For Black History Month, Advertising Age is publishing content from Blacks in Adland, covering a variety of topics.
The content below is titled, “Why instinct and diversity are essential in brand social media success.”
Okay, except White advertising agencies don’t view diversity as essential. Need proof? Look for BHM social media posts presented by any White advertising agency in February.
In Adland, systemic racism is instinctive—and it’s gone viral for decades.
Why instinct and diversity are essential in brand social media success
By Ryan Bauman
I have and will always be a little obsessed with pop culture and social media. It started from a young age. When I got my first iPod Touch, it felt like a whole new world was here just for me. Being able to see what was happening in real life, in the palm of my hand, could never be something I’d forget. Honestly, I still can’t. Growing up, culture always had an impact on how I see the world, especially within social media.
I never knew that social media could be something that I could have a career in. Everything, by the grace of God, flowed so easily within the world of social media for me. Seeing what trends were popular and how they made a change in culture, especially Black culture, was something that just clicked. I knew that I wanted to be able to be a representative of my culture, yet also be able to tie to the very captivating world of social media.
So, I took a leap of faith. Applying to the BLAC advertising internship program was something I instinctively knew I needed to do at the time. It opened the world of advertising for me, and I didn’t even know it. You can learn so much when taking a look back and seeing how things just work out.
I never would have thought that BLAC would have led me to work on one of the most beloved brands in social, Wendy’s. Joining a powerhouse in social media felt daunting at first, but overall exciting. Taking one trend, one post at a time, was my way of seeing a new opportunity with and for the team, every day. Then, it happened.
An immense instinct came when the quarter zips trend was just starting to get traction on social media. My art direction partner, Nyah Evans, and I acted fast by putting Wendy’s in a quarter zip. It went viral. From coverage on Complex to even getting a deal made with the creator of the trend, Jason Gyamfi, it blossomed into something more than just a social post.
Virality is so important, especially since social media is so saturated with content. It’s even harder now to stand out. We were able to act fast and cater a message to our culture, and let the world take notice. This idea worked because of the natural connection we made to the trend with our authentic representation of what’s trending in Black culture. The fact that it came from a major brand such as Wendy’s speaks volumes to the caliber of diverse voices on the team.
Hiring talent that may look, think, or have different upbringings from you leads to diverse, effective, and collaborative work. It stems from that gut feeling, that instinct that will keep informing you one trend, one post, one hire at a time. It leads to creating work that reflects my culture and resonates with many.
And that’s the funny thing about instinct. Without it, I wouldn’t have taken a leap of faith. Instinct is not only what makes culture and social media thrive, but it sometimes leads us to places, jobs, and opportunities that we could have never dreamed of, but undoubtedly deserve.
Oh, if little Ryan could only see how far she’s come now.
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