Tim Armoo imagines what we could achieve if businesses came together and were committed to upholding the global fight for equality
Black Lives Matter seems to be on the tips of everyone’s tongues right now; every conversation I engage in and every social media feed I lay my eyes upon.
We’ve been acquainted with the cases of George Floyd, Armaud Arbery, Philando Castile, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor and Belly Mujinga to name a few, all of which have reminded us that systemic racism and discrimination is still rife all over the world.
Every day for the past couple weeks we have seen posts and stories uncovering the cruel, oppressive and harsh realities of oppression that exist in all areas of society from education, mainstream media, employment, to the criminal justice and health systems.
People have spoken out, information has been shared, and there’s been a general consensus that we must do better.
While this gives me hope that things are starting to really change, I know that the real work begins long after the short-lived token posts on Instagram. At my organsiation, Fanbytes, we believe that we need to do more than want change, we need to act.
As a team of ethnically diverse young people, diversity is at our core. It’s what makes us dynamic, versatile, and remains a large factor in our success.
Despite BAME diversity in UK ad agencies recently reaching an all-time high, there is still some way to go with 95% of C-suites execs being white.
Alongside my co-founders Ambrose Cooke and Mitch Fasanya, Fanbytes is unique in that our core leadership are young, black males and perhaps this is why the Black Lives Matter movement is extremely important to our company culture.
My team and I have been brainstorming inside and outside of office hours trying to find ways to leverage our individual talents and skills as a creative agency to spread the message in any way that we can. So far, we’ve had a talented team member create a video, we have sent several newsletters on the matter, and we’re in the midst of creating numerous other resources and long-term solutions so that other brands can follow suit.
Most importantly, our initiatives are not flash in the pan pursuits – we are committed to achieving real change and are more than willing to put our money where our mouth is. I personally donated my last month’s salary and have committed to donating fees for all my speaking gigs for the rest of the year. If you can, donate to one of the organizations like blacklivesmatter.com/joincampaignzero.org.
You don’t have to be extreme; it’s the action that counts. Above all, if you can’t donate, just get informed. The simple act of being more informed is a step in the right direction.
We take pride in using our platform to raise awareness of social issues and to use it to speak on and advocate matters important to us and the people around us. During our brainstorm sessions, we came up with several ideas that any business can take on board and implement.
First, and perhaps most important, it begins with holding the mirror up to ourselves. Are you making a conscious effort to recruit black candidates? Are you able to challenge recruiters who only send you white candidates? This makes a bigger impact than you may realise. Having employees and colleagues from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds can not only diversify your businesses from a professional perspective, but it also plays a crucial role in how we experience life and understand others around us.
Our team is made up of young men and women from white, black and Asian backgrounds and we can safely say that no one’s life experiences and upbringings are the exact same from the other. We’ve learnt that this has brought diversification in our client briefs, creative ideas, and has enriched our experiences of living in a metropolitan city. It helps us ensure that we are submitting a range of ideas that represent different identities and experiences that authentically reflect the society we live in.
There is a spotlight on marketers right now, and rightfully so. We must recognise that our industry is not innocent. Implicit racism in the influencer marketing industry is widespread and can be found everywhere from the racial wealth gap to a lack of brands championing BAME influencers in their campaigns and collaborations.
So, to move away from this, we must ensure that internal practices are fair and equal. We can action this by guaranteeing that black creators get paid the same as white creators and that our rosters reflect the racial equality stances we support on social media and in our marketing. Additionally, it is essential that the team is aware of why changes need to be made, and this can happen by building initiatives and sharing resources to educate your team.
Here are a few other things that you can put into practice immediately.
Talk the talk, but walk the walk
A lot of businesses are staying quiet in fear that they are going to say the wrong thing, but it’s more damaging when you don’t say anything at all. Take the time to understand white privilege and the ways it can manifest in our current system. Only then can you start to understand the ways it has contributed to wider oppressive and systemic practices. It would then make sense to evaluate and make appropriate changes to recruitment, marketing, HR, and education within your organisation which will inevitably shape your company culture.
Collaborate and hold events with black people
How better than to educate and contribute to the movement than by inviting black businesses and creators into your ecosystem? You can hold monthly workshops, panels, and activate sponsorships and partnerships with black-owned businesses that align with your goals. If you’ve done well, volunteer to mentor young black people on the come up. You’d be surprised how much your network and resources can change a life. If you’re financially well-off, you can join angel networks that invest in black businesses. If you’re an investor/ VC then support and give time to things like Diversity VC and YSYS.
Keep signing petitions, donating and standing up
If there’s one thing I’ve been reminded of these past couple weeks, it’s that we are stronger together. From a combined effort of protesting and donations, this is a small sum of what we’ve been able to achieve:
- George Floyd, and many other Black victim cases of police brutality such as Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and Philando Castile, are now recognisable names all over the world.
- Monuments celebrating confederates have been removed in several states in the US.
- London Mayor Sadiq Khan recently announced a review of all London’s statues and street names, stating that any linked to slavery will be taken down.
- Prosecutors have charged all four officers involved in George Floyd’s arrest that led to his murder. Derek Chauvin, the former officer who kept his knee on George Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes, had his charge escalated to second-degree murder where he can expect to spend up to 40 years in prison.
- Loreal has recently apologised to Munroe Bergdorf, a transgender activist and model, after dropping her three years ago for speaking out against racism.
- Breonna Taylor’s case has been reopened.
- Defence secretary Mark Esper has stated that he will oppose US President Trump’s threats to deploy federal troops to stop protests across the US.
Now imagine what we could achieve if businesses came together and committed to upholding this fight for equality. These issues are deep-rooted and they are going to take longer than a few days to see valuable change. It’s going to take a sustained effort to make tangible progressive changes but together we are stronger.
Together is how we move forward.
Tim Armoo is the CEO of Fanbytes, an advertising agency that connects some of the world’s best-known brands with rising social media influencers. He started the company while studying at university and now, aged 25, has been described as the ‘Most Influential Person in Marketing and Advertising’ by the Evening Standard.
