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Every once in a while, you hear or see something so good that doesn’t leave your brain. That’s how we felt after listening to Cassandra Le’s TED Talk. She is a first-generation Vietnamese-American immigrant living in Spain. She is an absolute wealth of knowledge on how brands, businesses, and thought leaders can share their message loud and proud while also being inclusive and rallying their community.
The first question Court and I asked ourselves was, “Are we being inclusive?” and “Is our marketing off-putting for multicultural audiences?” It was a vulnerable moment for us to address our ignorance and make some changes in how we show up. We are so excited for you to listen to Cassandra’s story and her actionable tips to make sure you are being culturally aware in your marketing.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode
- We would love for you to share the cliff note version of your parent’s immigrant story and your journey to where you are today.
- Can you explain what you mean when you say we are so consumed and surrounded by US-centered marketing tactics that we likely don’t even realize there’s another way?
- What are some of the biggest mistakes you see in the world of businesses not being culturally aware?
- What are some tips you have to help business owners find ways to use their brand and marketing to make a true impact not just in their home country but around the globe?
- What’s next for you and the business? Will you be doing more meetups!?
How Business Owners Can Become More Culturally Aware
As much as you can become more conscious of your words and actions, Cassandra doesn’t believe you can always be culturally aware. We will all make mistakes, but it’s about being transparent about it and owning up to it to be better in the future. The biggest way Cassandra recommends is to decide your company values. What does it look like to live those values in your business and life?
Also, explain them using verbs so they are more actionable. The example she used was instead of saying one of your values is “kind”, say “being kind”. You’re making it clear you value being kind to people!
Understanding Worldwide Buyers
The same language you use about the value of your products or services doesn’t always work with worldwide audiences. Cassandra used this example: It’s pretty common for entrepreneurs to say, “My product or service will save you time,” or “Get time back in your day.” Americans are always on the go, so saving time is valuable to them.
On the other hand, Cassandra has worked with clients in Spain, and that language doesn’t work for them. They don’t value time in the same way Americans do. They don’t resonate with saving time like someone in the U.S. would.
If you’re marketing to people worldwide, it’s important to think about their values and how they perceive certain messages.
It was so eye-opening talking to Cassandra. We hope you got as much out of this episode as we did! It was humbling to reflect on how culturally aware we are of our language. You’ll probably see some changes in how we talk soon (we’ll try, at least!)
About Cassandra Le
Cassandra Le (she/they) is a first-generation Vietnamese-American, immigrant living in Spain. She is the founder of The Quirky Pineapple Studio, a brand strategy and content marketing studio for BIPOC, Queer, and Feminist-run brands, businesses, and thought leaders who want to share their message, rally their community, and create inclusive, awesome content. She is also the host of the podcast, I’m Lost, So What? where she talks about existing between belonging and carving your own path for multicultural, hyphenated people.
When Cassandra isn’t mapping out brand strategies or creating content, you can find her exploring her new home country Spain, exploring neighborhood cafes, and probably watching movie trailers on YouTube to movies she’ll never watch in real life!
Links
Follow The Quirky Pineapple Studio on Instagram.
Follow Cassandra Le on Instagram.
Connect with The Quirky Pineapple Studio on LinkedIn.
Subscribe to the I’m Lost, So What? podcast.
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Abbey Oslin and Courtney Petersen are Minnesota-based marketing experts, educators, and co-founders of boutique marketing agency Duo Collective, which specializes in SEO, social media strategy, and branding for small business owners and creative entrepreneurs. To learn more about Duo Collective, or to inquire about working with our team, head over to www.duocollective.com.
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