Creating for people - How Dr Martens stays authentic to their brand…

"Create for consumers, don't market at them"

The RISE fireside chat with Dr Martens Chief Brand Officer Ije Nwokorie and Creative Equal's Debbie Tembo was a masterclass in brand authenticity, differentiation and the relationship between brand and product.
According to Nwokorie, “When you are creating a product, you are creating for people and it’s a different approach to marketing.” As of today, the whole talk is available to watch on our Youtube - treat yourself to 20 minutes of pure inspiration.


Creative Equals x Dr Martens - Speaking at Cannes!

We are speaking at Cannes Festival of Creativity in a fireside chat with the legendary Darren McKoy (known as DMac), the Global Creative Director of Dr Martens, on "How Dr Martens puts the boot in culture: The art of innovation". 

Come learn how he works with innovation, collaboration and sustainability to keep the brand at the forefront of culture. Take away how to live out DMac's ethos: 'Make good stuff, evoke an emotional response, respect brand heritage'. See you there: Thursday June 20th at 12.00.

Get in touch if you too will be at Cannes - our founder Ali and Inclusion Director Claire McHardy will both be there and would love to meet you.


Is your AI strategy fit for purpose?

Everyone's moving forward with Generative AI: 75% of marketers are using it or actively considering it.  
Are you including a DE&I lens on your AI efforts? Badly-modelled AI can exacerbate existing inequalities, and undermine inclusivity. How do you embed D&EI into your AI strategy to ensure it's in line with your brand?

 
1. Embed DE&I into every aspect of AI use
Well-designed AI algorithms have been shown to be less biased than their human counterparts - it’s when things aren’t well-designed inequality grows. How do you combat this? Bring on a range of diverse stakeholders from different demographic groups for design, implementation and testing. You should also use training data that reflects the diversity and cultural nuances of the real world and includes all potential use cases and users. Your diverse stakeholders are more likely to surface potential use cases/users over a homogenous group.

2. Build DE&I checks into your marketing framework: setting you up for success
When adding AI into your process, make sure you're also integrating DE&I checks and balances as part of the creative development process when it's easy to pivot (and moving away from last-minute production conversations). This will help ensure authenticity in a way that resonates with your diverse audiences, and catch any marketing blunders before it goes out the door. 

3. Include DE&I in your AI training programs
When investing in AI, don't forget training programs to upskill your workforce, so your employees understand how to deploy, use and manage AI tools. The training should cover AI-related risks, including algorithmic bias against underrepresented groups.

DE&I training will help shrink existing inequalities and prevent new digital divides between those who are and aren’t trained in its use. This is especially important for those from underrepresented demographics, as they’ll be able to identify any AI related inequalities that they come across.

4. Use AI to support your DE&I strategies
When used ethically, AI systems can surface negative equity patterns. For example, AI tools can call out potential pay gaps between employees from different demographics. Committing to use responsible AI to identify opportunities for DE&I growth may be able to support more equitable performance evaluation, promotion processes and resource allocation.

Want support in building an AI strategy for your brand, rewiring your framework to include AI, understanding bias and developing inclusive prompting? We can help. 


Creative Equals welcomes new team member

We are growing! Last month, we welcomed Naveen Sonne to Creative Equals,
as an Inclusion Consultant in the Strategy team.


Having spent four years as a planner at McCann Manchester, Naveen specialises in race representations, particularly from an intersectional perspective, and is already putting her expertise to good use on across our client portfolio. A former Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper, she now plays for the up-and-coming grassroots women’s team ‘Bend It Like Brenda’, and you can also see her DJing at venues and festivals across the UK.

 “I’m looking forward to playing a key role in the strategy team going forward, helping to deliver a Return on Inclusion for some of the world’s top brands including Mars, PepsiCo, McDonald's, BBC, Aviva, Philips and many more”, says Naveen.


Yours in inclusion,

The CE Team


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