- 15 hours ago
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00I appreciate whoever's clapping. I can't see you, but I appreciate you.
00:18And let me tell y'all something right now. I am not dropping it like it's hot, okay?
00:21But I will tell you that I did ask if they could play Drop It Like It's Hot, just, you know, in tune with the Market Like It's Hot theme.
00:32But thank you guys for being here. It's good to see your faces.
00:35I mean, I can't believe that just a year ago we didn't even know if we would be able to be together in person at Essence Fest.
00:41So really, really grateful for all of you for coming and grateful to have hopefully turned the corner on this whole COVID thing.
00:48But with that, it looks like you are here because you are interested to hear about the importance of black media marketers and influencers.
00:57Am I right?
00:59All right, good.
01:00Well, I am excited to be here with this amazing panel of folks.
01:06DeTavio Samuels, as you know, is the CEO of Revolt TV and Media, one of the nation's leading black-owned media companies founded by Mr. Sean Diddy Combs.
01:17We also have Lincoln, I'm going to bounce around a bit, Lincoln Stevens, who is co-founder and chairman of the Marcus Graham Project,
01:26a nonprofit centered on diversifying the marketing industry through unique professional development opportunities for professionals of color.
01:34And we also have Ms. Claire Somers.
01:38She is the author, social influencer, and CEO of Fashion Bomb Daily, the go-to media platform for multicultural fashion.
01:47Who follows Fashion Bomb?
01:49Yes.
01:50Okay, if you don't, you need to ASAP.
01:52That's right.
01:54And then, last but certainly not least, Elizabeth Campbell, my friend and colleague who serves as Senior Director of Cultural Engagement at McDonald's USA.
02:04Liz and her team are responsible for developing marketing programs and identifying partners, like some of our partners here on the stage,
02:11who help us reach diverse communities.
02:14So, give our wonderful panel a round of applause.
02:19My favorite people right in here.
02:20I know, that's right.
02:21Can't see them, but they loud.
02:23Right.
02:24I see some of my favorite people, too.
02:26Shout out McDonald's.
02:28All right.
02:28So, we're going to start with you, DeTavio.
02:30DeTavio, what do you believe is the biggest area of opportunity for brands to positively impact Black-owned media in a sustainable way?
02:40In a sustainable way.
02:42Okay.
02:42I love the word sustainable.
02:44I'm going to answer the question.
02:46Give me, like, let me back into it.
02:48Okay.
02:48Okay.
02:49But back fast, because we only got 20 minutes.
02:50I'm going to back fast.
02:51I'm going to back fast.
02:51All right.
02:52So, first off, I'm going to start with this truth, that when they talk about us and when we talk about us, it sounds very different, right?
02:59So, when they talk about a Tamir Rice, they're going to talk about a young man armed with a gun who was posing a threat to his neighborhood and his community.
03:08But when we talk about Tamir Rice, we're going to talk about a little boy who never got the opportunity to go to high school, who never got a chance to apply for college scholarships, who was taken away from all of us and from his mother and from his family by doing what every little boy has done in their life, play with a little toy gun.
03:24And so, the world would try to convince us that we have a representation in media problem.
03:29We don't have a representation problem.
03:31We've been represented in their media.
03:33What we have is a control problem.
03:35We need to not only see ourselves on the screen, but to control how we are portrayed on that screen.
03:40And that only happens through black-owned media.
03:42And so, then, in my opinion, the biggest opportunity of area for brands to partner with black media is to help us build the next black Disney, to pour resources and investment into us so that we can create a black Nickelodeon, black HBO, black, what else do we need?
04:00Like, everything black, right?
04:01Anything they do, we can do.
04:03We just never had the shot and the opportunity to do it.
04:05And so, lots of respect and lots of love for brands like McDonald's who are committed to the black community and committed to black media and helping us make that happen.
04:15I love it.
04:15You're talking about controlling the narrative, DeTavio, and you're exactly right.
04:19I want to be like, preach, brother.
04:21I love it.
04:22So, along those lines, you volleyed it to Liz perfectly.
04:26Elizabeth, I called you Liz.
04:28Can I call you Liz?
04:29You can call me Liz.
04:30All right.
04:30So, Liz, McDonald's recently committed to increase our support of diverse-owned media, production companies, and content creators.
04:39Why is supporting these businesses a priority?
04:42We heard from DeTavio why it's a need and an opportunity, but we want to hear from you why it's a priority, a business priority.
04:50Well, I think it starts with where McDonald's actually sits.
04:53So, it's widely known that McDonald's sits within three miles of every household.
04:58And so, we are in those communities.
05:00Those communities have invited us in.
05:02So, it's our responsibility to make sure that we reflect the communities in which we serve, since they're inviting us to be part of their house.
05:09What that means is that we need to make sure that all of the content that we are putting out there are reflective of those individuals,
05:17not our stories that we want to tell, but telling stories from the individuals who are in those communities,
05:23but also people who are fans of McDonald's.
05:26And so, it's important for us to support these businesses because they are the ones who are going to tell those stories in an authentic way.
05:33It's not me telling the story.
05:35It is the Lincoln and the Claire and the DeTavio who are telling those stories.
05:40And the only way they can get those stories out there is if we as a brand are committed to them
05:44and allow them to have the resources to do that and tell those stories in their way.
05:48I love it.
05:48And authenticity is key, for sure.
05:51And perfect, lob over to you, Claire.
05:54As a storyteller and a person who has been storytelling for, I mean, how long has Fashion Bomb Daily?
06:0216 years.
06:03Seriously.
06:04Woo!
06:04Congratulations.
06:05It was one of the first bloggers ever at Fashion Week.
06:08Like, but like when 16 years ago, blogs weren't even popping.
06:12So, you are a trailblazer.
06:14You are an originator.
06:15Like, all the ones that have come after modeled themselves after you.
06:19So, we're going to give you some flowers today.
06:22But along those lines, we know that the time is now for black creators.
06:28And what we've known is that we are magic and that we, people follow and they watch us.
06:35But brands are finally starting to see that, too.
06:38So, and we're thankful for that.
06:40What tips can you share to help black content creators and influencers grow their audience
06:45and get the attention of large consumer brands?
06:49Yep.
06:49I think that it's beautiful that right now, absolutely anybody can be an entrepreneur with digital media.
06:56Instagram, TikTok, if you upload content and you create good, viral, consistent, and excellent content,
07:03you can get the attention of big brands like McDonald's.
07:07I would say everybody in this audience, if you're a creator, you have to create.
07:11If you haven't posted a Reels today or a TikTok today, something, this is such a prime opportunity you have right now to create.
07:21And take every opportunity you can to create great content.
07:25But if you want to work with a brand, create some content that is geared towards them to get their attention.
07:31And just put yourself out there.
07:32Don't get caught up in the likes or the comments.
07:36Just focus on your passion and pouring into it and doing the best work that you possibly can.
07:42And when you commit yourself to excellence, consistency, and just doing it for the long haul.
07:47There were many years where I was not making money.
07:50There were many years that brands were not paying attention to me.
07:52But I committed to it because I was passionate about it.
07:55When people can see that passion and it's reflected in your content, then you can start to work with great brands like McDonald's.
08:02So just do it.
08:03I love it.
08:04And I remember we were in Palm Desert once.
08:07And we had taken some pictures before the photographer arrives.
08:11And I thought they were beautiful.
08:12But you were like, nah, this ain't it.
08:15And then when the photographer arrives and you posted those pictures, I was like, ah, ah.
08:21And so I think you are a great example of just being a student of the craft and being committed to the crafts.
08:28And not just posting crap for the sake of speed, but posting it and doing what's right because of your vision.
08:35Because you have bigger vision.
08:37So I appreciate you.
08:39Thank you, Heather.
08:40All right, Lincoln.
08:42Lincoln.
08:44As part of McDonald's diverse owned media commitment, you know that we formed a diversity marketing advertising council that we lovingly refer to as DMACC.
08:57And you know this because you are a part of DMACC.
09:00And you are among eight external experts, subject matter experts, who we have partnered with to help inform our marketing decisions for diverse creators and media companies.
09:14Because we want to make sure that what we're doing is authentic and it's right.
09:18And it's right for now.
09:21What excites you most about this council and being a part of it?
09:25And I'm not looking for you, you know, McDonald's kudos, but really want to hear your thoughts on this type of thing and why you believe it's important.
09:35First of all, that we can hold you all accountable.
09:37That we're not coming into it as a part of a council that's just saying what you want to hear.
09:46We're telling you what you need to be doing to help media companies like Revolt, storytellers, be authentic and honest.
09:57And I think that that's the most important thing that in the time in the council that we've learned is like, no, we're going to hold you to the carpet because you're a big enough brand and company and you do enough business with our, not just our community, with our families for us to be able to authentically tell you when you're doing it right, when you're doing it wrong, how you can do it better and how we can all do it better together.
10:25That's what excites me the most.
10:27Yeah.
10:27No, you're right.
10:28And I have to tell you, I'm like, whoo, y'all sure we want to do this?
10:32Oh, yeah.
10:32They keep it real with us.
10:34Right.
10:34But it's been great.
10:35And we've been learning together and growing together.
10:38And I'm super appreciative of all of you both for being a part of it because I know that with you on the team, we, you know, it's up from here.
10:48Right?
10:49You tell them like it is.
10:50I promise you.
10:51It's all real talk.
10:52It's all real talk.
10:53But it's all in love, right?
10:56It's all in love.
10:59So, Lincoln, another question for you because I want to talk about, I want you to talk a bit about or give you an opportunity to talk about MGP.
11:06So, on LinkedIn, I posted earlier this week something I read from Amazon Prime's Global CMO.
11:12It said you can't reach diverse audiences with diversity.
11:16So, given your platform, your MarketSquarean Project platform, what's one piece of advice you'd give to brands looking to diversify their pipeline and one piece of advice you'd give to our family and the audience in the room looking to join or grow in the marketing and advertising and comms industry?
11:35Let me try to do this quickly and I can't see very many of you.
11:38Raise your hand if you've ever watched television before.
11:42Keep your hand up if you've ever seen a commercial before.
11:45Keep your hand up if you've ever seen a McDonald's commercial before.
11:49Keep your hand up if you've ever seen, if you know the name of McDonald's, any of their advertising agencies that create those commercials.
11:57There's only one hand still up.
12:00What you can do as both consumers and as individuals is make sure that you know that there are careers behind the scenes of people creating the messaging that's there.
12:15They're viable careers.
12:17And that's part of what our organization does is to help bridge the gap between people that are interested in getting into the business and the careers that are available because there's a lot of them.
12:29And so, if you're interested, I would say make sure that you know about and ask those of us that are in the business more about the types of opportunities that are available because they're there.
12:42And they're, they need our voices that, you know, behind the scenes.
12:49There are a lot of people that create things that are not reflective and are, quite frankly, sometimes embarrassing and disrespectful, right?
13:00And so, we need each other.
13:02We need this ecosystem of talent that's involving the brands, that's involving companies to be able to have a more robust way of telling our stories,
13:12both from an advertising perspective and outside of that and from a media perspective as well as that Tavia was talking about.
13:19No, words to all of that.
13:22Couldn't agree more.
13:24And, again, the work that you're doing with the MGP project, it's like there is talent, but in order to ensure that talent remains,
13:33it's important to groom and give resources to the folks who have next.
13:38And so, just grateful for you and what you're doing with MGP project.
13:43And it's been great to see you start, you know, way back when, too, and where you are today.
13:49So, it's time to wrap up.
13:52That was the fastest 20 minutes ever, but it's all good because you don't need a lot of time to drop dimes.
13:57So, most important question, what's everybody's favorite McDonald's menu item?
14:05Chicken McNuggets.
14:06Yeah, that's where I was going to go, too.
14:07Barbecue sauce.
14:09Honey mustard.
14:10Honey mustard.
14:10Sometimes you mix both of the sauces.
14:13Ooh, we got a sauce mixer over here.
14:16And the fries, obviously.
14:17And that lemonade.
14:18It's special.
14:19It's different at McDonald's.
14:20It is.
14:21Hi-C.
14:21I heard somebody say hi-C.
14:23Okay.
14:24Cheeseburger and a fried apple pie, but you can only get the fried apple pie internationally right now.
14:30Oh, wow.
14:30Yeah, it's an OG thing, so.
14:34The strawberry cream pie is, it hits.
14:37It hits for sure.
14:38Lincoln?
14:39I think my favorite menu item is whatever my six-year-old son's favorite thing, when we pull through whatever he wants, which is you.
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