Today, as part of Vanguard’s “InSites for the Future” series, we’re looking at the future of multicultural communication. Vanguard’s multicultural services leader, Leah Holmes-Bonilla, predicts that cultural relevancy will become even more critical in a fast-paced world, while Kirana Bammarito sees that multicultural approaches will expand from a PR specialty service to an essential [...]]]>

Today, as part of Vanguard’s “InSites for the Future” series, we’re looking at the future of multicultural communication. Vanguard’s multicultural services leader, Leah Holmes-Bonilla, predicts that cultural relevancy will become even more critical in a fast-paced world, while Kirana Bammarito sees that multicultural approaches will expand from a PR specialty service to an essential ingredient in all aspects of communication.

Keeping Pace with Culturally Relevant Communications

“Everyone here has the sense that right now is one of those moments when we are influencing the future.” – Steve Jobs

Social media has facilitated unprecedented social change – from the Arab Spring to Occupy Wall Street and beyond. The lightning speed and mobility with which social change can happen will only accelerate in 2012.  But with great speed will come great responsibility to ensure communications are culturally relevant and personal. Effective communication happens between people who trust each other, so social change will happen most successfully in spheres that are responsible, competent and real. Beyond providing accurate information, communicators will find it critical to be culturally responsive in order to remain a credible resource. A piece of advice for communicators in 2012: Never be afraid to listen to and learn from your audience. If you don’t, they will tell you and many others in their social network, exactly what they think. And you may not like the results.

– By Leah Holmes-Bonilla

Multicultural Communications Will No Longer Be a Specialty – It Will Be Expected

Source: Staff reports. The Washington Post.

More and more public relations agencies are listing multicultural communications as one of their specialties, but eventually this will be a standard service not a niche one. In 2012, I predict that communications agencies will be expected to incorporate multicultural needs into all their services, much like clients have come to expect social media expertise. Demographics are shifting, and communicators must adapt to the change. The U.S. is quickly approaching complete majority-minority status, meaning that non-Hispanic Whites will no longer comprise the majority of the population. Washington, D.C., along with seven other major cities, achieved this status in 2000. Beyond racial, ethnic and linguistic cultural competence, savvy communicators will apply a broad definition of culture to include LGBTQI, youth, seniors and any other audience segment that requires tailored attention. Successful public relations in 2012 means understanding that one size no longer fits all.

– By Kirana Bammarito

Source: Roland Tiangco photograph on CultureHall.com

Vanguard will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2012. We’re proud of our accomplishments, but we’re also excited about what the future holds for social change communications. Through the end of the year we will be sharing our predictions for 2012 and beyond under the title, “InSites for the [...]]]>

Source: Roland Tiangco photograph on CultureHall.com

Vanguard will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2012. We’re proud of our accomplishments, but we’re also excited about what the future holds for social change communications. Through the end of the year we will be sharing our predictions for 2012 and beyond under the title, “InSites for the Future.”

We’re kicking off our predictions with a look at the future of multicultural communication later today. What else will we be discussing? Check out our schedule below:

Monday, Dec. 19 – Multicultural Communication in 2012

Tuesday, Dec. 20 – The Future of Social Media

Wednesday, Dec. 21 – The Use of Visuals in Communication in 2012

Thursday, Dec. 22 – The PR Workplace of Tomorrow

Friday, Dec. 23 – Persistence and Audience Are Key to Messaging in 2012

Tuesday, Dec. 27 – Keeping People Interested and Engaged in 2012

Wednesday, Dec. 28 – Strategic Online Experts of Tomorrow

Thursday, Dec. 29 – Opportunities for Non-Profit/Corporate Partnerships to Grow in 2012

Friday, Dec. 30 – 2012 Will Set A New Standard for Green/Sustainable Events

Only time will tell whether the predictions we make come true, but in the meantime we welcome your own predictions and thoughts in the comment fields!

I was saddened to learn of the recent death of Ofield Dukes, a leading Washington, D.C.-based public relations practitioner who helped transform the industry. I met Ofield early in my career at a meeting of the Black Public Relations Society of DC — a professional chapter that he founded in 1993 — and ran [...]]]>

I was saddened to learn of the recent death of Ofield Dukes, a leading Washington, D.C.-based public relations practitioner who helped transform the industry. I met Ofield early in my career at a meeting of the Black Public Relations Society of DC — a professional chapter that he founded in 1993 — and ran into him many, many times over the years. Ofield absolutely loved the practice of PR and really believed in its impact. After even the briefest of conversations with him, I always walked away feeling energized and excited to be working in this field.

Photo Courtesy of Keith Jenkins/The Washington Post

A trailblazer, Ofield helped pave the way for more diversity within the PR industry, a goal he steadfastly embraced throughout his entire career in Washington. He organized career fairs, spoke at industry events, wrote compelling columns about diversity in the field’s trade publications and encouraged young people of color to pursue a career in PR. Ofield’s credentials were impressive; he came to Washington to work for President Johnson’s administration and was one of the few African Americans working at the White House in the 1960s. He also organized within the civil rights sphere, and was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. After working for the administration, Ofield opened his own PR agency and counseled not only big civil rights names like Coretta Scott King, but also large corporate and NGO brands like Anheuser-Busch, AT&T and the National Education Association. He won numerous awards and was even called “one of the top public relations persuaders in the city.” He was the first African American to win the Gold Anvil Award from the Public Relations Society of America — the association’s highest honor — and is honored in several PR halls of fame.

Every January, we celebrate the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr. and I think we have Ofield to thank for that. He worked tirelessly, planning marches in Washington and other activities to push Congress to create this federal holiday.

As social change communicators at Vanguard, we embrace and continue to honor Ofield’s vision for our profession: valuing workplace diversity and using communications to fight for social change. Ofield was an inspirational leader. While he will be greatly missed, his legacy will continue to inspire PR professionals to step up and communicate the change they wish to see in our profession, and our world.

My brother and I dressed up for Halloween

When I was growing up, Japanese exchange students lived with us for eight consecutive summers. I loved it; they showered my siblings and me with attention, provided an excuse to visit places like Disneyland and museums, and would always bring special and exciting gifts from their [...]]]>

My brother and I dressed up for Halloween

When I was growing up, Japanese exchange students lived with us for eight consecutive summers. I loved it; they showered my siblings and me with attention, provided an excuse to visit places like Disneyland and museums, and would always bring special and exciting gifts from their country. My favorite gift (only second to my Hello Kitty alarm clock that woke me up in Japanese) was a kimono. Even at nine, I knew it was special and important in Japanese culture and respected it by not adding it to the dress up bin. I wore it only on special occasions and, for me, that included Halloween.

This Halloween, a small student organization called STARS (Students Teaching About Racism) at Ohio University runs a campaign called “We’re a culture, not a costume” and it is making big news. While I know that this campaign would break my nine-year-old heart, I also know that this story isn’t just about Halloween.

This type of story would never have broken when I was trick-or-treating in my kimono. Thanks to the democratization of technology, a new, active online generation and the shareability of media, small student groups are able to have a big voice. Or, as author and social technology commentator Clay Shirky would put it, “Here Comes Everybody.”  Their simple message and powerful imagery facilitated the campaign’s popularity and wide reach. This also made it all the easier for media outlets to post with limited content.

I also think the explosion of this campaign reflects its timeliness. The campaign asks its viewers to use a critical eye when portraying certain racial and ethnic groups. Unlike in many other moments in our history, today this is a national dialogue we’re ready to have.

Finally, as communications practitioners, we need to remember to hold ourselves to high standards when it comes to representing minorities and marginalized populations. Stereotyping a certain population is not only objectifying, it’s offensive and one dimensional. It doesn’t speak to the complexities of our lives.

So, how do we move forward? It’s not easy, and our approaches are not nearly perfect. What we can and should do is keep talking.  We should also be grateful for individuals like the STARS members who remind us that all people deserve to be treated — and represented — with dignity and respect.

I was fascinated by Page One: Inside The New York Times, a documentary on the business and reporting of The New York Times.  But the film reminded me that the outlet is profoundly lacking with its still very one dimensional reporting of the news, or, more accurately, its monolingual reporting of the news. I would hope [...]]]>

I was fascinated by Page One: Inside The New York Times, a documentary on the business and reporting of The New York Times.  But the film reminded me that the outlet is profoundly lacking with its still very one dimensional reporting of the news, or, more accurately, its monolingual reporting of the news. I would hope that the NYT of the future would take some tips from EFE, a multimedia news company with a network of journalists worldwide – more than 3,000 professionals of 60 nationalities working 24 hours a day in over 181 cities in 120 countries.

From its world network of bureaus and correspondents’ offices, EFE instantaneously offers the Spanish and Latin American view of the world in Spanish, Portuguese, English, Arabic, Catalan and Galician.  After Chinese, Spanish, English and Arabic are the most popular languages in the world. I wonder, if the NYT were to take a page from EFE’s approach, would they fare better as journalists and business people by reaching the broadest possible audience?  Aside from improving their cultural competence (and relevance), it might actually enhance their long-term bottom line.

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Last night, I decided to go shoe-shopping from the comfort of my sofa, so I whipped out my iPad and went to a popular shoe site. A screen popped up saying that the site had an app for shoe-shopping. Heaven! Three pairs of shoes later, my idle desire to go shoe-shopping had turned into [...]]]>

Last night, I decided to go shoe-shopping from the comfort of my sofa, so I whipped out my iPad and went to a popular shoe site. A screen popped up saying that the site had an app for shoe-shopping. Heaven! Three pairs of shoes later, my idle desire to go shoe-shopping had turned into a “need” for shoes. Why? Because the site grabbed me by making it so darn easy!

Photo courtesy of Steve Rhodes on Flickr

I thought of this as I read that mobile devices, such as my iPad, have outpaced PCs in using wi-fi bandwidth. Just as the shoe site reached out and grabbed me on my sofa, smart communicators are taking advantage of this format evolution to make sure their audiences receive their messages.

Studies show that our brains change when we spend more time browsing the Internet than reading books — our brains become “trained” to be flexible and grasp ideas quickly. So, it stands to reason that people who are using mobile devices to get their information need quick bursts of information and not the “War and Peace” of press releases.

Mobile isn’t just for youngsters anymore. Communicators wanting to reach adults can forgo in-depth prose, because the latest stats show that adults are using wireless more. The trend is even more striking among African-Americans and English-speaking Latinos, who not only outpace whites in cell phone ownership, but also in the use of the phones’ features.

So, the question for communicators:

Hw fst cn u commnic8?

As the school year wraps up, many, including myself, are caught up with graduation excitement. My niece graduated from high school this month, and I am very proud to share her accomplishment and celebrate her academic achievements as if they were my own.

Photo courtesy of Pushout Philly blog

But, what if she had dropped [...]]]>

As the school year wraps up, many, including myself, are caught up with graduation excitement. My niece graduated from high school this month, and I am very proud to share her accomplishment and celebrate her academic achievements as if they were my own.

Photo courtesy of Pushout Philly blog

But, what if she had dropped out?  What would I think of her then?

Many assume that a high school dropout is someone who has failed or isn’t intelligent enough to meet the academic requirements to finish school.  Education is promoted as the key to success, so it is socially ingrained in many of us to make these judgments.

Because of this perception, a group of students and educators have joined forces for a youth-led multimedia project, PuSHOUTs, to impact behaviors around the word and change the concept of a “dropout.”  Instead, they are working diligently to rebrand and promote someone who didn’t finish high school as a “pushout.”

Why pushout? The founders believe that it is not failure, but circumstances like violence, limited resources and lack of support, that force youth to leave school before they can graduate.

Right now, PuSHOUTs is investigating why so many young people of color are failing to graduate from Philadelphia public schools and what is being done to address the problem at the community level.  It is a collaborative effort between Voice of Philadelphia, PhillyCam and Youth Empowerment Services of Philadelphia, better known as YesPhilly. Of their own accord, this group is embarking on a powerful social marketing campaign to dispel faulty assumptions about high school dropouts, change staggering statistics and contribute to the future prosperity of our country.

I’ve been following members of Congress and the Administration very closely as they work to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). While all of us who care about education continue to wait to see if a reauthorization of the bill occurs by the start of the next school year, it is refreshing to know that students and community members are taking their own initiative at the local level to reduce high school dropout rates and improve academic achievement for all students.

Is it possible for one video to launch a social change revolution? Can one YouTube video inspire others to take action and become activists?

President Obama proclaimed June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month and launched a new section on the White House website dedicated to the policies and issues impacting the LGBT community. [...]]]>

Is it possible for one video to launch a social change revolution? Can one YouTube video inspire others to take action and become activists?

President Obama proclaimed June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month and launched a new section on the White House website dedicated to the policies and issues impacting the LGBT community. Both are landmark civil rights statements never before made by a sitting President. One of the sections of this White House microsite worth noting is called “It Gets Better.” Sound familiar? It should. The section name is a tip of the hat to the successful It Gets Better Project launched to reach out to LGBT teens contemplating suicide due to bullying and prejudice.

The message discusses the happiness, potential and positivity that awaits youth after the difficult teen years. This project — started with a single YouTube video by columnist Dan Savage and his partner Terry in September 2010 — turned into an international movement, inspiring more than 10,000 user-created videos by world leaders, celebrities, activists and others. It has been viewed more than 35 million times and has inspired people around the globe. Watch Google Chrome’s recent tribute to Dan, Terry and their video:

What can we learn from the success of the It Gets Better Project for launching a social change revolution?

1. Be honest. Both Dan and Terry shared their personal stories regarding difficult teenage years. It was their personal accounts that made the video so engaging and inspired others to share stories.
2. Keep it simple. The majority of It Gets Better tribute videos have something in common — creators used a simple web or video camera to record testimony or a pledge of support. Most didn’t use fancy editing or production. The personal nature of this  format eliminated those distractions, allowing users to just focus on the messenger and the message.
3. Use your connections. Dan Savage is a well-known journalist with a syndicated column, a weekly podcast and a spot on “This American Life.” To say that Dan is well-connected is an understatement, and he shared his video with as many people as possible, spreading his message far and wide. Like Dan, we all have family, friends, neighbors, co-workers or like-minded people in our lives who would be willing to share our message and call to action. Reach out via e-mail and social media to get your message to the right people.
4. Don’t overthink it – just act. Dan and Terry recorded their video in response to a wave of LGBT teen suicides headlining the front pages of newspapers around the country. To be responsive to the growing issue, they quickly acted by recording their video and posting it to YouTube. They were able to capitalize on a news cycle still covering this topic and received more exposure than if they had waited and posted the video a few weeks later. As my mom would say, “You have to strike when the iron is hot.”
5. Believe the sky is the limit. Did Dan and Terry know that a few months after posting their video, President Obama, Pixar employees or the World Series champion San Francisco Giants would make videos of their own? Probably not. They may have only intended their video to let LGBT teens in crisis know they aren’t alone, but by placing no limits on their efforts, their video led to a movement of love and support and a new non-profit organization focused on sharing that message of inclusion with others in need. Change is always possible with commitment, passion and a willingness to do whatever it takes to accomplish your social change goals.

Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said: “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” In the case of June’s LGBT Pride Month Presidential Proclamation and It Gets Better Project, a moving campaign to help youth live for a brighter future can begin with a single YouTube video.

Romanization of character language systems, such as Chinese, can pose cultural and linguistic challenges for communicators. Photo credit: Our Signature by 2493™ on Flickr

Have you noticed in the coverage about the protests in Libya that the name of the country’s leader is spelled differently depending on the news organization? I’ve seen his name reported as Muammar el-Qaddafi, [...]]]>

Romanization of character language systems, such as Chinese, can pose cultural and linguistic challenges for communicators. Photo credit: Our Signature by 2493™ on Flickr

Have you noticed in the coverage about the protests in Libya that the name of the country’s leader is spelled differently depending on the news organization? I’ve seen his name reported as Muammar el-Qaddafi, Moammar Gadhafi, Muammar Qaddafi or Muammar Gaddafi. Are some reporters spelling his name incorrectly? If so, which is the correct spelling?

Slate recently posted an article exploring this issue. The answer? All of them are correct. According to Slate, each version is an acknowledged transliteration — changing letters or words from one alphabet into the corresponding letters or words from another alphabet — or Romanization — converting a language from another alphabet or a pictographic system into the Latin alphabet — of his Arabic name. However, the article did not answer an important question — which version is the most culturally and linguistically appropriate?

When communicating with audiences who speak a language other than English, it is critically important that translation extend beyond the alphabet. Culturally and linguistically competent communications takes into account both native language and culture, and is a key component to ensuring that a message is understood.

Languages based on alphabets or pictographic language systems, such as Arabic, Asian, Mediterranean and Eastern European, can present unique challenges when we attempt translation. Because these languages are written using characters that are vastly different from the Latin-based alphabet, adaptation may require the use of transliteration or Romanization for translating names and cultural terms. However, its important to test your adaptation and your messages with your audience to be sure that the transliteration does not affect the meaning. For example, how a name or word is spelled impacts how it is pronounced; pronunciations alone can confuse terms, such as Slate’s example regarding the spelling of Muslim.

Finally, Kathy Park wants to know why “Moslem” is considered an offensive spelling. The problem with spelling the Arabic word meaning “one who surrenders to God” as “Moslem” and not “Muslim” is that people end up pronouncing it mawslem, which is a different word that means “oppressor.”

When in doubt of how best to spell a name or word from a non-Latin alphabet language, create an informal focus group of your target multicultural audience for guidance. While you may receive differing opinions, you should be able to gather at least an informed recommendation to guide your spelling and provide the backup you need, if your language selection is questioned.

Last night, Hollywood crowned its best and brightest. The 83rd Annual Academy Awards spotlighted all that we’ve come to love about films and regrettably all that continues to disappoint us about major filmmaking.

Poster for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, held February 27, 2011.

One best picture nominee, The Kids Are Alright, portrays a happy, [...]]]>

Last night, Hollywood crowned its best and brightest. The 83rd Annual Academy Awards spotlighted all that we’ve come to love about films and regrettably all that continues to disappoint us about major filmmaking.

Poster for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, held February 27, 2011.

One best picture nominee, The Kids Are Alright, portrays a happy, functioning family headed by a lesbian couple who gave birth to two children by the same anonymous sperm donor. Javier Bardem, recognized for his role in Biutiful, was the only leading or supporting character of color among this year’s acting nominees. Neither won in their categories.

We know that to have this small a number of films representing the rich diversity of society beyond the silver screen is not unusual, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating. How many Oscar-caliber films depicting a variety of ethnicities, orientations, traditions, abilities and social situations have been written but never made, or made and then promptly banished to limited distribution releases? No one who observes the diversity we encounter everyday can reasonably argue that the audience for such films is merely marginal.

To be fair, Hollywood does occasionally throw us a bone. In 2010, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, earned six Oscar nominations including Best Picture. In previous years, films like Slumdog Millionaire and Brokeback Mountain offered bright spots. The notoriety of these films is notable because it is rare.

This is about more than how many African American actors get Oscar nods, how many Hispanic or Asian filmmakers get their screenplays “green-lighted,” or how many women work their way into powerful positions behind the camera. Such instances are extremely important because they naturally pave the way for more diverse content in film. But because movies have often demonstrated an incredible ability to shape the way we interact with each other, how refreshing would it be for the movie industry to do a better job of creating stories that reflect the broader spectrum of the human experience? Besides providing hours of great entertainment, we would all be able to gain a little bit of wisdom, a little bit of understanding and a lot more insight about the people we encounter every day.