C+R Research is seeking to capitalize on BHM 2024, with its CultureBeat team offering to help brands authentically connect with Black consumers. Guess they haven’t heard that White brands and White advertising agencies are deprioritizing DEIBA+ initiatives, performative PR, and heat shields.
Black History Month 2024—A Time to Check Your Brand’s Pulse
By Angela Roberts, Vice President, Administration & Project Support
This Black History Month, we begin with a question for you to consider: “Where is your brand today with its efforts to connect authentically with the Black consumer?” Are you in a better place this year than you were last year? Than two or more years ago? A successful marketing strategy calls for a review of where you were, a look at where you are today, and a sustainable plan for the future.
During Black History Month 2023, our CultureBeat team, you may recall, provided our point of view on what brands should be doing to connect authentically with the Black community. We encouraged thinking past Black History Month in your marketing efforts, educating yourselves about Black culture and making it clear that you value this community, while also leaving no doubt that your commitment to cementing their loyalty is unceasing. If your focus on this vibrant community is centerstage because it’s February, we encourage you to come back to this blog at other times during the year.
As marketers, there are some facts about the Black community that should not be overlooked. For instance, when it comes to brand loyalty, the Black community is among the most loyal of all ethnic groups with some reports indicating that upwards of 65% of Black consumers are likely to return to a brand that authentically reflects their culture. According to a recent fact sheet shared by the Pew Research Center, 47.9 million people in the U.S. self-identified as Black in 2022, and that marked a 32% increase from 2000. Nielsen projects that Black buying power will reach close to 2 trillion dollars by 2025. These are stats that a marketer would be remiss to ignore.
Although Black History Month is a time to celebrate the contributions that the Black community has made to our country, it might also be a good time to take a measurement of your brand’s success with connecting with this vibrant community all twelve months of the year. Our CultureBeat team and its multicultural experts are here to guide you in that effort. Keep an eye out this month for what our team will share directly from consumers about Black haircare and beauty and the significance of food to the culture. But return for content past February, as we will be sharing more throughout the year—again directly from the consumers’ mouths—including touching on the sensitive topic of disparity in the healthcare industry.
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