Gushers
Black Voices Create
For General Mills their Gushers brand is uniquely dependent on Black consumers, so when in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder the sociocultural landscape began to shift, they were compelled to support the cause and be part of the change, but they wanted to do so in a way that actually made a positive impact on their loyal audience. It was obvious that many brands were simply checking a box when it came to supporting the Black community, and we knew that saying “Black lives matter” wasn’t enough.
So we had to find a unique way to solve a small part of the problem that was authentic to the Gushers brand and differentially impacted its consumers. After some research, we identified that opportunity: Black voices were being systematically suppressed across social media platforms. We decided to focus on the biggest culprit, TikTok.
That’s how Black Voices Create was born. We partnered with the NAACP Youth and College Division through an initial monetary donation of $200K. Then, we partnered with 4 of the top young Black creators on TikTok and elevated their voices, turning their videos into tools for change. Gushers would donate $1 for every LIKE their branded videos got. We basically broke the algorithm, raising an additional $200K in less than 36 hours. The creators’ videos totaled 1MM+ likes, exceding our goal by 5x.