Representation In Marketing Is An Ongoing Commitment. Here’s How To Keep Up The Momentum.

We’ve been ecstatic to see brands significantly improve their diversity efforts in marketing, and we want to continue striving for better representation now and go forward. Let us help you get there so that diversity goes beyond surface-level marketing and truly reflects the core values of your brand.

At Lytehouse, we’ve made it our commitment to propose casts that are diverse and represent creators of different races, genders, sexualities, religions, disabilities, body shapes, ages, and cultures. While the majority of brands we work with are receptive to these casts, we have also dealt with brands that are hesitant to feature diverse casts, not out of prejudice, but out of budget constraints or fear of backlash on social media. We understand that budgets can’t possibly accommodate the entire spectrum of diversity in a single campaign, but as our partner, we can ensure that when you look back, your campaigns over the course of time are collectively inclusive.

Backlash, on the other hand, is inevitable, but we’d like to put it into context; the 90/9/1 Rule, a concept coined by Jason Nielsen, states that in online communities, 90% of users do not contribute to online conversations, 9% contribute a little, and only 1% of users contribute frequently. In other words, the vocal backlash comes from a small percentage of consumers and does not reflect the actual sentiment of the majority, and the digital conversation is never the full conversation.

The long-term benefits of representation in your marketing will also outweigh the short-term perceived negatives; earned media from press is one such benefit, as is gaining attention and support for the communities you are representing, expanding your brand’s audience base, and building a supportive and diverse community. Representation alone will not solve all the issues that plague our country, but it does help and it does have a tremendous impact on those who see themselves in media where they couldn’t see themselves before. It is why we here at Lytehouse have established a commitment to diversity in casting to ensure that the campaigns we work on affirm our own values.

Our Reminders for Brands

Utilize marketing as a way to highlight your brand’s values.

Your customer base is diverse. When your marketing reflects and represents your customers, they can clearly see where your brand’s values lie. Committing to diverse representation in your marketing lets customers know what your brand stands for and helps humanize your brand.

Remember: diversity comes in many forms.

The best inclusive campaigns celebrate diversity and intersectionality, featuring models, influencers, and/or everyday people of different races, genders, sexualities, ages, body types, religions, cultures, and disabilities. 

Represent, don’t tokenize.

It is apparent to consumers when brands are using diversity for some surface-level representation brownie points. Casting is only the first step; once your influencer partners have been selected, craft your brand’s creative briefs to highlight each individual’s story, providing plenty of creative room in your briefs to let the influencers guide the storytelling. Additionally, your diversity initiatives and support for social movements need to be backed up by your brand’s actual politics and policies. Publicize your brand’s charity and nonprofit partners, provide ways for your brand’s community to get involved with partner organizations, and speak out about social injustices.

Commit to ongoing goals for representation.

Truly diverse marketing does not simply mean working with LGBTQIA+ creators during Pride or Black creators during Black History Month. It is an ongoing goal that should be ever-present in your campaigns. Small brands may not be able to book a diverse roster of 100 creators every month, but across a whole year of marketing initiatives, you should be able to assess your influencer partnerships and see a diverse roster of creators represented.

Acknowledge pay disparities within marginalized groups.

The pay gap exists in the influencer world as well. Brands understandably want to maximize their budgets for influencer campaigns, but it is important to recognize that there is no set pricing rate for influencers and that influencers from minority or underrepresented communities might charge a higher rate than another influencer with a similar profile and following. This can be due to access to a diverse and highly engaged audience regardless of the follower tier they fall under.

Expand your goals beyond simply sales conversions.

Related to payment and maximizing budget, brands tend to sacrifice diversity goals in favor of sales conversion metrics, which we view as shortsighted and detrimental to a brand’s long-term goals. While we understand that sales are the ultimate end goal for brands, we encourage you to think beyond short-term sales conversion and consider additional metrics like community engagement, brand awareness, and brand permeance. These metrics will demonstrate if your brand is succeeding at building and maintaining relevance in culture, which will bring new customers into your brand’s community and lead to long-term success.  

Work with creators as partners.

Bringing in diverse creators as true collaborative partners will help ensure that your marketing initiatives move beyond surface-level representation and achieve true representation. Cast influencers as ambassadors, collaborate with them on upcoming launches, develop co-branded collections with them, ask for their feedback on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and take their lead when it comes to speaking to the communities they represent.

Small Brands, Big Impact: Pivoting Business Models During COVID-19

In the past few weeks we have seen companies rise to the challenge of combating COVID-19. From hockey equipment brand Bauer creating masks for medical works, to Tito’s Handmade Vodka (and many other alcohol brands) converting factories to hand sanitizer production sites, companies are doing what they can to help the public.

Businesses have been inspired to change their practices in order to establish their place in an essentials-driven climate, maintain a stream of revenue, keep their workers employed and provide support in a time of crisis. However, it isn’t just the larger corporations that are assisting the cause. Smaller companies have also shifted their efforts in order to help their communities and make a big impact:

Boll & Branch

Known for their luxury bedding, Boll & Branch has continued production with a twist by manufacturing mattresses and pillows for emergency medical operations. 

In addition to keeping their workers employed and aiding medical operations during the COVID-19 crisis, they are also encouraging customers to participate with the Helping from Home discount. Customers will receive 10% off their purchase, and Boll & Branch will apply 10% of the purchase to this cause through May 15th.

Boll & Branch is a member for Brands X Better, ‘a coalition of brands setting a new, thoughtful standard for how we treat customers, teams and suppliers.’

Joah Love

Normally found in Saks Fifth Avenue and upscale baby boutiques, Joah Love was one of the first companies to pivot their business model during the onset of COVID-19 in the US.

The LA-based business has repurposed their workforce and materials to create masks for the public and encourage people to participate in the #MaskUpChallenge. For each mask purchased, Joah Love will donate one to a California medical center. Customers can purchase five to receive 20% off their order as well.

The masks are constructed from cotton, so they are not medical grade; however, they do fit over N95 masks, adding another layer of protection for our essential workers. The CDC recommends two layers of tightly woven 100 percent cotton fabric for homemade masks, as reported in The Washington Post. 

Served Natural

Delivering healthy, nutritious meals to parts of New York City and New Jersey has been the mission for Served Natural since it launched in late 2019.

Served Natural has remained in operation, delivering on Mondays & Thursdays, and while their business model hasn’t changed much, they are offering their customers the opportunity to donate meals to those in need. For every meal donated ($12 each), the SN team will match and deliver two meals to a local hospital, food bank or team of first responders. Side Bar: The appreciation that follows the delivery of these meals is epic.

---

Feeling inspired? These are just a few small businesses who have switched up their business models. If you want to join the companies - big and small - who are helping their employees, customers and the general public, here are a few things to consider trying:

Create A Trifecta Of Benefits

Cultivate a program that is beneficial for your business/employees, the customer and helps aid in COVID-19 efforts. The initiative doesn’t have to uproot your entire business model and can be as simple as working out a way to provide a discount to consumers and a portion of purchases to an established relief fund. If you need help strategizing and marketing your effort, look for support from experts, like Socialyte’s Brand Partnerships team. 

Work With Influencers For Increased Impact

Marketing budgets are shifting towards influencers by the day, and for good reason. Content creators provide many benefits, as they have the trust of their audiences and the power to help create awareness, conversation and action. Take a look at influencers in the space who are focusing on charity efforts in your area to help spread the word about your brand’s efforts. You can use this list to help you get started.

Apply For Socialyte’s Influencer Network Listing

We know that many small businesses are struggling and not always able to dedicate large resources to influencer marketing, so Socialyte has launched an Influencer Network Listing for small businesses, freelancers, and non-profit organizations that we will share with our network of creators. While we can’t guarantee anything, the goal of the listing is to allow for influencers to directly reach out for potential collaboration. If you, your business, or charity are applicable, we invite you to fill out the corresponding application form here.

During COVID-19, Team Up With Influencers That Give Back

We have all had to adjust our brand messaging and content strategies over recent weeks to account for our new normal of social distancing as the world works together to limit the spread of COVID-19. It’s challenged us all to think on our feet and evolve in the midst of rapidly-changing circumstances, but we at Socialyte are here to guide you through these changing times.

Influencer marketing has found ways to adapt, largely focusing on in-the-moment content that can be shot indoors. We encourage you to continue prioritizing influencer content as marketing strategies weigh heavier and heavier on digital. 

One consideration we highly encourage you to take into account is to partner with influencers who are using this time to support charities and local businesses. This is an important time for influencers to use their voices for good, and by partnering with creators who are helping their local communities, you can also demonstrate that charitable initiatives are at the forefront of your brand’s values. 

We are incredibly proud to see Socialyte influencers step up during these uncertain times and use their voices to support those in need. Here is how our talent are using their influence for good:

Quigley Goode is matching donations to the Los Angeles Food Bank up to $5,000 and encouraging her audience to get involved. She is also donating a percentage of sales from her online course from now until April 1. Sam Hwang is also donating 50% of earnings from her online shop to the LA Food Bank for the next month. Every dollar donated provides food for 4 meals for children, seniors, and families who are in need. 

Christine Kong is supporting small local businesses by shopping online and ordering gift cards for her favorite local businesses. She’ll be highlighting favorite local businesses on her Instagram stories each day. 

Hayet Rida is also supporting small businesses, particularly florists who rely on events for a majority of their incomes. She encourages her audience to send flowers to friends, coworkers, family, or anyone else as a way to support these small business owners. 

Anthony Urbano is donating money to Direct Relief and encouraging his audience to do the same so that medical workers, including his mother, can have the personal protective equipment they need to stay healthy while helping others with COVID-19. Brian Morr is also donating a portion of his recent campaign earnings to Direct Relief.

To celebrate her birthday, Ashlee Rose Hartley donated $278 (.05 cents for every like) to Feeding America. This will provide 2780 meals to communities in need. 

Wendy Nguyen is helping deliver groceries and other necessary supplies to elderly and at-risk citizens in her apartment building and community. 

Catt Sadler has launched #FormalFridays to encourage her audience to have fun and get dressed up as well as give back. For every #FormalFridays post, Catt will donate $10 to Baby 2 Baby, which is working to provide children with meals and essentials while school is out. 

Stella Simona has pledged to donate $5 for every Amarilo and Haati Chai jewelry sale through the end of April to No Kid Hungry, an organization that makes sure kids get the food they need during school closures and all year long.

Coco Bassey has pledged 10% of her April income to the CDC Foundation, which has launched an Emergency Response Fund to provide needed resources and supplies to impacted communities. 

Ali Castillo is supporting St. Mary’s Food Bank, which serves communities in her state of Arizona. 

Eugenie Grey is raising money for the LA Food Bank and The Bowery Mission through her #ApocalypseChallenge. She will donate $1 to those organizations for every post with the hashtag.

Interested in collaborating with these influencers? Contact becca.bahrke@socialyte.com for talent inquiries.

Let’s #FlattenTheCurve Against COVID-19 Together

Dear reader,

Your health and safety, as well as that of our employees at Socialyte and Lytehouse, are our top priority. During this difficult time for everyone, we’ve done our part to mandate a company-wide work-from-home policy until further notice. That said, we’re fortunate enough to maintain business as usual thanks to our digital tools and virtual capabilities. Feel free to continue to use us as a resource as we all adjust to what the coming weeks have in store for us and our businesses.

We're in this fight against COVID-19 together. It affects us all regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, health record, or socio-economic status. Along with washing our hands and avoiding touching our face, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has advised communities where the virus is spreading to practice social distancing in an effort to prevent further transmission from this highly contagious disease.

Over the coming weeks, we understand that this will become increasingly difficult for everyone, so we’ve asked all of our influencers to educate and remind their followers about the importance of social distancing. In short, this means limiting social interaction, avoiding large group gatherings and keeping 6 feet between yourself and strangers. By doing so, you reduce peaks of outbreaks keeping the daily number of cases below the healthcare system capacity as not to overwhelm hospitals. This article by Vox explains this concept called “flattening the curve” very well.

As influencers, we understand that they can have a tremendous impact, which is why we’re encouraging all of our influencers to promote the #FlattenTheCurve movement through their content. Socialyte and Lytehouse as agencies will also be taking this stance on social media channels and we encourage your brands to do the same.

As always, we’re here for you and we’re working within the safety of our individual homes together on strategies to promote brands and help re-stimulate the economy from the impact of this pandemic. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us to help your brand navigate this difficult time. We’re here for you.

Stay safe and healthy,

Beca