The A Pledge’s Post

The uplift is real. All month long, Converge Media is uplifting Black businesses from across the Pacific Northwest. We’ve been collecting nominations from the community and featuring businesses around the greater Seattle area for #NationalBlackBusinessMonth. Check out the segments on our blog and nominate a business: https://lnkd.in/gZ8sjrHC #WWConverge #SupportBlackBusiness #BlackSeattle #BlackInSeattle #BlackMedia #BlackMediaMatters #BlackBusiness

Big news 🥳 We've been shortlisted in Channel 4's Black in Business - an initiative that supports Black owned businesses, giving them the opportunity to receive £100,000 of advertising with Channel 4. We are delighted to be shortlisted in the top 30 applicants! Please keep your fingers crossed for us 🤞🏽😍 #boucleme #blackinbusiness #channel4 #blackowned #blackownedbusiness 

Loved attending another great event this evening hosted by the UK Black Comms Network, with guest speakers Shannon Walker Tamara McCleary Mariam N. and Marvin Mulinde IV, discussing the ‘Creation of Influence’. The main theme echoed throughout the session was the importance of authenticity and integrity of influencer content and campaigns. Being true to yourself is key for influencer-brand partnerships. Authentic content that reflects your personal brand and story is crucial. Campaigns should make sense and align with individual values. It was evident from numerous examples that audiences can see the difference through authentic content and just ‘selling stuff’, the latter having a consequent effect on integrity and long term engagement. Some other key insights: 🔑 Brands should engage with micro-influencers more often, as they bring unique perspectives and engaged audiences. 🔑 Brands should let influencers be themselves and create organic content that resonates with their audience. The brief should be moulded with the influencer in mind rather than vice versa. 🔑 Brands should actively collaborate with diverse talent to connect with various cultures and communities. It's inegral that brands view partnerships with diverse talent as genuine, meaningful and long-term rather than just a quick check box or following a trend…❗️ Looking forward to the next event!!💡🥂📝

Worth reading this timely post from Krishana Davis.

Supporting Black-owned businesses in your community is a meaningful way to celebrate black history and contribute to economic empowerment and diversity. Here are some ideas on how you can support Black-owned businesses: 🖤 Shop Local: Whenever possible, choose to buy products and services from Black-owned businesses in your community. This includes grocery stores, restaurants, clothing boutiques, salons, and more. 🖤 Spread the Word: Share information about Black-owned businesses with your friends, family, and social media followers. Word-of-mouth recommendations can be very powerful. 🖤 Attend Events: Participate in local events, fairs, or markets that feature Black-owned businesses. These events often showcase a wide range of products and services. 🖤 Online Shopping: Many Black-owned businesses have an online presence. Explore their websites and make online purchases to support them even if you can't visit their physical location. 🖤 Collaborate: If you own a business or work for a company, consider collaborating with Black-owned businesses for partnerships, promotions, or sourcing products. 🖤 Write Reviews: Leave positive reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, or social media to help boost the online visibility and reputation of Black-owned businesses. Don't forget to share posts, photos, and information about the Black-owned businesses you support on your own social media accounts to help spread the word and attract more customers. Happy Black History Month! 🏷️ Tag your favorite Black Owned Businesses & the city you are in! The Jane Rothe Co. 💕 Marketing for Real Estate Agents 🌐 www.JaneRothe.io #janerothe #janerothe4realesatateagents #marketing #personalizedmarketing #realestatemarketing #realtorsofinstagram #womeninbusiness #yourmarketingisboring #realestateincalifornia #growyourbusinesswithmarketing #marketing #blackhistorymonth2024

The NAACP is not only America’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, but also a brand that has evolved with the times. In this insightful article from ADWEEK, CMO Aba Blankson shares how the NAACP has leveraged brand tactics to increase its visibility, influence, and relevance in the digital age. From hosting town halls with prominent figures, to participating in events like SXSW, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and @Sundance, the NAACP has expanded its reach and engagement with diverse audiences and stakeholders. The NAACP has also embraced cultural specificity in its marketing efforts, recognizing the multifaceted nature of Black American experiences and narratives. As we close Black History Month, I salute the NAACP for its 115 years of leadership, advocacy, and innovation in the fight for racial justice and equality. I also invite you to join me in supporting their mission and vision for a more inclusive and equitable society. Please share this article with your friends and followers, and let me know what you think of the NAACP’s brand strategy in the comments below. How do you think the NAACP can continue to grow and adapt in the future? What are some of the challenges and opportunities that they face in the current landscape? #NAACP #BrandMarketing #BlackHistoryMonth #RacialJustice #Equality #Diversity #Inclusion

Great article by Yasmin Arrigo on the deprioritisation of #DEI in #ADland - please read and share! At Brixton Finishing School we've experienced this in the last 12 months, alongside many other #changemaking organisations, a #stealth defunding of commitments to #DEI leaving us with a budget deficit last year. We took this #crisis as an opportunity to reflect, reframe and recommit to our mission - to create fair, accessible industry access for all talents and to then support them to thrive, not survive when they arrive. Thank you to all who advocated for us - we really value and appreciate your efforts! #2024 is our year of serenity and we will not deviate from our mission - we will gracefully keep, keeping on, driving change. Talent is distrubuted equally but opportunities are not. To supercharge change long term commitment to impactful change making projects is needed. It’s vital that the industry leans in and support our (and other organisations) efforts. MEFA CEO, Naren Patel, decided to launch the Media For All [MEFA] awards when a recent survey indicated that businesses were experiencing “DEI fatigue” ; they were under so much pressure that diversity and inclusion were taking a back seat. #DEI departments have been disbanded at #tech companies (Source: WordinBlack.com) And by December 2023 open calls for divestment were heard - with Elon Musk declaring on X ‘DEI must Die’. Dear Industry, your busy day job is serving your clients and their consumers - our day job is supporting multiple communities with many intersectionalities to win at the world of work. So please, reach out to third party experts who can make authentic inclusion a reality for you - it’s not going to happen if it’s not a future proofed commitment. 

In 2019, our team was appalled to read the barrage of racist and sexist comments launched at a post made by Serena Williams during the U.S. Open. This was more than a wake-up call; it was our call to action and it’s why Respondology exists as it does today. Recognizing a moral and business imperative, we leveraged our technology to tackle online toxicity and help make it easier for brands and individuals to hide racist comments on their social media feeds.   This Black History Month, we're celebrating the achievements and contributions of Black leaders who have influenced and inspired our work, as well as the broader landscape of marketing and advertising in the United States. While Serena inspired our software, Tom Burrell is in the spotlight today for his work in opening the doors for representation in advertising.   Tom Burrell was one of the first Black leaders in advertising, starting his career in Chicago in 1961. Ten years after he broke into the industry, he started his own agency, Burrell McBain Advertising, which later became the Burrell Communications Group. Burrell is famous for saying, “I had to convince clients to understand that Black people are not dark-skinned white people.” Throughout his career, he contributed to many incredible advertising campaigns and was central in expanding advertising to be more inclusive and celebratory of Black Americans.   Burrell's tenacity, drive, and intelligence are just some of the values we hope to take into 2024's Black History Month and beyond. To learn more about his legacy, click here: https://lnkd.in/dxxYFWC   #SocialMediaMarketing #BlackHistoryMonth #TechForGood

In the marketing landscape, it's not just about staying updated but understanding who's driving real change. Discover the organizations championing black marketing professionals, pushing boundaries, and setting new norms. https://shorturl.at/bnuH8 #DiversityEquityAndInclusion #BlackExcellence #BlackBusinessMonth #BlackOwnedBusinesses

My Ad Age opinion article challenges an advertising industry that is still stubbornly and frustratingly monochromatic. As a Black advertising professional, I marked the fourth anniversary of George Floyd's tragic death by reflecting on my 30-year journey in advertising. I see an industry that cannot claim to champion creativity and innovation while excluding those whose cultural relevance is critical to developing ideas, content, and products that resonate with multicultural and global audiences.  #inclusionmatters #Dowhatmatters #DEI #talentmanagement https://lnkd.in/dVgcMkQ7