The Emotional Side of Inclusion

This qualitative and quantitative approach to studying inclusion enhanced my rational understanding of what it meant to be inclusive Emotionally however I only began to truly understand this word after the Asian hate came out into the public domain in 2020 I was emotionally riveted when I read the New York Times article Spit On Yelled At Attacked ChineseAmericans Fear for Their Safety It became clear to me that I had to take actionAs such I reached out to nonprofit leaders marketing executives and agency leaders who would talk with me as a way to learn more thoroughly about the root causes of what was happening Why was there so much hate Where did all this hate stem from Was I going to be attacked on the street like many othersDuring this time I believed that marketers had a role to play in this narrative as they help shape public perception with their commercial messages I began to ask myself what could we do to paint a different picture how could we show that we as a community are included in the larger communityHowever the big question became Would others who were similarly impacted by what was happening show up to talk about itIn fact many did I started the conversation with 20 marketing executives who identified as Asian American Pacific Islander AAPI and met several times debating on the direction we should take as a group However with no budget or no agency we could debate all we wanted but struggled to take real actionThe act of just meeting however was the necessary catalyst we needed to form the invaluable bonds of a fellowship that enabled us to talk about race in a much more open inclusive way What started out as a group of about 20 AAPI marketing executives turned into a community of close to 300 AAPI senior level marketers in 2022In building this group I met with each marketing executive to welcome them into this community The process was deliberate and intentional to bring them into a space where everyone could feel like they belonged Nobody had to pretend They could be themselves because they were among peers who looked like them and came from similar backgroundsIn a culture that prizes being quotheads downquot with the goal of achieving individual success I looked to model a norm where we would welcome all interests to drive community gain From advocating for greater representation for Asian artists to driving AAPI voting registration to building antibullying campaigns to support AAPI youth we could all care about different interests while still having the common bond as marketersWhat I learned through supporting this group is that inclusion is about supporting every person39s interest and where everyone in the group has a voice where the group39s future is based on collective dialogueGiven the diversity of Asian cultures we have made sure to be inclusive of all cultures from East Asian to Southeast Asian to South Asian and make certain no one group is seen as dominant For that reason we named the group 108 Asian Marketers and MoreThe number quot108quot is symbolic with its roots both in Hinduism and Buddhism its meaning reflects connection unity and completion While the center of gravity is the marketing community as we have now exceeded 108 marketers in our group we welcome others who are part of the marketing ecosystem such as agenciesFor now the group serves as an industry resource group for connection and community with an eye toward turning it into a nonprofit that accelerates AAPI visibility through the power of marketingquotInclusionquot the ANA Marketing Word of the Year has given me an opportunity to pause and reflect as my journey to understand practice and embrace inclusion is still not over It39s an ongoing process where I learn every day how to include others in what I do and how I show up with those who I have the privilege to work with at the ANA and with the members that we serveNote On December 7 the ANA identified quotInclusionquot as its 2022 quotMarketing Word of the YearquotClick 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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The Emotional Side of Inclusion

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Elliot Lum

Jon Miller | Cofounder Marketo, Engagio | The Gumball Machine is Broken - Rethinking B2B Marketing - By Mike Linton

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