Everything we take on, we really go out of our way to find a very real and authentic connection to the story we’re telling. I have to say because of my very strong connection to my cultural background, and everyone I work with really feels that connection, it’s almost like you’re going to work in this space and build the stories in this space. , it’s very important to be authentic because the viewers and audiences who will come to experience your creativity will really be looking for that connection.
Researchers say the US will be majority-minority within the next 20 years or so. How might this dynamic change the marketing space when it happens?
If you asked me what I get up and then make my priority every day, I would tell you that one of the things I do the most is go out of my way, and my team and I go out of our way. , to really talk to the different influencers within this organization, even the media and other organizations and really just inform them, remind them that it’s a competitive advantage to align our brands with that which we call the majority of tomorrow. The facts are compelling: 131 million multicultural Americans living in the US today. Nearly 40 percent of the country is either Hispanic, African-American, or of Asian descent – if you think ahead to the next 20 to 25 years, it will soon be the majority population. The teams we work with are very welcoming, they are very sophisticated, so they support this initiative.
What are some of the key differences between a targeted multicultural campaign and a broader total market campaign?
I would say that we approach a general market campaign and a multicultural campaign, depending on the project, in certain ways. There are two very key ingredients. I’d say the first step is to be really clear about what a brand’s overall communication objectives are. That’s basically it. Whether it’s a general market campaign or a multicultural campaign, at the end of the day, it’s a very specific brand campaign and so we need to be aligned with what that brand wants to communicate and then the second step, once we’ve validated that that. we set out to achieve brand objectives in ways that are culturally relevant to the audience we want to connect with. You want to resonate with the audience, but you need to be consistent with the overall brand objectives. I’d say that’s really kind of a kick to make sure that the consumers who experience it are emotionally connected to the story.
You also have responsibility for international markets. How do you stay on top of the different dynamics of those consumers in different markets?
One of the things you learn in any marketing role is to develop strong team relationships. Whether you’re working on a team in the US that’s focused on multiculturalism, a smaller team, you really have to rely on the partnerships you develop within the organization to make progress and move things forward. I would say that we apply the same approach internationally. You develop relationships. You understand what each organization or each region has as their priorities. You really have to find common ground on what each team’s priority is. Once we understand what their priorities are, we support those priorities, we bring our expertise as storytellers, as creative developers, and we work together.
There is no doubt in my mind that, at least in my experience, my cultural background as not just a Latin American, but someone who has lived, grown up, was born in another country—it seems to me to have an automatic connection to other people who are from other countries. I can work with someone in the Middle East, I can work with someone in South Korea, I can work with someone in Australia. And we may not know each other personally, but we automatically find that we just have a cultural understanding of each other and a cultural sensitivity that allows us to connect in an interesting way. It’s almost something you can’t plan, you can’t try to do. I’ve just found that being culturally sensitive to whoever you work with is a great way to open a door to a fruitful relationship.
