Don't Bypass African Americans! WHY! Part 2 (275 hits)
Don't Bypass African-Americans Marketers Make Mistake by Failing to Expressly Target Nearly $1 Trillion Market By Marissa Miley
Published: February 02, 2009 NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- In 2008, the country's top marketers tapped Barack Obama as Marketer of the Year. Many of those same marketers also cut spending directed at the African-American market.
'Profitability and buy-ability' "Step one is to recognize both the profitability and buy-ability of these market groups," said Jason Chambers, author of "Madison Avenue and the Color Line." Of course, there are some marketers who recognize that. And perhaps it's no coincidence that they are among the most successful brands in the U.S. Najoh Tita-Reid, former director of multicultural marketing at Procter & Gamble, took the lead on the company's "My Black Is Beautiful" effort before leaving the company last month. She pointed to McDonald's and State Farm Insurance as two large corporations that have invested in the African-American market and met success.
"Do you believe one size fits all?" asked Carol Sagers, director-marketing at McDonald's USA. "Intuitively, you don't." "African-Americans have nuances in lifestyle and nuances in language and culture that should be used to leverage communication," she said. "McDonald's believes in speaking to all our customers, and speaking to them directly."
By speaking to African-Americans, marketers can enhance their positioning in the general market as well -- especially considering how much of mainstream pop-culture gets its start in the African-American community.
For example, Ms. Tita-Reid said McDonald's "I'm Lovin' It" campaign was rooted in hip-hop culture, but had messaging that transcended race and ethnicity and gained popularity around the world. "It's worth leading with African-American insights," Ms. Miller said. "When companies use these insights to develop their marketing strategies, communication strategies [and] media plans, they have the most effective strategies not only reaching African-Americans, but the general market as well."
State Farm has experienced this with its "50 Million Pound Challenge," a sponsored weight-loss effort that began in the African-American community. Since the program launched in April 2007, one million Americans have lost 3.5 million pounds. "It now has a life of its own," said Pamela El, VP-marketing for State Farm. "All races and ethnicities have joined the challenge."
"We know through research ... that a way to connect to a different customer is to emotionally connect first and help with that community."
