The past week has been tough.

At Mavrck, we have a cultural tradition of our squad sharing their highs and lows of the week, as a way to handle the emotional rollercoaster ride of a startup. The past week, we all as humans experienced some incredible highs but even more terrible lows.

As I watched the historic launch by SpaceX, and the docking of Crew Dragon at the International Space Station, I was inspired by how far humanity has come. But that inspiration faded quickly, as the closing moments of the NASA broadcast ended with an image of five white men staring back at the camera. It became yet another painful reminder of how little progress humanity has made around diversity and inclusion. I still can’t find the right words to describe the outrage I feel around George Floyd losing his life over a $20 bill, or Amy Cooper trying to weaponize her privilege. 

For months, humanity has been battling a deadly pandemic that has created a new normal for all of us. As marketers and creators, we have been leading from the front, helping consumers cope with the challenges of coronavirus, because that’s what we do. We are some of the most experienced in society when it comes to adapting to and navigating cultural changes, and therefore it is our responsibility to put the needs of the collective above all else and together #CreateForGood. We need to do the same and fight an age-old virus that has plagued our civilization for centuries: racism and discrimination. 

That is why Mavrck is committing to do more to fix these systemic problems in society and ensure our new normal consists of more than virtual meetings and online delivery:

  1. To Our Team: We are going to start with our own team, accelerating the expansion of our internal learning and development initiatives to include more topics on unconscious bias, diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging. We are going to work with experts like Dr. Stefanie K. Johnson on how we can better assess and adjust how we are putting diversity and inclusion into action. We will also seek to teach our team frameworks like SCARF to help them better navigate the world in a more inclusive way.
  2. To Our Influencers & Creators: We are also going to commit to helping diverse influencers and creators of color more. We will better prioritize the recruitment and recommendation of diverse influencers and creators of color and the value of representation in the sponsored campaigns we help power for consumer brands. Our team will also partner with marketers to help them do this and accomplish their business objectives.
  3. To Our Brands & Marketers: We are also going to expand our #CreateForGood mission at Mavrck to inspire influencers to participate in #CreateForGood campaigns around antiracism, diversity, and inclusion. Those who go above and beyond in their #CreateForGood campaigns will be featured and more visible to our brand partners. Influencers and creators can start this immediately by simply refraining from posting their own content for this week and instead share content from influencers and creators of color while using #AmplifyMelanatedVoices.
  4. To Our Ecosystem Partners: We are also going to commit to trying something a little bolder. We have been chatting with a few other founders and ecosystem partners to explore the feasibility of creating a digital solution to better hold police departments accountable for individual and systemic problems. The power of social proof and influence is clear. We can give five-star ratings for employers, professional contractors, and teachers. Let’s recognize public servants who effectively protect and serve. I’m also not sure what Mavrck’s role would be in concepts like this yet, other than maybe to help promote it via influencers. But we have an obligation to contribute to innovation in this space. 


Our commitment won’t end here, and we will continue to share ways the Mavrck squad influences and fights for social justice.

When Sean and I started Mavrck, a huge motivator for us was finding a way to maximize the amount of positive impact we could have with the time we have on this planet, something I realized many years ago after losing someone close to me at an early age. Whether it be helping people create content people trust, to make marketing more effective, to fight a global pandemic, or to fight racism, we are in the business of humanity at Mavrck. This is why we put so much emphasis on our culture of curious hustlers here, and why we are going to do even more to #CreateForGood.

Thanks,

Lyle

Co-Founder & CEO