ANA Judges' Journal: Carol Frazer Haynesworth

What will it take to have your work make it to the winners’ circle?  

ANA’s Judges’ Journals features a series of Q&A sessions with leading industry executives participating on 2024 ANA Award juries. Gain insight from the judges on what they will be looking for and what makes the difference between a good vs. award worthy submission. 

In this segment, ​Denise McDevitt, ​senior vice president, award programs at ANA connects with Carol Frazer Haynesworth, senior partner, head of multicultural strategy & inclusion, Carmichael Lynch and global chair, IPG Women’s Leadership Network regarding her role on the  2024 ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards Jury.

Q> What current trends are you seeing in multicultural and inclusive marketing?  What has been the biggest shift since a year ago? 

Carol> I am excited to see brands and agencies becoming more sophisticated in how campaigns portray the distinct audiences they live and serve.  Frameworks and tools are being built to ensure there is truly a strategic approach from concept to execution. All stakeholders and disciplines are equally involved. At Carmichael Lynch, we have been proud to lead in innovative thinking with the launch of our Multicultural process and tool, CL MAP.

Q> Every entrant wants to know what it will take to win an ANA Multicultural Excellence Award – what campaign components will you be looking for this year to distinguish good vs. exceptional?

Carol> Ensure that every campaign includes true investment in the community reflected. Investment isn’t always financial. Researching well with the community itself, data, insights, trends, values, needs and multigenerational nuance. Allowing this knowledge to come to life via a campaign that brings to the surface these human truths is what elevates said audience(s).  Audiences want to be seen, but most importantly they want to be elevated as the rich mosaic they are in history, values, lived experiences and contributions.  It’s time to turn the page from ‘Good’ basic representation as a collective, void of community weigh-in and ensuring they feel ‘exceptionally’ represented.

Q> When I’m talking with entrants, I encourage them to provide a bit of education on the industry sector, competitive landscape, current cultural sensitivities of the intended audience, etc. – what situation details and elements do you feel to be essential in a case study submission? 

Carol> Clear target audience(s), understanding and presentation of the relationship of this audience with the brand (as it is a measurement of success), share the key audience insight that is brought to life by this campaign, and how does this expand the brand in the competitive landscape. It’s about organically coexisting brand, campaign, and community. It has to be fluid to be great.

Q> In the submission form, we ask entrants to excite us with the “ah-ha” solution they developed – what elements are you expecting the entrant to share in this section?  What are you hoping to learn regarding the creation of a team’s big idea? 

Carol> How does this campaign stand apart? The campaign must answer something in community via the story told. The story must be clear to understand, and it should resonate almost instantly with the audience reflected in the campaign.

Q> Data-driven decision-making has become a standard operating procedure for marketing teams - how do you handle the role of data in your initiatives and to what degree will you be weighing the use – and application - of data and analytics in the award submissions?

Carol> I still believe data has to be at the centre of concept ideation and development. We should be able to see that line of thought throughout the campaign. We must know what we are solving for in community via storytelling.  Data provides the information that is reflective of a group. The insight is skewed when it doesn’t reflect the sentiments of a larger cohort. 

Q> The Multicultural Excellence Awards celebrate creative, relevant and impactful multicultural and inclusive marketing efforts that made a difference – as a judge, what does a submission need to provide in order to earn your top scores over other entries?

Carol> A clear target and understanding of the relationship between the audience and brand. The campaign objective and results must be grounded on audience insight, data, a tension, and resonance. I say tension, because in multicultural many stories remain untold. Award-winning campaigns must tell those stories, and elevate those voices.

Q> Risk taking and effectiveness – sometimes friends, sometimes foes. How have you handled the balance in your marketing efforts, and how will you weigh these elements in your judging of the submissions?

Carol> I will always put the audience first. They are the ones impacted most by our stories. If they are our target, we must be sensible about them. Brands are partnering with community. That has always been my approach. When we reflect the audience, conversion is inevitable.  To reflect an audience, we must first understand them in a deep and intimate way. That takes time and trust. The risk is only taken when you lack that relationship, credibility, or authority to tell that story. When you reach an accord with an audience, it becomes more than award-winning. That campaign has the potential to become a movement!

Q> How would you complete this sentence: “If nothing else, be sure your submission:  

Carol> Showcases your deep and proper analysis of the audience(s) and the story you portrayed.

The ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards offer the ultimate opportunity to showcase work that makes a difference and celebrate the teams who are leading the charge in establishing an unwavering, authentic commitment to effectively include and engage with diverse, multicultural audiences.

The final deadline to submit work into the 2024 Multicultural Excellence Awards program is August 9, 2024.

The ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards program is judged by a select jury of industry leaders to select the entries that represent best-in-class examples of multicultural marketing — work that features powerful cultural insights that ultimately helps brands to effectively connect with diverse consumers.

The ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards Celebration will take place on Tuesday, November 19, 2024 at the Bellagio Casino & Resort, on the second evening of the 2024 ANA Multicultural Marketing and Diversity Conference. Awards will be presented to top brands and agencies for the top Multicultural Marketing campaigns of 2023 across 17 different categories. The event culminates with the Best in Show Award announcement, honouring the overall top campaign of the competition chosen from the Category Grand Prize winners. 

To view the full portfolio of ANA Awards visit here.