Quote EndQuote Cross-Cultural Strategy

Do You Have the Guts to be ‘Culture Brave’?

Posted by Alisa | 05.26.15
Embrace Cultural Differences. Don't be blind to them!

Embrace Cultural Differences. Don’t be blind to them!

 

If you really want to connect with today’s Millennials or Generation Z, forget being culturally relevant.

In Chinese-targeted media, using Chinese text and showing Chinese faces, is so last year. Too obvious!

Today’s Millennials, and the generation behind them — Gen Z — can see through it all. They see it as MARKETING, with a capital “M”. When what they’re looking for are companies who are willing to take a stand for social justice; for traditional, yet, progressive values.

In short, they want an organization that’s BRAVE.

At the recent PNW Multicultural Marketing Conference in Seattle, WA, Valeria Piaggio, from The Futures Company, provided case studies of how “Color Brave” Brands Won over Consumers in Poly-cultural America.

Expanding from TedTalk speaker Mellody Hobson, Ms. Piaggio challenged corporations to discard the notion of ‘colour blind’. Instead, she encouraged them to take a leadership role and to talk about race, colour, and other diversity issues. 

These days, social issues rank high for many consumers, not just Millennials. In fact, customers EXPECT corporations, large and small, to have their own unique point of view and why not take up a cause while also promoting your brand? Why not combat child poverty when you buy a baby food brand, or help support women’s health issues when you frequent a chain of yoga studios? What about becoming the champion for race and gender equality? What better way to show your consumers that you’re an organization who believes in equal employment opportunities?

Has your organization embraced cultural diversity? Are you “colour brave”? If you have, please share your challenges and success stories. We can all learn from them.

And if you haven’t embrace the ‘colour brave’ mantra, what’s holding you back?

 

Image Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons