Over the last six weeks, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder and the growing momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement, many brands and businesses have been called out for the part they play in purpetuating systemic racism and called upon to do more and end the inertia. In this month’s round-up we’ve focused on examples of brands that have responded with action.
Ben & Jerry’s calls to ‘dismantle white supremacy’
While many brands were posting black squares on their social channels in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, Ben and Jerry’s, long-time supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement, released a statement intended to deconstruct white supremacy for its followers. Subsequently the ice-cream brand joined a growing list of firms pulling advertising from Facebook as part of the Stop Hate For Profit campaign, which calls on the social network to have stricter measures against racist and hateful content. Read more about their actions here – https://bit.ly/2XvQjhT , https://bbc.in/3i3kRj2
Independent beauty brand Glossier donates $1 Million to Black Lives Matter and Black-Owned Beauty Brands
The response from independent beauty brand Glossier stood out for leading the way for the beauty industry. In a social media statement the brand committed $500K to organisations which focused on combating racial injustice and $500K in grants to Black-owned beauty businesses. Following this announcement, Glossier continued to share educational resources and petitions on social media to increase awareness and encourage their followers to use their voices to drive change. Discover more about the pledge here – https://bit.ly/2Ai4EFV
Twitter turns tweets into billboards
To mark Juneteenth, the commemoration of the emancipation of enslaved Black people in the US, Twitter launched a range of initiatives in support of Black creators, causes and voices, including turning real tweets about racial inequality into billboards in some of the US cities with the biggest protests. Since late May, more than 340 million tweets have been posted about Black Lives Matter. Twitter launched this initiative to ‘amplify the perspectives and thoughts of people who are sharing their intense feelings about racial inequality’. In addition to the ad campaign, Twitter has been committed to sharing and amplifying Black voices; sharing artwork, educational videos and links to petitions to generate an online presence of support and solidarity towards the Black community. Discover more here – https://bit.ly/2ClM4gz
BBC commits £100m to increasing diversity on TV
Last month the BBC announced a £100m investment to produce “diverse and inclusive content” alongside a mandatory target to ensure 20% of off-screen talent comes from “under-represented groups”. There will also be three tests for diversity in the BBC’s TV output, with programmes needing to meet two of them to qualify: diverse stories and portrayal on-screen, diverse production teams and talent and diverse-led production companies. Similar action has been taken by Sky which pledged £30m to support anti-racism and improve diversity and inclusion. Their investment will be channelled into educating senior leadership and ensuring better representation across all elements of its business. Read more about both initiatives here – https://bbc.in/2YqefUf , https://bit.ly/2Aa1W5k
Google sets 2025 leadership diversity goal
Google has put in place new hiring goals and policies to address racial issues at its offices. The announcement came as protests over police brutality against the Black community sparked further questions around corporate culture. As part of the leadership diversity goal, Google has committed to employ 30% more leaders from underrepresented groups by 2025 and end security practices that have led to racial profiling. It has also announced $150 million in funding for Black business owners and an internal task force to work on projects that “help black users in the moments that matter most.” Find out more about Google’s response here – https://reut.rs/3hODibo
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