As Jamaican products capture more space on supermarket shelves across the globe, Adion Communications is calling for more Jamaican and Caribbean brands to make international marketing a central pillar of their long-term growth strategy. 

Adion Communications, a Canada-based, multicultural marketing agency founded by Jamaican-born cultural marketing strategist Shannon Castonguay, was established after identifying a major gap in the market.

“Sure, Jamaican brands have cultural power and global appeal. But influence alone isn’t enough. While Caribbean products gain traction in export channels, little to no brands invest in sustained marketing overseas, resulting in limited visibility, weakened competitiveness, and missed opportunities for revenue growth,” Castonguay said. “To compete internationally, brands must actively show up in the market; if not, they risk becoming invisible, lost on crowded shelves where competitors are doing the work.”

One key observation Castonguay noted early on is that where Caribbean brands fail to market, inauthentic products quickly fill the gap. 

“Products that merely bear Jamaican colours or claim to have ‘Caribbean flavour’, receive traction that would have otherwise gone to authentic Caribbean brands. Needless to say, that didn’t sit right with me. It pushed me to champion our brands globally and market them in ways that stay true to their identity and cultural roots,” she explained. 

Finding Canadian audiences

Operating from one of Canada’s most multicultural consumer markets, Adion Communications supports Caribbean brands seeking stronger international presence through culturally grounded strategy, digital marketing, brand storytelling, and on-the-ground experiential activations. The agency’s approach draws heavily on diaspora insight, helping brands connect meaningfully with both Caribbean and multicultural audiences abroad.

“For far too long we’ve relied on nostalgia and hinged on the bet that people know these Caribbean products. If you consider it, global brands market specifically for each country they enter. Coca-Cola, for example, everyone knows Coca-Cola; however, they tailor their message for each market segment year after year. They never rest in complacency,” Castonguay added. 

Guided by this principle, Adion Communications helps brands navigate global markets without diluting their identity, ensuring that expansion strategies honour brand heritage while meeting international consumer expectations. The agency’s work draws on in-market insights. A key component of Adion Communications’ methodology is its proprietary Cultural Resonance Index (CRI); a brand audit designed to assess how Caribbean identity and messaging translate among Canadian consumers. The CRI identifies what resonates, what requires refinement, and where opportunities exist to build stronger emotional connection and competitive advantage.

“Having spent years living in Jamaica and working with several Jamaican brands, I know the level of tenacity with which we operate, so to see that same diligence neglected here in Canada, I understand the disservice it does to our brands. I’ve never known Jamaicans to be small fries, in everything we do, we’ve been a big order,” Castonguay said. 

Adion Communications positions itself as a strategic partner to Caribbean brands ready to move beyond export-only models and build meaningful, long-term presence in new markets, without ever losing what makes them uniquely Caribbean.