The world is connecting in ways we once only imagined. The cultural landscape of the marketplace continues to evolve in quantum leap proportions. A deeper level of communications is needed now more than ever. What hasn’t changed is the human desire for acknowledgement and respect. People want to be seen for who they really are instead of being relegated to lazy, sometimes damaging, stereotypes. Neka Creative saw a missed opportunity in marketing; an opportunity to grow market share by taking an authentically progressive approach to reaching the hearts, minds and pocket books of all audiences.
Introducing Inclusivity Marketing
Inclusivity Marketing is the holistic process of bringing different perspectives, histories, experiences, needs and motivations together in one cohesive brand development process. Neka Creative built their firm on the vision to “be the role model for inclusivity.” That translates to aligning internal cultures with powerful strategic directions. It means bringing brands to life for external customers in a way that intrigues, inspires and motivates. And above all, it’s about understanding the need for all voices, cultures and people to be taken into deep consideration. Given Neka Creative’s vast experience in marketing/communications, they saw this missed business opportunity in countless strategic and creative situations. But beyond simply recognizing an
opportunity to help organizations authentically engage with all audiences, their passion for inclusivity comes naturally.
Building Brands in a Great Global World
While everyone is a proud Minnesotan, each one of the core team has the unique gift of perspective. President and owner, Rosemary Ugboajah, born to Nigerian parents, was born, raised and trained in London. Designer and creative director, Alan Tse is originally from Hong Kong with family living on the west coast of Canada. Strategic and creative writer, Sheri Ellis grew up in heartland of the Canadian prairies, Winnipeg to be exact. Strategic writer, Larry Splett is all-American but speaks the fluent dialect of “industrial. “There are many more members of the Neka Creative team and while it’s not a prerequisite to be from another country, it is absolutely critical for every person to be exceptional at what they do and to have a genuine respect for different cultures and perspectives,” says President Rosemary Ugboajah. She goes on to say, “Inclusivity is a major movement that continues to impact the way we approach marketing and brand building. We’re at the right place, at the right time.”
Money Talks Inclusivity
While this is a heart-felt calling for Neka Creative, there is a strong economic argument for Inclusivity Marketing. People of color in the U.S. continue to grow at staggering rates and so does their buying power. That means business. To be successful, companies and organizations need to understand the nuances of appealing to the ever-changing cultural marketplace. To keep the argument closer to home, by 2040 people of color will comprise 40 percent of the seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul region according to the Metropolitan Councilʼs February 2014 issue of “Metro Stats.”
Additionally, 74.9% of women identified themselves as the primary shoppers for their households, according to the MRI’s Survey of the American Consumer. Women, in fact, control $12 trillion of the overall $18.4 trillion in global spending. In the spirit of inclusivity, we also need to understand the growth of the LGBT market. The total buying power of adult LGBT individuals is projected to be $790 million by 2012 with 23% switching products or services in the past year because a different company was supportive of their community*.
* source: Harris Interactive and Witeck-Combs Communications
Clearly, the marketing world is changing with no signs of turning back. The good news is there’s room for everyone with opportunities to be much more inclusive in our brand building efforts. That’s marketing gold.
We’re interested in what you think. Leave a comment or email us at rosemaryu@nekacreative.com