Empowering Change: The Desire Company Announces Diversity Commitments at Panel Event to Address Lack of Diversity in Influencer Marketing
Panelists from Ulta, Cleveland Avenue, Arc Worldwide and Jack Morton Shared Insights and Strategies for Promoting Inclusivity, Representation, and Equity
Chicago, IL (April 20, 2023) - Last night, The Desire Company, a pioneering product education company that matches brands with industry experts, hosted a compelling panel event titled Diversity in Influencer Marketing: Unleashing the Power of Representation.
The event brought together a panel on the pressing issue of lack of diversity in the content creator ecosystem. They addressed how racial pay gaps, tone-deaf messaging, and biases among brands have created a disparity of opportunity for BIPOC creators.
“Imagine ignoring a $5 trillion dollar market whose needs have gone largely unmet. Forget underrepresented, we’ve been historically excluded. That’s why it’s critical for brands to hire people who are intentional about including BIPOC in their briefs. If they don’t have a diversity strategy, they don’t have a growth strategy,” said Bonnie Smith, SVP, Group Account Director & Head of Vivi, Jack Morton Worldwide.
The event served as a platform for meaningful conversations to drive positive change.
“Diversity and inclusion is not just a moment in time, it’s not just a trend, it’s a movement,” said Renee Reid, Senior Brand Manager, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Ulta Beauty. “Companies need to realize that consumers use their dollars to vote for products and services and typically they want to support people that look like them.”
Explaining why this is important to The Desire Company, Co-Founder and CEO, Eric Sheinkop expressed his disappointment at the rate at which representation of BIPOC experts decreased in his own company. “Initially, our audit showed 70% of our Pro Community was BIPOC. One year later, that number was 30%,” said Sheinkop. “We recruit Pros to meet brand requests and so without the demand for BIPOC Pros, as our community got bigger, it got less diverse. Our goal is for our community to be 60% BIPOC but it’s only going to make a real impact if brands demand it.”
Echoing this sentiment, Jason Mercer, Principal at Venture Capital Fund Cleveland Avenue agreed, “Talent is spread out equally, access to opportunities is not.”
During the event, The Desire Company announced four diversity commitments to drive positive change.
- Increase representation of BIPOC members in the Pro Community to 60%
- Guarantee fair access to opportunities for BIPOC professionals.
- Promote equitable compensation for BIPOC professionals.
- Use The Desire Company platforms and reach to amplify the voices of BIPOC professionals.
“It’s a beautiful thing to see movement in a more positive direction,” said Sheinkop. “What’s clear is that there are incredibly intelligent people who are not just talking about inclusivity but are agents for change, making a difference. And will continue to make a difference. And influence more people to make a difference.”
The panelists included:
- Renee Reid, Senior Brand Manager, Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Ulta Beauty
- Nneka C Ude, VP, Strategy Arc Worldwide
- Bonnie Smith, SVP, Group Account Director & Head of Vivi, Jack Morton/Vivi
- Jason Mercer, Principal, Cleveland Avenue
- Gideon Akande, TDC Expert & CEO, Get Fit with Giddy
“Meaningful change comes from meaningful collaboration. We invite brands and retailers to tap into our community of diverse experts to build valuable and impactful partnerships," said Eric Sheinkop, Co-Founder and CEO of The Desire Company.
About The Desire Company:
The Desire Company matches brands with industry experts to create conversion-driving product education content. Our mission is to empower shoppers to make more educated, confident purchase decisions by providing reliable, expert-driven product recommendations, how-tos, and classes.
For media inquiries: judith@thedesirecompany.com
