Last week we digested in horror the situation as it unfolded in America. We’ve watched as the world braved the protests against the brutal killing of George Floyd, against racism, against police brutality and against white supremacy. We are still digesting.
We want you to know Pure360 stands in solidarity and supports the Black Lives Matter movement. We stand against any form of racism.
The episode has given us pause for thought and reflection on certain questions that we must ask ourselves. Is it enough to use words to show our support? What can we do better?
A couple of years ago, we came together as a business and asked ourselves what are the characteristics of our team that we hold dearly and what are the values and behaviours we expect of ourselves.
The diversity of our team as a reflection of the community and area we live is one of the most important characteristics that drives everything that is unique about us, our attitude, our ability to think critically and creatively, as well as our ability to support and empathise with each other and our customers.
Out of it came our key value: We Are One. It is something that we try to consider in everything we do from the charities we support, to how we communicate and respect each other, to our hiring policy and to the community activities we take part in.
For me, last week’s events underline just how important the value of respect for difference plays in a commercial and marketing context. As marketers, our ability to communicate effectively with our target audiences is directly linked to how well we understand and respect diversity in the world around us.
Our ability to innovate and evolve new creative concepts hinges on how we embrace the beauty of the different communities we live in. At a time when communities are disconnected from each other, and in the face of rising global nationalism, never has it been more important for us to re-enforce this message and think about what we can do within our working environments and practices to constantly re-iterate the message of respect and tolerance.
This statement is not to hijack the issues in play at the moment, but to stand up and say racism must end. Silence will not change anything.
We commit to asking ourselves today what we can do to be better so that our actions help make the change that is so needed in this world.
We hope you will too.
Mark
Pure360 CEO