Myron Jackson directs day-to-day activity at The Design Group and is the firm’s strategic thought leader.
Jackson has been involved in marketing campaigns for the National Basketball Association, GlaxoSmithKline, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Arkansas Department of Health, Arkansas Regional Organ Recovery Agency, Arista Records and LaFace Records recording artists Usher Raymond and Toni Braxton.
He has marketing and advertising/public relations degrees from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
As demographics in the U.S. change and the country becomes “browner,” is the task of multicultural communications harder or easier?
Great question, one that we pose to prospective clients each day. As America continues to experience the “tanning effect,” our work gets easier and easier. The Design Group was built on the ideology that targeted marketing is the “new normal.” Brands must experience cultural connectivity to move forward and sustain continuous growth. However, though many marketers appreciate the idea, they’re ignorant about how to build meaningful relationships with minority markets. It’s tough. Many of the decision-makers don’t consume minority media, don’t live in communities with great diversity and don’t proactively reallocate marketing budgets to reflect the realities of the ethnic composition in the marketplace. Why? Because they simply don’t understand the significance of the space. Human beings place value on what they understand. With little to no understanding, opportunities for growth are missed. The Design Group provides the expertise that fills marketing voids and grows bottom lines.
You once said that you “give our clients a unique advantage.” How do you do that?
Clients choose The Design Group because we’re culturally connected. So what does that mean? It’s simple. Our team consists of marketing professionals who each day must understand how to speak to minority markets; they also must understand how to exist in an industry and engage with clients who don’t operate in that space. Our staff experiences biculturalism, a phenomenon that allows us to effectively live in two worlds, sometimes three. This unique perspective is monetized by our clients! Remember, businesses don’t do business with businesses; they do business with people. The organization that appreciates all the people who potentially can benefit from their products or services benefits from our unique market position.
How do you make sure you’re getting your client’s message out when there are so many demands on a consumer’s time and attention?
Consumers are inundated with messaging. Research suggests that consumers will come in contact with over 5,000 advertising messages a day. How do we cut through the clutter? We stay on the tip of the tongue of cultural conversations. We track human behavior. Whether it’s broadcast, cable, radio, digital, social, mobile, outdoor or watercoolor conversation, we’re constantly seeking truth. Much of our work is primary research. No great communications plan was ever executed in the absence of an understanding of the people targeted. We develop not just the demographic data but a pyschographic profile. Who are they? How do they live? Why do they get out of bed each morning? Every day, this intelligence gives credence to the idea that being African-American or Latino is about more than skin color; it’s about mindset, a mindset that evolves within the various layers of African-American and Latino consumer bases. When you understand where people are coming from, you can predict where they’re going.
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