Chapter 4: Be Inclusive

‘Inclusivity in marketing isn’t just about the final creative—it’s about ensuring that inclusivity and equity are built into every aspect of the business, every department, every decision.’
^{—LISA SHERMAN, CEO, AD Council}

Welcome to the crucible of creation!

This is where the meticulous planning, strategising, and blueprinting we’ve covered in the last three chapters are put to the test—the moment theory meets practice.

If trust is the strategic cornerstone of a Native Experience (NX) campaign, inclusivity is its creative lifeblood. Inclusivity is not an afterthought in co-creation; it’s the very essence. It means speaking with people, not about or at them. This collaborative approach allows communicators, marketers, and organisations to develop creative elements that are not only visually and emotionally compelling but also deeply resonant with the communities they aim to engage.

In this chapter, the focus shifts to bringing the principles of trust into the creative process—ensuring that every element of campaign development remains cohesive, authentic, and impactful. More importantly, it highlights the transformative power of co-creation. The personas, channel strategies, and trust elements we’ve developed so far will now be put to the test as we co-design, prototype, and create content with our audiences, not for them.

Speaking in People’s Languages: ANZ’s Model for Inclusive Banking

In 2009, ANZ—one of Australia’s Big Four banks—took deliberate steps to deepen its connection with one of the country’s fastest-growing demographics: Chinese-Australians. This move was not only a gesture of inclusion and cultural recognition, but also a strategic investment, grounded in the recognition that trust, equitable access, and cultural resonance drive loyalty in financial services.

Recognising the growing economic and social influence of Chinese migrants, ANZ identified a gap in inclusive, culturally attuned banking experiences. The goal was to create a seamless, respectful, and bilingual service model that addressed both local needs and cross-border financial connections.

With Mainland China emerging as a significant source of new migration, ANZ saw many customers maintaining business operations in China while managing their finances in Australia. To meet this dual-market reality, ANZ introduced specialist Asian Banking Managers across 16 branches in major cities. These managers were fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese, acting as dedicated relationship points for Chinese Australians.

To extend this bridge beyond Australia, ANZ established representatives in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, enabling customers to begin their banking relationship with ANZ before even migrating. This was complemented by introducing bilingual phone banking services and online tools.

The results were immediate and measurable:

ANZ’s initiative demonstrated how embedding cultural and linguistic awareness into service delivery can build lasting trust, improve brand perception, and drive both social and commercial outcomes.

Representation, Language, and Belonging

Research from SBS and the University of Canberra shows that multilingual Australians are feeling a growing sense of belonging—and inclusive media plays a key role in that shift. The biggest difference appears when people feel fairly represented. Multilingual audiences who believe their culture and language are represented fairly in news report a much stronger sense of belonging than those who don’t. In other words, representation is not symbolic; it is structural.

The study, based on almost 1,900 respondents across seven languages, underscores a central truth of NX: inclusion, representation, and access to content in one’s own language are core drivers of trust and social cohesion.

The Pillars of Inclusive Creative

It’s crucial to have a set of guiding principles that inform how organisations, brands, and communicators co-create with their target communities. These principles form the bedrock upon which creative elements are built.

Cultural Representation: In an intercultural society like Australia’s, representation goes far beyond featuring diverse faces in advertisements. It extends to storytelling, tone, the nuances of social interactions, and the contexts in which your products or services are used. From imagery to idioms, ensure that every element mirrors the aesthetics, lived experiences, and lexicon familiar to the communities you serve.

Language and Communication: Language is more than a tool for communication; it’s a reflection of culture, identity, and belonging. Ensuring that messaging is linguistically accessible is just the starting point. The greater challenge is making it culturally resonant. Messages can’t simply be translated; they need to be ‘transcreated’—adapted to reflect community perspectives while retaining the message’s intent, tone, and context.

Accessibility: Inclusivity is both cultural and functional. Campaigns must be accessible to people with diverse needs and abilities. This includes plain-language writing, clear colour contrast, captions for videos, alt text for images, Auslan translation, and compatibility with assistive technologies. Accessibility should never be seen as optional.

Community Engagement: The final and perhaps most dynamic pillar of inclusive creative is community engagement. This means going beyond traditional market research and social listening to build genuine collaboration through NX Voice Forums, local partnerships, social media polls, or community panels, events or listening sessions.

Bridging the Pillars and the Process: Why Co-Creation is Non-Negotiable

Bringing the pillars of inclusive creative to life requires one of the most profoundly impactful concepts in the NX Experience: co-creation. Co-creation is the vehicle that takes us from concept to reality—from consultation to collaboration.

So, why is co-creation non-negotiable in truly inclusive communication? Because it ensures that your creative elements are both culturally valid and practically effective—tested, refined, and endorsed by the very communities they aim to serve.

Co-creation is transformative for three reasons:

How to Co-Create

Co-creation requires a tailored and flexible approach. However, we at LEXIGO have developed a method based on five universal stages:

Stage 1. Groundwork

Identify Community Stakeholders

Before you can co-create, you need to know who to co-create with. By this stage, you know the languages and communities you’re working with, so now it’s time to identify community leaders, influencers, advocates, and everyday grassroots members who can provide valuable insights.

Mapping Stakeholder Networks: Use tools such as stakeholder maps to visualise the network of people and organisations that will be involved.

Cultural Sensitivity: Given that you’re dealing with diverse communities, it’s crucial to be culturally sensitive in your approach. Research the community’s history, values, and norms to understand how best to engage them.

Voices Heard/Challenge Personas: Refer back to the Authenticity stage to ensure that the people involved in your listening sessions match your defined personas and that you have a good sample of participants who are a true representation of their community.

NX Ambassadors

Gather your NX Ambassador team and assign facilitators. They should know how to facilitate inclusive sessions or partner with a trusted community facilitator to guide the process.

Inclusive Session Training: While your facilitators are community insiders, it’s essential to train them in the art of leading inclusive sessions. Training could cover active listening, trauma-informed engagement, conflict resolution, respectful questioning, and managing cross-cultural dialogue.

Technology and Tools: Decide on the platforms and tools that will be used during co-creation. Make sure they are accessible, familiar, and inclusive. Keep in mind different levels of digital literacy, particularly among older community members or newly arrived migrants.

Set Clear Objectives

Knowing what you aim to achieve is the compass that guides your co-creation journey. Lean on the strategy you developed in the last chapter to ensure your objectives are aligned and SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound).

Ensure that the objectives of the co-creation process are fully integrated with your organisation’s broader business goals and frameworks—from reconciliation action plans to corporate social-responsibility strategies.

Stage 2. Sessions

With your community collaborators identified and your objectives established, the stage is set for the real magic to happen. These sessions should be safe, respectful spaces where ideas can be freely shared, tested, and refined.

Create a Collaborative Environment

Creating the right environment is crucial for success. Whenever possible, opt for community-based venues such as neighbourhood centres, libraries, or cultural hubs rather than corporate boardrooms. These locations often feel more familiar and neutral.

Accessibility: Ensure that the chosen platform or venue is accessible to all community members. This includes considerations for sensory needs and physical disabilities, as well as language, digital access, and literacy barriers.

Ground Rules: Establish a set of ground rules that promote respectful dialogue and equitable participation.

Acknowledge and Reward

Recognising the contributions of community members is essential for building long-term relationships and trust.

Transparency: Be transparent about how contributions will be acknowledged and rewarded. Outline these details early and clearly.

Cultural Sensitivity: Tailor acknowledgments and rewards to be culturally appropriate. Some communities may value collective acknowledgment over individual incentives.

Conduct Inclusivity Audits

Before embarking on new creative work, take stock of where you currently stand. Evaluate your existing communication and creative assets through the lens of both inclusivity and trust.

Audit Criteria: Develop a set of criteria that reflect the principles of inclusivity and trust.

Benchmarking: Use the audit to establish a baseline. Document current performance against measurable indicators.

Stage 3. Messaging

Pre-Session Briefing

Before you start a co-creation session, provide a brief overview of what the messaging aims to achieve and why community input matters.

Ideation Phase

This is the heart of the co-creation session for messaging. Encourage community members to share their ideas freely.

Prompting Questions: Use open-ended prompts to guide the discussion and spark creativity. Examples include: ‘What words or phrases resonate most with our community when talking about this issue?’ and ‘What message would make you proud to see your culture represented in this campaign?’

Idea Clustering: As ideas emerge, group them into themes or concepts that could shape future messaging.

Drafting and Refining

Once a clear set of themes or concepts emerge, start drafting potential messages.

Collaborative Writing: Use accessible tools such as Google Docs or shared templates that allow everyone to contribute directly in real time.

Iterative Feedback: Build in short feedback loops within the session and through follow-ups so messages can be refined and validated.

While co-creation is a unique process, it’s essential to align your co-created messaging with established communication frameworks such as AIDA to ensure your campaign remains strategic, consistent, and measurable.

Stage 4. Creative

As the co-creative process unfolds, it’s essential to remember that inclusivity isn’t just a strategic consideration—it’s a creative responsibility. It’s as easy as A, B, C:

A. Cultural Briefing

Start by providing a briefing that outlines the sensitivities, taboos, and aesthetic preferences within the community.

Cultural Dos and Don’ts: Share guidance on colours, symbols, and patterns that carry cultural meaning, as well as those to avoid.

Community Examples: Showcase examples of visuals or campaigns that have connected successfully with the community before.

B. Visual Ideation

This is the brainstorming phase for visual elements.

Mood Boards: Create collaborative mood boards where community members can pin images, colours, or patterns that they feel represent the community well.

Alignment with Messaging: Ensure that visual ideas reinforce the storytelling arc and tone established in the messaging framework.

C. Drafting and Prototyping

Once the creative direction is set, begin developing draft versions of your assets.

Collaborative Tools: Use design software that allows for real-time collaboration, annotation and feedback.

Iterative Design: Allow for multiple rounds of feedback and refinement.

The 5 Cs

At LEXIGO, we developed the 5Cs model to ensure that creative content is co-created towards inclusivity. It provides a comprehensive, easy-to-follow checklist:

Clarity — Transparency in your creative process. Be open about the rationale behind your design choices, the sources of your materials, and the lessons learned from any missteps. When Tourism Australia launched its ‘Come and Say G’day’ campaign, it openly shared the intent behind its creative direction, strengthening credibility.

Credibility — Your creative elements need the same level of credibility as your brand. This involves ensuring that all claims made in your campaign are verifiable and that your portrayal of different cultures and communities is accurate and respectful. When Victoria Police partnered with multicultural community groups to co-design its recruitment advertising, it showed proof of lived collaboration.

Cohesion — Consistency is the glue that holds your campaign together. Every visual element, every piece of copy, and every interaction must align with the trust-based strategy. Think of the SunSmart ‘Slip, Slop, Slap’ health campaign—its consistency across decades and formats built trust through familiarity.

Connection — Connection goes beyond words and cultures. It’s the universal language that turns a campaign from a simple transaction into a meaningful interaction. The ABC’s You Can’t Ask That series succeeds because it invites communities to tell their own stories, creating empathy through shared humanity.

Conscience — Conscience underpins every other C—it should guide your creative process, from the representation of different groups to the sourcing of materials and the platforms where your campaign is displayed. Upholding ethical standards is the right thing to do, and is also good for business.

Stage 5. Test and Refine

Once you’ve completed stages 1–4, it’s time to move from creation to validation. Bring your creative back to the community for review through NX Voice Forums, online surveys, or community workshops.

Listen carefully to the feedback and be prepared to revisit or even rework ideas. Co-creation thrives on iteration.

Community Validation

Before finalising creative elements, use a variety of culturally informed methods to validate them:

Community Review: Share early drafts with a broader cross-section of the community to gather feedback on cultural appropriateness, tone, and resonance.

A/B Testing: If resources allow, run small-scale A/B tests with different visual elements across channels your audience actually use.

Mini Surveys: Conduct short, multilingual polls to capture immediate impressions.

NX Voice Forums: Hold facilitated NX Voice Forums to explore reactions in greater depth.

Finalise Creative Assets

Professional Production: Ensure all creative is delivered to a professional standard—high-quality visuals, accurate translation, and appropriate localisation.

Accessibility: Adapt creative elements for accessibility across digital and physical formats.

Iterate and Refine: Treat co-creation as an ongoing process rather than completed.

Measure Impact: Assess the effectiveness of your co-created elements against the original objectives.

Path to Prevention: The Settlement Council of Australia’s Cancer Screening Awareness Project

The Settlement Council of Australia (SCOA) partnered with LEXIGO to address a critical need: increasing cancer screening rates among multicultural communities in Australia.

We leveraged SCOA’s team and network to engage directly with members of 20 communities across 10 languages: Arabic, Simplified Chinese (spoken Mandarin), Traditional Chinese (spoken Cantonese), Dari, Dinka, Hindi, Karen, Spanish, Swahili, and Vietnamese.

The process involved NAATI-certified translators completing initial translations, members of SCOA’s network reviewing for cultural appropriateness, and refining based on community consultation feedback.

The results spoke for themselves:

By prioritising co-creation and cultural understanding, this campaign demonstrates how community-driven design can achieve measurable impact and genuine connection.

Prepare to GO

By the time your creative assets are ready to launch, you’ll have already done the hard work. The benefit of co-creation is that you can be highly confident in your creative because you’ve taken the time to work with your community partners.

In the next chapter, we’ll explore how best to manage a launch—and why, in NX, a launch is not a finish line but the beginning of a new phase of engagement.

Recap

• Inclusivity is the creative lifeblood of every NX campaign. It rests on four pillars: Cultural Representation, Language and Communication, Accessibility, and Community Engagement—each reinforced through genuine co-creation.

• Co-creation has five main stages: Groundwork, Co-creation sessions, Messaging, Creative, and Test and Refine.

• Co-creation takes time. It relies on iteration, feedback, and continuous learning—but produces far more satisfactory results than traditional methods.

• The LEXIGO 5C Framework (Clarity, Credibility, Cohesion, Connection, Conscience) ensures creative content is co-created towards inclusivity.

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