THE BLACK PAPER

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 1 5/15/17 11:34 AM IT’S TIME TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT DIVERSITY.

We’re Here. Get Bold.

An agency tackling multicultural representation in the media, marketing, advertising, and tech industries through awareness, consulting, and connections. www.boldculture.co

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 2 5/15/17 11:34 AM ALL ROADS LEAD TO A FACT QUITE OBVIOUS FOR ADVERTISING AND MARKETING EXECS: BLACK CONSUMERS AND CREATIVES ARE INCREDIBLY INFLUENTIAL. DESPITE THIS, BIG BRANDS MOSTLY STRUGGLE TO REACH AND KEEP THEM.

WE OFFER A WAY FORWARD.

A PUBLICATION OF

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 1 5/15/17 11:34 AM TABLE OF CONTENTS

5 THIS ISN’T KANSAS ANYMORE: MORE LIKE ATLANTA

9 MEASURING INFLUENCE

10 PEPSI POPS ITS OWN BUBBLE

12 DONALD GLOVER AS MARKETING GURU

13 LIKE WILDFIRE

14 BLACK WOMEN DOMINATE

16 IT’S A TRUST THANG

17 HOW HAVE BIG BRANDS GOTTEN IT WRONG?

19 BLACK AMERICANS IN ADVERTISING

25 IMPROVING BRAND OUTREACH

27 NOTES AND REFERENCES

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 2 5/15/17 11:34 AM TEAM

DARREN MARTIN JR. Chief Executive Officer

AHMAD BARBER Chief Creative Officer

JARED LOGGINS Contributing Editor

Contributors BIANA BAKMAN JUDA BORRAYO STEPHEN FELDMAN

BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 3 5/15/17 11:34 AM IN A WORLD WHERE ANYONE CAN COMMUNICATE WITH ANYONE EVEN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GLOBE HOW DOES YOUR BRAND STAND OUT?

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 4 5/15/17 11:34 AM THIS ISN’T KANSAS ANYMORE: MORE LIKE ATLANTA WRITTEN BY: JUDA BORRAYO

In the last 20 years, the elevation of targeted majority Black-owned businesses grew 34%.” marketing, big data, and social media has IMPROVED EDUCATION AND Black female-owned businesses represent 59% greatly influenced marketing strategies. INCOME HAS LED TO THE of all Black businesses and 15% of all female- RISE IN BLACK AMERICAN owned businesses.2 New technologies, reductions in barriers to PURCHASING POWER entry, and the explosion of social media, make That means about 2.6 million individual it easier for businesses to connect with One major contributor to the rise in Black businesses with over $150 billion in sales are audiences anywhere in the world. American purchasing power is education. owned by Black Americans.3

Simultaneously, customers are able to discover Black Americans are experiencing a twist to MINORITIES HAVE MORE and buy from companies that align with their the classic Robin Hood saying of “the rich YEARS OF BUYING POWER values, which has given them increased power getting richer and the poor getting poorer.” in the purchasing process. In tandem this has On the contrary, you could say the poor are This is a nod in the direction of opportunity. led to greater satisfaction among customers getting smarter, more flexible, and better and revenue growth for businesses. educated. Black Americans are getting richer In “The Making of a Multicultural Super and pulling more Black Americans up the Consumer,” Nielsen shares that today, Asians, The world is now flat: global and local income ladder with them. Hispanics, and Black Americans make up 38% marketing is possible on a scale like never of the total population. That’s more than 120 before. Why? Because of the existence of A rise in education leads to increased buying million people combined.4 digital marketing. In a world where anyone power. can communicate with anyone – even on the Multicultural consumers remain loyal to a other side of the globe – how does your brand Black American audiences are more educated, brand or product for longer, so if you are in the stand out? have higher spending power than ever, are business of subscriptions, consumer packaged influencers, and are growing at a rapid rate. goods, or recurring purchases – listen up, How does your brand or client’s brand get the Yet marketers and decision makers haven’t because Black Americans and multicultural attention and/or sales of target consumers? woken up to spending more on advertising audiences have more years of buying power to multicultural audiences, at least not yet, a than non-Hispanic Whites. (Please note: Which audiences are currently leading to more potentially costly misstep. non-Hispanic Whites, for this report, are sales, because they are actually spending Caucasians, here on referred to as non- more money? “Fully 89% of African-American Hispanic Whites.)5 Millennials ages 25-34 completed high Never before has it been so easy to tell a story school, compared to 77% of those If you’re in the business of luxury goods, you and connect publisher-to-reader. Good stories 55 and older. Furthermore, 21% of may also want to note: according to Nielsen, earn a slice of attention that could lead to Black Millennials ages 24-34 have an non-Hispanic White audiences fall short of the brand awareness or sales. associate’s degree or higher, versus years of buying power of Black Americans.6 17% of those who are 55 and older.”1 What few executives and brands have caught Buying power is the amount of money that a onto – yet – is the gold mine potential that According to Nielsen, Black businesses person or groups of people have available to businesses have to market to multicultural represent 9% of all U.S. businesses. They go spend – whether on investments, goods, or audiences – especially Black American on to affirm, “data shows that in the five-year services. audiences. period between 2007 and 2012, the number of To put this in perspective, Black American

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 5 5/15/17 11:34 AM To put this in perspective, Black American buying power BLACK AMERICANS 42.3 YEARS OF BUYING POWER was $320 billion in 1990; according to the Univesity of Georgia’s Selig Center for Economic Growth. Black buying power is expected to reach $1.4 trillion by 2020.7 To put this in full context, Mexico’s GDP in 2015 was valued at 8 $1.144 trillion dollars. ASIAN AMERICANS 52.3 YEARS OF BUYING POWER

In short: if you are not marketing to Black Americans, or multicultural audiences in general, you may be missing out on repeat business and open wallets. HISPANICS 56.5 YEARS OF BUYING POWER Furthermore, the failure of brands to tap into Black buying power demonstrates the extent to which Black Americans are undervalued as consumers.

HERE ARE THE NUMBERS, FOR 2016 NON-HISPANIC WHITES 36.7 YEARS OF BUY

Source: The Nielsen Company, “The Multicultural Edge: Rising Super Consumers” (PDF file), accessed March 2017. WHERE DO BLACK AMERICANS DO BUSINESS?

You’ll find educated, affluent, and committed Black Americans working in healthcare, transportation, STEM, retail, sports, education, entertainment, and many other industries. This matters given the strong correlation between consumers and their relationship to the products and services they trust.

In addition, it is of no surprise to most that Black Americans are also trendsetters in music, sports, TV, and entertainment, but we will get to that later in this Black Paper.

THERE ARE MORE YOUNG BLACK STUDENTS THAN EVER IN HISTORY

Younger Black Americans are finishing high school and higher education at unprecedented rates.

Oh and there’s more great news for marketers able to reach the hearts of this booming demographic. In one of their reports, Nielsen goes on to share that:

“The share of African-American households with an income under $25,000 declined from 43% in 2004 to 37% in 2014, while the share of households with annual incomes over $100,000 increased from 7% in 2004 to 12% in 2014.”9

So Black Americans’ pockets are heavier and trending upwards. Source: The Nielsen Company, “Young, Connected And Black African-American Millennals Are Driving Social Change And Leading Digital Advancement 2016 Report” (PDF file), accessed March 2017. This is great news for those who gain customer loyalty among this increasingly more affluent community. Bad news for brands that ignore cultural norms, traditions, and completely face-plant in relating to Black American audiences. Even worse news for those closed to the possibilities.

Imagine what your brand and your reach could be like if you appeal to this young and increasingly affluent, trendsetting culture.

Appealing to the Black American demographic could mean direct increases in your yearly revenue, brand loyalty, and profits for your shareholders. Source: The Nielsen Company, “Young, Connected And Black African-American Millennals Are Driving Social Change And Leading Digital Advancement 2016 Report” (PDF file), accessed March 2017.

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 6 5/15/17 11:34 AM KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES, THE BROWNS, AND THE DAVISES

What does the average Black American household spend money on?

For one, Black Americans spend significantly more money on basic food ingredients and personal care products.10

Black Americans are also passionate about entertainment – both consuming and creating.

“Entertaining is also very important in the African- American community. Annual events such as family reunions, cultural festivals, and alumni gatherings connect Blacks in a unique way that focuses on fellowship and is cross-generational.”11

Everyone loves to be entertained, including Black Ameri- cans. According to Nielsen, “African-Americans ... spend more on watching movies and purchasing video games than the total population.” While non-Hispanic Whites average 3.1 annual movie ticket purchases, Black Ameri- cans purchase 3.7; for video games, Black Americans come Source: The Nielsen Company, “Young, Connected And Black African-American Millennals Are Driving Social Change And Leading Digital Advancement in at 1.2 annual purchases vs 0.7 for non-Hispanic Whites.12 2016 Report” (PDF file), accessed March 2017. When Black American communities get together to cele- ACCORDING TO THE LATEST U.S. CENSUS, brate roots, traditions, and culture, they talk about it, a lot. On the internet. THERE ARE 83.1 MILLION MILLENNIALS

BLACK AMERICANS ARE PASSIONATE USERS OF SOCIAL MEDIA BLACK AMERICAN MILLENNIALS COMPRISE 14% (ABOUT 11.5 MILLION) Black Americans over-index on time spent on social networking sites, even more so for Black Millennials.13 OF THOSE MILLENNIALS Does your ad budget reflect the reality in these market share numbers? Are you behind the times? BLACK AMERICAN MILLENNIALS COMPRISE THE FACTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES: 25% OF THE TOTAL BLACK POPULATION

It’s clear that Black Americans are active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and more! 55% OF BLACK MILLENNIALS SAY THEY SPEND AN HOUR OR MORE DAILY ON SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES (COMPARED TO 49% OF THE TOTAL MILLENNIAL POPULATION)

29% OF BLACK MILLENNIALS SPEND THREE OR MORE HOURS DAILY ON SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES (COMPARED TO 20% OF THE TOTAL MILLENNIAL POPULATION)14

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 7 5/15/17 11:34 AM MEASURING INFLUENCE

THE POWER OF BLACK PEOPLE’S INFLUENCE IS GROSSLY UNDERSTATED, UNDERVALUED, AND IN SOME CASES, MISREPRESENTED. IT IS ONLY WHEN AD EXECS COME TO UNDERSTAND THE CULTURAL NUANCE OF BLACK ENGAGEMENT THAT THEY WILL UNDERSTAND WHY THEIR INFLUENCE IS SO POTENT, AND CAPITALIZE ACCORDINGLY. MEASURING INFLUENCE

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 8 5/15/17 11:34 AM MEASURING INFLUENCE

MEASURING INFLUENCE FROM THE INDIVIDUAL TO THE COLLECTIVE WRITTEN BY: DARREN MARTIN & JARED LOGGINS Measuring and modeling Black influence on American pop culture once entailed identifying crossover appeal among Black pop culture icons. Data from powerhouses like Nielsen have confirmed this approach; for example, they show that the strength and reach of Black cultural powerhouses like Beyonce, Will Smith, Oprah, and Michael Jordan give them wide-ranging cultural capital. This cultural capital gives way to social influence. The more crossover appeal, the more likely it is he or she has expansive social influence. According to the logic, Michael Jordan has historically been the most marketable Black figure in sports, while Oprah is the most influential in television.15

Given ongoing innovations in new media, we now have data points to track the extent of Black popular culture’s influence – and not just in relation to ‘crossovers’ and cultural titans like Beyonce and Oprah, but also for the everyday Black consumer. Black Twitter is one of the more obvious microcosms to track influence. Thanks to Black consumers who use Twitter and to top-rate research on the complex relationship between the two, Black Twitter has become a well-known subset of Twitter, which cultivates topics among Black individuals fueled by music, television, humor, and the mundane. In recent years, Black Twitter has come to embody a major confluence of powerful voices around a whole range of issues and agendas. They scrapped George Zimmerman trial MEASURING Juror B37’s book deal. They directed attention to the absurdity of Paula Deen’s racism with #PaulasBestDishes. They’ve helped mobilize a new generation of civil rights activism with #BlackLivesMatter. There’s also the sheer brilliance of Black Twitter’s use of ‘meme culture,’ which pairs wisdom, cultural knowledge, and humor with popular visuals.

The point is that although those in digital marketing and advertising have been right to direct their attention to Twitter as the central place to measure influence, the power of Black people’s influence is grossly INFLUENCE understated, undervalued, and in some cases, misrepresented. Ad execs must come to understand the cultural and political nuances of Black Twitter in order to produce better multicultural marketing and advertising strategies.

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 9 5/15/17 11:34 AM PEPSI POPS ITS OWN BUBBLE BRAND’S IN-HOUSE TEAM DEVELOPS TONE-DEAF AD, BLACK TWITTER DESTROYS IT WRITTEN BY: DARREN MARTIN JR. & JARED LOGGINS Pepsi now joins the ranks of companies who have miscalculated their messaging aimed at Black audiences. And if Black Americans have shown us anything, it is this: you cannot get by on bad marketing in this age of Black Lives Matter. Pepsi has learned, the hard way indeed, that having a keen sensitivity to the audiences’ politics matters. On April 4, 2017 Pepsi released the ad, which featured the model and television personality Kendall Jenner gleefully handing a can of Pepsi to cops. Almost immediately upon release of the ad, people took to social media to express their concern over the ad’s light-hearted portrayal of protests against police brutality. The following day, the company was forced to pull the ad and issue an apology after scrutiny from many across Twitter and Facebook. Here are some of the responses to the ad:

@THECARAD 3:48 PM - 5 April 2017 THIS #PEPSI AD IS EXACTLY WHY CULTURAL DIVERSITY IS NECESSARY IN DIGITAL MEDIA AND MARKETING OFFICES! CULTURAL DIVERSITY IS A MUST IN 2017.

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 10 5/15/17 11:34 AM @BERNICEKING 12:15 PM - 5 April 2017 IF ONLY DADDY WOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THE POWER OF #PEPSI 156K 285K

@YEAHMORGS 2:08 PM - 5 April 2017 OUR FIGHT FOR LIBERATION IS NOT FOR SALE. NO THANKS #PEPSI

328 604

@JORDEN__MOSLEY 10:19 PM - 4 April 2017 #PEPSI, BURNING BRIDGES WITH BLACK FOLKS SINCE 1984.

633 1.2K

How can marketers avoid such a colossal misstep in @KLAYECREATION 9:40 PM - 4 April 2017 the future? There is an easy answer: hire multicultural marketing and advertising agencies, hire more diverse YO JUST LOOK IN MY POCKET!!! I cultures in-house and demand it in your agencies, and GOT A #PEPSI I GOT A #PEPSI foster a more inclusive company culture. Enlist the talent of those who are on the ground in communities and have a particular sense of the community’s politics, 753 987 sensibilities, likes, and dislikes.

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 11 5/15/17 11:34 AM CASE STUDY DONALD GLOVER AS MARKETING GURU TAPPING INTO THE CULTURE WRITTEN BY: DARREN MARTIN JR. & JARED LOGGINS Donald Glover is many things: Black American crooner from Atlanta, songwriter, actor, rapper. What about marketing guru? To be sure, his show “Atlanta” – in which he serves as showrun- ner, writer, producer, and lead actor – shocked the world with its immense popularity. But it would be a miscalculation to pin the show’s success solely on its writing (the script is quite good). The show has done so well because of its culturally relevant engagement with Black people on social media. There is obviously the fact that the show is based in Atlanta – one of the Blackest cities in the nation, with 54% of its residents being Black.16 On this point, the show also shares its namesake with a popular film among Black audiences: “ATL.” It’s pretty obvious that Glover’s show builds on the popularity of an American city and other cultural productions like “ATL.” The context here is important because it reveals that Glover has tapped into the cultural nuance necessary to push a product to a decidedly Black base. The causality between the social influence of stars and increased visibility of the products they push is, in this case, too obvious to deny. In early 2017, Glover accepted the Golden Globe Award for “Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy.” During his acceptance speech he gave a shout out to the Atlanta-native rap group Migos and their new song “Bad & Bougie.” Over the subsequent days, the song soared up the charts peaking at No. 1.17 Both Glover’s cunning decisions on his show and his public love for Migos’ hit song demonstrate the potential power of influence. Marketing execs should take note. 12 THE BLACK PAPER

BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 12 5/15/17 11:34 AM CASE STUDY LIKE WILDFIRE INFLUENCE FROM THE GROUND UP WRITTEN BY: DARREN MARTIN JR. & JARED LOGGINS September 13, 2016: Atlanta-based rap duo Rae Sremmurd release their infectiously catchy song “Black Beatles.” Days after its release, Billboard calls it a “quintessentially youthful song, which is extremely welcome in this oncoming era of social conservatism.”18

October 26, 2016: Students at Ed White High School in Jacksonville, Florida kick off the viral sensation also known as the “mannequin challenge.”19 A week later, students at Colony High School in Ontario, California created their own mannequin challenge video with “Black Beatles” playing in the background because as a student there explained to The New York Times it was his favorite song and “[he] wanted [his] friends and the internet all to hear it and enjoy it as well.”20 A trend was born. Millions would participate in the challenge through new media channels like Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook.

This episode in popular culture shows that social influence flows from bottom to top. More crucially, the challenge demonstrates that, in this case, music can be the basis for watershed moments in contemporary popular culture. The challenge accumulated well over 2.5 million unique videos, positioned Rae Sremmurd’s song at the top of the pop charts and cemented the song’s legacy as one of many successful crossover dance numbers. It’s not simply that it went viral; it’s that it experienced viral growth in a way that transcended traditional racial, ethnic, and class boundaries. The challenge, coupled with the song, was a breakthrough moment for the high school students who started it as well as for a diverse cast of celebrities like Paul McCartney, Hillary Clinton, 2 Chainz, and the Dallas Cowboys. Sremmurd’s success not only marks their influence on the Black community, but also outlines a cross-cultural influence that increases their brand awareness and brand capital.

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 14 5/15/17 11:34 AM BLACK WOMEN DOMINATE WRITTEN BY: DARREN MARTIN JR. & JARED LOGGINS Producer, showrunner, writer, and also one of the few Black women in Hollywood with successful mainstream shows, Shonda Rhimes opened the floodgates of racial and cultural diverse representation on ABC with Black women at the center of many of her narratives and in return, it has created a wide, racially and culturally diverse audience – benefitting the network in enormous brand lift and ad sales. Though she has other writing credits to her name, it would be “Scandal” starring Kerry Washington that became among the most tweeted about shows on television. Shonda’s insights on representation of Black women in lead roles paid off again with Viola Davis playing the starring role of Annalise Keating in the mega-hit show “How to Get Away with Murder” (HTGAWM).21 The casting strategy is not happen- stance. Beyond the data, it seems to hold up intuitively. More diverse cast- ing, combined with good writing and marketing, equals a more diverse and expansive viewership. The data supplements this fact. Nielsen’s 2014 report entitled, “Powerful. Growing. Influential. The African-American Consumer” found that Black women are among the most actively engaged media consumers and a key demographic to tap for marketing and advertising.

STATS

40 PERCENT OF BLACK WOMEN AGES 18-54 CONSIDER THEMSELVES TRENDSETTERS.

62 PERCENT OF BLACK WOMEN BELIEVE SUPPORTING AND EMBRACING THEIR ETHNIC CULTURE IS IMPORTANT.

59 PERCENT OF BLACK WOMEN BELIEVE SUPPORTING MINORITY BUSINESSES IS IMPORTANT.22

Taken together, these numbers indicate a huge opportunity for marketing and ad execs to responsibly tap into a reliable consumer base. Black women will support their own.

According to an AdAge analysis, “Scandal” and HTGAWM cost advertis- ers $224,509 and $252,934 for a 30-second commercial, respectively. Both shows were among the top ten priciest 30-second TV ad buys in the winter season of 2015.23 The prices weren’t unprecedented as both “Scandal” and HTGAWM deliver a racially and culturally diverse crowd of viewers in the coveted 18-49 demographic each season.24 Shonda Rhimes knew how to leverage diversity to build an entertainment powerhouse – both of her shows have been renewed for a new season. According to Dr. Darnell Hunt, diversity and film expert and director of UCLA’s Bunche Center for African American Studies, ABC is one of the few leading networks pushing for talent like Rhimes these days. Other networks are falling behind, Hunt says, and as a result are unable to keep up with the always changing media landscape on and off the screen. “The networks and studios have to break up their own management structures,” Hunt says, “and that completely hasn’t been done. Even with the diversity that we see on the screen today … behind the scenes, it’s abysmal. And it hasn’t changed in 30 years. So, they’re going to have to deal with that at some point and until they do, we’re going to be having this conversation.”25 Those ABC advertisers knew something that many of their counterparts fail to comprehend: diverse casts equal diverse viewing audiences, and the smart marketer understands how to leverage this for ROI and sales.

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 15 5/15/17 11:34 AM Nielsen conducted a multicultural audience study that found:

IT’S A BLACK CONSUMERS ARE 96% MORE LIKELY THAN THEIR NON-HISPANIC WHITE COUNTERPARTS TO HAVE THEIR PURCHASING TRUST DECISION BE INFLUENCED BY A CELEBRITY THANG ENDORSEMENT THEY ARE 79% MORE LIKELY TO BUY A CE- WRITTEN BY: DARREN MARTIN JR. LEBRITY DESIGNED PRODUCT THAN NON-HIS- & JARED LOGGINS PANIC WHITES WITH SIMILAR INCOME

40% OF BLACK CONSUMERS EXPECT BRANDS TO SUPPORT SOCIAL CAUSES26

So how has this played out in practice? One good example is Nike’s longstanding marketing appeal to their diverse consumer base. They have taken what is best described as a familial approach to Black consumers. From commercial cameos featuring the likes of Serena Williams to LeBron James to Michael Jordan, Nike is keenly aware of the immense popularity these athletes enjoy in Black communities. This awareness translates to profit since consumers see a direct relationship between products and their own interests and sensibilities. In turn, companies like Nike are right to tap into the groundswell of support for Black athletes by using them in major ad campaigns. The approach is both intentional and methodical. Consider the comedian and actor Kevin Hart’s relationship with the brand. A recent spot featuring Kevin Hart racked up 1.2 million views on Instagram. Nike’s Instagram timeline is full of Black representation. The brand has continued to evolve with the community it serves and the community’s brand loyalty reflects that commitment.

One of Oprah’s largest influencer success stories is her book club. What started as a thought from a producer became one of the most successful book-suggestion lists in the world. “No one comes close to Oprah’s clout: Publishers estimate that her power to sell a book is anywhere from 20 to 100 times that of any other media personality,” a 2005 Bloomberg Businessweek article wrote of Winfrey.27 Consumers trust Oprah’s brand and that matters a great deal for the brand’s effectiveness. Another example of her influence is the announcement of her investment in Weight Watchers. Within 24 hours of unveiling a new ad campaign featuring Oprah, Weight Watchers’ stocks rose over 17% and Oprah’s stock in the company increased $35 million since she first disclosed her investment in October 2015.28

There are other brands following the model set forth by Oprah and Nike, but the point is there could be more, especially with the ever-present gaze of social media. Given the immense buying power of Black consumers especially, there is plenty of potential to tap into.

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 16 5/15/17 11:34 AM HOW HAVE BIG BRANDS GOTTEN IT WRONG? WRITTEN BY: DARREN MARTIN JR. & JARED LOGGINS

While Black influencers have impacted consumers new Sienna minivan. The ad featured rapper Busta across platforms, there is still a large misrepresenta- Rhymes and a White suburban family rapping in slang tion and underutilization of Black culture (everything and culturally-specific vernacular. Toyota’s campaign from how Black motherhood is depicted on television received criticism in a similar vein as the Burger King x to Black models in advertising and Black professionals Mary J. Blige catastrophe. Kory Grow, a Rolling Stone in the workplace). Big brand campaigns are either not writer said of the commercial, “As far as viral ads go, representing their diverse consumer bases or they the clip harkens back to Burger King’s controversial are playing into stereotypes and pathologies that 2012 Mary J. Blige clip, in which she sang about fried ultimately rob them of profit and genuine consumer chicken wraps, spurring criticism for playing up racial engagement. stereotypes.”31

In recent years, some poorly conceptualized and/or Busta Rhymes, a well-known rapper in the Black executed marketing campaigns have resulted in community, also caught heat with headlines like backlash against those brands. Burger King and “Busta Rhymes, say it isn’t so” (Hip Hop Wired) and Toyota have both suffered setbacks as a result of their “Oh, Busta Rhymes, what have you done?” (Huffing- failure to properly market to their diverse consumer ton Post).32 Toyota played to stereotypes and bases. In the case of Burger King, a botched potentially turned off Black consumers. With proper campaign starring Mary J. Blige featured the singer consultation from more diverse creatives, the team playing into problematic stereotypes about Black could have immediately rethought their creative people and fried chicken. Burger King’s intention direction and refocused the talent and energy was to use the singer to help market their crispy necessary to make the commerical correct. Saatchi chicken wraps, but it quickly devolved into a racially & Saatchi, a well-known advertising agency whose insensitive ad that might have hurt their consumer staff is primarily White, is responsible for the Toyota base in the long run. Following the commercial’s mistake, but in what ways have other companies been release, many commentators noted how Burger King implicated?33 did not do justice to Blige as a much celebrated artist in Black communities.29 The fumble matters The campaign not only provoked backlash, but it also given the relationship between consumers and their presses on an important question for media sensibilities. If big brands cannot ‘get it right’ in terms professionals: how can brands avoid these missteps? of properly representing the popular culture figures Black consumers desire, it will only hinder their On rare occasions, advertising to the Black bottom line. On another level, the Burger King community is done well by brands and agencies, but misstep was a personnel issue: not having top or mid- these rare occasions are the blueprint to the future level execs to say, “I know this culture. I know Mary. and they warrant examination. Apple is a brand that This isn’t her and it won’t go over well with Black gets multicultural marketing. In their “The Human people.” Instead, it was approved and put to market Family” commercial, for example, they employ at the expense of the artist and company. It was user-generated content and a spoken word poem later pulled due to “a licensing issue” though many by the late Maya Angelou. The statement was clear, attribute the decision to the ad’s racist overtones, “we are more more alike my friends, than we are a further example of the out-of-place strategy and unalike.”34 It was intriguing and powerful because it Burger King’s creative teams not considering the placed the image of the audience in the audience’s larger cultural implications.30 Burger King isn’t the only own hands. They were the storytellers of their culture brand to poorly represent Black consumers. through the images they took and that gave them agency, which in turn translated to authenticity in the In 2015, Toyota re-released a creative ad dubiously advertisement. It is a strategy that any company inter- titled “Swagger Wagon” as a project promoting its ested in growing their consumer base should adopt.

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 17 5/15/17 11:34 AM “The contributions that African-Americans have made in the cultural arena – from music and dance to clothing and slang – have had a major impact on advertising. Although advertising continues to borrow from African-American culture, ad executives have not expressed the same enthusiasm about working with Black creative people.” - Charlie Rice

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 18 5/15/17 11:34 AM BLACK AMERICANS IN ADVERTISING A HISTORICAL LOOK AT THE STRUGGLE FOR INTEGRATION AND REPRESENTATION FROM THE 1960S TO TODAY

WRITTEN BY: BIANA BAKMAN

Mad Men is often used as a pop culture touchstone to describe the advertising industry in its heyday. Surely the real-life industry has changed and evolved a great deal in the 50+ years since the fictionalized 1960s that the show depicts. However, looking at the state of the media and advertising industry through the lens of diversity – namely integration of Black executives – we are still fighting the same battles that were fought in the 1960s. What’s more is that the arguments being made then and now are astonishingly similar with continued passivity from those at the top and minimal improvement in employment numbers.

One particularly illustrative example of the state of the media industry today is the Tumblr “Too Many Guys, One Girl.” The blog utilizes photos of agency teams on stage posing with their newly acquired industry awards to show the gender disparity seen industry-wide. One can’t help but notice that not only are most of those represented men, but they are by-and-large White men.

This decades long battle for integration of the industry is covered in great detail by Jason Chambers in his book, “Madison Avenue and the Color Line: African Americans in the Advertising Industry.”35 It is also covered through the lens of Black women’s experiences in Judy Foster Davis’ book, “Pioneering African-American Women in the Source: Tumblr/Too Many Guys, One Girl Advertising Business: Biographies of MAD Black WOMEN.”36 Of all the years the advertising industry has sluggishly acknowledged the need for diversity ­– while debating about it in the same breath ­ – a few critical episodes stand out.

“Regardless of whether in mainstream or Black-owned agencies, African Americans have historically been underrepresented in the advertising business. Yet, as will be shown, that has not been the result of a lack of desire on their part. Instead, it has often been the result of a hostile industry where talent supposedly trumps other factors, including race, but it rarely has. Instead, African Americans have had to (and desired to) fight for their positions in the industry.” - Jason Chambers in his book “Madison Avenue and the Color Line: African Americans

in the Advertising Industry”r Line: African Americans in the Source: Tumblr/Too Many Guys, One Girl

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 19 5/15/17 11:34 AM 1940s

The National Negro Congress partnered with the Biow advertising agency on a study examining the status of Blacks’ employment in advertising. Chambers explains the study’s results:

“The finding that there were few Blacks featured in advertising surprised few, but the study went further. Specifically, Biow ‘concluded the low number of Blacks in advertisements was due to agencies’ reliance on ‘snob appeal.’ … ‘This [snob appeal] has been such a potent factor in sales that the agencies have extended its use 1950s to their own mahogany-paneled precincts and to their selection of genteel, White [employees].’”37 Two Black men broke through the color barrier in advertising being among the first to be hired in executive The first Black-owned advertising agency, Vomack level positions in general market advertising agencies. Advertising, was founded in Inwood, New York. Followed In 1952, Clarence Holte joined the advertising agency then in 1943 by David Sullivan in New York City and Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn as an ethnic marketing Fusche, Young & Powell in Detroit.38 specialist.39 Then in 1955, Young & Rubicam hired musician Roy Eaton as a copywriter and jingle composer.40 1960s

Coinciding with the civil rights NAACP movement in America, there were ‘‘Most advertising executives regard several organizations putting pressure themselves as enlightened, thinking After a series of meetings in 1963 with on the advertising industry to increase people who are above such primitive representatives from radio and television employment of Black Americans in the attitudes. For them prejudice is a stations, advertising agencies, and the industry, as well as to improve Black psychological, emotional factor that Four A’s, the NAACP presented a five- representation in the advertisements leads to irrational acts. On the other point program that put the onus on the themselves. hand, however, the same unprejudiced Four A’s to monitor its implementation: executives enforce a covert policy of URBAN LEAGUE discrimination in employment, because “1) Recognition of ‘the simple truth’ that it is the custom in the advertising 20,000,000 American citizens are Negro The Urban League conducted a three- industry.’’ - an Urban League member consumers, and therefore ads in basic year study of the hiring practices of what as quoted in “Madison Avenue and the media must reflect the fact that Negroes were then the ten largest New York- Color Line” are represented in every walk of life. 2) based advertising firms. They released Sponsorship of TV and radio programs the results in 1963 and concluded CONGRESS OF RACIAL EQUALITY and commercials that eliminate all racial that just 25 Blacks were in “creative or (CORE) TV IMAGE CAMPAIGN barriers and permit the unrestricted executive positions.” An abysmal number use of Negro performers. 3) Ad agency considering that there were 20,000 people CORE took a slightly different approach employment based upon merit, with employed in advertising in New York City. by focusing on Black integration into Negroes participating in on-the-job television commercials as a way to training and/or apprenticeship programs. The Urban League worked with the drive the larger culture toward greater 4) Use of Negro models in national and American Association of Advertising acceptance. local campaigns for general media, Agencies (also known as Four A’s or not only for Negro appeal media. 5) 4A’s) and later directly with advertising ‘‘You put Negroes on TV to educate Formation of a Four A’s committee to agencies to encourage hiring more the White man that the Negro is part help implement this program and resolve Black professionals. Unsurprisingly they of America.’’ - Leonard Evans, Black present and future problems.” encountered overt … Advertising Executive To their credit, the Four A’s created an ‘‘I have yet to meet a competent By appealing to major consumer brands ad that ran in The New York Times, then copywriter or account executive who is – including Lever Brothers (which would subsequently forty other newspapers, with a Negro. There just aren’t any. I don’t later become Unilever), Colgate, and the headline of ‘‘An Invitation to All Bright feel there would be any discrimination Procter & Gamble to start – CORE was Young Men and Women to Consider on the executive or creative ends. able to garner commitments from the Advertising as a Career” featuring a It’s just a complete lack of available advertising agencies for more inclusion of previously unfathomable integrated talent.’’ - Edward Stern, owner of an Black actors in their commercials. group of young people, a Black man and agency staffing firm woman among them. But did that have an … and covert racism. impact on employment figures?

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 20 5/15/17 11:34 AM ‘‘The NAACP and other civil rights organizations are prepared to mobilize the Negro’s considerable purchasing power in the fight for jobs and freedom.’’ – Roy Wilkins, executive secretary of the NAACP

‘‘As far as I’m concerned, big business will have to take the stand that they should help lead 1970s the country, even in TV commercials. Sure they may find themselves The NYCCHR continued to monitor the companies’ portraying social scenes Source: Newspapers.com employment statistics through an annual survey in with Negroes in commercials that are not quite normal, hopes that their voluntary commitments would begat but they should take a chance and do so.’’ – Carol change. But when by 1973 no changes had been made Taylor, president of Negro Women on the March through voluntary efforts, NYCCHR issued complaints of discrimination against three agencies that then entered ‘‘In the circumstances, it is small wonder not that the into conciliation agreements with the council. ‘pressures outside’ have been put on the industry of advertising and marketing, but, rather that it was so “In the 1970s the NAACP legal defense and late in coming on the one hand, while being as gentle educational fund asks the Federal Communications as it is on the other hand.” – David Sullivan, a Black Commission to take action against discriminatory advertising veteran wrote in a 1964 open letter to Four advertising, charging that African-Americans have A’s president John Crichton41 few major roles in TV commercials. Also in the ‘70s, numerous consumer packaged-goods companies – NEW YORK CITY COMMISSION including Schering-Plough Corp.’s Pharmaco division, ON HUMAN RIGHTS Clairol and Faberge – put more money toward minority consumers, but on-camera progress occurs in fits and The New York City Commission on Human Rights starts.” – AdvertisingAge “Integration hits Madison 43 (NYCCHR) picked up the mantle in March 1968 and held Avenue” piece in “75 Years of Ideas” series the “Public Hearing on the Employment Practices of the Broadcasting and Advertising Industries and the Image Simultaneously, there was a spate of Black-owned Projection of Members of Minority Groups in Television agencies that were created throughout the 1970s and into and Radio,” which lasted 10 days. the ‘80s, many of which focused specifically on reaching the Black consumer. These included Lockhart & Pettus, Among the principal findings of the hearings was this Matlock Advertising and Public Relations, Mingo-Jones conclusion: Advertising, Carol H Williams Advertising Agency, and Burrell McBain (now Burrell Communications), among 44 “Advertising agencies in the New York area had others. consistently failed to employ Blacks, Puerto Ricans, and other minority group members overall, and especially in “Black people are not dark-skinned White people.” 45 professional and executive positions. This low minority – Tom Burrell, founder of Burrell Communications employment rate represented a state of de facto segregation strongly suggesting discrimination.”42

1980s

There was a breakthrough in representation of Blacks in advertising in the ‘80s thanks to the star power of Michael Jackson. In 1983, Jackson signed a record-breaking and now legendary celebrity endorsement deal with Pepsi for $5 million. The company later signed another deal with Jackson in 1987 for $10 million that incorporated sponsorship of his world tour.46

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 21 5/15/17 11:34 AM 1990s

Black representation in mainstream advertisements increased throughout the ‘90s. In 1992 Lana Ogilvie became the first Black CoverGirl, making her the first Black woman to represent a non-ethnic cosmetics line. She paved the way for other Black CoverGirls in that era including model Tyra Banks and singer Brandy.47

Black male model Tyson Beckford signed an exclusive, one-year contract with Ralph Lauren worth $550,000.48 The Benetton Group addressed race relations head-on with their still legendary “United Colors of Benetton” ad 2000s campaign. The Italian retailer spent $8 million per year advertising in American magazines and on billboards. Fast Not much had changed by 2000, where the top 20 Black- forward to the present, the Benetton Group has grown owned advertising agencies in total accounted for only to more than 5,000 stores worldwide with 2015 annual 0.5% of total industry revenues.52 Meanwhile employment revenues of 1.5 billion euros, which shows that investing in of minorities at mainstream agencies stagnated to such a diversity is good business.49 degree that once again the New York City Commission on Human Rights conducted a two-year investigation into the “‘The contributions that African-Americans have made hiring, retention, and promotion of minorities within New in the cultural arena – from music and dance to clothing York’s top agencies. In June 2006, NYCCHR subpoenaed and slang – have had a major impact on advertising,’ 16 top executives who were to testify during hearings that says Charlie Rice, associate creative director with the coincided with that year’s Advertising Week. The hearings Black-owned Caroline Jones Advertising Inc. in New were canceled upon the agencies signing agreements York. ‘Although advertising continues to borrow from with NYCCHR “to boost minority representation in their African-American culture, ad executives have not creative and managerial positions.”53 expressed the same enthusiasm about working with Black creative people.’” – quoted from article entitled “The ad industry – historically lacking diversity – is “Are Advertising Agencies Serious About Hiring responsible for marketing products to millions of African-Americans?” in March 1993 issue of Black African-American and Hispanic consumers. Yet, the Enterprise50 individuals responsible for this marketing – the creative directors – generally do not come from the minority Progress on Black employment in the industry remained communities.” – NYCCHR Commissioner Patricia L. slow. In 1992, Blacks filled only 5.2% of all positions in Gatling54 advertising, marketing and, public relations agencies, even though they accounted for 10.1% of the total U.S. Around the same time, the New York City Council’s Civil workforce. Additionally, an examination of the estimated Rights Committee, led by Council Member Larry Seabrook, 27 Black-owned advertising agencies showed that they was pursuing its own hearings on the issue. Although most were billing just 1% of the industry total.51 agencies did not show up to the City Council’s hearings ­ ­– they had after all just signed agreements with NYCCHR – the City Council was able to strike a fairly significant MADISON AVENUE PROJECT deal with Omnicom to create the “Diversity Development KEY FINDINGS Advisory Committee,” an initiative to which Omnicom committed $1.25 million, and an advertising, marketing • Black college graduates working in advertising skills and media industry readiness curriculum at Medgar earn 80 cents for every dollar earned by their Evers College, which Omnicom would fund in the amount equally-qualified White counterparts. of $1 million. Things seemed to be looking up, particularly 55 • In 2008 the percentage of Black advertising if you were Larry Seabrook or Omnicom’s PR department. managers and professionals was 5.3, but should have been 9.6 based on demographic data, Then in 2008 the NAACP, along with the law firm of Mehri representing a difference of 7,200 executive- & Skalet, launched the ‘Madison Avenue Project’ that level jobs. began by releasing the report, “Research Perspectives • About 16% of large advertising firms employ On Race and Employment in the Advertising Industry.” no Black managers or professionals, a rate 60% The report states that “as employment discrimination has higher than in the overall labor market. sharply diminished across the American labor market over recent decades, systemic barriers to equal opportunity • Black managers and professionals in the industry in this $31 billion a year industry have remained largely are only one-tenth as likely as their White intact. Racial discrimination is 38% worse in the advertising counterparts to earn $100,000 a year. industry than in the overall U.S. labor market, and that • Blacks are only 62% as likely as their White ‘discrimination divide’ between advertising and other U.S. counterparts to work in the powerful ‘creative’ industries is more than twice as large today as it was 30 and ‘client contact’ functions in advertising years ago.” agencies. • Eliminating the industry’s current Black-White employment gap would require tripling its Black managers and professionals.

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 22 5/15/17 11:34 AM They followed up with a series of letters appealing directly to the top advertisers in America starting with Procter & Gamble –­ then later AT&T, Verizon Communications, General Motors Corp., Time Warner, Ford Motor Company, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Walt Disney Co., Unilever, Sprint Nextel Corp., 2010s General Electric Co., Toyota Motor Corp., Chrysler, Sony Corp., L’Oreal, Sears Holding Company, Kraft Several years into this new decade, it seems the industry is Foods, Bank of America, Nissan Motor Co., Macy’s, being dragged toward progress while some senior executives Anheuser Busch InBev, Honda Motor Co., Viacom, and are kicking and screaming. Whether or not it is a result of the Berkshire – imploring these companies “to identify a NAACP’s campaign, it seems that the approach of appealing senior executive to serve as a point of contact on the to the advertisers is working as more and more brands are issue of racial bias in the advertising industry and to calling for diversity in the agencies that work for them. meet promptly with the NAACP.”56 In the latter half of 2016, General Mills, HP Inc., and Verizon each publicly called for more diversity in the agencies they work with. In their creative review General Mills required that the agencies pitching to them had at least 50% women and 20% people of color in their creative departments. HP Inc. and Verizon sent out letters to their existing agencies asking them to present plans for how they would increase the number of women and minorities in executive roles.57 Will these demands from top brands finally force the industry toward inclusion or will these initiatives simply be more lip service and empty promises? It’s too soon to tell. Fundamentally, we have Meanwhile, some senior executives are learning the hard way that overt intolerance will no longer be tolerated. In March to pull back the curtain 2016, Gustavo Martinez resigned from his position as chief executive at J. Walter Thompson (JWT) after Erin Johnson, on this discussion and as the company’s chief communications officer, filed a lawsuit complaining of his racist and sexist comments and behavior. an industry use confabs After a leave of absence Johnson returned to work at JWT, meanwhile Martinez continues to work on other projects within like this to share our best the WPP holding company and the lawsuit is still ongoing. This is a story that shook the industry and is still developing as the thinking and best ideas. lawsuit proceeds.58

Only by bringing this to Following controversial statements made in an interview with Business Insider – essentially denying the existence of any the forefront and having ongoing gender issues in the industry while also claiming that women had no “vertical ambition” – Kevin Roberts, then these discussions can we Saatchi & Saatchi executive chairman and Publicis Groupe head coach, was put on a leave of absence and soon after resigned from his position.59 remedy this [problem]. These latest events represent both the hope and the despair You can’t pretend that of the ongoing battle for inclusion within the industry. On the one hand, it is astonishing that these top executives not it doesn’t exist. That only held these beliefs in the first place, but also that they felt comfortable enough publicly expressing them. It exemplifies doesn’t solve anything.” just how out of touch those at the top of the ladder can be, even with the values their own companies espouse. On the other hand, it is heartening that once these issues are Wendy Clark, DDB North American brought to light, the backlash from the public is so great that the companies are forced to take action. One can hope that CEO, in her speech at the 2016 4A’s with pressure from brands on one side and pressure from the 60 Transformation Conference public on the other, mainstream advertising agencies may finally be forced into real, tangible action of forming a diverse and inclusive workforce.

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 23 5/15/17 11:34 AM IMPROVING BRAND OUTREACH

TAKE AN HONEST LOOK AT YOUR CURRENT MARKET SHARE. YOU CAN IMPACT YOUR AUDIENCE WITH A FRESH AND RELEVANT STRATEGY. STRATEGIC THINKING IS THE BRIDGE TO RELEVANCE.

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 24 IMPROVING5/15/17 11:34 AM BRAND OUTREACH IMPROVING BRAND OUTREACH IMPROVING BRAND OUTREACH

WRITTEN BY: STEPHEN FELDMAN

Size matters. We all know it. The Fortune 500 are giants and want to keep growing. According to the Economist cover story “In Retreat - Global Companies in the Era of Protectionism,” globalization and international trade have been key drivers of competition for more than two decades, but growth is slowing.61 So, where will the brand growth come from? How about our own backyard? According to Nielsen, the multicultural market in America represents $3.4 trillion of buying power as of 2014. The Black American community’s buying power is forecasted to be $1.4 trillion by 2020.62 Make no mistake, inclusion is good business.

Right now, in the U.S., we have mountains of data that empower you to know and communicate effectively with your existing and potential customers. One example of how Fortune 500 businesses can directly impact brand growth is through social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, are only four of the biggest out of nearly 300 social channels. It’s a game changer: enabling two-way communication with customers. The era of business-to-consumer and consumer-to-busi- ness (B2C to C2B) is here. The multicultural audience is the largest user and influencer of this ‘C2B’ communication tool and it offers opportunity for brands to connect and expand their markets to make more money.

Here’s how you can take advantage of multicultural growth in 2017:

INVOLVE BLACK AND MULTICULTURAL TALENT EARLY ON

Management and ad agencies need to recognize that more talent is available than ever before. These new and diverse voices attract a devoted following (some in the millions of followers) because they bring a unique voice or type of creativity. By sticking to old formulas and established ‘stars,’ they miss entire audiences and most importantly, the opportunity to add new customers. A good starting point is to bring on college students. They can help shape or provide an authentic voice to reach these new consumers and they understand and are avid users of social media.

Another way is to invite young (even high school aged), diverse influenc- ers and content creators to open houses to give them an understanding of the different paths they could pursue in the media field. They already exemplify an aptitude for the skills needed. Agencies reaching out to influencers to involve them in campaigns is becoming common, and this is an opportunity to get their input early on, thus, avoiding potential missteps.

A third approach is to reach within their own companies to find brand advocates who are very familiar with their own brand, their own strategy, and their own current messaging. Companies may be surprised at the wealth of knowledge and potential insights residing within the company.

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IMPROVING BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 25 5/15/17 11:34 AM BRAND OUTREACH A fourth approach is now becoming an accepted DEVISE A NEW STRATEGY OR APPROACH practice: using actual real-time data from social channels to test your hypotheses about your prod- Take an honest look at your current market share. ucts, services, and trends. It is all about trying one You can impact your audience with a fresh and thing, seeing the results or lack of results, then trying relevant strategy. Strategic thinking is the bridge to another. By combining youthful insights and using relevance. How are you describing your customers statistical analysis and search optimization tech- and the ones that your competition is courting? Find niques, there is a better use of resources leading to your strengths and weaknesses with an audit of your higher revenues and profits. existing ads. How are your ads representing or not representing Black consumers? Benetton’s iconic INCREASE BUDGET AND INVESTMENT United Colors of Benetton multicultural ads started running in the early 1980s. That’s 35 years ago. Are Has your ad budget and ad targeting kept pace you in danger of falling behind or becoming irrele- with the changing demographics of the U.S.? New vant? customer growth can be achieved with an increase or You or your agency can meet and ask your staff a more diverse allocation of the existing ad budget. through surveys or focus groups specific questions to Everyone knows that ‘digital’ is gaining a bigger uncover any gaps between how your company thinks share of ad spend, but the deeper commitment to a your messaging is being communicated and what broader customer base (think multicultural) can only current customers say. Then compare the results to improve earnings of companies. New social media feedback from potential customers and possibly tools are just one part of a larger strategy to increase to the nuanced ways that multicultural audiences customer growth and company earnings. A central prefer to communicate. This may prove insightful. In idea is that getting more Black and multicultural addition, outside agencies can be useful in helping consumers in the sales funnel will lead to results. understand and navigate how demographics are changing and how to reach these audiences. For REACH OUT AND FIND LOCAL TALENT example, Black consumers use social media exten- sively. How do you increase sales to Black consumers Find a wealth of talent online when you explore the using these new marketing channels? A fresh look ecosystem of customers living, breathing, and buying at your content might be required. What images products and services as a result of the influence felt are you currently using in your ads? What is your through social media. By interacting with these new messaging? Is the intent behind your messaging and or up-and-coming talents, companies can absorb how it is perceived in alignment? and learn about their potential new customers and audiences. INTERNAL ASSESSMENT OF THE BRANDS The new business model of many-to-many is here. APPROACH / MULTICULTURAL MARKETING Broadcast media and the one-to-many distribution business model is still important, but is rapidly Your internal marketing team working with your becoming outdated and experiencing a tectonic ad partners can create a company specific audit shift. Customers can provide direct feedback to program and issue a private report card. The aim is companies and to other customers through online to gather information and insights from those who reviews, for example, allowing them to improve their know your company’s ethos and mission best, your products or services. Black consumers are among the own team. While big data and focus groups can highest users of social media. This is not something reveal much externally about customers, no one is in to fear. More consumer information and interaction a better position to help you than your own provides significant upside profit potential. The employees. Forward thinking agencies can be downside is to be left behind and with a slew of poor change agents and have unique tools to allow reviews. How does that happen? By not listening management to understand where they have been, to your customers. And, by not doing a good job where they are, and where to go to increase portraying your audience in your ads. customers, revenues, and profits.

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BlkPaper-BB424-2.indd 26 5/15/17 11:34 AM NOTES AND REFERENCES

THIS ISN’T KANSAS ANYMORE: MORE LIKE ATLANTA 20. Joe Coscarelli, “How Rae Sremmurd’s ‘Black Beatles’ Rode the #Man- nequin Challenge to No. 1,” New York Times, November 16, 2016, https:// www.nytimes.com/2016/11/17/arts/music/black-beatles-rae-sremmurd- 1. The Nielsen Company, “Young, Connected And Black African-American mannequin-challenge-meme.html, accessed March 2017. Millennals Are Driving Social Change And Leading Digital Advancement 2016 Report” (PDF file), downloaded from Nielsen website, http://www. BLACK WOMEN DOMINATE nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/reports-downloads/2016- reports/african-american-consumer-report-oct-2016.pdf, accessed March 2017. Hereafter abbreviated Young, Connected And Black. 21. Affluent, Educated And Diverse

2. Young, Connected And Black 22. The Nielsen Company, “Powerful. Growing. Influential. The African- American Consumer” (PDF File), downloaded from Nielsen website, 3. Young, Connected And Black http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/reports-down- loads/2014%20Reports/nieslen-essence-2014-african-american-consum- 4. The Nielsen Company, “The Multicultural Edge: Rising Super Con- er-report-Sept-2014.pdf, accessed March 2017. sumers” (PDF file), downloaded from Nielsen website, http://www. nielsencommunity.com/report_files/the-multicultural-edge-rising-super- 23. Jeanine Poggi, “TV Ad Pricing Chart: A Show in Its 13th Season Returns consumers-march-2015.pdf, accessed March 2017. Hereafter abbreviated to the Top 10 Most Expensive Buys,” AdvertisingAge, http://adage.com/ The Multicultural Edge. article/news/tv-ad-pricing-chart/305899/, accessed March 2017.

5. The Multicultural Edge 24. Rick Porter, “TGIT in 2018: ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ ‘Scandal’ and ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ all renewed,” Screener, February 10, 2017, http://via. 6. The Multicultural Edge scrnrtv.com/LOjsc, accessed March 2017.

7. “Asians, Hispanics driving U.S. economy forward, according to UGA 25. Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA, “‘The study,” Selig Center for Economic Growth press release (Atlanta, GA, Old Boy’s Club:’ 2015-2016 Hollywood Diversity Report HD,” YouTube, September 24, 2015). published June 23, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV7XWv- 8j2Qs, accessed March 2017. 8. The World Bank, “Mexico Overview - World Bank,” http://www.world- bank.org/en/country/mexico/overview, accessed March 2017. IT’S A TRUST THANG

9. Young, Connected And Black 26. Affluent, Educated And Diverse

10. The Nielsen Company, “Increasingly Affluent, Educated And Diverse 27. Hardy Green, “Commentary: Why Oprah Opens Readers’ Wallets,” African-American Consumers: The Untold Story 2015 Report” (PDF file), BloombergBusinessweek, October 10, 2005, https://www.bloomberg. downloaded from Nielsen website, http://www.nielsen.com/content/ com/news/articles/2005-10-09/commentary-why-oprah-opens-readers- dam/corporate/us/en/reports-downloads/2015-reports/african-american- wallets, accessed March 2017. consumer-untold-story-sept-2015.pdf, accessed March 2017. Hereafter abbreviated Affluent, Educated And Diverse. 28. Paul R. La Monica, “Oprah loses 40 pounds, gains big $ with Weight Watchers,” CNNMoney, December 22, 2016, http://money.cnn. 11. Affluent, Educated And Diverse com/2016/12/22/investing/oprah-winfrey-lost-forty-pounds-weight- watchers/, accessed March 2017. 12. Affluent, Educated And Diverse HOW HAVE BIG BRANDS GOTTEN IT WRONG? 13. Young, Connected And Black 29. Janell Hazelwood, “UPDATE: Burger King Pulls Chicken Ad, But Dam- 14. Young, Connected And Black age to Mary J. Blige Brand Already Done,” BlackEnterprise, April 3, 2012, http://www.blackenterprise.com/blogs/burger-king-pulls-mary-j-blige- MEASURING INFLUENCE chicken-commercial-but-brand-damage-done/, accessed March 2017.

15. Affluent, Educated And Diverse 30. Ray Rahman, “Burger King pulls Mary J. Blige ad, faces outcry over ‘racist’ overtones,” Entertainment Weekly, April 4, 2012, http://ew.com/ DONALD GLOVER AS MARKETING GURU article/2012/04/04/mary-j-blige-burger-king-ad-chicken-wrap/, accessed March 2017. 16. “Demographics of Atlanta,” Wikipedia, last modified March, 21, 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Atlanta. 31. Kory Grow, “Busta Rhymes Makes Bizarre Cameo in Controversial ‘Swagger Wagon’ Ad,” RollingStone, August 4, 2014, http://www.rolling- 17. Adelle Platon, “Migos Calls Donald Glover’s Golden Globes Shout-Out stone.com/music/news/busta-rhymes-makes-bizarre-cameo-in-controver- ‘An Honor,’” Billboard, January 9, 2017, http://www.billboard.com/articles/ sial-swagger-wagon-ad-20140804, accessed March 2017. columns/hip-hop/7648021/migos-bad-and-boujee-donald-glover-gold- en-globes-honor, accessed March 2017. 32. Chris DeVille, “The Internet Is Upset With Busta Rhymes’ Cameo In ‘Swagger Wagon’ Car Commercial,” Stereogum, August 4, 2014, http:// LIKE WILDFIRE www.stereogum.com/1696547/the-internet-is-upset-with-busta-rhymes- cameo-in-swagger-wagon-car-commercial/video/, accessed March 2017. 18. Andrew Unterberger, “‘Black Beatles’ Is the No. 1 Song the Country Needs Right Now: Critic’s Take,” Billboard, November 14, 2017, http:// 33. David Griner, “Ad of the Day: Is Toyota’s Swagger Wagon Sequel Good www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7573638/rae-sremmurd- Cringey or Bad Cringey?,“ Adweek, August 4, 2014, http://www.adweek. black-beatles-no-1-song-hot-100, accessed March 2017. com/brand-marketing/ad-day-toyotas-swagger-wagon-sequel-good- cringey-or-bad-cringey-159255/, accessed March 2017. 19. Lily Feinn, “What Is The Mannequin Challenge? This Meme Is Freezing Schools Across The Country,” Bustle, November 7, 2016, https://www. 34. Apple, “The Human Family — Shot on iPhone — Apple,” YouTube, pub- bustle.com/articles/193617-what-is-the-mannequin-challenge-this-meme- lished August 4, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztMfBZvZF_Y, is-freezing-schools-across-the-country, accessed March 2017. accessed March 2017.

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48. 75 Years of Ideas

49. Kim Foltz, “The Media Business; Benetton Changes Its Ads,” New York Times, March 8, 1990, http://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/08/business/ the-media-business-benetton-Changes-its-ads.html, accessed March 2017; “Benneton Group,” Wikipedia, last modified April 16, 2017, https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benetton_Group.

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51. “African-Americans: Representations in Advertising,” AdvertisingAge, September 15, 2003, http://adage.com/article/adage-encyclopedia/afri- can-americans-representations-advertising/98304/, accessed March 2017.

52. Tanner Colby, “The Massive Liberal Failure on Race,” Slate, February 28 THE BLACK PAPER

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