A lot can happen in a week.
 
Pivoting marketing strategies, activations and communications in the face of a global pandemic was the number one priority for most brands. But after 10 straight days of protest following the death of George Floyd while in police custody, the fight for racial justice has co-opted center stage. And rightly so.
 
Media brands in particular have chosen not to stay silent, expressing solidarity with the African American community and Black Lives Matter in response to civil unrest happening across the globe. Networks owned by ViacomCBS went dark on Monday at 5pm for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the amount of time that a police officer had pinned Floyd to the ground with his knee. The blackout served as a tribute to Floyd and a remembrance of other victims.
 
But engaging in the conversation about racial inequality poses substantial risk for brands. Frankly, this is not a topic to get wrong. We look at considerations for marketers who want to participate, from backing words with actions to assessing whether your workforce is actually diverse.
 
Meanwhile, COVID-19 remains a serious public health threat and the need for business solutions that accommodate for social distancing practices is critical. Some B2B brands are taking a page from the D2C marketing model and converting portions of their business to target consumers directly. We also highlight several ways B2B marketers can thrive in the new economic reality, as recommended by McKinsey & Company senior partner Rock Khanna.
 
We’ll leave you with some forward-thinking advice from CMOs at Mastercard, Ally Financial and NerdWallet on the key skills every chief marketer should strive to master.
 
Until next week,

Kaylee Hultgren
Group Content Manager
Chief Marketer

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