A Crash Course in Brand Authenticity When Supporting the Black Community 

When it comes to advertising, Black American consumers are an essential part of the consumer dynamic. They represent a unique, influential audience. This segment is projected to contribute to 16% of population growth through 2060 and skews slightly younger than the general U.S. population. And, in 2019, Black households spent a combined $835 billion. Connecting with this audience is key for brands who have customer base expansion or product conversion goals to achieve in the near future.

The Black American consumer not only makes up a significant percent of the spending power in the U.S., but they also play an influential role in setting trends for the mainstream market. In fact, they are increasingly influencing the general culture in the U.S. across a number of sectors including fashion, social media, television and music. 

Companies are often negligent about the cultural differences that their customer segments represent. Untargeted, generic messages and communication strategies are therefore failing to deliver value in the minds of multicultural consumers.

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There are meaningful ways in which brands can build authentic relationships with Black communities that drive engagement, loyalty and ultimately grow a company’s strategic and financial performance.

Be part of the conversation 

According to Nielsen, Black consumers are 58% more likely to expect the brands they buy to take a social stance and 37% more likely to buy a brand when they do. In a time when brands are expected to connect with people and join in on trending issues, brands need to take a stance on social issues and be part of meaningful and impactful conversations. Consumers take notice when brands remain silent.

Bad example: Posting a black box on corporate social platforms. Social media is one of the top ways to educate and share news. By posting a black box, you are stifling the conversation. 

Better example: Look for guidance from groups (e.g., nonprofits, gender and racial equality groups) that are actually on the ground doing the work. Share their mission and lend the brand’s voice to their cause. PayPal has a plan to invest $530 million toward racial equality, diversity and inclusion, including internal programming, community engagement, university and high school recruiting, pro bono engagements and public advocacy initiatives. 

Listen and amplify consumer truths 

Create clear lines of communication for Black audiences to share feedback. Black consumers should be seen as more than one race, but a race filled with various complexities, depth and unique backgrounds. When people and different perspectives are represented in an ad narrative, consumers are more inclined to support your brand and feel like they’re a part of your success.

Bad example: It is not enough for brands to simply include Black actors and actresses in their ads.

Better example: Tide and its “Hygienic Clean Big Day” commercial aired in 2020. In the commercial, a girl runs up to her dad, dirty from being under the porch, but the dad trusts Tide Hygienic Clean to get the stains out. The ad went beyond expectations because it tapped into the stereotype that Black fathers do not spend time with their children. P&G’s success is attributed in part to its investment in consumer insight, as it showcased an occasion that Black Americans were lacking in their daily lives and the media.

Make sure your C-suite and marketing team reflect your audience 

The only way to make certain you are creating true change and connecting with the Black community is to have executives and marketers who reflect the audience. Diverse marketing goes beyond the basic photos or graphics used for your organization’s website or social media channels. Diverse and inclusive content requires deep insight from a cross-functional team of quality content creators.

Among the numerous benefit of establishing an authentic connection with Black consumers:

• Incremental lift in consumer reach. Ensuring you display diversity and include different facets of the Black consumer in your marketing campaigns helps your brand reach more types of people. This increases your potential customer pool.
• Getting closer to your audience. Engagement activity and fostering a community within your brand are important in driving brand equity. By conducting market research and communicating directly with customers, you can form a deeper relationship with your audience and build better brand trust and loyalty.
• Growth in your bottom line. Customer base expansion, plus building brand trust, plus brand recognition, equals boosts to your bottom line.

People will respect a brand that offers diverse and inclusive marketing and genuinely reflects their audience. When you as a marketer understand and speak the language of your customer, you earn their trust and even their respect.

This article is part of The Black History Month Voice Series, intended to educate marketers and advertisers and spotlight issues, nuances and challenges the industry should be aware of when marketing to the Black community. Be sure to check out more articles throughout the month here.

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