To all Marketing and Communication Leaders,
Contrary to popular belief, the “who” and the “how” is just as important as the “what”. In an industry where ROI is often put on a pedestal, the importance of an inclusive process is often forgotten.
Instead of only asking yourselves “what will the end product look like?” or “what are the results?”, you should be asking:
– Who was behind the strategy?
– Who developed the creative?
– Who led this initiative?
– Who might’ve been tokenized?
– Who told the story?
– Who had final say?
– How was the strategy developed?
– How were the power dynamics?
– How safe were the collaboration spaces? How brave were they?
– How is the brand advocating for the marginalized groups they’re targeting?
– How did people feel being a part of it?
A good end product will not cover up the negative impact you make from a harmful and un-inclusive process.