5 Inspiring Quotes on Diversity and Purpose | Industry Insights | All MKC Content | ANA

5 Inspiring Quotes on Diversity and Purpose

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ANA events bring together some of the smartest and most-talented marketers in the industry to share insights and best practices that help ANA members get the most out of their own marketing efforts.

Naturally, when ANA members and other top marketers get together, the potential for a great soundbite or two is very high. For this reason, we'll be collecting and sharing the top quotes from ANA events during each month throughout 2022.

Below, you can find the top quotes from ANA speakers for May:

 

"Multicultural marketing is more than the stories we tell. It's a statement of who we are and a way to demonstrate our character through the choices we make."
— Maurice Cooper, SVP, marketing at Target

At a meeting of the ANA's Marketing and Diversity Committee, Target's Maurice Cooper explained how his brand strives to go beyond just paying lip service to its DEI goals. That's where the quote above comes from, which does a nice job of outlining why multicultural marketing efforts aren't just good for your business's bottom line — they're good for demonstrating its values, too. If it works for Target, it can work for your brand, too!

"If white men can speak to everyone, then so can everyone else."
— Christina Tyson, supplier diversity director at PepsiCo

What more needs to be said here? It's time for all businesses to give everyone else the same opportunities they've been giving to white men for years. If you're not sure how to get your business working with a more diverse roster of marketing service suppliers, we've got you covered with this regularly updated list of certified diverse suppliers.

"We do not have a chief diversity officer. We have 6,000 chief diversity officers. Every single one of our employees is responsible and accountable for ensuring [diversity, equity, and inclusion]."
— Dana Maiman, CEO at IPG Health

Your brand or business's commitment to diversity cannot come down to one person. It has to be a company-wide effort, with everyone — no matter how big or small your organization — singing from the same sheet and working toward the same goals. One extremely cool thing they do at Maiman's IPG Health is a training program meant to cultivate inclusive managers. That seems like something every business could stand to implement.

"Being a good client is more important than ever. Client-side marketers should approach this in the same way they approach brand building or brand loyalty programs."
— Nicole Apple, head of global strategic agency management at Kimberly-Clark

Retaining top agency talent has become a real challenge during The Great Resignation. Inevitably, the departure of great talent from agencies has a negative impact on their brand partners. But not all is lost, as Nicole Apple explained how client-side marketers can actually play a role in helping their agency partners to retain their best people. To do so, she recommends treating agency relations the same way you would building relationships with consumers. And while the two obviously have some key differences, we think this is an excellent way to reframe your approach to how you work with and manage agencies.

"Purpose provides an organization with a framework for consistently and proactively making strategic choices."
— Kwasi Mitchell, chief purpose officer at Deloitte

We end this month's quote round up on one of the hottest topics in marketing: Purpose! Many brands are jumping on the purpose bandwagon, but some are failing. Why? Deloitte's Kwasi Mitchell offers one theory. Purpose cannot be something your brand simply does. It has to define your brand and be the scope through which every — yes, every — decision is made. If you're not using your purpose to guide everything your brand does, you've still got a lot of work to do.

 

The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the ANA or imply endorsement from the ANA.


Ryan Dinger is a director of editorial and content development at ANA.

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