Decolonizing Your Brand Campaigns

As we celebrate Emancipation in August, we need to look at liberation throughout all sectors and that includes marketing communications and branding.  

The Caribbean is more than turquoise waters and white-sand beaches. It’s a tapestry of cultures, histories, and identities that deserve more than surface-level representation in marketing. Yet, too often, brands fall into the trap of “tropical clichés” — steelpan jingles, palm trees, and carnival feathers — without truly engaging with the deeper narratives of who we are.

At Accela Marketing, we believe brands that resonate most in our region are those that honour our histories, embrace our diversity, and tell our stories on our terms. That means moving away from colonial-era stereotypes and into decolonized messaging — campaigns that speak from a place of authenticity, not borrowed imagery.

Take, for example, Republic Bank’s “The Power to Make A Difference” programme, which invests in cultural heritage preservation, or Digicel’s sponsorship of community steelpan initiatives. These campaigns go beyond selling a product; they celebrate the beating heart of the Caribbean.

Three ways to tap into culture and history effectively:

• Do your homework: Consult cultural historians, artists, and community leaders to ensure your storytelling is grounded in truth, not assumption.

• Celebrate local heroes: Feature everyday champions alongside famous icons, highlighting their role in shaping modern Caribbean identity.

• Weave in our languages and expressions: A well-placed Creole phrase or proverb can add warmth, familiarity, and pride.

• Tell our stories. There is nothing like hearing it from the horse’s mouth. Nobody tells a story like a Caribbean person. Our media needs to platform our true experiences, our real-life lessons and our connection to each other.  

• Use our voices and our music. Canned music is readily available but nothing beats utilizing our local composers, lyricists and performers. Accela over the years has worked with everyone from Soca Monarch Arthur Allain to Teddyson John to Beckett to Boo Hinkson, in our campaigns. Those are the campaigns that end up becoming beloved earworms and cultural touchstones, that bring real power and personality to the brands we serve.  

By aligning with Caribbean pride through informed, intentional narratives, brands not only earn consumer trust but also contribute to preserving and uplifting the region’s collective memory. In a market where loyalty is built on connection and shared identity, that’s not just good marketing — it’s impactful marketing.

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