African American consumers tend to trust brands that sound and look like us and accurately represent how we live. Therefore, Black Americans tend to value authentic representations of themselves. That is why it is important for brands to authentically thread diversity, equity, and inclusion in their brand stories to reflect the Black experience in meaningful ways.
Essentially brands should give up on using the typical stock photography and invest in real brand ambassadors who genuinely represent Black culture. They should move beyond only showcasing Black voices every February to truthfully showcasing our opinions, experiences, and journeys the whole year. This way, brands can show that they actually value their African American consumers instead of running campaigns that exploit African American dollars or simply exist to tick a diversity box.
Demonstrate authentic support for Black American communities wholistically
Black Americans want to engage with a brand that celebrates our culture, our success, and our achievements, not just our struggles. Black Americans have contributed more to the history and culture of the United States and the global sphere than that of our suffering. Without acknowledging that, brands are ignoring a significant part of our experience as humans.
Shift to an asset-based narrative that portrays Black stories of professional success, goal mindsets, and living life as confident consumers. Highlight Black Americans in profile features, podcast interviews, and through social media, which reflect Black Americans and the depth of all of our experiences. Just as there is no singular lifestyle attributed to any other demographic, Black Americans are diverse across socioeconomic status, education, lifestyle preferences, and interests.
Brands that have an authentic brand strategy honor and respect that Black Americans are multi-faceted and create marketing strategies that are nuanced when targeting Black American consumers.
Respect the intelligence of Black women
Black women are the leading college educated and most entrepreneurial demographic in the United States. The number of businesses owned by Black women grew by 50% from 2014 to 2019; and 36% of all Black employers are Black women. According to the same data, 17% of Black women are starting businesses compared to only 10% of White women and 15% of White men.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, between 2018 and 2019, Black women represented 66% of all bachelor’s degrees, 71% of all master’s degrees, and 65% of doctoral, medical, and dental degrees.
Black women are not simply the uneducated, struggling single mother stereotype that seems to be one of the only reflections of representation. In fact, according to a Pew Research report, more single-family homes are 42% White compared to 28% Black.
What this means for brands is that Black women will be researching the truth behind your brand. Black women will bring discernment and wisdom that is not only reinforced by the depths of education but also passed down through generations. Black women, as a natural result of being constantly placed in situations where we were being exploited or taken advantage of, had to develop this added awareness. Therefore, brands need to respect this intelligence; and in return, Black women will reward with their brand loyalty.
Be clear about what your brand stands for
If your brand professes to support Black Lives Matter and standing up for racial justice, demonstrate why you believe it and how you are taking actionable steps to take a stand. Putting a Black square or creating a Black Lives Matter post on your Instagram does not show solidarity. It shows pandering or even exploiting the cause to get more Black dollars.
If presenting your brand as an “ally” and an advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), share your metrics that illustrate your commitments. Demonstrate your internal culture and how you are operationalizing DEIB within your organization as a reflection that you are practicing what you are marketing. Show what organizations you may be partnering with, not only to educate your internal staff on racial justice; but to create positive changes within the Black community. All these avenues will yield respect and trust in what your brand truly represents.
Listen to Black voices on social media
Pay attention to how you engage Black consumers on your social media platforms. Black consumers have built a trusted following, exchanging thought-provoking facts, opinions, news coverage, and more. When the Black community supports a brand, we share it within our community. In fact, 30% of Black consumers are considered in the “trendsetter” segment, which highlights this fact.
This ties back to authenticity. The more your brand reflects a true interest in supporting and uplifting the Black community with your product or service, the more people in the community are going to know about it. And consider this, as of 2019, Black consumer consumption is at $910 billion and will continue to rise to $1.7 trillion in less than a decade. If your brand offends the Black community and overlooks its trendsetter influence, your business could suffer significantly.
Give credit where and when credit is due
Black culture is often replicated by mainstream audiences. Preserving individuality within the culture is what drives innovation within the Black community. When brands aspire to replicate and repurpose content from Black trendsetters, they must acknowledge the originators of the trend; otherwise, it is another case of cultural appropriation.
Cultural appropriation is defined as:
“The unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.”
Prime examples of this are usually in fashion: where designers continue to use protective cornrow hairstyles (i.e., multiple rows of braids) made popular by Black women on White models; or darkening the skin tone of White models instead of hiring Black models. This is where hiring more Black people to run your marketing campaigns comes in handy when aspiring to connect with the Black community authentically. You can both respect the culture, highlight the trends made popular by the community, and still pay homage to its originators. This is a genuine combination to build brand loyalty and trust within a tightly-knit community of influencers.
