Brand

Consult

My team and I are often called upon to build trustworthy campaigns and evaluate existing campaigns for cultural competence. We examine how to engage communities where they participate. Our approach is to identify the appropriate tribes and platforms where the target audience engages. We break the audiences into several groups (e.g., general public, perceived personas, tribes, and micro-tribes) and identify the best approach, message, media, tone of voice, and frequency for engagement. Services include working with agencies, brands, the military, and the federal government to determine the correct participants in their marketing efforts. We do so by identifying the following:

1. General—open public marketplace with no defined selection parameters.
2. Perceived Personas—basic defined parameters for demographic selection, age, gender, race, location, and income.
3. Tribes—specifically defined parameters by interests, passions, beliefs, and politics (i.e., aligned by interest but not mission).
4. Micro-tribes—specifically defined interests, passions, beliefs, and politics (i.e., aligned by mission and sacrifices to obtain that mission).

Research

Black & Brown

I am committed to enhancing diverse communications and outreach in creating meaningful opportunities for two-way dialogue and engagement, especially in hard-to-reach communities. There are many nuances to Black, LatinX, Brown, and Hispanic communities, some noticeable and others unseen. Too often, these nuances are not accommodated by traditional and mainstream advertising agencies, which is where my team comes in. I work with the brand, organization, corporation, or initiatives to source the appropriate community tribe before launching a national or regional marketing campaign. Services include the following:

1. Using digital paid search ads to recruit survey and focus group participants.
2. Creating and executing a comprehensive research plan and workflow for participants.
3. Creating a strategic framework aligned with a customer journey to determine customer messaging, drivers, key performance indicators, engagement, and expected outcomes.
4. Suggesting campaigns, incentives, and outreach tactics to engage tribes and micro-tribes after the research process.

Cultural

Tribe

If your agency does not reflect the United States, you have the wrong agency. Too often, the cultural nuances of diverse communities are not accommodated by mainstream advertising agencies, and that is where my team comes in. I work with the brand, organization, or corporation to source the appropriate tribe before launching a national or regional marketing campaign. In doing so, we have a methodology utilizing digital tools to determine conversations, interests, connections, socioeconomic status, age, religious and political beliefs, or other ideologies to identify the cultural tribe and micro-tribe. Remember—tribe and micro-tribe are more specific than demographics and personas. Our services include the following:

1. Researching conversations around topics that align with your brand and building a strategic framework for your brand’s tribe and micro-tribes.
2. Identifying the best earned, paid, shared, and owned media strategy aligned with your tribe and micro-tribes.
3. Creating a content strategy based on tribe and micro-tribe interests.
4. Identifying tribe and micro-tribe influencers for marketing campaigns.

Agency

Consult

The U.S. Census Bureau predicted that by 2020, 36.5% of the U.S. population will be composed of Blacks, Asians or Pacific Islanders, Hispanics or Latinos, and Native Americans. As such, the lack of diversity in the ranks at major advertising, PR, and marketing agencies is concerning. How can we have the best campaigns when agency leadership does not reflect the country’s population diversity? During an agency consult, we work with existing agencies to identify barriers based on language, transcreation, and creativity to see if campaigns culturally connect with the audience (message, language, tone, and creativity). Services include the following:

1. Looking at language, creativity, and actions to build brand trust.
2. Providing a crisis communications plan to restore brand trust if lost or unattained.
3. Assessing current campaigns for culturally effective messaging to promote brand strength among Black and Brown communities.
4. Working in tandem with brand, agency, and organization to identify diversity, equity, and inclusion influencers and gatekeepers to better communicate with tribes and micro-tribes.

Speaking

& Writing

Towan is the CEO of an award-winning marketing and advertising agency executing more than 500 national campaigns for Fortune 100, 500, and 1000 companies to implement corporate initiatives for Black and Brown consumers, People of Color, and women.

Towan’s specialty is working with agencies through speaking opportunities, training, and guidance on how to engage as well as cultivate and increase awareness of diverse communities. Towan is a writer, speaker, and trainer on all things diversity as it relates to marketing and advertising to minorities. She is the author of Managing Millennials: How to Hyper-Grow Your Company with Millennials (www.ManagingtheMillennials.com) and Chasing Greatness: The Young Professional’s Guide to a Dynamic Life.

The U.S. is characterized by numerous cultural shifts, but too often, these cultural nuances are not accommodated by traditional and mainstream advertising agencies. As a marketing, advertising, digital marketing, and PR veteran with 22 years of experience, Towan consults to ensure the accuracy of the planned messaging and branding, produce creative marketing and advertising messaging for Black and Brown communities to support national campaigns, and launch end-to-end (earned, paid, shared, and owned) solutions for micro-campaigns.

Artist

Consult

For as long as we can remember, Blacks, Asians or Pacific Islanders, Hispanics or Latinos, and Native Americans have shaped the United States through the arts. During my early years at Black Entertainment Television, I worked with various artists, musicians, poets, dancers, and street artists to create interactive event activations. As I matured, I started working with fine artists like Jaune Quick–to–See Smith, Frida Kahlo, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Gu Kaizhi, who have prepared the way for new artists and extended the opportunity for brands to do more engaging brand activations with all forms of artistic expression beyond music. During an artistic consult, we combine the power of arts and culture to bring more inspiration, innovation, and creativity to your brand. Our services include the following:

1. Searching and procuring an up-and-coming fine artist for a new print campaign.
2. Sourcing options for fine artists to collaborate on a print layout for a seasonal apparel design.
3. Identifying and sourcing artists, musicians, poets, dancers, and street artists for marketing campaigns.
4. Styling events, videos, set designs, and commercials with artists for a digital activation or national advertising campaign.