Spark Foundry's Esther Franklin on the Importance of Cultural Fluency

Success for many in business and in life is dependent upon driving impact broadly by touching people individuallyamp160 One of the foundational elements involved is the ability to communicate authentically with the people you want to impactamp160 At its core this means speaking nativelyamp160 In 2018amp160the most spoken languages in the world includeamp160Punjabi Japanese Russian Bengali Portuguese Arabic Hindi English Spanish and Mandarinamp160 amp160As a result parents business leaders and ambitious people everywhere are jumping on board to learn one or more of these languages in their quest for successamp160 Multilanguage fluency is valuedamp160amp160While communicating natively and authentically is fundamental stopping there misses an opportunityamp160amp160 Demographic shifts have been creating disruption worldwideamp160 As different groups of people move into new surroundings they bring their own views of the world and brand preferencesamp160 In these environments the role cultures and identities play on influencing consumer behavior is heightenedamp160 Marketers that demonstrate the ability to leverage influences and customs to shape peopleamp8217s identities will realize growthToday39s World Is Culturally BoldOne of the greatest impacts of globalization and technology is cultural proximityamp160 Cultural norms traditions and experiences once isolated by boundaries now eradicated by technology are easily accessibleamp160 In an experience economy this is nirvana providing expanded opportunity for people to immerse themselves in other culturesamp160and then adopt bits and pieces as their ownAt the same time destabilization the new world norm drives people to search for relevance and meaningamp160 As certainties that once brought comfort and guidance become more uncertain people turn to cultural traditions hardwired into their identity for grounding and guidanceThe Ability to amp8220Speakamp8221 Cultural Fluency Enables Brands to Thrive in a Culturally Bold WorldSpeaking cultural fluency requires a shift from knowing about demographic and population shiftsamp160to leveraging the heightened role culture and identity playbecause of them in brand behavior and consumption preferencesamp160 Itamp8217s about navigating toward a North Star rooted in cultural relevance and motivating behavioral shifts that can boost growth as well as about intent focus and expertise in cultural connectivity cultural dexterity and cultural embracementCultural ConnectivityUnderstanding the difference betweenPrevious generations being defined by race and ethnicity is no longer acceptableTodayamp8217s generations incorporate heritage and tradition as part of their own unique identityYes the modern world has moved beyond a simplistic view rooted in perception and stereotype but that doesnamp8217t mean cultural hardwiring has been rendered null and voidamp160 People hold tight to their heritage and traditions while pushing for depictions of their nuanced whole selvesamp160 At the same time todayamp8217s populations are more sophisticated about business driving contributions made by their cultural collective and more demanding that they be acknowledged and correctly attributed to their effortsCultural DexterityCelebrating peopleamp8217s elevated deftness in maneuvering across culturesIn everyday life people are interacting inside and outside of their cultural coreamp160 In urban areas this takes on a literal dimension in less populated areas it is fueled by expanded access to content and media portrayalsamp160 The net effect is that people are becoming more accustomed to the cultural encounters brought about by everyday life occurrences and they welcome experiences that reflect this realityCultural EmbracementBeing influenced by and adopting elements of culture thatamp8217s not oneamp8217s ownIn an amp8216Iamp8217 focused world cultural embracement is an important contributor to the curation of oneamp8217s unique identificationamp160 We understand that the world around us is dynamic and transitioning yet donamp8217t seem to grasp in the same way that peopleamp8217s identities are constantly shifting as well amp160In the process people are evaluating and reaching out to those products and services that can meet their evolving needsThereamp8217s never been a riper time to become adept at cultural fluencyamp160 Iamp8217m already onboardamp160 Where are youPhoto creditamp160 Kyle GlennUnsplashClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Spark Foundry's Esther Franklin on the Importance of Cultural Fluency

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Esther (E.T.) Franklin

Breaking Barriers: Nada Bradbury’s AD-ID Strategy for Advertising Effectiveness and Women in Tech - By E.B. Moss

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Spark Foundry's Esther Franklin on the Importance of Cultural Fluency

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Esther (E.T.) Franklin

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