Marketing Re-Imagined: Aunia Kahn Of Rise Visible On How We Can Re-Imagine The Marketing Industry To Make It More Authentic, Sustainable, And Promote More Satisfaction
An Interview With Drew Gerber
Your bottom line and financial reward should not be the first consideration, yet, it is something to consider as a positive outcome when moving into more inclusive marketing.
From an objective standpoint, we are living in an unprecedented era of abundance. Yet so many of us are feeling unsatisfied. Why are we seemingly so insatiable? Do you feel that marketing has led to people feeling unsatisfied and not having enough in life? If so, what actions can marketers take to create a world where people feel that they have enough, and they are enough? Can we re-imagine what marketing looks like and how it makes people feel?
In this interview series, we are talking to experts in marketing and branding to discuss how we might re-imagine marketing to make it more authentic, sustainable, and promote more satisfaction. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Aunia Kahn.
Aunia Kahn is the CEO of Rise Visible. With 24 years in the field, she is a highly sought after digital marketer, strategist, public speaker and digital influencer. Rise Visible has been named Top-Ranking Woman-Owned Digital Agency by Clutch, Best SEO Agency in Eugene 2022 by Expertise, and is a certified disabled and woman-owned business. She is also an internationally recognized and awarded visual artist, photographer, author who has shown in over 300 exhibitions in over 10 countries; at places such as San Diego Art Institute, iMOCA, and the St. Louis Art Museum. She founded Create for Healing and is the host of the Rise Above Be Visible Podcast. Aunia also identifies as a disabled business owner surviving and thriving with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (Type 3), Mast Cell Disease, Dysautonomia, and POTS, PTSD, etc.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! None of us are able to experience success without support along the way. Is there a particular person for whom you are grateful for that support to grow you from “there to here?” Can you share that story and why you are grateful for him or her?
I wish that I could say that there was one specific person that I could call out to that could take that spot, however that is not the case. The amount of people that have helped me get where I am today has been exorbitant and there’s not enough space to express all of my gratitude to each and every one of them.
Over the years I have been extremely lucky to have met so many wonderful people who have helped pave the way for where I am today.
Some of those people have been extremely helpful and vital in my growth and other people who have perhaps been challenging to that growth and set roadblocks in my way were just as vital to my growth in that they helped me push harder to get where I am today.
I am so lucky to be where I am — it took a village of all kinds.
What day-to-day structures do you have in place for you to experience a fulfilled life?
Having the ability to self-care first thing is key but also meet myself halfway through the day where I can sit down and do some journaling or brainstorming outside of work-related projects or simply go for a walk.
Uniquely, I work from home (an have for 24 years) which allows me to keep certain life-fulfilling structures in place such as spending time with my partner and my pets and understanding that the day can get away with you, so strategizing even the busiest days to give myself a few hours at the end of the day to work on personal projects or catch up on all the self-care needs that may have been dismissed at other points throughout the day.
These structures are part of what helps to engage with the wide array of personalities and communication with clients throughout the day. I believe having your mindset prepared to adapt and flow with the unforeseen occurrences of the day is just as important as what occurs when the day ends and it’s just you and your loved ones.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think it might help people?
The newest project that our company has just launched is our Rise Visible Pro Bono program. The intent and goal of this program is to offer services to small businesses, nonprofits, and others in need of our services that may not have the ability to do so. We recognize that this type of program is greatly needed in communities where women, people of color, those with disabilities, and other marginalized groups deserve equal opportunities in building businesses and organizations.
To be able to offer services such as website design, graphic design, content creation, and digital marketing to these groups of people is an effort in fostering both equality and community support as business leaders where we help elevate one another — together.
Ok, thank you for sharing your inspired life. Now let’s discuss marketing. To begin, can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority on marketing?
I could say that marketing has been in my blood my entire life. From creating childhood imaginary entrepreneurial endeavors to real-life entrepreneurial efforts as a young adult. I have had the foresight and fortune to be able to be involved in marketing in one way or another for the better part of two decades.
My interest in what people need from a creator and consumer base has always been at the forefront of each step of my career. From solopreneurship to a full-service digital marketing agency that has had the honor of assisting numerous clients to elevate to heights they could not have foreseen has been the most real and impactful part of how marketing plays a substantial role in everyday life. It’s not just business, it’s how we connect on every level in marketing to have one become an authority in this field.
Throughout history, marketing has driven trade for humans. What role do you see that marketing played to get human societies where we are today?
Marketing has been an integral part of society in some fashion long before the development of language. If you think of how tribal mentality has always been there and with it, our basic needs, you can see where trade inevitably would come into place.
Marketing from a deep origins standpoint comes from where we needed each other and what we needed from each other in society. Centuries later, it’s not so different. How we communicate those needs and how we can connect to one another changes all the time, especially with technology.
I work in marketing so I’m very cognizant of this question. What role does marketing play in creating the human experience of “I don’t have enough” even when basic needs such as food, shelter, and clothing are met?
This falls in line with what I said before with the understanding that marketing involves knowing what and where we need certain things from each other in society.
When basic needs are met, the question remains about what makes something valuable long-term. There will always be issues that arise and shift in how the economy moves so part of marketing is being able to move with those shifts so you are in place and ready for the consumer when they are needing that solution.
We as a society are also attracted to the new and understand how important it is to be at the frontlines of change so we are front and center with those changes, which can solidify how important we see our consumer and client base.
These relationships we build, I believe, are meant to be long-lasting in impact. To do that, we must meet each other where we are in terms of needs, solutions, and inevitable change.
What responsibility do marketers have when it comes to people feeling that they aren’t enough?
Marketers have a responsibility to do their job well in their industry and this should include helping people feel that they are enough. It is common for marketers to focus on lack and pain points to create urgency and FOMO (fear of missing out). While that can be a good marketing strategy at times, it is important to balance that with other types of strategies.
Not every strategy needs to be focused on lack or pointing out pain points. Marketers can look at opportunities to help people feel better and more included while not pointing out where people are lacking in their lives.
Marketing is changing and we are learning that there are other effective ways to market that can improve the lives of others and capture the attention of our target audience in supportive ways.
Many 21st-century marketing professionals in a capitalistic society will discuss solving human “pain points” as a way to sell products, services, and other wares successfully. In your opinion or experience, has aggravating pain points led to more pain?
Yes, when we focus on pain points in any landscape, even marketing it can cause more pain. However, it really depends on how those pain points are presented. Often in marketing, we are trying to help solve a problem by helping people and often times we point out the pain points
When we market to a group of people with a pain point angle, we often do not realize how much damage this can cause. The pain point is already a thorn in one’s side. There is a problem that needs a solution.
However, there can be times where the process of creating a solution can expose other hidden problems within the original problem and now we have a bigger fix. From a marketing point of view, this can be a challenge and part of the business task at hand but for a client, this can be harmful and a bit of a rude awakening.
Different cultures view trade/marketing differently. While some may focus on “pain-points” others may focus on “purpose-points”. How do other cultures differ in how they approach marketing? Please give examples or studies you may know about.
Marketing will influence how people think and behave. Culturally this is more evident depending on what and where that culture is.
An example I came upon recently references studies by the CMO Council where cultural sensitivities are being taken into account by large companies such as Pepsi and Johnson & Johnson. The research was based on how these household names used cultural identity, gender roles, idioms, and slang to emphasize the importance of a particular brand in their culture.
When you think of how we have 195 countries and over 6,000 languages around the world — how we engage with each other in marketing is crucial. There is an opportunity for business, obviously, but there is also an opportunity to bridge the gaps between cultures that would not typically have the ability to do so and feel recognized globally.
Okay, fantastic. Here is the main question of our interview: It seems as if we have never stopped to question marketing. In your opinion, how can marketing professionals be more responsible for how their advertising shapes our human experience of feeling safe, secure, and knowing that we matter? Based on your experience or research can you please share “Five Ways We Can Re-Imagine The Marketing Industry To Make It More Authentic, Sustainable, And Promote More Satisfaction”?
The marketing industry can be improved by recognizing that it is lacking inclusivity. Yes, DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) are hot topics right now in all industries, yet, the marketing industry needs to catch up by marketing to a more diverse audience.
Saying you are diverse is not even remotely the same as actively creating diverse advertisements, campaigns, and language in your marketing strategy with yourself, the companies, and the clients that you work with.
As a disabled woman in tech (marketing, website design, and branding) for the last 24 years, being in a male-dominated industry had its challenges, but adding a disability created a whole new level of awareness personally and professionally of what we are missing in marketing.
Even as a person with a disability, I have also missed the mark at times. This included ways of creating more inclusivity in my marketing strategies with our brand and clients in the past.
It is my job to own errors based on ignorance and take responsibility for areas that need improvements in my work. We are all fallible. We don’t know what we don’t know until we do know. That’s a mouthful but it is true.
If at that point we don’t change, adjust or adapt to our new awareness, then we are doing a disservice to our industry. The more awareness that we have, the more opportunities will present themselves so we can correct that.
Some of the best advertisements right now are showcasing various races, ages, health issues, and disabilities, but do not point out or highlight the difference as the main focus, simply putting a wide array of real human beings in their marketing campaigns. Period.
It’s simple, but not simple — otherwise, we would have been doing it more often. When adding various types of people into your marketing strategy, it helps those people that are included feel more included and in turn, can boost your ROI.
Your bottom line and financial reward should not be the first consideration, yet, it is something to consider as a positive outcome when moving into more inclusive marketing.
For example, those with disabilities are one of the most overlooked groups of marginalized people when talking about DEI, but they are the largest group of people because disabled people are of all races, colors, ages, demographics, etc.
When marketers are looking to step into an awareness of DEI they need to consider everyone. This is how I can see the marketing industry has improved.
For you personally, if you have all your basic needs met, do you feel you have enough in life?
Enough in life is not defined by basic needs being met for me, although these are important and should be considered in the equation.
I have enough in life if I wake up alive. I know not everyone can understand that, but waking up and knowing I have another shot at a new day is enough for me to have enough.
Do I have lofty dreams and goals I am going after? Yes. Yet, I understand deeply the value of just waking up and taking a breath knowing I get one more day. That is enough for me, everything else is a bonus!
Do you have any favorite books, podcasts, or resources that have inspired you to live with more joy in life?
I just love reading and listening to podcasts. Books that have brought me joy, lessons, and valuable information have been:
The Brain That Changes Itself, Normal Doidge, M.D.
Stroke of Insight, Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.
Being Superhuman, Dr. Joe Dispenza
The Power of Intention, Dr. Wayne Dyer
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I feel if a movement of Altruism in Business could exist, I would lead that movement of good to the greatest amount of people. There are so many lives that could become success stories if only more people used their influence or abilities to offer compassion and help for those who cannot do it alone. To be able to carry unified values to help others succeed as we succeed ourselves sounds kind of perfect.
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
Thanks for asking! You can find us at risevisible.com as well as @risevisible on all social media platforms.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
About The Interviewer: For 30 years, Drew Gerber has been inspiring those who want to change the world. Drew is the CEO of Wasabi Publicity, Inc., a full-service PR agency lauded by PR Week and Good Morning America. Wasabi Publicity, Inc. is a global marketing company that supports industry leaders, change agents, unconventional thinkers, companies and organizations that strive to make a difference. Whether it’s branding, traditional PR or social media marketing, every campaign is instilled with passion, creativity and brilliance to powerfully tell their clients’ story and amplify their intentions in the world. Schedule a free consultation at WasabiPublicity.com/Choosing-Publicity.
Marketing Re-Imagined: Aunia Kahn Of Rise Visible On How We Can Re-Imagine The Marketing Industry… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.