ANA Judges' Journal: Cassandre Charles

What will it take to have your work make it to the winners’ circle?  

ANA’s Judges’ Journals features a series of Q&A sessions with leading industry executives participating on ANA Award juries. Gain insight from the judges on what they will be looking for and what makes the difference between a good vs. award worthy submission. 

In this segment, ​Denise McDevitt, ​senior vice president, award programs at ANA connects with Cassandre Charles, senior director of multicultural marketing & communications at TIAA regarding her role on the  2024 ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards Jury.

Q> What current trends are you seeing in multicultural and inclusive marketing?  What has been the biggest shift since a year ago

Cassandre> The past couple of years have brought many shifts in multicultural and inclusive marketing. For one, more brands are prioritising the importance of a multicultural marketing strategy as part of a larger plan. 

I’m seeing more brands go deeper into the intersectionality that exists with their respective diverse audiences, for example Hispanic audience focus but also Hispanic x LGBTQ+ focus. 

More brands are hiring multicultural agencies or building internal teams to support multicultural marketing to help ensure authenticity and cultural fluency.

Brands are deepening their multicultural plans to extend beyond celebratory months (ex: Black History Month) only and are building ongoing engagement and connection plans. We still have some ways to go here, but some brands have come a long way.

Lastly, diverse audiences understand their economic power and influence and they’re demanding more from brands. More representation beyond just seeing themselves visually but brands must demonstrate that they genuinely care and understand what matters most to them. 

Q> Every entrant wants to know what it will take to win an ANA Multicultural Excellence Award – what campaign components will you be looking for this year to distinguish good vs. exceptional?

Cassandre> For me a few things matter to deem a campaign exceptional:

• Clarity of purpose for your audience 
• Culturally relevant and aligned to what matters to their desired audience 
• Effective use of storytelling and language 
• Creative mix of media, technology and digital solutions that demonstrates that you’re meeting your intended audience where they are 
• Amplifies diverse audience voices 
• For extra brownie points, campaigns that have a meaningful give back and philanthropic component  

Q> When I’m talking with entrants, I encourage them to provide a bit of education on the industry sector, competitive landscape, current cultural sensitivities of the intended audience, etc. – what situation details and elements do you feel to be essential in a case study submission?

Cassandre> The most essential component to a case study submission is “cultural sensitivities” OR the term I prefer to use “cultural alignment.” Every entrant must ensure their campaign is deeply connected culturally to their intended audience. The use of language, the storytelling, the visuals, the talent, the technology must be connected to what matters culturally to your respective audience for the campaign to deliver on your brands “why” and why your audience should care. 

Q> In the submission form, we ask entrants to excite us with the “ah-ha” solution they developed – what elements are you expecting the entrant to share in this section?  What are you hoping to learn regarding the creation of a team’s big idea?

Cassandre> I’m expecting to see lots of use of AI and new technology, which is exciting given that Multicultural audiences are super users when it comes to new tech and digital solutions, so I look forward to seeing what innovative ways brands are incorporating tech into their multicultural campaigns.  

Q> My last question – if you could offer just one key suggestion, one request in your role as a Multicultural Excellence awards judge to teams preparing their entries – what would it be?

Cassandre> How would you complete this sentence: “If nothing else, be sure your submission is intentional and relevant.”

The ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards offer the ultimate opportunity to showcase work that makes a difference and celebrate the teams who are leading the charge in establishing an unwavering, authentic commitment to effectively include and engage with diverse, multicultural audiences.

The final deadline to submit work into the 2024 Multicultural Excellence Awards program is August 9, 2024.

The ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards program is judged by a select jury of industry leaders to select the entries that represent best-in-class examples of multicultural marketing — work that features powerful cultural insights that ultimately helps brands to effectively connect with diverse consumers.

The ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards Celebration will take place on Tuesday, November 19, 2024 at the Bellagio Casino & Resort, on the second evening of the 2024 ANA Multicultural Marketing and Diversity Conference. Awards will be presented to top brands and agencies for the top Multicultural Marketing campaigns of 2023 across 17 different categories. The event culminates with the Best in Show Award announcement, honouring the overall top campaign of the competition chosen from the Category Grand Prize winners. 

To view the full portfolio of ANA Awards visit here.