Our 2023 Commitment To Change

We made our initial Commitment to Change in 2020, heeding the call for transparency and transformation in the face of racial disparity and inequity within our industry. Now, four years later, we remain steadfast in our commitment to continue doing this work. While we’ve made some progress, we also recognize the need to hold ourselves and our agency accountable for our shortcomings; for the occasional situations where our actions were less than impactful when it came to proving our commitment.

We provide this annual statement to our employee owners, clients, colleagues in the marketing community, and to the wider communities in which we live and work. We acknowledge the need for additional action and determined effort, and we renew our resolve to do so. This is our 2023 Commitment to Change.

Let’s break down the data

As of 6/20/23

Ethnicity

Entire Agency

91% White
3% Asian
1% Native American
3% Multi-Ethnic
2% African American or Black

Director-Level Employees

96% White
0% Asian
0% Native
4% Multi-Ethnic
0% African American or Black

Leadership-VP & Above

100% White
0% Asian
0% Native
0% Multi-Ethnic
0% African American or Black

Gender

Entire Agency

60% Female Identifying
40% Male Identifying

Director Level Employees

62% Female Identifying
38% Male Identifying

Leadership-VP & Above

66% Female Identifying
34% Male Identifying

Reflection on our 2022 progress

While there is significant work still to be done, our diversity data is trending in a positive direction. Our staff is currently 9% BIPOC and we have hired our most diverse intern class to date. We’re also a certified woman-owned business, with 60% of our staff identifying as female.
As part of our continued commitment to DEI training and discussions, we held a series of formal, agency-wide staff training sessions with the Penumbra Center for Racial Healing.
We maintained informal staff meetings and discussion via Collective Allies, our internal discussion group, including hosting external guest speakers, discussion groups, and selected readings. And we’re continuing to evolve this group to meet the needs and requests of our teams.
We’ve devoted ongoing time and attention to highlighting important cultural moments within the walls of CM. This includes encouraging active employee participation in cultural activities and sharing resources / recommendations for related literature, performing arts, and dining experiences in our community.

Within our work, we prioritized staff collaboration and provision of pro bono services to a variety of Twin Cities-based organizations, including the Penumbra Theater and Center for Racial Healing. We also provided digital marketing-related educational opportunities to students involved with MIGIZI, a Native American non-profit organization based in Minneapolis that nurtures the educational, social, economic, and cultural development of American Indian youth.
We’ve continued to lend financial support to organizations doing critical work in the DE&I space. This includes honoring our multi-year commitment to The BrandLab, as well as making donations to both Black Girls Code and the Twin Cities PRIDE Rainbow Run.
In alignment with our 2022 commitments, we’ve consciously expanded our use of a network of vendors that are BIPOC-owned.

Our next steps:

In addition to honoring – and continuing to uphold and work against – the commitments Collective Measures has made to date, we’ll place increased emphasis on the following elements in the coming year.

More robust data collection and analysis regarding CM recruiting.

To increase the diversity of the Collective Measures staff, we’re committing to critically assessing the ways in which our recruiting and hiring efforts are currently falling short. We’ll specifically work to identify how we can (1) obtain a diverse pool of candidates for every position posted and (2) better expand the reach of our job postings to BIPOC marketers at all levels of experience and expertise.

Broaden the scope of commitment to also include other types of diversity.

But, we will also expand the scope of our effort to include a broader set of considerations. For example, are we making sufficient effort to recruit and welcome colleagues of all ages, that are gender fluid, or have physical disabilities that may have traditionally provided barriers to working in our industry? Do LBGTQ+ colleagues and those with need for religious accommodation feel comfortable sharing a workspace with us? We must be an agency where all are welcome at all times, and we’re committing to making consistent, intentional action to make this a reality.

Renewed and ongoing commitment to education for all staff.

Whether via financial donations, our time, or by sharing our digital marketing expertise, this will remain a top priority. This includes continuing to honor our multi-year financial commitment to The BrandLab, as well as actively seeking out other organizations to partner with and/or support as appropriate.

Continued collaboration and support of nonprofits supporting BIPOC communities.

Through a combination of regular agency-wide speakers and discussions around critical DEI and cultural topics, we will continue to prioritize education and conversation.

Our previous commitments to change.

We are on a journey to becoming a more inclusive place to work for all people. As we look back at previous years, it’s important to do so with a critical eye, evaluating what worked, what didn’t and what learnings can be brought forward to inform our future commitments.

2020 Commitment

2021 Commitment

2022 Commitment