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Tell us about why inclusive community outreach data is important to organizations.
In a multicultural and multilingual marketplace like the US, a one-size-fits-all approach has not been effective for several decades. At CST, we apply the Platinum Rule: treat people the way THEY want to be treated. The important question becomes how do they want to be treated? What’s most important to that person and what do they value most?
Through the Platinum Rule approach, our team has helped clients develop and implement communication campaigns that effectively address the unique concerns and priorities of different communities. Our team also helps clients build trust with communities who have been historically excluded or harmed.
Even though many of our team members come from underrepresented communities, we do not assume we know or fully understand the target audience. We research and we learn about the needs and preferences of target audiences. We seek to understand where there are commonalities and where there are meaningful differences. The best market insights come from analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. A key step is to then evaluate community data through the lens of culture and the stages of acculturation, which are important when targeting foreign-born populations.
We’re helping organizations reach historically underserved audiences with important messages, where sometimes lives are at stake. For example, the Takata Airbag Recall.
Speaking of the Takata Airbag Recall, how did you use data to inform the campaign approach?
The campaign needed to warn car owners of potential injury or death from defective airbags. Our team had to reach car owners that were on the list for the Takata Airbag Recall. Most of these cars were old models and had not been purchased directly from authorized dealers, so there were no existing relationships with the service centers who provided the repairs. What a challenge!
We looked at the data. The data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) told us that most of the cars that still needed to get their airbags replaced were in hot and humid states (e.g., California, Florida, Texas) and in Puerto Rico. Our data team knew that those states had large populations of multicultural and multilingual communities. For example, there are Latino, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, and Chinese communities across these states. We knew the approach had to center on culture and language as top priorities in developing effective messaging and community outreach strategies.
We narrowed our focus to counties and even the zip codes where most of these vehicles were located. We used CST’s Multicultural Lens approach to develop the campaign, which included engaging community influencers and participating in local events.
Having the most accurate data is only the beginning of our process. The data informs the next big steps – knowing how to develop messaging, strategy and how to implement. It is the combined effort of all of these talents and skills that make a campaign like the Takata Airbag Recall successful.
What project are you most excited about right now at Culture Shift Team?
I’m excited about the health survey that CST will be launching shortly to better understand the sentiment of US Hispanics-Latinos regarding clinical trials.
Through our observations working on several clinical trial outreach projects, we have noted that these communities are often deterred from participating due to a lack of education and trust. By collecting data from a large group of respondents, we hope to gain a better understanding of the issues that impact participation rates among these communities. Ultimately, our aim is to use this information to develop targeted educational initiatives that effectively communicate the benefits and importance of participating in clinical trials.
As someone who is passionate about education, I am deeply invested in all of the projects we are currently undertaking, which aim to educate targeted groups about specific clinical trials. I strongly believe that when people are provided with adequate education about important issues, the outcome is always positive.
Stay tuned for CST’s health survey results!
