Cultural Competency: What It Means to Us and How It's Reflected in Our Work
At Team Friday, we believe culture is layered, multifaceted, and an essential element to our identity and practice. As a creative marketing agency deeply rooted in the intersection of communications, culture, belonging, and community, we prioritize cross-cultural competence and cultural responsiveness to ensure our work is inclusive, impactful, and authentic.
Our Approach to Creating Culturally Inclusive Campaigns
Team Friday was founded with the premise that marketing can and should be about more than “selling.” Inspired by a long line of community-driven entrepreneurs and leaders, our founder, Michelle O’Grady, envisioned marketing as a tool to create belonging rather than merely reminding people of what they lack.
Our team believes cultural competency means being open and curious, understanding, respecting, and valuing the diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences of our team, clients, and communities. It involves continuous learning and adapting to effectively communicate and collaborate cross-culturally. This commitment is reflected in our internal culture, the services we provide, and the relationships we build.
When we say culture, we mean ethnicity, race, gender expressions, geography, age, abilities, and the multiple identities and hyphenations we all carry within as individuals, families, and community members. We don’t live in silos. Our communities are increasingly fluid and influenced by multiple overlapping identities. Generation Alpha will be the most diverse generation in U.S. history. It is the blend of experience and culture that influences and shapes our values, beliefs, connections and choices.
How It’s Reflected in Our Work
Our Team
Our team comprises individuals from various backgrounds, bringing a wealth of perspectives to our projects. This diversity enables us to channel our curiosity and collective lived experience to create campaigns that resonate with our audiences.
Inclusive, Culturally-Responsive Campaigns
We design marketing solutions that are intentional, inclusive, and reflective of the diverse communities we serve. Whenever possible, our campaigns feature real people and experiences. We seek out and include the community perspective, voice, and insight, so folks see themselves in our campaigns, ensuring they are authentic and relatable.
Research and Insights
Each engagement begins with thorough market research to understand the cultural nuances and diverse ways of being in the community. We delve into the perceptions, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that influence audience engagement and decision-making. This data-driven, curiosity-fueled approach ensures we have meaningful insights to craft effective, culturally informed strategies.
Tailored Strategies
We customize our marketing strategies to align with the cultural values and practices of the focus communities. This includes the nuance of language and translation, culturally relevant imagery, and community-led and in-language media channels. Our tailored approach ensures that our messaging and tactics resonate meaningfully with the intended audience.
Community Engagement
Our lens is that everyone is an expert. Rather than talking at our audiences, we build campaigns with input from communities, fostering a feedback loop to ensure intentional communication and engagement tactics that resonate. Our community-centric approach builds trust and fosters meaningful connections, leading to campaigns that have a lasting impact and build authentic relationships.
Continuous Learning
As curious creatives, we are committed to learning and growth to ensure we remain connected and informed and continue to think critically about how we support brands and organizations in thoughtfully engaging with their audiences.
Being authentically grounded in culture, communication, and belonging allows us to build trust with our clients and their audiences, drive engagement, and achieve better outcomes. This empowers us to create marketing and engagement solutions that are not only effective but also foster meaningful change.
For more information on how we can help you create more meaningful connections with your audience and communities, contact us today.