Part 2
Brands today don’t just communicate; they connect and engage. However, participation without authenticity and cultural fluency is a recipe for falling flat. As the call for authentic inclusivity grows louder, savvy leaders are moving beyond performative gestures, embracing practices that embed inclusivity into the core of their businesses. This shift not only strengthens their workforce, but also paves the way for meaningful and sustainable growth.
This is the second part of the co-authored and is the latest contribution to our ongoing digital dialogue with Highwire’s community partner, the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC). It highlights the power of candid discussion and collective learning. Fermina Phillips, OACC board member & branding marketing advisor, joins forces with Zachary Walker, Highwire’s VP of Social Media, to share invaluable strategies and insights rooted in cultural fluency and inclusive communication. Together, they explore the art of inclusive storytelling, offering communications and creative leaders practical guidance on striking the right tone while building meaningful connections.
Fermina: Crafting communications for multiple audiences is a common challenge. We strive to create messages that resonate with AANHPI community members by using specific, authentic language, while simultaneously providing clear context and background to the broader public audience.
To navigate this, our brand voice acts as our compass: communication must be warm, inclusive, and empowering. By maintaining a tone that is always approachable, celebratory, and educational, we foster connection and inspire curiosity, ensuring our message invites people of all backgrounds into the conversation.
By balancing cultural fluency with broad accessibility, OACC aims to inspire a sense of belonging within its community.
Zachary: The primary challenge is the gap between speed and effectiveness, especially in high-stakes environments. What's that saying about the golden rule? “Things can be Fast, Cheap, or Good, pick two.” The same can be said for anything creative.
On social media, where trends can often appear seemingly out of thin air, there's pressure to participate immediately (e.g. the viral sensation sparked by TikTok creator Jools Lebron, who championed the virtues of being “demure” and “modest”). But, when it comes to connecting with diverse audiences, there's a greater risk of misinterpreting cultural nuances. As partners to our clients, it's crucial to balance this speed with the precision of our overall message, ensuring we communicate their brand narrative thoughtfully and effectively.
Beyond speed, another major challenge, particularly in the agency world, is representation behind the curtain. While I am proud to be a marketing leader of color, representation gaps persist in our industry. Organizations like the ANA consistently share reports illustrating that people of color are underrepresented in leadership and creative roles within advertising and marketing agencies. If the teams creating the work aren't diverse, they will inevitably face blind spots. This underlines the importance of diverse representation in creative roles, making our audience feel enlightened and aware of the need for change.
Fermina: Based on my experience at OACC, here are a few ideas to use to authentically embed inclusivity into communication in everyday practice:
Zachary: Authenticity is built through consistent action, not occasional campaigns. It's not a switch that can be turned on when an ask comes to deliver a narrative that will resonate with a diverse audience.
My advice is rooted in leadership and eternal curiosity.
First: treat diversity as a strategic capability by embedding cultural fluency requirements across every aspect of the organization, from every brief to every KPI established and every hiring decision. This means going beyond the action of hiring diverse talent to ensure that every team member is equipped with the cultural knowledge and sensitivity needed to effectively communicate with — and understand — diverse audiences. The recognition that diverse perspectives are an agency's competitive edge is a must-have, not a nice to have.
Second: workforce diversity is positively associated with higher business performance outcome measures. Racial diversity is positively associated with higher performance in organizations that integrate and leverage diverse perspectives as resources for product delivery. And gender diversity is positively associated with more effective group processes and performance in organizations with people-oriented performance cultures.
But here's the critical point: we must move beyond checking the boxes of race and gender. True diversity requires us to center and amplify its more nuanced dimensions: socioeconomic background, neurodiversity, lived experience, generational perspective, and cultural fluency, to name a few.
For example, two individuals may share the same racial identity but bring vastly different insights based on whether they grew up in an urban or rural environment, or whether they're first-generation Americans or lifelong citizens. Similarly, a neurodiverse team member may approach problem-solving in ways that unlock creative breakthroughs that others might miss.
And lastly: I will forever be a student of culture. As a lifelong learner, I know that my job as a marketer isn't static. Therefore, I prioritize setting time aside each week to continue learning about social media platforms as well as the niche communities within them.
Something that's helped me in my professional career and something that I discovered thanks to a former boss of mine is exploring Driscoll's "What Model?" developed by John Driscoll in the mid-1990s. To ensure you are constantly learning and adapting, ask yourself the following:
This "What? So what? Now what?" model is more than just a professional tool for me; it’s a personal mindset. It’s the framework I use to hold myself accountable as a leader and a lifelong learner.
The future of marketing and communications will be defined by those who lead with genuine cultural fluency — those who see, value, and embed the full spectrum of lived experience into their work. By treating inclusivity as a core capability, and curiosity as our most valuable asset, we can create work that doesn't just resonate, but truly matters. We hope these insights provide a clear path for all of us to move beyond performative gestures and build the authentic, resonant, and truly inclusive work our industry and communities need.
As a person of color and marketing leader, Zachary is thrilled to share his unique perspective on leveraging social data and personal experience to build truly equitable and effective communications. Zach’s success leading the social media strategies of iconic brands like Oscar Mayer, Kool-Aid, and Chamberlain has afforded him the opportunity to speak at several business and networking events over the years, including Social Media Week, the SocialRock Conference, multiple virtual panels, and marketing–related podcasts.
Fermina is passionate about brands, people, and products who lead marketing with innovation and social conscience. As a member of the APIA community, she seeks to contribute to cultures that foster diversity, open communication and respect.