Black-owned independent strategy, digital, and creative agency Hero Collective is partnering with Dentsu media agency Carat in a new project called Carat Hero EQ. The partnership will help U.S. clients develop purposeful and culture-centric perspectives, approaches, and strategies when it comes to content creation and purchasing as well as guidance on DEI applications. 

Carat Hero EQ’s main goal is to help their clients in understanding their audience(s), building a brand that is culturally and emotionally in-tune. Hero Collective CEO Joe Anthony stated that “what made this partnership really dynamic for us is bringing in our concentrated understanding of multicultural communities and youth communities and marrying that with the world-class data tools that Carat has.”

Anthony first worked with Carat U.S. CEO Angela Steele nearly 15 years ago for a Nintendo Account when he was CEO of Vital Marketing and she was with Starcom. Since then, the two stayed in contact and created a trusting relationship that would be the foundation of their latest partnership. 

Anthony was most impressed by Carat’s attempt to improve their operations, telling Adweek that “Carat was proactive in pursuing this partnership and recognizing the value we brought to the table as a peer.” 

In preparation of the end of cookies, the partnership will address the increased importance of data privacy and will turn to more elaborate engagement with consumers through its expansive understanding of data science and a decrease in mass-targeting.