Anita Sheares

About

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: S&ouml;hne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, Segoe UI, Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, Noto Sans, sans-serif, Helvetica Neue, Arial, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Noto Color Emoji;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">My love of marketing has fueled my career to center around spanning across diverse industries and supporting non-profit organizations to leave the industry better than it was when I entered. This journey began twelve years ago and through the CC:DC ambassadorship, I will invigorate my professional learning in summer 2024. </span></span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">&nbsp;</p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: S&ouml;hne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, Segoe UI, Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, Noto Sans, sans-serif, Helvetica Neue, Arial, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Noto Color Emoji;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">According to the Association of National Advertisers, in the United States, minorities represent 40% of the population but only receive 5% of brands&rsquo; marketing budget allocations. I strive to disrupt that. My introduction to marketing began in 2010 on the campus of Spelman College where I served as a collegiate ambassador to the Victoria's Secret PINK brand. The program equipped me with a marketing foundation but it also opened my eyes to the necessity of inclusive marketing. As one of only two Historically Black Colleges &amp; Universities (HBCUs) participating in the program, I regularly advocated for resources that catered to Spelman&rsquo;s distinctive Black and female audience. My advocacy strengthened the overall program by compelling Victoria&rsquo;s Secret to represent greater diversity within their PINK collegiate marketing campaigns and not apply a one-size-fits-all approach to marketing. As a Black woman, my identity and the unique needs of the consumer base I represent are largely overlooked in marketing campaigns and often stereotyped or generalized. Yet, I don&rsquo;t believe unsuccessful multicultural marketing campaigns are born out of indifference but rather due to a lack of access to data. Across all of my marketing roles, every brand achieved limited scale because they didn&rsquo;t invest in data infrastructures to properly identify their customers, leading to generalized marketing messaging catering to largely homogenous audiences. I desire to be at the forefront of guiding brands to evolve their marketing strategies to thoughtfully grow and retain diverse consumer segments. </span></span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">&nbsp;</p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: S&ouml;hne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, Segoe UI, Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, Noto Sans, sans-serif, Helvetica Neue, Arial, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Noto Color Emoji;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is what drove me to pursue my Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania to major in Strategic Management with a minor in Marketing. At Wharton, I am enrolled in courses aligned with my ambition to revolutionize the marketing landscape, particularly in terms of furthering inclusivity and diversity and driving organizational change. My educational journey at Wharton is not solely about advancing my own career; it's about equipping me with the knowledge, frameworks, and the network critical to set new corporate and industry standards for what it means to provide marketing value to all consumers. From the moment I embarked on my marketing journey at Spelman College, advocating for inclusivity became the cornerstone of my career. My experiences, especially as a Black woman who has seen firsthand the oversights and generalizations in marketing toward minority communities, have fueled my determination to disrupt the industry's status quo. At every turn, from my early advocacy at Spelman to leading diversity initiatives at Marvel Entertainment, I've aimed to elevate the representation and voices of underrepresented communities. My journey has been about more than just advancing my career; it's been a steadfast commitment to leaving the industry more inclusive and representative than I found it. </span></span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">&nbsp;</p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: S&ouml;hne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, Segoe UI, Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, Noto Sans, sans-serif, Helvetica Neue, Arial, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Noto Color Emoji;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">My aspiration to join the Cannes Can: Diversity Collective as an ambassador is a natural extension of my lifelong mission to champion diversity and inclusivity within the marketing industry. With CC:DC's bold vision to transform these spaces into radically inclusive environments, I see a direct alignment with my own goals and experiences. Having worked across various industries and with nonprofit organizations to drive meaningful change, I bring not only a wealth of professional experience but also a deep personal commitment to making diversity, equity, and inclusion paramount in our industry. As an ambassador, I will leverage my insights, experiences, and passion to advocate for CC:DC's mission at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and beyond, representing the program's values and demonstrating how diversity of individuals and ideas is not just a moral imperative but a strategic advantage for the future of our industry. From my experiences, I&rsquo;ve come to appreciate that driving change necessitates leading by example with an enthusiasm to put in hard work. At Cannes, I will embrace opportunities to drive change furthering my learning and development and supporting the mission of CC:DC through advocating for the organization at Inkwell Beach and beyond. With the CC:DC ambassadorship, I can fully realize my purpose of driving change by furthering inclusion within the marketing industry while also supporting a thriving and vital community at Cannes. </span></span></p>

Brands

Microsoft

Ralph Lauren

S

S'well bottle

V

Victoria's Secret Pink

Marvel Entertainment