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BR A N D EMAGAZINE R SM AG A•Z2019 IN E.CO M 22 BRANDERS
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“Quotes” Issue 18 17 | May, Aug, 2020 2020
“In a diverse world, cultures coexist. Through deep insights, CrossCultural Branding allows us to strategically connect brands and cultural values with relevance and sensitivity.”
Jackie Bird Founder | President at Redbean Society. Brand marketing strategist, expert at the intersection of brands, diversity and cultural values. Advisor in Growth, Cross-Cultural marketing, brand strategy, and consumer behavior.
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“Quotes” Issue 18 17 | Aug, May, 2020 Issue
“Businesses are agents of change in the communities they operate in and beyond. It is imperative that their brands and their dollars are invested in making change in the spaces they occupy.” Jessica Santana Co-founder & CEO of America On Tech, a technology education company creating pathways for students into degrees and careers in technology. She is a Forbes 30 Under 30 lister and her work has been featured in Forbes, CNN BET, Black Enterprise and the Huffington Post.
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Contributors Amy Gómez SVP Diversity Strategy at Klick health. Cross-Cultural Marketing / Advertising Executive & Inclusive Culture Builder Diego Kolsky Partner at The Velo Group. Design executive with deep experience transforming businesses, markets, and cultures around the world. Luis Miguel Messianu Founder-Creative Chairman-CEO at Alma. Messianu has played an influential role in the evolution of the Multicultural market. Raúl Vargas Fourcade
Cover Story | Aaron Walton
Co-Founder And CEO Of Walton Isaacson
Marketing Director, Brand Staging at Allegro 234. Editor in Chief: Luis Fernando Vergara lvergara@vrandgroup.com
Jessica Santana Co-founder & CEO of America On Tech, a technology education company. Steven Picanza Co-Founder and Chief Strategist Officer at Latin & Code. Head of Branding and International Instructor & Speaker. Jeronimo Perez Saldias CMO at Rutanio. Marketing & Communications | Innovation | Multicultural Environments Todd Evans President and CEO of Rivendell MediaAmerica’s leading LGBTQ media placement firm Jackie Bird Founder & President at Redbean Society Advisor in Growth, Cross-Cultural marketing, brand strategy, and consumer behavior.
Sales Director: Carolina Gomez carolina@vrandgroup.com Community Manager: Elizabeth Gomez branders@vrandgroup.com Editorial Committee: Terri Goldstein Cristian Saracco Luis F. Vergara Design: Vrand Design Stock photos credits: Frepik.es Pexels.com www.brandersmagazine.com
The contents of this publication is exclusive and opinions expressed are responsibility of the authors. Reproduction from the contents of this publication is prohibited without authorization.
CONTENTS B RAN DE RS M AGA Z I NE - I S S U E 1 8 | AU G U S T 2 0 2 0
18 BRANDING
10 BRANDING BY DESIGN
12
The recipe of branding
20 COVER STORY
Aaron Walton: Time to be on the right side of history
TOP BRANDERS
26
14
INTERVIEW
Top Storytellers to follow
INCLUSIVITY The big leap
16 MARKETING
The pandemic that affects multicultural marketing can be healed
Amy gรณmez: cross-cultural branding is an insight-driven strategic approach.
30 DIVERSITY
Lgbtq marketing is crosscultural marketing
32 STRATEGY
Be more than a post
34 BRANDING Brave brands only
35/36 BRANDGADGETS BRANDEVENTS
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[] EDITOR’S LETTER
Carolina Gómez Partner at Branders Magazine Sales Director @brandersmagazine
Why Brands shouldn’t be afraid to speak Cross-Cultural Branding & Brand Activism
It’s time for top leadership and strategists to step up and understand that Cross-Cultural Branding, Brand Activism & Inclusivity is a movement, not a trend! Due to what’s happening in the world today, we have seen some Brands taking a most needed stand, made various statements and even redesigning their processes and offers to create a better Brand Strategy that connects with their audiences! Some other Brands are slowly catching on to that notion, but there’s still so much more room for growth and so much more to do especially when it comes to creating inclusive services and products and developing more diverse campaigns. According to Google’s CMO, Lorraine Twohill; “Diverse marketing isn’t just a box you can tick. There are so many layers to diversity beyond gender or skin colour. It’s also about age. Geography. Socio-economic diversity. Relatable jobs. Abilities. Sexuality.” Embracing our differences in a very divided planet it’s an opportunity for all! An opportunity to share different perspectives, an opportunity to see that we each have a different understanding of the other’s point of views and that our different cultures and customs are our biggest assets to revolutionise & improve the world we live in! The best way to do this is to build common ground, create and open and a non-judgemental interaction that helps to improve our future communications and create a positive atmosphere as we bridge cultures not only within our organisation and with our customers but as a whole society! This is the year that we need to stop ignoring our differences and start benefit from them! Recognising that we all are humans but that we also have very different backgrounds increases awareness of cultural differences! This is the time that we need to start learning our different cultural dimensions and choose to study & assess their impact on the specific business you are engaging with.
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We then need to learn and teach to our team and customers how to respect & appreciate cultural differences. Respecting differences consist not only by identifying and assessing other cultures key dimensions but also adapting your other views of the world to give them a greater acknowledgement & the recognition they have been missing for a long time! And finally, we then need to reconcile our differences & increase awareness of cultural differences… This will help you as a leader to improve your ability to manage diverse groups and teams and drive performance in your organization! “Success comes not from suppressing differences but from using those differences to gain new insights to solve problems!” What’s your set of beliefs? How are you going to take action? Figure out how are you going to spend your resources and if they align with your inner values and your Brand’s corporate values! This is how you drive sustainability and this is how you build Brands that will make a difference and that will be remembered on how they positively impacted a community! In this edition, we will learn how to make this shift and how to create inclusive strategies and that drive change! And as our award-winning cover would say, its “Time to Be On The Right Side of History” We’re beyond excited to have Aaron Walton from the innovative, award-winning agency Walton Isaacson on our cover! We also have an amazing group of contributors including Luis Miguel Messianu, Terri Goldstein, Steven Picanza, Diego Kolsky, Todd Evans, Amy Gomez, Jeronimo Perez Saldias and Raúl Vargas Fourcade among others! We put a lot of love into this edition! We hope you enjoy it! Let us know your thoughts!
Words of Branders
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Branders
BRANDING BY DESIGN
Terri Goldstein | Packaging Expert
Branding. By Design Finding Multicultural Success
I
n July of this year, Trader Joe’s announced it would be removing a slew of product names with racist connotations. An online petition claimed names like Trader José’s, Arabian Joe’s and Trader Ming’s perpetuate harmful stereotypes, prompting the company to respond. Trader Joe’s, a masterclass in brand loyalty, is just one domino in a growing list of companies that are reevaluating their antiquated multicultural brand images. In June, Quaker Oats said they would retire the Aunt Jemima brand of syrup and pancake mixes after renewed scrutiny of her minstrel history.
“We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype,” Kristin Kroepfl, vice president and chief marketing officer of Quaker Foods North America, said in a press release. Aunt Jemima joins the graveyard of ill-conceived brands which will soon include the Washington Redskins, Uncle Ben’s and Land’O Lakes’ Indigenous woman. Each one represented harmful racial stereotypes and put a bad name to multicultural branding. So as we emerge from this national moment of reflection, how can branding change to avoid perpetuating racial inequalities while also speaking to an increasingly multicultural consumer market. In the United States, Latinx, Asian and African Americans now represent almost half of the population and that share is only expected to grow. This represents new opportunities and pitfalls for brand marketers. According to a 2018 report by the University of Georgia, minority markets have close to four trillion dollars of buying power.
Fenty Beauty’s inclusive product range.
So, what differentiates the
good from the bad when it comes to multicultural branding? Successful campaigns are genuine, focus on empowerment and avoid perpetuating racial clichés. Jessica Lane and Lori Hall, co-founded Pop’M Creative with a mission to help companies improve creativity while avoiding offending multicultural audiences. Lane told Adweek she “hopes to see more brands and agencies turn awareness into action.”
Successful campaigns are genuine, focus on empowerment and avoid perpetuating racial clichés. Lane and Hall highlighted brands that are getting it right, like Sephora and their 15% pledge. After the idea skyrocketed on social media, Sephora was the first major brand to sign the pledge—growing their share of Black-owned brands and dedicating 15% of shelf-space to them. Artemis Patrick, chief merchandising officer of Sephora said, “It starts with
a long-term plan diversifying our supply chain and building a system that creates a better platform for Black-owned brands to grow, while ensuring Black voices help shape our industry.” Moves like these go beyond lip service and make an impact among consumers. Fenty Beauty, a Black-owned cosmetic lined carried by Sephora launched with inclusivity at the forefront. Featuring a diverse range of models, Fenty Beauty dominated headlines and sales when it was released in 2017. “Fenty Beauty was created for everyone: for women of all shades, personalities, attitudes, cultures, and races” the brand said following its launch. Within one month, Fenty Beauty’s sales were valued at $72 million—proving the power of diverse and inclusive branding. Appealing to America’s multicultural market requires careful and thought-intensive branding, but it’s well worth the investment. If you think your brand should be featured in the next column, contact me at terri@tggsmart.com.
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Top Branders
Multicultural Leaders to Follow
Candice Morgan Morgan guide business executives to build inclusive talent strategies that drive diverse products and scale business outcomes. As EDI Partner Morgan creates inclusive strategies for GV and its portfolio companies, and help the firm expand diversity across the entrepreneurs it funds. Prior as the first Head of Inclusion & Diversity at Pinterest, Morgan led strategy and programs to enhance a diverse and inclusive company. Prior, she spent a decade honing her expertise in diversity strategy and practice at Catalyst, based on Wall Street and in Zurich, Switzerland. Morgan is a frequent speaker and advisor at conferences and events worldwide and a contributor to Harvard Business Review, she was recently awarded Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business and The Root’s 100 Most Influential African-Americans of 2017. FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER @Candice_MMorgan
Photo retrieved from: mmlafleur.com
Allison Esposito Allison Esposito Medina is the Founder and CEO of Tech Ladies, a community of 50,000 members that connects women with the best opportunities in tech, and connects companies with the best women tech-makers. Her work with Tech Ladies has been featured in CNBC, Forbes, The New York Times, Fortune, Inc., The Observer, and more. In 2017, she wrote a report for the United Nations about the gender digital divide and in 2018 she represented Tech Ladies at the United Nations to advocate for equal pay. Prior to starting Tech Ladies, Allison was a Content Manager for Google. Before that, she was the Marketing Manager at a startup that was acquired by Google. She started her career in tech at Foursquare, working across the product and marketing teams. FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER @matthewluhn 12 BR A N D E R SM AG A Z I NE.CO M | ISS U E 18
Photo and profile retrieved from allisonmedina.co
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Aubrey Blanche Aubrey Blanche is The Mathpath (Math Nerd + Empath), Global Head of Equitable Design & Impact at Culture Amp, and a startup investor and advisor. Through all her work, she seeks to question, reimagine, and redesign the systems and practices that surround us to ensure that all people can access equitable opportunities and build a better world. Her work is undergirded by her training in social scientific methods and grounded in the fundamental dignity and value of every person. Her professional expertise covers a broad range of equitable enterprise operations, from talent lifecycle programs and accessible product development to event design and communications & media. She is the inventor of the balanced teams approach to building proportional representation and a culture of belonging in the workplace, as well as the Balanced Teams Diversity Assessment in the Atlassian Team Playbook. She works to open source these methods for all practitioners and business leaders, and releases thought leadership and tools to create positive change at here at aubreyblanche.com. FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER @adblanche Photo and profile retrieved from aubreyblanche.com/
Caroline A. Wanga Interim Chief Executive Officer of Essence Communications Inc., the independent Black-owned consumer technology company focused on merging content, community, and commerce to meet the evolving cultural and lifestyle needs of people of color. Most recently, Wanga led Target’s strategic intent to champion an inclusive society with accountability for inclusive guest experiences, a diverse and inclusive work environment and societal impact. As a cultural catalyst, she helped fuel Target’s business objectives through the company’s first-ever performance-based D&I goals, significantly improving areas including Supplier Diversity, Marketing, Philanthropy, Retention, Hiring, Representation and Engagement. She also had responsibility for reshaping Target’s organizational culture. FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER @JulianGuthrie Photo by Richard Bord—Getty Images For Cannes Lions
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