I didn’t get to attend the ceremony. I did the next best thing any digital millennial marketer could have done: I hopped onto my Beyonce Peloton ride, scrolled Twitter for live updates, and streamed the inauguration events on my iPad.

Growing up as the daughter of a Central American immigrant mother, and granddaughter to two Holocaust survivors, influences my view on marketing—not to mention how I see leadership in this country. This day has truly impacted how marketing leaders, after a deep breath, are thinking about their strategies moving forward.

Marketers should look to stay on the forefront in these key categories:

Digital

After a completely digital inauguration stream, marketers need to somehow find the time, resources and ability to read, scroll and type as fast as humanly possible. But crafting the right message and voice to express something genuine is another craft. Crafting a digital message means your words matter; they require you to hold clout. How is your messaging going to matter? How can you use more than just words? The inaugural program resonated due to the colorful mediums. It engaged our senses through incorporating mainstream artists, an activist poet, traditional music, thoughtful speeches, prayer and song. It represented so many and was truly inspiring.

Messaging

During the recent weeks of political unrest, messaging took on new complexities as marketers had to navigate whether messaging on campaigns should continue or pause. Marketers will now think about larger implications in messaging that relates to corporate social responsibility, social advocacy, human rights and political agendas. Brands have the opportunity to take a stance on subjects that maybe previously would have been seen as walking the line of sensitive subjects. What stood out is how many participants took a stance and were brave. As a marketer, it taught me how much brands have the ability and responsibility to affect their consumer.

Diversity

With Madam Vice President Kamala Harris, brands have an entirely new market of consumers to be thinking about—knowing that little boys and girls everywhere are seeing a face that is now recognizable and relatable. Implementing diversity and inclusion in your workplace isn’t just a check box, but needs to be a thoughtful program that truly encompasses our new leadership and audience. 

We can only hope this is the foreword for what is to come. The glass ceiling has been broken—in fact, it’s been shattered. So with that, I’ll rock the Converse and pearls following a day that will go down in history.

In the weeks following the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks, brands have recognized that silence is no longer an option when it comes to social justice and the lack of diversity across the industry. People’s expectations for brands have evolved as consumers are aligning their values with their pocketbooks. With a convergence of growing challenges, we expect brands to respond with more than a hashtag or empty platitudes; we expect action. As we saw with brand messaging in the wake of the pandemic, making a statement just isn’t enough. The expectation is a clear stance on social justice issues and a real commitment to action.

Data indicates that the expectations for brands to play a larger role in our lives will continue to grow. This places marketers in an environment with the potential for high-stakes impact on brand value. Even if your brand is not facing scrutiny, the urgency for shoring up your efforts on social justice and diversity, inclusion and equity is growing.

This movement represents an opportunity for proactive leadership: to be responsible with our influence before it’s too late—before your stakeholders, employees, customers, leaders and investors begin to question your organization’s commitment. In fact, 85% of consumers say they’ll only consider a brand if they trust the brand. Consumers know that brands have the power to effect change, and they place their trust in brands that use that power on their behalf. Brands must be ethical and invest in diverse teams while demonstrating a commitment to addressing issues that impact their stakeholders.

Here are three things marketing leaders should keep in mind at a time when the nation is having a long-overdue dialogue about social justice. 

Get and stay educated

In this environment, everyone should be committed to continuous learning about diversity, inclusion and equity as a responsibility of the job: Own your missteps with a growth mindset. Acknowledge that your brand hasn’t always gotten things right, and share your commitment going forward. Invest in ongoing cultural fluency, fully recognizing that there may be mistakes along the way.

The ultimate goal is to build DEI into the DNA of your marketing—and to have your actions reflect your brand’s communicated commitments. In a recent study, 63% of people say brands representing diversity in ads are more authentic.

Ask: How do we start including the voices and experiences of marginalized audiences into brand marketing?                      

Look inward

There is a growing global conversation about social issues right now that places pressure on marketing leaders to respond.

Public declarations of a commitment to diversity and inclusion are hollow if your employees know they aren’t true. Make no mistake—your customers and other stakeholders can distinguish between performative activism and substantive activism.

The journey starts with an internal conversation about the uncomfortable topics we so often avoid. For instance, Johnson & Johnson and Zoom published messages from their CEOs to employees. Doing this showed that while they do not have all the answers, they are committed to the journey. While these conversations are often uncomfortable, imperfect and messy, they are a good thing. There is no transformation without conversation.

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