About CLEVER The Influencer Marketing Agency Social Media Marketing company in San Ramon, United States
Founded in 2009, CLEVER was the first full-service influencer marketing agency ever. After ten years in business, we can confidently say that we’ve delivered more influencer programs for the world's most respected brands than anyone else. We offer crea
As influencers ourselves we knew we were best positioned to help our clients tell their brand stories. The agency we created was so new and innovative that the term ’influencer marketing’ didnt even exist yet. We called ourselves a social media marketing agency then a content marketing agency and finally after influencer marketing became widely accepted as a powerful marketing strategy — not simply a PR afterthought — we called ourselves an influencer marketing agency.
But not just any influencer marketing agency — an industry leading standards and practices-setting pioneer. If you are at all familiar with how influencer marketing is practiced today — with the understanding that influencers must be contracted and paid for their services or that the human element is critical to influencer selection or that influencers are a critical part of any sales and marketing plan — its because of the foundation we laid.
Yeah. We did that.
Our values are to empower women be authentic and be exceptional. As an agency started by women and a woman of color for women because of the women who came before us we have always put women first.
Central to CLEVERs mission was — and still is — supporting the personal and professional goals of female entrepreneurs which is how we view every member of our network. We set about doing this in two ways. First by bringing our network members paid opportunities for their work in an industry where women were and still are often underpaid especially if they are Black or women of color. Second by donating our time expertise and charitable contributions to intersectional non-profits who uplift women girls and female-identifying folks.
Over a decade later we find ourselves at a crossroads.
We live in much different times than when CLEVER first started. Since the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd we as a company have been confronted with some very harsh realities. Weve reexamined our values and mission and strive to deepen their meaning. Weve been doing the very uncomfortable work of becoming an anti-racist organization work we know will never stop.
Because Black lives matter.
People are waking up to the realities of the world and are demanding change. As an agency we cannot continue to operate as we have been because by doing so we perpetuate systemic white supremacy and racism. While we still believe that influencers tell the best brand stories we now have a renewed purpose and mission.
We believe when we work authentically transparently and courageously with influencers we can create exceptional content to tell an even better brand story and most importantly create social change.
At CLEVER today we:
Our anti-racist mission is central to this work.
Lack of diversity opportunity and misrepresentation in marketing and advertising has caused tremendous harm to Black and Non-Black people of color. But we believe positive social impact is made—and consumer trust is repaired — when media and advertisers center the voices images and stories of the marginalized and diversify media representation.
We also believe that is great for business.
As CLEVER enters our second decade of work with a renewed sense of purpose and mission we are still the best partner agency for brands who want consumers to understand their corporate values and mission who want to earn and retain their consumers trust who want the world to know exactly what they stand for.
With a near-90% client return rate, we hope you'll consider working with us. We believe real people tell the best brand stories. Let's tell yours.