Diana Pavlov’s journey from leading entertainment marketing for Marriott International’s global brand portfolio to founding +Pavlov Creative is a testament to her creative vision and strategic expertise. Now at the helm of her own consultancy, Diana partners with top-tier brands to craft bold, impactful campaigns that leave a lasting cultural imprint. In this interview, she offers a glimpse into her career, her approach to creating disruptive brand experiences, and what’s next for +Pavlov Creative.
Where are you currently based?
I’m a New York transplant, now thriving in Miami—cities fueled by bold thinking and creative momentum, much like my business. While +Pavlov Creative is proudly rooted in Miami, our work spans coasts and continents.
What are your specialty practice areas?
+Pavlov Creative is a boutique marketing consultancy that partners with visionary brands to craft bold, disruptive, and strategically rich experiences. We specialize in luxury and lifestyle—spanning hospitality, F&B, entertainment, wellness, and beyond—helping brands find their voice and shape culture-defining moments with lasting impact.
Our collaborative model embeds us as an extension of our clients’ teams, delivering innovative campaigns, immersive activations, and breakthrough partnerships that spark emotional connection and drive measurable results. From concept development to execution, we offer full-service project management, brand positioning, content strategy, and experiential production. Think of us as your dream matchmaker—connecting agencies, talent, brand partners, and consumers to deliver long-term brand value and drive consumer loyalty.
Tell us about your career background before launching your consultancy.
Before founding +Pavlov Creative, I launched and led Entertainment Marketing for Marriott International’s global brand portfolio, crafting omni-channel campaigns, partnerships, and experiences that drove cultural relevance and emotional connection. Earlier in my career, I worked alongside industry pioneers like Rande Gerber and The Opium Group, honing my expertise in lifestyle hospitality and learning how to shape magnetic brands.
Who are your clients and some of your favorite projects?
We’ve had the privilege of working with iconic brands like Four Seasons, Netflix, Diageo, 1 Hotels, Amex and many more. Our projects are as diverse as our clients, but all share a common thread: creating brand momentum that demands attention and drives conversion.
We helped reimagine Steve Madden’s iconic “Big Head Girls” through Maddenverse, an AR-driven campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney and Normani that spanned e-commerce, digital, OOH, and beyond—bringing a new generation into the fold. With Amazon Luxury Stores, we led their first-ever in-person activation, crafting an immersive, high-fashion moment that earned coverage in Vogue and Daily Front Row while spotlighting D&I ambassadors and co-branded partners. And with Four Seasons, we developed a first-of-its-kind Beverage Activation Toolkit to create brand affinity across their F&B outlets globally.
We’re especially energized by clients who are building cultural capital while scaling with intention—and trust us to help steer that growth with creativity and purpose.
What are your favorite aspects of consulting life – and most challenging?
I love how collaborative and hands-on the work can be. We’re not just checking boxes—we’re shaping stories, building momentum, and often acting as true thought partners to our clients. I naturally gravitate toward the finer details (that’s usually where the magic happens), but one of my challenges is being intentional about zooming out to steer the bigger picture. And like any founder, I’m learning to pace myself. When you move fast and care deeply, carving out time to recharge is key.
Who would be a dream client?
Spotify is at the top of our list—a global powerhouse that’s revolutionizing music and entertainment with unparalleled influence and storytelling prowess. Spotify doesn’t just dominate the streaming space; it shapes how communities connect through music, podcasts, and shared experiences. We’re equally inspired by Poppi’s meteoric rise—a soda brand that’s redefining the beverage game with its daring campaigns and vibrant cultural pull. Both brands embody the energy we live for at +Pavlov Creative: boundary-pushing, community-driven, and unapologetically bold.
In an era where DEI has become both a business imperative and a political flashpoint, Jenny Medina Morris, managing director at OmniCulture Communications, explores its evolving role in corporate strategy and communications. In this piece, she examines how DEI, once a high-profile commitment for brands, is quietly being rebranded rather than abandoned. As companies shift away from performative diversity statements and embed inclusivity into broader business functions, PR professionals must adapt their messaging strategies to ensure authenticity and impact. Read on for insights on the key trends shaping DEI’s transformation and what this means for communicators navigating an increasingly polarized landscape.
Jenny with Contra-Tiempo, an activist dance theater company from CA, promoting equity though the arts.
Let’s be real, DEI isn’t new. It has been around since the civil rights movement of the 1960s, when laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 pushed businesses to address workplace discrimination. But it wasn’t until 2020, after George Floyd’s murder, that DEI surged at an unprecedented scale.
Suddenly, corporations were making sweeping commitments. Budgets expanded, chief diversity officers were hired and brands rushed to put out solidarity statements. Some of it was genuine, but let’s be honest, some of it was just about optics.
That same year, McKinsey & Company estimated global corporate spending on DEI at $7.5 billion, projecting it could surpass $15 billion by 2026. In the U.S., a 2022 article in the Harvard Business Review reported that companies spend about $8 billion annually on DEI training.
A few years later, the momentum is shifting. The Trump administration’s rollback of DEI programs, coupled with legal challenges and political pushback, has changed the conversation. Many companies are quietly scaling back, downsizing diversity departments and, at least publicly, talking less about DEI.
So, the big question: Is DEI dead?
The corporate shift: rebranding, not disbanding
Not exactly, it’s evolving. Instead of eliminating DEI, many companies are repackaging it under different names to avoid controversy while keeping their commitments intact. DEI isn’t disappearing, it’s just getting a new wardrobe and a less controversial nickname.
Take McDonald’s. It didn’t cut its DEI team but renamed it the “Global Inclusion Team.”
Starbucks removed DEI from its executive bonus criteria yet still promotes “Inclusion, Diversity & Belonging.” Duolingo and JetBlue have labeled DEI as a “business risk” in their filings but continue internal diversity initiatives.
This isn’t by accident, it’s a strategy. Instead of making big public pledges, companies are embedding DEI into broader corporate structures like environmental, social and governance efforts or workforce development programs. The goal is to avoid political backlash while continuing to push for inclusivity.
From conversations with senior PR leaders, it’s clear that DEI isn’t going away, it’s just becoming less of a front-facing branding play. Companies still want to show progress, but they don’t want diversity to become an ideological battleground.
This shift means how we talk about DEI is changing. It’s no longer just about corporate responsibility, it’s about business strategy, reputation management and consumer trust. The challenge for communicators isn’t just keeping DEI messaging relevant but making it authentic in an increasingly divided landscape.
Cultural competence beyond the DEI name
This is where PR comes in. The real conversation shouldn’t be about whether companies are still using the term DEI, it should be about whether they are actually fostering inclusivity in ways that matter.
The biggest mistake companies have made with DEI is treating it like a compliance task instead of a cultural shift. When diversity is just a checked box, it fails, both in impact and credibility.
We’ve all seen brands assume that simply translating a message makes it culturally relevant. It doesn’t. Understanding language is one thing, but understanding context, nuance and how different demographics connect with messaging is even more critical. If companies are just throwing out diversity messaging without considering regional, cultural and audience nuances, it’s not effective and can backfire.
Navigating the DEI shift for PR pros
For communicators, DEI’s rebrand means we need to adjust our approach. Messaging needs to be authentic, aligned with business goals and free of performative fluff. Here’s how PR teams can navigate this shift effectively:
We’re already seeing this play out in sectors like luxury and tech. Brands like Gucci and LVMH have pivoted from loud DEI campaigns to more subtle storytelling about craftsmanship, sustainability and workforce development. Meanwhile, companies like Microsoft and Salesforce are shifting DEI messaging away from activism toward business performance and innovation.
So, let’s set the record straight. DEI isn’t disappearing. It’s just being woven into business growth, corporate culture and long-term strategy in ways that are more subtle, strategic and, hopefully, more effective.
The Public Relations Society of America has reaffirmed that DEI is still critical to the future of business and communications. Consumers, employees and investors still expect companies to demonstrate inclusivity, whether they call it DEI, ESG, inclusion or something else entirely.
Ultimately, it’s not about what companies call their DEI programs, it’s about whether they actually create environments where all their audiences feel valued.
