The Social Lights’ Post

The future of advertising is Black Madison Avenue: Black/of color-owned media winning clients' mainstream budgets. Black/of color-owned agencies winning clients' mainstream business, scaling and making high-value exits/acquisitions. Black/of color talent leading everywhere, and representing on the lists of the most highly-paid people in advertising. Because DEI stands for 'Driving Excessive Income', and next week at Blackweek you'll find out why. '“[People of color] are over-indexing in every aspect of consumerism globally. That warrants a prioritization of us,” Joseph Anthony said. “There is this tremendous opportunity to educate, but not alienate.” “I’ve [been asked] a lot of questions, like: ‘Can I go to Blackweek if I’m white?’” he added. “Part of the reason why we called it Blackweek is because we feel that Black culture is the most inclusive in the world… the invitation is open to everyone and anyone who wants to learn about those rich investments we make in culture and how to tap into it.” ... Walter T Geer III hopes Blackweek will come full circle, growing into an event that facilitates job opportunities, investments, and acquisitions for Black and diverse communities. “We want people to walk away from this event being inspired to do more, to activate more, and to understand the power in community and the power of bringing us to the table,” said Geer. “We represent billions of dollars of buying power.”' Rebecca Stewart ADWEEK https://lnkd.in/ew7h4Hfm #Blackweek

We’re excited for our Founder & CEO, Dan Berman, to speak at MJ Unpacked, Nov. 5-7 in St. Louis! Don’t miss his session! *What is MJ Unpacked and why is it different? 💥Retailer-Centric: MJ Unpacked events are designed to put retailers and brands front and center, with a qualified audience of licensed operators, decision-makers, and investors. No one gets stuck in the back—everyone is visible, and everyone has a chance to shine. 💥Brand & Retail Showcase: It’s not just about filling a space. MJ Unpacked is focused on showcasing brands and creating real, meaningful relationships between brands and retailers. 💥 Equity & Inclusivity: MJ Unpacked elevates equity businesses with prime positioning to ensure they’re at the heart of the conversation. Inclusion isn’t an afterthought—it’s at the core of what they do. 💥 Networking That Works: From their Investor Breakfast to their Afterparty Sponsorships, MJ Unpacked designs opportunities for true engagement—not just walking by a booth, but actually sitting down to build relationships. Mark your calendars and join us for an informative and engaging discussion! REGISTRATION INFO: https://lnkd.in/eqXy-8P4 #MJUSTL24 Rica Askew Kim Christmas Bill Hockensmith Pauline Stewart Ashley Clark Kristen Rusch Iris Davenport Saralyn Dague nakethia Banks-Smith

At Blackweek 2024, multiple CMOs decried the lack of diversity on pitch teams in account reviews. Brand marketing leaders are calling out agencies who show up to diverse companies with zero people of color on their own team. Some find it outright offensive, and others consider it an automatic disqualifier. Are you surprised that agencies aren’t more conscious about how they show up? #advertisingandmarketing #diversityisanewbusinessissue #advertisingagency

🥳 It’s been A WEEK! Time to celebrate: If you know me, you know I LOVE celebrating—big wins, small wins, and even the lessons learned from things that didn’t go to plan. It’s how I start every client session and used to kick-off my team meetings as a Marketing Director. Why? Because progress is progress, and that’s always worth celebrating! 😍 This week has been amazing, and I’m here for it. Here’s what I’m celebrating: ✨ Attending the Women In Tech Sweden and Kindred Group plc event on Tuesday and connecting with so many remarkable women! ✨ Having some exciting meetings with 2 different organizations about January workshops on developing the mindset of a high-performer. ✨ Seeing 3 of my clients gain crystal clarity on their next career phase, complete with actionable goals and a roadmap to get there. ✨ Helping one powerhouse client boost her confidence as she takes on her year-end goals and stretches waaaaay out of her comfort zone. ✨ Receiving thoughtful feedback on my Rise & Thrive Program and Authentic Executive Presence Workshop, so I can keep delivering career-changing support tailored just for YOU. Oh, and in case you missed it: If you sign up for the Rise & Thrive Program by December 30th, January is on me—that means you get 3 months of coaching for the price of 2. 💡 💖 What are YOU celebrating this week? Share below, I’d love to cheer you on! 👇 P.S. Here's a picture from the event on Tuesday at the Kindred Group plc 💖 What an office vibe 🤩

How Unexpected Partnerships Drive Impact – Lessons from TMW Tomorrow Attending the TMW Tomorrow session on #partnerships gave me valuable insights into how brands can build meaningful collaborations with content creators. 🔑Key Takeaways: 🎀 Hygiene Factors: When choosing a creator, it’s essential to consider how they align with the brief. What kind of content do they produce, and does it authentically connect with the brand’s values? 🎀 Representation Matters: Lydia raised an important point about representation in creator partnerships. It’s not just about working with one or two top Black creators—it’s about fostering genuine connections with a diverse range of creators at different levels. Creators can easily sense tokenism. True alignment happens when a brand authentically represents the group it claims to support and goes beyond surface-level inclusion. As an aspiring #AccountManager with a passion for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, this deeply resonated with me. I’m eager to build diverse lists of underrepresented creators, helping to showcase a variety of voices and talents that reflect the world we live in. 🌟 Planning for the Future No matter how small the brief, thinking about the long-term impact of partnerships is key. Longevity and inclusivity go hand in hand when driving real change. I thoroughly enjoyed this session and hearing everyone’s unique perspectives. Events like these reaffirm the importance of thoughtful, inclusive collaboration. How do you think brands can better foster diversity in their creator partnerships? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Canon Inc. Canon EMEA TMW Tomorrow #AccountManager #BlackJoy #FlockTogether #Marketing #ContentCreators #BrandPartnerships #Advertising #SocialMediaMarketing

ADWEEK 50 isn’t about recognizing the CEO. Instead, it’s about honoring the leaders who keep the operation running efficiently and profitably, and put innovation and team culture at the forefront. ADWEEK | #ADWEEK50

In case you weren't sure, let me confirm: 📣 Gen Z doesn't trust you 📣 Gen Z is a dominant force in the marketplace with the oldest in the cohort nearing their 30s, yet brands still face challenges in building trust with this discerning audience. How can companies earn loyalty and credibility with a generation that values transparency, authenticity, and social impact? Join me on October 29th at noon ET for a LPK virtual roundtable on Earning Gen Z's Trust. Our cultural strategy experts, myself, and Gen Z guest speakers will uncover how brands can forge meaningful relationships with this digitally savvy, socially conscious generation. Register here: https://okt.to/LE8jxy

Here's a £1+ billion idea for anyone interested, and it takes 5 minutes: Find two people who would work well together, and connect them. Yes, those two people who have just come to mind: reach out, make a phone call, send a text or send an email right now to connect them, and tell them why. No, it's not obvious to anyone else, least of all the two people you're thinking of. And the whole world is simply waiting for you to take 5 minutes to be the catalyst for a world changing collaboration. Collaborations like: The Wright Brothers and Flight…via their sister Katharine and a lecture by Octave Chanute. Crick/Watson and DNA structure…via Max Perutz showing them a bootlegged copy of Rosalind Franklin's X-ray images. Lennon/McCartney and The Beatles…via an introduction by Ivan Vaughan at a church social. Jobs/Steve Wozniak and Apple …via an introduction by mutual friend Bill Fernandez. Larry Page /Sergey Brin and Google …via a meeting arranged by Stanford grad Scott Hassan. Martha Stewart / Snoop Dogg…via a joke made by Snoop on the radio that Stewart said yes to. Acton/Koum and WhatsApp …via Brian reaching out to a guy he worked with at Yahoo back in 2009. Reid Hoffman / Allen Blue and LinkedIn ...via an introduction by a friend of Hoffman. And many others. All because someone took 5 minutes to help two make a connection that would revolutionise the world…regardless of whether or not they would get credit for it. That's heresy in a culture devoted to the religions of hustle, influence, strife and self-interest. A culture where “everyone” is seeking a blue tick or more subscribers or an ROI on everything they do. But these connectors, these heretics, are playing an infinite game where they make things better by connecting those who can make better things. These heretics are focused on quiet acts of disruptive generosity where they trade mediocre notoriety for the sake of being an uncredited catalyst of greatness. And most important of all, these heretics are building a culture that will outlast them where we the entire Community rallies together to nurture and launch ideas and initiatives that will impact all of us…regardless of who gets the credit. This is an idea I'll be exploring on Fridays in my LinkedIn posts…or, Heretic Friday as it's now blocked off in my Google Calendar. But I hope you'll take 5 minutes to steal the core idea and make it your own: Find two people who would work well together, and connect them. Thoughts? 🙃 #innovation #generosity #disruption #hereticfriday

Last month, I conducted an event audit for London’s largest pitch event for founders. Now, that very event is equipped to improve its DE&I strategies for next time. Here’s how an event audit can transform the experience and prepare for their next event in 3-6 months: 1 . Identify gaps in accessibility and inclusivity. 2 . Improve attendee engagement and representation. 3 . Refine communication to resonate with diverse audiences. 4 . Enhance cultural sensitivity in content and programming. 5 . Create actionable metrics to track DE&I progress. 6 . Foster partnerships with underrepresented communities. 7 . Build a roadmap for sustainable, inclusive growth. My advice to event organisers? Deliver → Track → Learn → Improve Your events can get ahead by just doing what so many events don’t do which is improve event after event. 📩 You can join my newsletter to find out more about how I help to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility across their business and live events. Image ID: The image shows Gabby a brown woman, with long brown hair wearing the signature red lipstick and a white t-shirt with a Diversity Alliance logo. As well as a Rare Founder black lanyard, standing in front of a black backdrop with the RARE Founders logo and neon-style "DEMO day" text. #EventAudit #DiversityAndInclusion #InclusiveEvents #EventStrategy #EquityInEvents

3 Takeaways from My Week as a Tory Burch Foundation Fellow 🌟 Community is everything. ✨ Surrounding yourself with supportive networks, both professional and personal, is paramount. Filtering out negativity amplifies productivity and creativity. Stay true to your vision. ✨ External influences shouldn’t alter long-term growth strategies. Since starting my company, I’ve often compared myself to founders who secured external funding, viewing them as more successful. I’ve even doubted my own path. However, learning from successful founders who built large companies without venture capital—utilizing creative financing to fund growth—was incredibly reaffirming. Not all brands have the same path. Compelling stories win. ✨ As founders, we sell unwritten stories. And it can be a challenge to script the narrative and land the brand messaging. This past week has made me reflect on the legacy and impact I want to leave. There’s so much story behind the @urswim brand.