Publicis Media Addresses the Importance of Cultural Fluency and Connecting With African American Consumers

Language and culture are the twin strands that influence how we make sense of the world and our place within it Both language and culture are invisible in a sense they exist all around us though we rarely actively think about them In short they just are Their hidden nature and intangible essence are precisely why they deserve the type of analysis they received in the Publicisled conversation Language and culture are elusive and require the kind of expertise shown on the panel to make cogent insights that can be translated for brandsComing to terms with what is meant by quotcultural fluencyquot is a great place to start Arnetta Whiteside pictured top left associate director of research and knowledge management at Cultural Quotient amp8212Publicis Media39s multicultural center of excellence amp8212 when asked to define the term said quotCultural fluency understands that there are other cultures that need to connect with your brand even when the marketer doesn39t know howquotIt is essential to realize that there are gaps in brands39 existing understanding of the market opportunity as it involves culture Whiteside went on to introduce cultural competency taking the idea further stating quotCultural competence refers to persons or marketers knowing how to uncover the insights and nuances of different cultures to create connections that resonate and are authentic to that culture Fluency is understanding the need to connect Competence is knowing how to connectquotAfrican Americans39 reach as innovators and drivers of culture is well documented Trends in music fashion language art and so many other elements of cultures39 connective tissue can find origins in the African American community It39s evident that brands looking to access this type of culture would have no choice but to become fluent and competent in it However this hasn39t been the case and brands are often not only late but also launch misplaced efforts that fail to resonatequotMany brands think they can reach blacks in their general market outreach by either casting or inserting black talentquot said Valicia Brown pictured top right director of video and content at Spark Foundry quotOften marketers are scared of any amount of social backlash that they opt to play it extremely safe missing opportunities to connect with a key audiencequotJoshua Ott pictured top center vice president of business development at UrbanOne added decisionmakers to the mix saying quotSome brands and media agencies lack the necessary representation to properly understand what39s important to the black audience and the influence they have on brands Conventional wisdom no longer serves brands well Unconventional wisdom is the new pathquotAfrican Americans while not the largest demographic have an outsized impact on culture Tapping into unconventional wisdom requires allocating resources and expertise to better position the brand39s offering quotBrands must reposition their efforts around audiences with impact instead of audiences high in numbersquot Ott explained quotThis means oversampling the black audience to reflect their economic impactquotCulture is organic and natural which is why it is so powerful and we respond to it so effortlessly What brands try to create using the lens of authenticity culture accomplishes without labels The desire for brands to be culturally fluent must also take into account that fluency must be earned and comes with responsibility Brands that are not interested in culture yet seek to exploit a specific ethnic group for example will fall flat Culture requires patrons not gentrifiersCultural Quotient39s Whiteside explained the role of empowerment in that equation saying quotAllow for others to help guide the conversation and structure of engagement Empower talent to voice their opinions about an initiative without deeming their opinion insignificant Provide an opportunity to test and fail to learn best practices of implementationquotFluency and nuance go hand in hand and part of being a patron is making the distinction Culture is not monolithic and shouldn39t be treated as such Spark Foundry39s Brown said quotBrands have to enable and trust allies who understand and live the culture Understand that every black person is not the same but be true to your brand and who your real target isquotCultural fluency represents a tremendous opportunity for brands to identify trends reach the right audience and empower internal and external stakeholders Organizational missteps can be frustrating but the general perception is that when done right brands and culture can be a powerful force If we can push past uncomfortable notions there is much to be accomplished as UrbanOne39s Ott pointed out quotBeing comfortable is the last thing we need to feel at this momentquot he said quotIn marketing and society we must be willing to have uncomfortable conversations that include as many different voices as possible amp8212 in turn learning how to be culturally fluentquotDon39t stop now Stay in the know with more on navigating the modern media landscape from Publicis MediaClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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Publicis Media Addresses the Importance of Cultural Fluency and Connecting With African American Consumers

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Philip McKenzie

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Publicis Media Addresses the Importance of Cultural Fluency and Connecting With African American Consumers

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