In this month dedicated to reflecting on racial issues, the Heineken Group announces the “Powered by Black People” campaign, created by the Dentsu Creative agency, to strengthen its commitment to racial equity. The campaign presents the company’s goal of achieving 40% black representation in leadership positions by 2030 and invites other companies to participate. Inspired by this mission, the company launches a series of actions to raise awareness in the market and stimulate a movement of transformation in the corporate sector.
The term “Powered by Black People” suggests that a brand, idea or project is only possible or becomes stronger due to the support of a certain force or partner, which is why the launch of the campaign will be marked by a video starring musician Carlinhos Brown , which will give voice to the Heineken Group’s commitment and invite other companies to also take on the goal of 40% black leadership by 2030.
“Currently, the Heineken Group has 36% black employees in leadership positions. Our action plan to reach 40% includes career development programs, such as ‘Potential in development’, aimed at senior leadership positions with mentoring in different areas, in addition to racial literacy actions; and ‘Black Shine’, which annually prepares 250 senior analysts to take on top leadership roles, encouraging the development of behavioral and technical skills. Furthermore, we have an inclusive selection process. We want to share these initiatives with other companies and learn a little more from them, jointly developing actions to transform the market”, says Vetusa Pereira, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager at the Heineken Group.
As an incentive, the Heineken Group will send a special box with personalized cans by black artists, such as Bee Karoline, Marilia Marz, Magô, Jey Nunes, Edson Xis and Negro Mia, to brand leaders who have already made commitments to the agenda or who They are still at the beginning of this journey. The illustrations celebrate diversity and reinforce the invitation.
Each special box will be locked by a padlock with a numerical code. To unlock it, companies need to scan a QR Code and upload the percentage of black people in leadership at their company. If the leadership does not achieve 40% black representation, a message from the Heineken Group Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager, Vetusa Pereira, will be displayed inviting companies to join Heineken and also make a commitment to racial equity. In 2030, companies that reach the goal will receive the final code to open the lock and toast the commitment fulfilled.
According to Ricardo Dolla, Chief Creative Officer at Dentsu Creative, the purpose of the campaign is to call for action. “Our idea was to generate reflection in the market and on the importance of collective action, with initiatives that make the concept ‘Powered by Black People’ tangible, giving visibility to the initiatives of the Heineken Group, which is a company that cares about racial equity”, adds Dolla .
Podcast Papo de Bar – Powered by Black People
In collaboration with influencer Bela Reis, the group also created a special podcast, Papo de Bar – Powered by Black Peolple, which addresses essential conversations about representation and racial equity and the importance of black people in the market. Each conversation is designed to bring the topic to the public in an accessible and empowering way, strengthening reflection on equity in everyday life. In the first episode, Bela Reis invites Géssica Justino and Vetusa Pereira for a necessary conversation about racial equity in the job market. The content is now available. In total there will be four episodes, which will also feature Deh Bastos, Gabriela Augusto and Tadeu França.
In addition, a new editorial on social media, Black Talks, will feature black professionals throughout the year who will share tips and perspectives on the market. The objective is to transform the company’s channels into continuous learning and representation platforms.
