Our Commitment to Action
Over the past weeks we have experienced as individuals and as a team the pain caused by the structural racism that enforces a status quo - a status quo that Obviously is a part of. As an influencer marketing company, we are in a unique position to affect cultural change, as we have a say in who gets the microphone on social media and whose stories get more exposure than others.
We have decided to take George Floyd’s murder as the collective wake up call that it should be. We will use this terrible event as a catalyst for good in our domain. We can do better and we will do better. Here is our commitment to long term action. It will evolve and expand as we learn more about how to affect the most change possible for BIPOC and underrepresented peoples.
We are open to dialogue about how we can do better, and if we’re on the right path.
Here is our five-step action plan to guide us into the future.
GRANT
1. Launch a $100,000 grant program for diverse small business owners, and our first partner will be Black-owned business. Called #ObviouslySpotlight, the purpose is to support and shine a light on the businesses that make up the fabric of our communities, but who have less visibility, support, and access to capital. We’d love your nominations for a Black-owned business for the first #ObviouslySpotlight grant. Submit your business nominations HERE.
HIRE
2. At least 45% diverse influencers. U.S. census data shows that just under 40% of the population is non-white, and in 2019, we presented brands with about 38% diverse influencers as candidates in our campaigns. While we are proud of this representation, we can and will do better. We commit to increase our aggregate presentation of diverse influencers in U.S. campaigns to at least 45% for 2020.
PAY
3. Equitable pay for all influencers. Race, gender, age, sexual orientation, and religion do not and will never factor into our pricing calculations.
NONPROFITS
4. Free community campaigns for nonprofits, all year long. Under our #ObviouslyForGood charitable initiative, each year we’ll partner with several nonprofits that work to address social, economic, and justice issues and create campaigns that support their work. There will always be a #ObviouslyForGood campaign running on our platform. Submit your recommendations for great nonprofit partners HERE.
STAFF
5. Build an anti-racist team. We’re implementing measures to build an anti-racist team, including training for diverse and inclusive hiring, workshops, and resources for our staff. We want everyone in our workplace to grow and become active participants in anti-racist work that carries into every level of our daily practice.
Our commitment, our buy-in. Additionally, our team donated to the Innocence Project as a symbol of our collective buy-in and commitment to action now and in the future. We want to support and sustain this organization because of the unparalleled work they do to exonerate the wrongly convicted and reform the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.
We’ll be rolling out more details and updates about the Obviously Commitment to Action over the next four weeks.
Please don’t forget to:
Submit your nominations for Black-owned businesses for #ObviouslySpotlight
Submit your recommendations for nonprofits doing great work for #ObviouslyForGood