships extended into the food ecosystem. Ahead of launch, Shake Shack worked with Ontario-based purveyors to source ingredients and co-create menu items. Local partners included Brodflour, the Toronto artisan bakery supplying butter tarts for a signature dessert, and ChocoSol Traders, providing artisanal cocoa nibs for chocolate custard concretes. Beverages also got a local twist through a special Shack ale with Bellwoods Brewery and custom red and white wines with Rosewood Winery in Niagara. By embracing flavors and ingredients Canadians know and love, Shake Shack delivered an experience that felt authentically Canadian.
These collaborations were front-and-center in marketing. Menus and press materials proudly listed local partners. A standout was Shake Shack’s first-ever chef collaboration in Canada with Toronto’s Michelin-recognized MIMI Chinese: a limited-time menu featuring Málà Chicken, Shaokao Fries, and a Black Sesame Coconut Shake, with proceeds supporting Fort York Food Bank. The move showcased Toronto’s diverse culinary scene and earned credibility with foodie audiences.
Takeaway: meaningful co-creation. Featuring local artists, teaming with a neighborhood restaurant, and sourcing from local producers shows respect for the community’s heritage and tastes. Partners gain exposure and business. The brand gains local relevance that outsiders can’t easily replicate.
Tailoring Offerings to Canadian Tastes
An inclusive marketing strategy adapts the product to the people it serves. Shake Shack did its homework and made sure the Toronto menu wasn’t just copied from New York. The first announcement teased Canadian exclusives created with local partners—and the final menu delivered.
Standouts included the Maple Salted Pretzel Shake, made with real Ontario maple syrup and crushed pretzels, and the “I ❤️ Butter Tart” Concrete, a frozen custard dessert featuring pieces of butter tart from Brodflour’s Liberty Village bakery. These weren’t gimmicks. They were carefully crafted with regional flavors and local ingredients.
Inclusivity in menu design also meant understanding Toronto’s diverse food culture. The MIMI Chinese collaboration introduced bold items like Shaokao Fries and a Black Sesame Coconut Shake, acknowledging the city’s large Chinese Canadian community and its love of global cuisine. These limited-edition collaborations sparked curiosity, encouraged visits, and helped more people feel represented. Cultural respect came through genuine partnership with chefs from those communities, not by appropriating flavors.
Shake Shack also adjusted sourcing and operations to meet Canadian expectations of quality. Toronto locations use Canadian-raised Angus beef and antibiotic-free chicken, supporting local farmers and reassuring customers about what they’re eating. Crinkle Cut Fries remain the classic constant that ties every Shack together.
Takeaway: localized supply-chain integration. Localize both product and supply chain. Incorporate local flavors, meet local standards, and celebrate regional food culture to build trust and turn skeptical locals into proud brand ambassadors.
Authentic Marketing Inside and Out: People-First Hiring and Culture
Inclusive marketing isn’t only about what customers see. Authenticity starts inside. Shake Shack’s launch success in Canada is rooted in its people-first culture and inclusive hiring practices, which translated into stronger service and genuine goodwill. From the beginning, Shake Shack created above-minimum-wage jobs for entry-level crew members. Its upcoming expansion will add more than 400 new jobs across six new locations, showing real commitment to Canadian communities.
“Stand For Something Good” also means taking care of employees. That shows up through training, career growth, and a workplace where everyone feels like they belong. “Our doors are open to all” isn’t just a tagline. It’s supported by Employee Resource Groups and inclusive policies that earned Shake Shack recognition as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality in the Human Rights Campaign’s 2023 Corporate Equality Index.
An inclusive, well-trained team who share a hospitality-first mindset can turn an everyday burger run into a memorable moment. Early guests met staff who were friendly, confident, and proud of both their product and their city. The hiring lesson is simple: recruit from the community to reflect its diversity, and build a culture that supports people so they can show up with genuine care. Gen Z workers gravitate toward companies that value inclusion and growth. Older employees bring warmth and familiarity. Together, they bring your inclusive mission to life and create lasting connections with customers.
Designing an Inclusive Customer Experience
Brand building shows up at every touchpoint, including the physical space. Shake Shack’s design feels welcoming, accessible, and intentional. The flagship 5,500-square-foot location at Yonge and Dundas was built to reflect Toronto’s energy while staying true to the Shack aesthetic. The space is open and easy to navigate for families with strollers, guests using mobility aids, and anyone looking to gather in a busy downtown setting. Each GTA location builds on that foundation with local context in mind. The suburban mall Shack includes an interior patio for shoppers, while the compact food-court Shack is designed to stay visible and easy to access. Accessibility shows up in details like wheelchair-friendly layouts, clear signage, and self-order kiosks at comfortable heights, proof that “designing our Shacks responsibly” is part of the brand’s core values, not an afterthought.
Design also acts as a storytelling tool. By collaborating with local artists, Shake Shack connects each space to its community. At Square One, Blake Angeconeb’s vibrant mural celebrates Indigenous culture in a public space, making Indigenous patrons feel seen and introducing others to that art form. At another location, Kirsten McCrea’s colorful designs spark conversation and community pride. These hyper-local touches earned media coverage for turning each Shack into a reflection of its neighborhood rather than a cookie-cutter chain.
For any brand, accessible and welcoming design is a pillar of inclusive strategy. It’s about meeting legal standards like the AODA, but also creating intuitive, comfortable spaces for everyone, with ample seating for seniors, open layouts for caregivers and kids, and a playful ambiance that invites people to linger, connect, and snap a selfie.
Lesson: Store design and environment are marketing. A thoughtfully designed, accessible space communicates your values without words. When a Baby Boomer with mobility challenges and a Gen Z foodie influencer can both enjoy your space in their own way, you’re on the right track.
Driving Buzz Through an Intentional Social and Digital Strategy
Inclusive marketing means meeting audiences where they already are and building genuine connections. Shake Shack’s Toronto launch nailed that balance. The Canadian Instagram account (@shakeshackca) built excitement long before doors opened with sneak peeks and playful posts that rallied local followers. The Briony Douglas partnership didn’t just grow the follower count - it turned those followers into active participants.
Influencer and media relationships helped widen that reach. At the pre-opening Housewarming event, local food bloggers, TikTok creators, and journalists got the first taste along with custom Toronto-themed Shack swag. In return, many shared their experience online, creating an authentic wave of buzz.
On opening day, local news outlets and social users showed up to capture the moment. Shake Shack’s social team amplified user-generated content, thanking fans and sharing their excitement in real-time. The tone remained warm, playful, and full of community spirit, drawing multiple generations into the celebration.
Here’s why the @shakeshackca account shows smart adaptation to Canada:
Local handle, local voice. “CA” signals a distinct Canadian presence with content and replies tailored to local audiences. The launch winked with a Canadianism, “About time, eh?”
Hyper-local storytelling. Posts call out iconic GTA spots like Yonge-Dundas, Union Station, Yorkdale, and Square One. Torontonians see themselves in the content.
Menu localization. Canada-only items like the Maple Salted Pretzel Shake and I Heart Butter Tart Concrete appear alongside local partners like Brodflour and ChocoSol Traders, plus Ontario beer and wine from Bellwoods and Rosewood.
Local delivery and partners. Delivery is available exclusively on Skip, reducing friction and boosting discovery.
Community ties, not just commerce. Content and menu pages point to item-linked donations, like More S’mores Concrete, supporting Campfire Circle.
Culinary collabs that reflect Toronto. The collab with MIMI Chinese nods to the city’s food culture and diverse tastes. That’s adaptation through product, not platitudes.
Clear expansion updates. Posts announce new GTA locations and timelines so Canadians know where to go next.
Takeaway: Use social and digital channels to create genuine connections, not just ads. Invite the community into the story through contests, collabs, and shareable moments. When your giveaway feeds thousands of people and turns followers into ambassadors, you’re doing inclusive marketing right.
Key Takeaways for Inclusive, Strategic Marketing
Invest in community partnerships. Build goodwill by supporting local causes and inviting the community into your launch. Align promotion with social good to earn trust across generations.
Collaborate with local talent. Partner with artists, influencers, and businesses to co-create the brand experience. It makes your offer unique and shows respect for local creativity and diversity.
Adapt your product to local tastes. Don’t assume one size fits all. Research local preferences and reflect them in products or services. Customers notice and appreciate the personal touch.
Create an inclusive team environment. Your employees are the front line. Hire diversely and treat your team well. An inclusive, enthusiastic staff delivers inclusive, memorable experiences.
Design for accessibility and warmth. Ensure your physical and digital spaces are welcoming to everyone. Accessibility and local design elements are silent marketers that speak volumes about your values.
Leverage social for collaboration, not just reach. Encourage participation and User Generated Content. Authentic excitement shared by real people outperforms scripted blasts, especially with younger consumers.
Inclusive marketing done right sees your brand as part of a community, not apart from it. Shake Shack didn’t just open a store in Toronto; it joined Toronto. By celebrating local culture, uplifting local people, and aligning with local values, the brand made a splash that translated into launch success, with plans for 35 locations in Canada by 2035. The magic is that these inclusive strategies benefit everyone; the local community feels valued, employees feel proud, and the brand builds a loyal base across demographics.
In a time when consumers are increasingly diverse, socially conscious, and digitally savvy, the Shake Shack Toronto playbook is a reminder that inclusive, collaborative marketing is smart marketing. Any organization can apply these principles, whether launching a new product or entering a new market, to create campaigns and experiences that truly welcome all. When you stand for something good and invite others to stand with you, you’re not just marketing - you’re building a brand people want to see succeed, together.
Source: IG @briony — Image Descriptions
A: This image combines black-and-white photography with bold, colourful illustration for a lively, nostalgic effect. In the background is the famous Honest Ed’s building in Toronto, its large marquee-style signage and quirky quotes in grayscale. In the foreground, an illustrated woman with brown skin, freckles, and a top bun wears a patterned cream shirt. She holds up a large iced tea in a Shake Shack cup with a green straw, while her other hand grips a Shake Shack paper takeout bag. Colourful illustrated flowers — lavender, daisies, and other bright blooms — add a whimsical pop around her. The blend of historic Toronto iconography with modern brand elements creates a vibrant, urban, artsy vibe.
B: This image blends photography and illustration to create a vibrant, nostalgic scene. The background shows the iconic Sam the Record Man store with its large black vinyl record signs and the bold letters “SAM” on the rooftop. Overlaid are playful, illustrated elements: green musical notes, a person in a purple-and-white striped shirt wearing headphones and a blue cap with the Shake Shack logo, holding a large illustrated iced drink with the same logo. At the bottom left, there’s a detailed illustrated burger with lettuce and crispy chicken. Additional floating illustrations include a Shake Shack takeout bag and an ice cream cone, both outlined in green. The overall vibe feels retro-meets-modern, mixing Toronto’s music history with food, music, and fun branding.