President, Lead Strategist of Culturally Connected Communications
Pam Jones has been president and lead strategist of Culturally Connected Communications in Little Rock, a minority-owned marketing and communications consultancy firm she founded and owns, for five years. Prior to that, she was vice president of account services and deputy director of strategic communications at CJRW of Little Rock.
Jones has also served as director of the Pine Bluff Convention & Visitors Bureau, and she was the first African-American in the state to lead such an agency. She graduated from the University of Louisiana at Monroe with a bachelor’s degree in business management. Jones was named to Arkansas Business’ 40 Under 40 list in 1999.
How do the services provided by your firm differ from other communications or marketing firms?
Being a small firm with a focus on diversity, we’ve discovered that many of the larger agencies have positioned themselves as being able to provide services similar to ours. In reality, having one person of color on staff doesn’t make a firm qualified to address marketing issues specifically related to diversity or a general “expert” on diversity. This becomes apparent when we ask potential clients about case studies or work experience these agencies have cited with measurable results, and the answer is often “none.” Sharing our own experience, work portfolio and qualitative and quantitative results has enabled us to keep the conversation going and secure prospective business.
What are the dollars-and-cents arguments for a company to be inclusive in its corporate communications?
The more companies reflect their customers and their perspectives, the better positioned they will be to meet their needs. Consumers are more likely to buy a company’s products or services if they see themselves reflected in the company’s advertising campaigns, corporate communications and work culture.
African-American and Latino (Latinx) households have more buying power than ever before. When companies adopt inclusive corporate communications, they position themselves to reap a valuable return on investment!
What do you look for in choosing whether to take on a client?
We look to partner with companies and organizations that can benefit from multicultural creative and advertising. We believe advertisers have the ability to make or break stereotypes, and the communications industry can have a huge impact on how audiences view those around them. We look for clients who embrace the idea that inclusive advertising is a brand imperative.
Could you elaborate on what it means to have a “creative, results-oriented and integrated approach?”
Each C3 team member has a unique perspective, a special skill set that helps to bring creative concepts and campaigns to life. But that means nothing without qualitative and quantitative results. We achieve these results through an integrated approach to our services, which we customize based on each client’s needs. Those services are strategic planning, public relations, research and focus groups, creative audit and review, event planning and execution, blogger and influencer outreach, content production, multicultural creative and advertising, and multicultural digital and social marketing.
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