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Winner Story
CODE Along by Meraki Communications Group
Meraki Communications Group took home 2023 Best in Show for their youth-targeted branded content with client CODE Along, a STEM education initiative from GoldieBlox and Black Girls Code. As a Black female-founded agency, the Meraki team felt especially close to these clients and the work they were doing to educate and support BIPOC women in tech. We caught up with the winners, who described their elation while working on a passion project with mission-focused clients near and dear to their hearts.
Where did it all start?
The word “Meraki” means to do something with soul, creativity, and passion. Meraki Communications Group was founded by two Black women and an Army veteran who decided to use their lived experiences, interests, and talents to form a different kind of full-service communications agency. Five years later, the Meraki team is a group of strategists with strong enthusiasm and excitement for using artful communications to effect lasting change – so much so that we leave a little something of ourselves in everything we do.
What made this partnership special with Black Girls Code?
The opportunity to create the branding and messaging for the CODE Along initiative was particularly special because CODE Along is not only a free, video-based coding academy hosted by Black girls and young women that is tangible, educational, and entertaining, but it’s also a partnership between two very cool organizations, Black Girls Code and GoldieBlox. Every CODE Along episode features culturally responsive, gender-conscious, and representative STEM content that can easily be shared.
The Black Girls Code mission is near and dear to our hearts and fits squarely within Meraki’s three ethos pillars of inclusion, empowerment, and change. We are absolutely passionate about getting more Black and Brown girls interested in STEM and pursuing STEM-focused careers.
After all, two of Meraki’s partners and several of our Meraki team members were once the Black Girls Code target audience. How cool would it have been to have something like Black Girls Code and CODE Along when we were young?!?
Also, it feels great when we earn our clients’ trust. Our experience with Black Girls Code speaks volumes about our team, our creative and collaborative capacity, and how a culture rooted in candor, inclusivity, and empathy provides the right environment for creative success.
What are some of the creative risks you took during the creation of the series?
We dove into the work, flexed our collaboration muscles, and found ways to implement solutions on tight timelines that allowed us to still have fun and leverage our branding and design expertise. In the end, we built a brand and campaign that supported Black Girls Code’s short- and long-term goals.
How does Meraki Communications Group define creative success?
One important way Team Meraki earns clients’ trust is by bringing our whole and authentic selves to work. And one important way we define our creative process here at Meraki is by ensuring nobody on our team feels like they’ve been left behind. We think creativity needs to be nurtured. It’s easy to lose focus when things are moving too fast. You can forget about the most important ingredient for making creative success happen: the people. While it’s true that not all ideas work, our team defines creative success by making sure we foster an environment where everyone feels seen, safe, and supported.
Why did you enter the w3 Awards?
With simple lessons, fresh topics, fabulous and fierce coders who look like the girls and young women participating in the classes, and surprise cameos from celebrities and influencers, CODE Along had the ingredients for a unique and cool STEM initiative. And we decided to submit CODE Along for a w3 Award because we are super proud of the brand identity and messaging platform that we helped to create alongside Black Girls Code.
And, in the end, CODE Along reached millions of underserved girls (so far!) and armed them with the tech skills and confidence they need to build brighter futures. Nearly 90% of survey respondents said CODE Along increased their child’s interest in coding.
Are you producing content that empowers underrepresented voices? The w3 Awards honor work in categories across many areas of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Don’t forget- your last chance to enter is this Friday, August 2nd.