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b"\\u201cEnough is enough. It\\u2019s the responsibility of companies to stand up.\\u201d Following the murder of George Floyd, the nation has seen a critical shift in the growth and power of the Black Lives Matter movement through protest and action. But what should leaders and companies do? This week on the On Brand podcast, Media Frenzy Global Partner and COO Katie Kern returns to discuss how brands can start having tough conversations about race.\\nAbout Katie Kern\\nAn innate storyteller and strategic creative, Katie Kern has navigated her career with two passions at the helm: building bold brands and pouring into tomorrow\\u2019s creative leaders through mentorship. As Partner and COO of Media Frenzy Global, Katie extends her 15-year industry expertise and business knowledge in the agency to drive business growth and advocate a \\u2018Go There\\u2019 company culture.\\n\\nEpisode Highlights\\n\\u201cBlack lives matter. As leaders and companies, we have a platform, and a duty to our Black employees, clients, and industry professionals to speak up,\\u201d says Katie. \\u201cWe can't be afraid of offending our customers and associating their brands with sensitive subjects. By aligning our corporate values with what customers care about, I hope to build a sense of loyalty and a deeper sense of personal connection. It\\u2019s about coming together for what is right and what will move us in a positive progressive direction. Change is happening and the time is now.\\u201d\\nHow can brands start taking action on race? We talked a lot about brands' responses to Black Lives Matter mostly being limited to posting a black square with a thoughtful paragraph of text and a few hashtags. What else can they do? Where can we start? Katie provided a helpful list of questions for companies wanting to look inward and start the difficult work.\\n\\n\\nCompany culture\\u2014What does your company culture actually speak to? Ask your Black employees what they think and how they feel.\\n\\n\\nHuman resource policies\\u2014Do your HR policies sanction against microaggressions? Do you have diversity guidelines and policies within the company?\\n\\n\\nBlack employees at every level\\u2014What are your numbers for hiring Black people throughout all levels of your organization?\\n\\n\\nBlack leadership\\u2014What\\u2019s the makeup of your board and executive leadership?\\n\\n\\nMentoring Black leadership\\u2014Are you doing all that you can to see that Black people get promoted to executive and decision-making positions?\\n\\n\\nHaving tough and constant conversations\\u2014How will you sustain this momentum moving forward? This is not easy work. These are not easy conversations. You have to keep talking internally and doing the required work.\\n\\nHopefully, your brand can find an onramp from these suggestions. At the very least, it\\u2019s a start. And it\\u2019s a start you can make today.\\n\\u201cThe challenge here is to sustain the current sentiment,\\u201d notes Katie of the need for continued, sustained action. \\u201cWe have to think about it every single day.\\u201d\\nWhat should you do in the next five minutes? As recent guest Tom Peters says, excellence is the best short-term strategy. What can we do in the next five minutes as brands to impact race? Katie says: \\u201cReach out to the Black people you know. READ. Read history books. Read the history of Black people. This isn\\u2019t a time to be afraid and silent.\\u201d\\nWhat brand has made Katie smile recently? After deciding that this is an odd time to smile about brands, Katie reframed this by noting that, \\u201cA lot of brands have made me sit up and pay attention. We\\u2019re looking at brands and how they respond through a different lens.\\u201d\\nTo learn more, follow Katie on LinkedIn\\xa0and Twitter and check out the Media Frenzy Global website.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices"