“Be careful what you set your heart upon – for it will surely be yours”. James Baldwin Identity is a powerful word.
Who you are. What you stand for. How you want to live and see the world. All of it focused on your own singular sense of being. Anyone who knows me, knows my identity is pretty multifaceted. I’m from Cleveland. I will always be a “Daddy’s Girl”. I’m a proud African-American Woman. I’m Sean’s Wife and TBone’s Mama. Along with these pretty important markers, most people also know that I’ve been on my job and a member of “Team Omnicom” for nearly thirty years. Starting my career at BBDO and eventually transitioning to OMD.
The thing about identity though, is that it is not firm. As a matter of fact, in its best construct, identity can (and should be) fluid. It should grow and evolve. Staying rooted in truth while seeking out new energy and experience. When you look at it that way, I‘ve got a lot of catching up to do as I look inward and around me to create movement within my own identity. So, as I continually examine exactly who I am, I’m allowing my journey to take me outside of Omnicom. I’m leaving OMD and launching my own media agency, Native Tongue Communications (NTC).
At NTC we stand for identity – EVERYONE’S IDENTITY. We make ALL audiences truly accessible for our clients. Our media-first approach allows us to lead with authentic cultural access and insights. We communicate through organic media relationships and channels. We provide value rich media results with an eye to growth. All through the empathetic lens of our distinctly multifaceted team.
Importantly, Native Tongue Communications makes it a point to deftly navigate what some may find to be “uncomfortable” marketing conversations around multiculturalism, diversity and/or inclusion. We tackle these subjects head on. We’re a WMBE certified entity, focused on marching along our marketing pathways toward successful audience connections.
Finally, while I’ve said, true identity shifts, this certainly isn’t going to be a dramatic pivot. Our NTC expertise continues to be aligned with the media strategy, investment, research, content and innovation work my decades at OMD helped to sharpen. And, I’m happy to say, we’ll be working with OMD as our partner across many of those same verticals. So. “How do I want to see the world?” Through an unabashedly diverse and holistic lens. “What do I stand for?” Bravery, Intelligence, Kindness and Respect. “Who am I?” …well, that my community, is a question 1 hope we can answer together on this coming adventure. I want to thank our NTC launch clients, our partners, and YOU (my village) for the support. It’s noticed and it’s needed.
You can find more of what we have to say…@nativetonguecommunications, @nevertonguetied and www.nativetonguecommunications.com.