Cultural Intelligence for Marketers - by Anastasia Karklina Gabriel

About the Book

Use advanced cultural insights to transform your marketing strategy and discover what you can do to make your process culturally intelligent and genuinely inclusive.

Book Synopsis

Brands not only reflect culture but actively shape societal norms and values. Move beyond performative inclusive marketing and drive the cultural conversation.

A brand today can build a marketing strategy that not only effectively resonates with audiences but also meaningfully impacts society at large. Learn how to produce inclusive marketing using an approach grounded in critical perspectives on society and the impact brands wield in shaping it. In this book, cultural theorist and strategist Anastasia Karklina Gabriel draws on social analysis, media theory, and semiotics to help marketers improve cultural fluency and future-proof brand strategy by embedding equity and inclusion into every aspect of marketing. Cultural Intelligence for Marketers explains how to create an inclusive marketing strategy using an actionable approach that draws on advanced insights into culture, identity, representation, and the power of media in driving social change.

The book offers an in-depth dive into the urgent need for cultural competence in marketing using a framework rooted in 4Cs: Culture, communication, critical consciousness, and community. It delves into practical aspects of conscious marketing, inclusive innovation, cultural insights, brand activism, social impact, and responsibility in business. It features insights from current and former marketing leaders at Wieden+Kennedy, Mindshare, Dentsu, and Saatchi & Saatchi, among others. Drawing on case studies from brands that are actively pursuing inclusive marketing strategies, including Microsoft, Pinterest, Billie, and REI, Gabriel outlines the process of deploying cultural intelligence to attain commercial advantage while transforming society for the better.

Review Quotes

"In Cultural Intelligence for Marketers, Dr. Anastasia Karklina Gabriel masterfully navigates the often overlooked and misunderstood ways that marketing both shapes-and is shaped by-culture. This groundbreaking work is a bold expedition into the heart of responsible brand marketing. Her insightful guidance illuminates the path towards a genuinely inclusive marketplace. Essential reading for modern marketers."-- "Dr. Joan Ball, Associate Professor of Marketing at St. John's University's Tobin College of Business"

"This is not a typical business book, and it shouldn't be. Cultural Intelligence for Marketers provides the frames we need to attune our understanding of contemporary marketing by accounting for the implicit and unintended consequences that result from brands that seek to harness the power of culture by engaging in it."-- "Dr. Marcus Collins, Marketing Professor, the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan; Bestselling author, "For the Culture"; Former Head of Strategy, Wieden+Kennedy, New York"

"Today, the players of industry are eager to tap into 'cultural intelligence' and in this eagerness, often surface with a string of flippant trends or aesthetics, instead of a critical orientation towards culture's layered modes of meaning. Deployed by Dr. Gabriel, cultural intelligence frameworks marry ethics and opportunity instead of positioning them as opposing goals of a zero-sum game. In aligning these interests, her book does a service to the field."-- "Mira Kopolovic, Global Director of Cultural Insights at We Are Social"

"While brands increasingly realize that they operate within culture, the materials at their disposal to learn how to do so responsibly, respectfully, and inspirationally are in short supply. Dr Anastasia Karklina Gabriel addresses this in Cultural Intelligence for Marketers. An important and accessible read for anyone who wants to get better in this dynamic and fast evolving field."-- "Andy Crysell, Founder of Crowd DNA"

"Cultural Intelligence For Marketers offers practical case studies and actionable frameworks, pulling from decades of past, present and future wisdom. Part of what makes Dr. Anastasia Karklina Gabriel's voice so contagious and affecting is her crystal clarity in seeing things both as they are and as they should be - a much-needed perspective for the times. If you're up to the task, this book is for you."-- "Nick Susi, Executive Director of Strategy at dotdotdash and former Head of Strategy at Complex Collective"

"I suspect that many, if not most, marketers have yet to be exposed to the inextricable link between culture and consumption. That is why this book is an invaluable resource to inform, upskill, and empower brand leaders to be fit for their future. It makes cultural intelligence an articulable, appealing, and attainable imperative for marketers to meet the needs of the citizens they serve."-- "Samuel Monnie, SVP Revenue at Sustainable Brands and the co-host of the 'Across The Pond Marketing Transformed' podcast"

"If you want to see more people like you working in advertising and also in the advertising you make, this book might be the most important book you'll read in your life. You'll meet frameworks to help you push for change. You'll devour it and then you'll probably hug it."-- "Mark Pollard, Author of "Strategy Is Your Words""

"In her book Cultural Intelligence for Marketers, Dr. Anastasia Karklina Gabriel offers a crisp, action-oriented blueprint for more conscious brand-building strategies. The book reads like a love letter to anyone in advertising who has at once intuitively understood the power of brands and also been widely underwhelmed by the way in which they have served the cultures from which they borrow."-- "Laura Frank, EVP Strategy Director at McCann New York"

"To ensure that our brands remain relevant and show up, we need new tools, approaches and ways of thinking about culture so that we're more fluent and in tune with contemporary culture and audience expectations. The playbook to guide the way is Cultural Intelligence for Marketers. It helps to instill cultural fluency at the heart of brand management and should be required reading for anyone managing a brand today."-- "Dino Demopoulos, Chief Strategy Officer at GUT Toronto"

"Cultural Intelligence for Marketers offers a critical perspective, urging us to stop evading our responsibilities and become more aware of our societal role. Dr. Gabriel's book is a necessary handbook for developing strategies inspired by culture, moving beyond the performative representations of diversity prevalent in our industry."-- "Sebastián Quiroga Cubides, Head of Strategy and Research at Sancho BBDO"

"Cool brands will no longer cut it in the plural and complex world we live in. Accountable brands just might. Dr. Gabriel shows and tells us how to weave social consciousness into the nearly impossible equation of ethical and responsible marketing. A must-read for anyone trying to make a real difference in how we create and communicate value for everyone."-- "Ted Weber Gola, Performance Creative Product Lead at Google"

"What makes Anastasia special is her ability to combine strategy with conviction. This book isn't just an intellectual exercise for her. It's a deeply rooted belief developed equally from on-the-ground activism and in-depth research. Anastasia pairs a grounded data-based approach with true pathos for the humans on the other side of the screen."-- "Rob Gaige, Head of Global Insights at Reddit"

About the Author

Anastasia Karklina Gabriel is a cultural theorist and strategist, specializing in inclusivity within marketing, media and tech. Currently a senior insights lead at Reddit, she earned her doctorate in cultural studies from Duke University and has consulted for the world's top brands and agencies. A lifelong activist, she helps brands ignite cultural innovation and leverage the power of media for good. Her insights have been featured in the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), Advertising Week, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post and Teen Vogue.