White women in marketing, it's time to Choose To Challenge

Mar 7

Dear fellow white woman in marketing,

What have you done to become more anti-racist since posting black squares on Instagram? Since sharing your diversity and inclusion policies?

Have you hired Black people?
Have you donated to BAME charities (or BIPOC or other abbreviations used in the rest of the world to indicate racially marginalised groups)?
Have you taken action and spoken up where you noticed oppression and under-representation?
Have you quietly educated yourself, recognised your own racism and sat with uncomfortable truths?
Have you had awkward conversations, felt unexpected emotions and struggled with the things you have uncovered in yourself and others?

If you’re anything like me, your commitment to the cause has ebbed and flowed. Stronger when there is hype or a personal connection, and weaker when there are lots of things demanding our attention.

That is what white supremacy is. The ability to choose to care about racism or not.

I am asking you to choose to care and to take uncomfortable action with me again. Tomorrow is International Women’s Day (8 March), and this year the theme is Choose To Challenge.

As a white woman in marketing, I am going to choose to challenge a few things in our industry this week, and I invite you to join me. There’s work to do.

Choose to challenge all-white or white-dominated panels

Remember manels? We have done a good job to reduce the number of all-male panels in the marketing world. They are of course still out there, but because people started calling these out, demanding better representation, they are not as common as they used to be.

But all-white or almost-all-white panels are still everywhere, and to the detriment of all of us. We should have as many diverse perspectives on panels as possible, because they make for a richer and more interesting experience for everyone.

Action: When you see a too-white panel, mention your observation to the organiser and suggest additional or alternative guests. If you are invited as a speaker on a panel or as part of an event, ask about the rest of the guests or line-up. Are people like you over-represented?

Choose to challenge the whiteness of voices on social media

Alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much. Helen Keller’s words ring true for anyone working on such a big cause. We might not think of ourselves as influencers, but we all have social media followers/newsletter subscribers who buy into what we say. They are influenced by the content you share.

Imagine the impact we can have collectively if we consciously share more marketing knowledge from Black marketers. If we choose Black marketers to do lives with, to moderate rooms on Clubhouse, to interview on our blogs.

Action: Amplify Black voices.

Choose to challenge free labour

If you are asking Black women to speak at your events, you need to pay them. Even if your event is free. If you are benefiting from having a Black marketer involved in something you are organising, it is fair to pay them. Exposure and social media followers don’t pay their bills.

Action: Pay Black speakers.

Choose to challenge your bubble/echo chamber

For a long time I wondered why my marketing attracted people who were so similar to me. And then it dawned on me that I hang out in places where people like me hang out, so I meet others like me and I tell others like me about my stuff.

When you make an effort to get to know people who don’t look and live like you do, your perspective changes.

Action: Follow BAME marketers on social media. Seek out events hosted by BAME marketers. Keep your ears, heart and mind open, and your mouth (usually) shut. One such event I’m planning to join this week, is Marketing while Black, a Clubhouse room hosted by Anyo Green of Northern Bee Marketing.

Choose to challenge racists with your words

As allies, we need to make sure that when Black people are under attack from racists - whether that is in public or online - we stand up for them. We tell the racists why their words are unacceptable.

I know this isn’t easy - I’m not one for confronting people. But hiding in safety is something I can do because I’m white. To paraphrase Archbishop Desmond Tutu, if you choose to stay neutral in situations like these, you are choosing the side of the oppressor.

It is not enough to be quietly non-racist - to think “well, I disagree with that statement”. Now is the time to be vocally anti-racist.

Choose to challenge woke washing

Marketers are the WORST for this. We are opportunists, and so we are wired to want to jump on an opportunity that will make our brand look good. We can’t slap a black square on our grids and call ourselves anti-racist though. Our marketing needs to be underpinned by true aligned action. If brands claim they are anti-racist, and they use that messaging in their marketing, then they had better be sure their Black staff and suppliers are paid and treated properly.

An example of woke washing - which is included in the ethical move pledge - is when transgender model and activist Munroe Bergdorf laid into L’Oreal after the brand posted its support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

She tweeted: "You dropped me from a campaign in 2017 and threw me to the wolves for speaking out about racism and white supremacy. With no duty of care, without a second thought.

"I had to fend for myself being torn apart by the world's press because YOU didn't want to talk about racism. You do NOT get to do this. This is NOT okay, not even in the slightest."

The tweet has since been removed and Munroe joined L’Oreal as a member of its UK diversity and inclusion advisory board, but the stink sticks to L’Oreal.

People will not stand for brands using social activism as a leverage for their public comms, when behind closed doors their actions aren’t aligned with those marketing messages.

So, dear fellow white woman in marketing, I know this won’t be easy for most of us. But it is so necessary. Like the suffragettes a century ago, we need deeds, not words. We need to take uncomfortable action, and we need to take it now.

Please meet 3 great Black women in marketing, and I really recommend you check out their work.

Claire Worthington of Village Web Company.

On International Women’s Day (8 March) at 8pm GMT, I will be part of an event by Equality Matters Marple where we will be discussing the theme Choose to Challenge. Free tickets are available on Eventbrite.

Karen Webber