Year after year, the ad business has evolved; however, one of its greatest shifts has been to multicultural marketing —a field that centers itself on diversity, culture, and all things inclusion. At the front of this movement is Armando Azarloza, a communications and marketing figure whose lengthy career has left its imprint on how brands connect with all audiences. At The Axis Agency, Azarloza has led by fostering creative approaches to multicultural marketing, making clear that success in this arena is more than just demographic savvy-it requires a deep, nuanced integration of cultural insights into creative strategies.
Before discussing Azarloza’s influence on multicultural marketing, one must know his background and journey. He was born to Cuban parents who fled their homeland in 1961 and was raised in the United States. He was acutely aware of the challenges faced by those families of immigrants and communities of color from a young age. From his experiences came this desire to help give voice to the underrepresented. His early communications career shaped him through his work for political figures like First Lady Nancy Reagan and U.S. Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA), the former chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Those experiences sharpened his communications skills and serve today as a foundation for his work in marketing and communications.
Azarloza’s shift from political work to corporate communications set the stage for the next phase of his career. Joining Weber Shandwick and the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), he gained invaluable experience in global public relations, crisis management, and strategic communications. Later, this led to co-founding a multicultural marketing agency, The Axis Agency, in 2005, quickly becoming known for its innovative and culturally sophisticated campaigns.
The Axis Agency is known for its approach to bringing culture and diversity into marketing. Azarloza and his team have been aware that multicultural marketing goes far beyond the simple translation of message content or ethnic targeting. As Mr. Azarloza says, “The essence of our work is embedding cultural relevance into every detail of a campaign from messaging to execution.” Hence, he believes that a successful campaign is designed around the thought that culture impacts consumer behavior, and brands have to be aware of such cultural nuances to meaningfully engage with their audience.
The creative philosophy of The Axis Agency can be seen through its campaigns, which have provided the agency with over 60 national awards. One campaign is the U.S. Army’s ARMY STRONG, where the agency focused its recruitment efforts across diverse communities. While general messaging was an option, The Axis Agency developed a campaign that would connect to multicultural audiences more directly by drawing attention to the Army’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. This campaign increased minority recruitment and placed the U.S. Army in a strong position as a diverse organization.
Yet another example of The Axis Agency’s creative flair is its experience with Absolut Vodka. In this campaign, when the brand launched its flavored vodka portfolio nationally, Azarloza and his team realized that the ideal way to connect the target audience with the brand was through culturally relevant storytelling and the use of music ambassadors to position the brand as something that stood for celebrating cultural moments and supporting unique experiences. His agency’s “Find Your Flavor” campaign built the foundation for flavored vodka cocktails in the young U.S. Hispanic market. The agency tapped into the cultural moments and utilized storytelling through music and artists to introduce flavored vodkas for the first time, which made Absolut Vodka a leader in the category.
One other culturally focused campaign led by The Axis Agency was its work on Covered California, the state’s health insurance marketplace created under the Affordable Care Act. Recognizing that California’s population is some of the country’s most diverse, the campaign aimed to find its voice in distinct communities, particularly those historically disenfranchised from healthcare and uninsured. The campaign, which ultimately enrolled more than 1.4 million Californians, included bilingual and culturally tailored messaging across TV, radio, digital, and Out of Home, ensuring that specific issues and concerns of Latinos, Asian Americans, and African Americans came across. These groups identified with the campaign and were educated about the health insurance mandates and the choices available to them through the state exchange. The campaign, which won multiple awards, was highly successful and proved the power of multicultural marketing in driving positive social impact.
Creativity plays a big part in enhancing the visibility of both the brand and the consumer. In this day and age of splintered media, it is challenging for brands to stay at the top of consumers’ minds because consumers are exposed to thousands of advertisements daily. However, with cultural understanding and creative storytelling, The Axis Agency cuts through that noise to deliver campaigns that are not only memorable but meaningful as well. It’s why the agency quickly churns out content with a personal and relevant feel to diverse audiences, be it digital, television, or experiential marketing channels.
For leading global brands, there is a significant opportunity on the horizon to embrace a unique multicultural approach to drive relevant brand engagement. As America becomes even more culturally diverse, brands’ marketing strategies must shift to take advantage of the meaningful changes occurring across the U.S.
In short, Armando Azarloza and The Axis Agency have redefined engagement with multicultural audiences and demonstrated that culturally relevant creativity is powerful in building bridges across cultures. The Axis Agency, through diversity and cultural relevance, has set the standard for what a well-crafted multicultural marketing can achieve.
Published by: Josh Tatunay
