Adweek published a perspective on connecting with the Caribbean market via social media and creators. The article underscored a few troubling points about targeting people in the Caribbean—and multicultural marketing in general:
Multicultural marketing professionals must always open by proving that audiences of color are worth pursuing, as if every tactic will be the undiscovered country. This is rarely a requirement for White advertising agencies.
Multicultural marketing must rely on low-cost tactics—like social media—to gain advertisers’ interest. In short, the relationship starts with minimal marketing budgets and reduced respect.
Multicultural marketing is always grossly undervalued and underfunded. In this case, expect Caribbean crumbs, mon.
3 Ways Social Media Platforms Can Amplify Caribbean Voices
Creators in the region face challenges gaining access to monetization tools and features
By Joel Nomdarkham
The Caribbean, often mentioned in global communications as an “attachment” to Latin America, is a massive archipelago that stretches just about 106,300 square miles between North and South America. The region boasts cultural vibrancy, spanning many different influences from around the world.
As the region continues to play a role in global business, the purchasing power of the Caribbean is difficult to quantify, as the available data points to the merger of Latin America and the Caribbean, often positioning Latin American cities as the main focus. However, the region has significant economic growth potential, as some countries’ Gross National Income ranges from $800 to $30,000 in U.S. dollars.
With just over a total population of 43 million, the Caribbean continues to be shaped by historical experiences from religion, festivals, music, fashion, art, literature and even technology, which all play a role in marketing and bringing the right value to this audience. Which then begs the question: Why does the region continue to be on the periphery in the global social brand community in terms of product offerings and resources? Where does the region fit in with conversations around diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives for Caribbean marketers and creators?
Here are three ways the major social media platforms can up their game and provide support and amplification to Caribbean voices.
Find and join the conversations
Social listening is crucial for any brand research, so this is the first step to gauging discussions and understanding the region’s culture and diverse people. Conversations are happening. They just aren’t being amplified, and the global platforms haven’t tapped into its viability as much.
Navigating these talks will provide a greater appreciation for how the business community works and why tools such as Instagram Shopping—which is still not available—are critical for small businesses. There is much more to the Caribbean than tourism.
Twitter as a platform gained valuable insights into the Caribbean creators and marketers driving conversations because their team members were open to listening and engaging. This made it possible for users from the region to gain access to some tools on the platforms in the early stages, like Twitter Spaces and Tips.
However, there is quite a bit more work to do from all globally operated social brands where inclusion is concerned.
Build partnerships with local brands and thought leaders
Creators and thought leaders play a significant role in user retention across all social media platforms. They drive conversations and interest around entertainment, health, business, education, politics and culture.
However, there are challenges that limit the capabilities of Caribbean creators to earn like their international counterparts, as they can be last in line to gain access to monetization tools and features when faced with the constant “not available in your region” message.
It’s also a missed opportunity for the social brands, as firsthand user feedback outside of the main focal countries can be beneficial when it’s ready to be rolled out globally, which leads to the great reminder that “global” is not the same across all locales.
How do we address this? Invite Caribbean creators to be part of new product tests. Leverage their audiences and walk the walk of inclusion. It can be taken a step further when looking at local brands leading in digital technology and e-payments, as monetization isn’t limited to having Venmo, Cash App or another international payment option.
Another key way to drive the amplification is through spotlight features and highlighting Caribbean talents on global social platforms. For example, LinkedIn can highlight features of Caribbean business owners and their pivotal roles in the international business community. Creators are already well-versed in production, and seeing local renditions of global campaigns would generate interest and promote belonging.
The Heineken Company is a good example of what it looks like to streamline the international mandate of a brand to other locales. Red Stripe, which is a brand of Heineken, is able to maintain its original history of being a leading Jamaican beer, loved by many around the world. However, the conversations around company culture, DEI and promotion of women in leadership are equally important, and Red Stripe is tasked with ensuring these tenets are reflected in its local culture of business operations.
Why is this important? It drives a much-needed conversation in a market where these issues are still in the early stages and serves as an example for other brands.
Support key initiatives and activations
The top social media brands are already household names across the Caribbean, so the intention behind supporting activities and programs are along the lines of amplification and less on awareness. One of the region’s premier activations, dubbed TechBeach, works assiduously to bridge the gap between Caribbean tech enthusiasts and the major players through sessions, mentorship and development. It can be considered a model initiative that shows the power of collaboration and the visible results that follow.
While initiatives like these are gaining traction, there’s still the challenge for creators and marketers who are unable to access critical tools and opportunities necessary for efficiency. Most of the accelerator and talent development programs aren’t extended to the Caribbean.
Inclusion and diversity will always be a delicate discussion in the marketing space, as there are so many issues to delve into at home for these global brands before they think of branching out to other regions. The ask (as yet) is not to have an office set up in the Caribbean, but it’s simply to find an interest in what exists beyond the shores of where all the main activities take place.
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