29-07-2020
Adrienne Meakin, MD, LOTE Agency talks multicultural communication and why it should be a given not an afterthought
Unless you are working for a major government body or multinational corporation with deep pockets, you probably have never given multicultural communication much thought. If you have given it thought, it’s likely you haven’t given it any budget, or activity beyond translating existing documents. With Australia being such a diverse, multicultural society – surely, we are missing a trick. On this episode of Commical, Marie El Daghl speaks with Adrienne Meakin, a respected leader and multicultural comms expert from the Melbourne based LOTE Agency. Adrienne lays bare the reasons why multicultural comms is important and starts with two simple facts. Australia’s population has recently hit 25M, due in no small part to immigration. About 1 in 4 Australian residents were born overseas, and a great proportion originated from non-English speaking backgrounds. We discuss campaigns that have tapped into different ethnic groups and the reasons why doing so is not just good for business, but good for society in general. About Adrienne Meakin Adrienne is the Managing Director of LOTE Agency, which is based in Melbourne. Responsible for the ultimate leadership and performance of LOTE, Adrienne is passionate about bringing a unique perspective to the multicultural communications space. She believes that diversity and inclusion in the modern landscape means breaking down barriers and misconceptions about how we ‘should’ communicate with diverse audiences. Private enterprise and the public sector have sometimes struggled to meet the challenge of communicating with these diverse groups of communities – which is where Adrienne and her business, LOTE Agency, come in. Since 1999, LOTE Marketing has been assisting organisations across Australia from the private and public sector to bridge the gap in communications with their core constituents from non-English speaking backgrounds. The LOTE philosophy is that effective multicultural communication is not just about translating the literal word - it’s about conveying the message. In addition to specialised staff, LOTE’s in-house audio production and desktop publishing facilities mean they can provide efficient and effective marketing services – from basic translation to complex awareness campaigns. Their specialities including Multicultural Marketing, Community Engagement, Marketing to Diverse Groups, Ethnic Marketing and Translation. Got feedback? Share your feedback or guest suggestions via email: commicalpodcast@gmail.com Let's connect! Connect with Marie El Daghl on LinkedIn or Instagram for communication news, views and tips.