17458: On Brand Investment, Interest, And Indifference For Black Consumers.

 

MediaPost published an almost stereotypical perspective on connecting with Black consumers.

 

From emphasizing Blacks shape culture to insisting Black audiences are swayed by authentic and accurate representation in advertising, the op-ed offers nothing new. The exposition mimics pitch decks of every past and present Black advertising agency.

 

The author delivers the standard declaration: “Brands that invest in authentic cultural representation have a larger, more responsive audience ready to engage and convert.”

 

Okay, except history has shown brand investment rarely exceeds crumbs—and brand interest is even crumbier. Indeed, the current anti-DEIBA+ vibe in Adland fuels brand indifference.

 

Cultural Trust As Currency: Why Black Consumers Shift Spending Due To Brand Values

 

By Charlene Polite Corley

 

Black consumers continue to shape culture that captures attention, but tokenism alone is not enough to earn loyalty. Increasingly, Black consumers are making intentional decisions about where they spend their money, and those decisions are directly tied to whether a brand demonstrates real cultural understanding and alignment. In times of economic uncertainty, that bar is only getting higher.

 

The data makes the stakes even clearer. According to Nielsen’s 2025 Attitudes on Representation Study, over half of Black consumers say a brand’s stance on social issues is a major factor in their purchasing decisions, and 70% say they will stop buying from brands perceived as devaluing their community, up from 66% in 2023. That upward trend signals that Black consumer expectations are growing, and brands that are not keeping up the pace are actively losing ground.

 

What drives this shift is visibility and relevance in practice. Black audiences are more than twice as likely to rank authentic and accurate representation of their race or ethnicity as the strongest motivation to engage with new content compared to respondents overall. Additionally, 67% of Black consumers say they pay more attention to brands that reflect their culture, compared to 46% overall.

 

For marketers, this gap represents both a risk and a clear opportunity. Brands that invest in authentic cultural representation have a larger, more responsive audience ready to engage and convert.

 

Where and how brands show up matters significantly. Fifty-six percent of Black consumers prefer to buy based on ads that appear in culturally relevant content, compared to 35% overall. This is not a preference to ignore. It means that media placement is a value signal, not solely a targeting decision. Showing up in the right cultural contexts communicates that a brand understands and respects the audience it is trying to reach.

 

Earning attention from Black consumers requires cultural fluency built over time, through community partnerships, creator collaborations and storytelling that reflects the full range of Black experiences. For example, Black suburban consumers are among the most likely to agree that a brand’s stance on social issues influences their purchasing decisions, at 59%, compared to 51% of the suburban total, according to Nielsen’s 2025 Advanced Audience Attitudes Study. Strategies that treat Black audiences as monolithic will miss this nuance entirely.

 

Ultimately, brands that earn lasting loyalty are the ones that approach cultural understanding as an ongoing commitment—and a competitive advantage. Black consumers watch to see how brands show up consistently, how they listen and how they invest the time to understand the communities they are trying to reach. When consumers feel genuinely seen, they respond with loyalty and advocacy. When they feel like an afterthought, they spend elsewhere.

 

In today’s marketplace, cultural trust is a business metric, and it is one that Black consumers are actively scoring every day.

17402: Obsidianworks Flowing Freely And Independently.

 

Advertising Age spotlighted Obsidianworks, the enterprise co-founded by A-list actor Michael B. Jordan and former Nike executive Chad Easterling.

 

The firm is restating its position with a “New Money America” platform.

 

The Ad Age content is definitely worth reading.

 

Michael B. Jordan’s agency regains its independence—behind Obsidianworks’ bet on ‘New Money America’

 

By Brian Bonilla

 

Obsidianworks, the agency co-founded by actor Michael B. Jordan and former Nike executive Chad Easterling, is going fully independent by buying back the minority stake previously owned by WME Group’s 160over90 since 2021.

 

The move is intended to help Obsidianworks grow faster and more deliberately, according to Easterling, who serves as the agency’s CEO. Part of that growth plan is Obsidianworks reframing its positioning to embrace what it calls “New Money America,” which Easterling describes as younger, more diverse and culturally fluid generation that is driving the largest wealth transfer in history.

 

The agency launched in 2019 and took on investment from 160over90 in 2021. At the time, reports said the investment was worth about $20 million.

 

Easterling declined to comment on the figure or disclose the financial terms of the buyback. The decision to regain full ownership was not the result of a failed partnership but rather the next phase of a plan that had been in place since the beginning, he added.

 

“When we entered the partnership, going independent was always part of the plan as well,” Easterling said. “For us and for them, it was really about wanting to help us get established—help us get the fundamentals and structure in place.”

 

160over90 wasn’t immediately available for comment.

 

Michael B. Jordan is also currently managed by WME, which is part of WME Group.

 

Obsidianworks’ origins

 

Obsidianworks was founded on the belief that the traditional agency model needed to evolve.

 

“Mike saw an opportunity from his side as an actor—working with studios and production companies that were asking him about connecting with consumers—and as a brand ambassador working with brands and trying to connect to consumers,” Easterling said.

 

From the start, the founders wanted to build a company that could scale beyond Jordan’s personal network.

 

“We didn’t want this to be where he’s trying to walk us into every single door, and he feels that pressure,” Easterling said.

 

That ambition is what made the partnership with 160over90 appealing. The relationship gave Obsidianworks infrastructure, credibility and the ability to operate like a more established agency early in its life.

 

One notable project produced alongside 160over90 was the creation of the Legacy Classic, a televised HBCU men’s basketball showcase held in Newark, New Jersey. Easterling said that led to work with Marriott, along with projects the companies collaborated on for Meta and Nike.

 

“The partnership allowed us to have a level of structure and foundation that let us not only get after one or two projects as a small, nimble shop, but get after multiple bodies of work that overlapped at the same time,” he said.

 

Why independence feels right now

 

After five years of building the business and establishing a roster of clients with support from 160over90, Easterling believes the agency has proven its model and can now expand more freely.

 

“Now feels like the right time because we want to begin to move faster, take more risks and define our own growth trajectory without constraints,” he said.

 

That expansion is tied closely to Obsidianworks’ focus on “New Money America.”

 

“They’re not niche,” Easterling said of this consumer group. “They are the growth engine many brands are trying to get to, but not recognizing.”

 

Easterling said the concept reflects both research and real-world observation. It includes consumers whose financial realities may not always appear in traditional income metrics—people with full-time jobs who also generate income through side businesses or entrepreneurial ventures.

 

“We’re not just talking about Black consumers or multicultural consumers—we’re talking about that entire demographic across every background and nationality,” he said. “They’re bringing about the largest transfer of wealth, and they operate differently than millennials and Gen X.”

 

According to Easterling, this audience is more entrepreneurial, digitally native and fluid in how it defines status, success and spending.

 

Beyond the ‘multicultural’ label

 

That perspective also shapes how Obsidianworks positions itself within the agency landscape.

 

Easterling acknowledged that when the agency launched, many conversations around it centered on multicultural marketing and inclusive work. But he said the agency never deliberately positioned itself as a multicultural shop. At that time, he argued, many multicultural agencies were still using “outdated” approaches to reach diverse audiences.

 

Obsidianworks, he said, aims to sit between those two worlds.

 

“Yes, any call we go on, people know we’re multicultural—we have that authority,” Easterling said. However, he said, that label alone shouldn’t define the business. “We were never here to be diversity consultants.”

 

Instead, Easterling often frames the company more broadly as an agency or enterprise built to help brands grow.

 

“Typically I say we’re an agency—or I say we’re an enterprise,” he said, sometimes joking that “we’re a construction company for brands and New Money America—we’re builders.”

 

Obsidianworks’ growth and clients

 

Some of Obsidianworks’ work already reflects that positioning. Easterling pointed to the Legacy Classic as an early example of the agency’s New Money America thesis. The event connected with HBCU communities through basketball while introducing those schools and experiences to audiences outside their traditional geographic centers.

 

“We did it in Newark, New Jersey, because it’s easy to do things where HBCUs are, in the South,” Easterling said. “We wanted to bring this to a new audience—introducing and educating a new audience about HBCUs and introducing them to that experience.”

 

The event also aimed to generate economic activity for Newark and bring national attention to the city.

 

Today, Obsidianworks’ client roster includes Nike, Converse, Jordan Brand, Meta, Target and Spanx. The agency currently employs about 20 full-time staffers and plans to add another 10 to 12 people during the first half of the year.

 

Despite a broader pullback in investment toward diverse-owned agencies, Easterling said the company has maintained strong client relationships.

 

“I’d be crazy to say there wasn’t a shift—absolutely there was,” he said. Even so, he added, “the demand for culturally relevant work that connects to consumers and to those audiences has never been higher.”

 

The role of entertainment

 

Jordan, who is up for best actor for “Sinners” at the Oscars this Sunday, remains an important part of Obsidianworks’ strategic vision, though Easterling emphasized the agency was never intended to function as a vanity project built solely around the actor’s career. Still, its connection to entertainment could become more significant as brands increasingly seek ways to participate in film, TV and other entertainment properties.

 

“Before, that wasn’t the biggest focus for us, even though we could do it,” Easterling said. “Now it’s more of a focus.”

 

Obsidianworks’ decision to go independent was not driven by the broader trend toward indie agencies finding success with clients, Easterling said, though he acknowledged the advantages the structure can provide. He also didn’t rule out future M&A opportunities or building capabilities, but said that it isn’t the agency’s main focus right now.

 

“Being independent is a strength and has benefits,” he said. “It allows us to move quickly and focus on delivering measurable impact for clients without as many layers.”

 

Clarification: This story has been updated to include the current name of WME Group.

17291: ICYMI HBCU FYI.

 

Advertising Age published a perspective declaring “HBCUs have always been curators of cultural moments”—stressing how brands should invest in the higher education institutions and associated students to create authentic connections.

 

There’s nothing new in the op-ed that hasn’t been articulated by HBCUs and Black advertising agencies for decades.

 

Indeed, brands jumped on the HBCU bandwagon in recent years, generating opportunities for heat shields, performative PR, and embryo recruitment.

 

Hard to say if such philanthropic activity diminished in parallel with the anti-DEIBA+ vibe in Adland.

 

It’s a safe bet AI trumped HBCU too.

 

How HBCU culture sets the trends brands chase on social media

 

By Tayler Towles

 

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are epicenters of culture. They produce leaders across industries, foster academic excellence and create spaces where underrepresented students thrive authentically. Beyond academics, HBCUs instill pride that radiates from students to alumni to faculty and, increasingly, to brands.

 

I’ve experienced this firsthand as a proud graduate of Howard University’s School of Business, where I served as valedictorian of the class of 2025.

 

From homecoming to hashtags—how HBCU traditions go viral

 

IYKYK ... but if you don’t, let me tell you: HBCUs have always been curators of cultural moments. From academic rigor to deep community service, much of the HBCU experience is also grounded in tradition.

 

Homecoming, for example, isn’t just a football game. It is an ecosystem of celebration, shared experience, resilience and community. Every year, alumni reunions, step shows, concerts on the yard, halftime band performances, family-reunion-style tailgates and closing chapel services are anticipated and highly sought after. These aren’t just events; they’re cultural markers.

 

And then there’s fashion and music. At HBCUs, every day is a runway. Students take pride in individuality, driving viral moments without needing to be influencers. Just look at how HBCUs transformed #FDOC (First Day of Class) into a national trend. A single post from Florida A&M University this year drew more than 3 million views on Instagram. Collective “fit checks” across campuses are now cultural events amplified online—something that was rarely seen at other universities before HBCUs made it mainstream.

 

These everyday moments broadcast across TikTok and Instagram are helping shape the future of HBCUs themselves. Post-COVID, visibility has fueled rising enrollment. On TikTok, hashtags like #FAMU (92.1k posts), #NCAT (88.9k posts) and #HowardUniversity (60.7k posts) prove how far HBCU pride travels. Howard even welcomed its two largest freshman classes in history in back-to-back years.

 

When brands show up at HBCUs, students show out

 

Ralph Lauren’s Oak Bluffs collection, in partnership with Morehouse and Spelman, designed by alumni James Jeter and Dara Douglas, did a wonderful job of illuminating stories that often go untold from the Black community in a stylish, trend-focused way true to Black culture. Deep attention to detail, true understanding through experience and community impact helped the campaign sell out quickly. It also drove massive TikTok conversation and aligned the brand with cultural authenticity.

 

In 2024, Nascar partnered with Howard alumnus Tahir Murray’s Legacy History Pride to celebrate HBCU culture through a pit crew jersey collection. Murray’s announcement video earned nearly 64,000 views on Instagram, helping drive conversation and excitement across HBCU campuses. Nascar also created a Campus Lab at Winston-Salem State University, where 15 students participated in case competitions, marketing activations and scholarship and internship opportunities.

 

ESPN has taken a similar route, bringing “First Take” live to campuses like Howard University, Tennessee State University and Clark Atlanta University. These activations didn’t just generate content; they created viral, student-driven moments. One TikTok from Howard student Kelsie Jarett capturing Stephen A. Smith’s interaction alone hit nearly 600,000 views. When brands show up authentically in HBCU spaces, students amplify the story for them.

 

The digital ripple of HBCU culture

 

The digital ripple of HBCU culture proves one truth: What happens on the yard doesn’t stay there—it drives the language, style and trends dominating social feeds. Viral phrases from African American Vernacular English like “Clock it” or “I know that’s right” illustrate how Black culture consistently fuels popular culture.

 

People gravitate toward brands that make them feel genuinely seen, and marketers are being challenged to deliver more meaningful impact with every dollar spent. Partnering with HBCUs offers something money can’t buy: authentic connection. To truly be at the forefront of trends in today’s social-first world, we must look to the very communities already creating them.

 

Invest in HBCU talent, not just HBCU moments

 

Brands should begin by assembling internal teams who align with and understand unique cultural elements. These teams have personal experience and can connect with the voices they wish to serve, helping narrate stories that often go untold—similar to Ralph Lauren’s Oak Bluffs collection.

 

Brands should avoid one-off activations and instead take the time to foster relationships with HBCUs and students alike through mutually beneficial resources. Educational opportunities like case studies that connect students to internships and scholarships help brands not only uncover unique solutions to business problems but also create a pipeline of diverse talent.

 

HBCU students aren’t just participants in culture; they are its catalysts. By tapping into their creativity, voices and perspectives, brands can connect at the very point where culture is created—before it ever hits the feed.

 

Tayler Towles is an assistant account executive at Leo Chicago and recently graduated from Howard University as valedictorian of the School of Business.

17271: On Omnicom Number Games.

 

Leaders at the new Omnicom presented a variety of spin to address the 4,000 jobs—and presumably, 4,000 humans—being ejected from the ginormous White holding company.

 

Omnicom Media CEO Florian Adamski refused to let layoffs define the story of the corporate acquisition scheme. “This is not about eradicating jobs,” Adamski insisted. “This is about building a company for the future.” Right. Except 4,000 people are now learning they won’t be part of the future—and may soon face difficult times ahead.

 

Omnicom Chairman, CEO, and Pioneer of Diversity John Wren said, “[Globally eliminating 4,000 positions is] going to allow us to meet and exceed the synergies that we promised the marketplace last December.”

 

That’s political rhetoric meaning, “I must deliver the cost reductions I promised to shareholders and investors.” In short, Wren will keep his job by cutting 4,000 drones’ jobs.

  

Wren also claimed impacted workers will be notified ASAP in December so as “not to leave people in a state of doubt.” Um, people at Omnicom and IPG have been left in varying states of doubt, confusion, and anxiety since December 2024 when the deal was announced.

 

Finally, Wren positioned the overall firing figure as “a very low single-digit type of efficiency.”

 

Advertising practitioners love to shift perspectives to distort perceptions. So, let’s play the game.

 

Sure, 4,000 bodies might not appear to be a big deal when viewed against the Omnicom and IPG combined total headcount. Hell, the two White holding companies already dumped roughly 6,200 drones ahead of the acquisition.

 

Yet has any multicrumbtual advertising agency ever had 4,000 employees? Combining the total rosters of every Black advertising agency—past and present—would likely fall far short of 4,000.

 

Has the US advertising industry ever employed 4,000 Dawn Chambers? Based on 2017 data from the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, there are probably much fewer than 400 Black women executives in Adland USA.

 

Sorry, but “a very low single-digit type of efficiency” equates to a very high triple-digit type of indifference.

17127: Mickey D’s Sings, “Ba-Da-Ba-Ba-Ba-Buh-Bye, Burrell.”

Advertising Age reported Mickey D’s named Translation as AOR for the Black consumer market, replacing 50-year incumbent Burrell Communications Group.

 

Regarding the account reassignment, Burrell’s relatively new leaders—who purchased the iconic Black advertising agency in 2023—are probably not thinking, “i’m lovin’ it!” However, it’s unclear if Burrell was completely dumped from Mickey D’s roster.

 

Translation President Jonathan Akwue said, “McDonald’s is leaning on Translation as cultural experts to evolve how the brand shows up—honoring the legacy that earned its place in Black culture while finding even more relevant and authentic spaces to amplify its presence in the daily lives of [African American] consumers.”

 

The legacy that earned its place in Black culture? Um, Tom Burrell would probably argue his agency’s groundbreaking work, which began in the 1970s, created the legacy that helped the Golden Arches earn its place in Black culture.

 

McDonald’s adds Translation to its agency roster

 

By Lindsay Rittenhouse

 

McDonald’s has hired Translation as its agency of record for the African American consumer market following a review.

 

Under the remit, the agency will lead creative efforts to “deepen cultural connection and drive growth with Black consumers” across all consumer touchpoints, according to Jonathan Akwue, president of Translation.

 

Translation replaces Burrell Communications, which previously handled this work. McDonald’s declined to comment on whether it would be working with Burrell at all going forward. Burrell did not return multiple calls for comment.

 

The review was managed by MediaSense’s R3.

 

Translation’s first assignment in its new role was to help create messaging around the revival of the McDonald’s Snack Wrap. Wieden+Kennedy New York, McDonald’s creative agency of record, made the hero campaign, including ads featuring “Succession” actor Brian Cox. Translation was in charge of helping drive demand for the Snack Wrap among what McDonald’s calls the African American consumer market, as described by McDonald’s.

 

For the push, Translation created the character Unc, who is played by actor Hassan Johnson and appears in a series of ads to help influence the younger generation to try Snack Wraps for the first time. Unc also claims credit for convincing McDonald’s to revive the beloved menu item.

 

Akwue said it was critical to target younger consumers who may have missed the Snack Wrap during its first run. The item was taken off most menus in 2016.

 

“In the Black community, Unc isn’t just a relative—he’s a neighborhood staple,” Akwue said. “He’s the one at the cookout telling stories, cracking jokes and giving unsolicited wisdom. He bridges generations with credibility, humor and love. So we made Unc our messenger—the one person who can co-sign the return of the Snack Wrap and convince the youngins it’s worth the hype.”

 

Akwue said the agency’s music distribution company, UnitedMasters, was critical in the pitch to win this business. “We are extremely proud of how the entire teams at Translation and UnitedMasters came together to secure this important win,” he said.

 

McDonald’s has leaned on Translation to deliver culturally relevant work before—the two companies have a history that dates back more than 20 years. Steve Stoute, the founder and CEO of Translation and UnitedMasters, has previously noted that he and Translation were a key part of the creative process that led to the creation of the Golden Arches’ iconic “I’m Lovin’ It” tagline in 2003. Translation also worked on the 2013 “Think with Your Mouth” Big Mac campaign.

 

“We’ve long championed the power of culture as a driver of meaningful connection and business growth,” Akwue said. “McDonald’s is leaning on Translation as cultural experts to evolve how the brand shows up—honoring the legacy that earned its place in Black culture while finding even more relevant and authentic spaces to amplify its presence in the daily lives of [African American] consumers.”

 

The appointment comes as the fast-food giant has seen weakness in sales at longstanding restaurants. McDonald’s first-quarter U.S. same-store sales declined 3.6%, its largest domestic comparable sales drop since the 8.7% decline reported in the second quarter of 2020 during statewide lockdowns brought on by the COVID pandemic.

 

Morgan Flatley, McDonald’s global chief marketing officer and head of new business ventures, told Ad Age in a recent interview that her brand strategy has been to lean into fan truths—described as moments, rituals, memories, or behaviors that are inextricably linked to McDonald’s—while simultaneously promoting messaging focused in value, which is critical in reaching customers today who are more cost conscious in the shaky economy.

 

Translation’s appointment also follows McDonald’s retiring some of its diversity, equity and inclusion goals at the start of the year.

 

McDonald’s spent $690 million on U.S. measured media in 2024, up from $609 million in 2023, per MediaRadar estimates. In the first quarter of 2025, the company spent $126 million in the U.S., down from $148 million in the first quarter of 2024, according to MediaRadar.

16981: BHM 2025—AbelsonTaylor Group.

It’s been disturbing to see most White holding companies and White advertising agencies ignore Black History Month—especially in terms of deciding against publishing performative PR or contrived and clichéd campaigns.

 

Equally disturbing is seeing messages from the few enterprises that did acknowledge the annual event.

 

AbelsonTaylor Group—a pharmaceutical marketing firm—spotlighted its Black ERG and Black icons from Adland.

 

Side effects include drowsiness and nausea.

16980: Cutting Remarks On DEIBA+ Cutbacks.

 

Advertising Age published a lengthy report examining the impact of DEIBA+ cutbacks on brand marketing and agency strategies, presenting perspectives from multicultural marketing executives.

 

There are two fundamental issues with the conversation.

 

First, the cutbacks aren’t generating global concern—at least not from brands and White advertising agencies—mostly because the reductions involve crumbs. Neither brands nor White ad agencies are dramatically impacted. It’s impossible to motivate progress when change-resisters bear no consequences for their inaction and indifference.

 

Second, DEIBA+ discussions that lack a diversity of voices—ie, brands and White advertising agencies are not active participants—essentially constitute silent and segregated protests. Indeed, it would be interesting to learn if brands or White ad agencies even read such Ad Age content. Probably not.

 

Perhaps it’s time to stop using the term cutbacks. It’s really a matter of cutting down and cutting out the already underrepresented, underutilized, and underpaid underlings.

 

How DEI Cutbacks Are Impacting Brand Marketing And Agency Strategies

 

There’s already been a dip in Black History Month campaigns—and executives say the trend will only worsen

 

By Lindsay Rittenhouse and Ewan Larkin

 

The ad industry continues to feel the impact of brands rolling back their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, as evidenced this month by the scarcity of Black History Month support from marketers.

 

The regression is sparking concern among diverse-owned agencies that fear their businesses will be impacted, and who also worry that the current falloff in diversity efforts will cause Black Americans to distrust brands. 

 

“People are running scared like a bunch of hapless sheep who have forgotten they work at the most powerful companies in the world and have the power to shift, shape and drive culture, not bend the knee to the basest parts of it,” said Lola Bakare, a chief marketing officer adviser and owner of inclusive marketing firm be/co.

 

Lack of opportunities

 

There has been a conservative backlash against DEI, including at the federal level, with President Donald Trump implementing an executive order to stop DEI programs across the government and its agencies. Meanwhile, Target, Walmart and McDonald’s are among a growing group of brands that have pulled back on DEI.

 

The result is a dwindling of business opportunities around multicultural or diverse marketing, said Joe Anthony, the founder and CEO of Hero Media and the Hero Collective, causing agencies in the space to rethink or recalibrate.

 

“I have to now compete with my general market counterparts for general market-only business, which this industry has shown an opposition towards awarding us,” added Anthony, who co-founded diversity and inclusion conference Blackweek.

 

Part of the reason for the retreat is a confusion in terms. While multicultural marketing and DEI are “related and connected, they are not the same thing,” said the CEO of an agency who requested anonymity. DEI is related to internal company practices and how businesses create more equitable and inclusive workforces, the CEO said, while multicultural marketing is external, a form of segmentation of target consumers.

 

There’s “a very sad and frankly ignorant conflation of the DEI rollback and what business critical targeted marketing should look like,” said Myles Worthington, CEO and founder of Worthi—an agency dedicated to helping brands connect purposefully with marginalized consumers. “These audiences are still massive in size, buying power and influence—and only getting larger—regardless of what the administration is doing about DEI.”

 

Impact on Black History Month support

 

Campaigns celebrating Black History Month seem to be directly impacted by this conflation. Several people who spoke to Ad Age said marketers have trimmed initiatives around Black History Month, and Ad Age has observed a noticeable decrease in Black History Month campaigns this year compared to the recent past.

 

Anthony said that’s an especially disappointing trend given that campaigns around DEI, including those tied to cultural observances like Black History Month, are one of the main “things keeping our segment of the industry afloat.”

 

Jason Klein, chief operating officer and co-founder of SeeMe Index, an AI platform that evaluates inclusive marketing, said that according to consumer trends platform Spate, for the first full week of Black History Month in 2023, there were 232.5 million views of content on TikTok with a #blackhistorymonth related hashtag. In 2024, that number fell to 215.7 million views. This year, views of the first full week of content with the hashtag dropped to 190.1 million views.

 

The question, said Klein, is: “Who is pulling back on BHM: brands, creators or consumers?”

 

Some people interviewed believe the culprit is brands.

 

“What we’re seeing is that some brands have lost the courage to live their values in fear of being called out by conservative activists,” said Stacey Wade, CEO and executive creative director at Nimbus. “In today’s political climate, supporting Black History Month is viewed as a DEI initiative, and DEI itself has become solely framed as a Black initiative [leading brands to mistakenly conclude] that this support could adversely impact their brand.”

 

“It also confirmed what a lot of Black consumers already knew—brands love Black culture, but they don’t love or value Black consumers enough to support what’s important to their community on a consistent basis,” Wade said.

 

Kumi Croom, managing director at Duncan Channon, said “this retreat is shortsighted,” pointing to U.S. Census data that shows a 276% rise in Americans identifying as two or more races between 2010 and 2020, “jumping from 2.9% to 10.2% of the population.”

 

“Black History Month campaigns aren’t just about celebration, they’re about authentic connection,” Croom said. “Companies that choose to sit this out risk alienating consumers who are paying close attention to which brands show up and which ones retreat when it’s no longer convenient.”

 

Some people maintain that there are marketers who are investing in connecting with Black culture throughout the year rather than running a one-off ad timed to Black History Month in February.

 

“Rather than confining their efforts to a single month, many are embracing a year-round commitment to Black culture,” said Andy Checo, managing director of PR and social at d expósito & Partners. “This shift isn’t about doing less—it’s about doing better, ensuring that meaningful engagement becomes the norm.”

 

Nike is an example of a brand that “remains committed to Black storytelling and community investment,” Croom said, and “its recent Super Bowl ad showed us that they’re taking a stand and sticking up for marginalized groups.”

 

Nike’s Super Bowl comeback, its 60-second “So Win” in-game ad, celebrated women athletes and their accomplishments and featured stars including Sha’Carri Richardson, Caitlin Clark, Jordan Chiles and Sabrina Ionescu.

 

How DEI cutbacks are affecting agencies

 

Brands had already started to rebrand DEI after the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to effectively end affirmative action, and those efforts have accelerated in recent months, according to multiple executives interviewed by Ad Age. Marketers are increasingly turning to agencies to help them navigate the way they message about such efforts moving forward.

 

“There’s been a lot of conversation around, ‘Do we now just say diversity, or do we now talk about inclusion? Because diversity is also a little charged,’” said Tara DeVeaux, CEO of Burrell Communications, who said that none of Burrell’s clients have yet paused or canceled diversity-focused campaigns, or reduced the agency’s scope. (She declined to comment on the shop’s relationship with McDonald’s, which recently retired some diversity goals.)

 

Other marketing services businesses are feeling a sharper impact. Larry Adams, the CEO and founder of XStereotype, an AI platform that gathers insights about identifying racial bias and risk factors in campaigns, told Ad Age that a campaign he was working on, backed by a government agency, to “promote healthier outcomes for Black audiences,” has been shut down.

 

“There’s just widespread confusion on how to proceed,” said Adams. “Contracts are being canceled and paused.” While some clients have signaled a willingness to stay the course on DEI, there’s largely been “a full stop,” he added.

 

Since January, a few people have suggested to Adams that he rebrand XStereotype and make it seem less like it’s a “fact-checking” platform on race—a decision he said isn’t out of the question. “If enough potential customers are like, ‘Hey, I don’t want anything to do with anything that sounds racial,’” Adams said, “you know, I have to make the right decision for my business.”

 

Many shops are bracing for further changes in the year ahead. As brands continue to pull back on DEI programs that will limit opportunities available to agencies, said Coltrane Curtis, founder and managing partner of Team Epiphany.

 

Curtis said diverse-owned shops aren’t often considered for traditional reviews or lead agency assignments and instead have to rely on relationships at brands, a challenge that will only intensify as marketers eliminate DEI-specific roles.

 

The CEO of the agency that does multicultural and general market work said the best thing for agencies to do right now is stand firm on what they do best and continue to produce effective work that will demonstrate why marketing to diverse audiences matters.

 

“I don’t want to be simplistic,” this person said, but “great work” is how clients will continue spending money, “how search consultants are going to call you … The best antidote is to do great work.”

 

One holding company executive said agencies with government contracts are particularly concerned that their internal DEI initiatives may eventually be attacked. Those agencies are essentially “employees of the government,” this executive said. “They bend to the winds of profit.”

 

A silver lining

 

Still, some agency executives believe there’s a silver lining. Brands’ cutbacks on DEI may spark broader conversations about the historically disproportionate investment in diverse communities, according to Anthony. 

 

“When these brands start feeling it in their pocketbooks, with respect to their inability to sell products to an important growing consumer base that is not decreasing in size or buying power or influence, then objectivity will have to come in,” he said. 

 

An executive at a diverse-owned agency, who also requested anonymity, said the one positive he’s taken away from all of this is that his team knows the clients that continue to work with them are truly committed.

 

“A lot of people have been asking me, ‘are you seeing less traffic? Are you seeing less inbound? Do you feel a dip?’” the agency executive said. “To be honest, I feel a dip in people who are just browsing. As a guy who is focused on my revenue line, [that’s been] a boon for me. My phone doesn’t ring unless someone’s a serious buyer for the first time in a while."

 

He said it's a “welcome miss” that brands are not just calling his agency “in order to check a box.”

 

There are also brands that continue to stay the course and several people interviewed said these are the companies that will win in the long term.

 

Wade pointed to Costco as an example for other marketers to follow. The membership-based retailer has recently refused to budge to conservative activist pressure and instead reaffirmed its commitment to diversity.

 

Said Wade: “They didn’t stutter when they put their 10 toes down on that fertile DEI earth.”