Multicultural Marketing News February 2023 Issue #2 February is Black History Month In this issue: Multicultural Marketing News presents newsmakers and experts as featured on multicultural.com in our Experts Directory. Newsmakers - Brands Doing Just Black History Month Efforts or Black Casting in Ads Is Not Effective Marketing (INFUSION)
- Black History Month at the Museum of Broadway NYC
- Black History Month Events and Experiences in Alexandria, Virginia Throughout February
- The Importance of Diversity in Influencer Marketing (fluent360)
- Enhance Your Cultural Awareness With Bold Culture’s Learning and Development Programming (Bold Culture LLC)
- C+R’s CultureBeat Team Helps to Change the Black Narrative (CultureBeat®, a division of C+R Research)
- Ethnic Technologies® Celebrates Black History Month (Ethnic Technologies)
- My Code’s B Code White Paper: The Power of Values-Driven Marketing to Black Consumers (My Code)
- Black Consumers Support Brands Uplifting Their Communities (Horowitz Research)
- Identify, Deliver and Optimize Your Multicultural Marketing with Claritas (Claritas)
- Zekeera Belton, Vice President of Client Services and Diverse Segment Strategist at Collage Group
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Brands Doing Just Black History Month Efforts or Black Casting in Ads Is Not Effective Marketing February is the time that many brands rush to give some love to this key demographic, but it requires much more to gain their loyalty. With Black Americans 47M strong, $1.6T buying power, 32 median age, 90% college-bound, and unprecedented impact, this is a business imperative for all companies as customers worthy of equitable investment at every level. Yet targeted spend has steadily declined replaced by “inclusive” one-size-fits-all ads merely featuring Black talent. Black Americans are laser sharp in calling out token efforts and dissatisfied with mainstream brand portrayals (60%+). As social influencers with a gravitas voice who drive demand and trends, they want their stories told, and brands to recognize their bottom-line value. INFUSION by castells has helped Fortune 100 brands successfully connect and build long-term relationships with relevant ROI-Powered Ideas®. This means Return on Investment and Relationship Opportunities thru Insights. A person’s cultural lens affects how they view and process everything. Cultural authenticity is a subtle, very nuanced art. Effective work has to be within their content, context, experiences, and what matters to them and their community. Being deeply rooted in the Black community is predicated on consistent actions and purpose – and when done correctly it is immensely reciprocated, as our clients’ results verify. Continue reading View full company profile here. |
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Black History Month at the Museum of Broadway NYC On February 22nd, the Museum of Broadway will be presenting a free lecture from Resident Historian and Timeline Walls Curator Ben West, titled “Early Black Authors of the American Musical.” The conversation will highlight a survey of the trailblazing and often overlooked Black artists who altered the character, rhythm, and movement of the musical stage at the turn of the 20thcentury. The event will take place in the Museum’s event space from 5:30-6:30pm on Wed, Feb 22nd. The conversation is free to attend, and guests can RSVP here. Ben West is a musical theatre artist and historian. He is the resident historian and timeline walls curator for the Museum of Broadway in New York City and the author of The American Musical, a new book that will be published by Routledge in 2023 and chronicle a comprehensive history of the art form. He has worked in various capacities on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally. His work has also been seen in Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series. West has lectured and spoken at several institutions including the Library of Congress, Yale University, The New York Public Library, University of Michigan, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and the Shubert Organization. He is a recipient of Lincoln Center’s Martin E. Segal Award. The Museum of Broadway, located at 145 W 45th St in Times Square, is an immersive and interactive theatrical experience devoted to musicals, plays, and the people who make them. Featuring the work of dozens of designers, artists, and theatre historians, this one-of-a-kind Museum takes visitors on a journey along the timeline of Broadway, from its birth to present day, where the past, present, and future of Broadway come together like never before! More information about the Museum can be found at https://www.themuseumofbroadway.com/. |
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Black History Month Events and Experiences in Alexandria, Virginia Throughout February Alexandria, VA— From a self-taught mathematician who mapped out the nation’s capital to abolitionist sisters who partnered with Frederick Douglass to the first Black athlete to play in the NBA, African American changemakers have shaped the history of Alexandria, VA, and the United States. Throughout Black History Month, participate in a range of activities including a Manumission Tour Company Black History bus tour and film screenings of African American cinematic classics, explore the just-launched southern route of the African American Waterfront Heritage Trail and attend additional events below. Plus, look for the reopening of the Alexandria Black History Museum in 2023. Explore more ways to celebrate Black history and culture throughout February and year-round on Visit Alexandria’s Black History and Culture landing page. |
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The Importance of Diversity in Influencer Marketing Social media has redefined not just the word “influencer” but the role of such a person in our everyday lives. Because their power is grounded in their audience, authenticity carries a special weight among communities of color. Social platforms are a source of nuanced content, and Black content creators are breaking down barriers and speaking to an audience typically unrepresented and overlooked by brands. According to Nielsen’s African American Consumer Report, digitally savvy and culturally influential Black Americans “continue to lead the conversation and stay connected through social media — having an unprecedented impact on brands and what consumers watch, purchase, and listen to.” Accurate representation is key, and consumers are looking for influencers they can relate to. Top categories impacted by Black influencers include hair trends, fashion, and music, with lifestyle seeing rapid growth in home décor, cooking tips, and hacks for everyday living. As #BlackHistoryMonth kicks off, we will see the growing power of Black influencers setting the tone for a cultural beat that brands cannot ignore. By Kia Smith, Social Media Strategist, fluent360. View full company profile here. |
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Enhance Your Cultural Awareness With Bold Culture’s Learning and Development Programming View full company profile here. |
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C+R’s CultureBeat Team Helps to Change the Black Narrative Across the US, Black people are changing the narrative and breaking free from the box society has placed them in. While the Black community still has core principles, values, beliefs, and rituals they align with, the culture is evolving to tell a new story ― one that doesn’t focus so much on “the struggle,” but also on stories of Black strength, joy, and excellence. What does this mean? Black consumers are not monolithic. They come from a variety of different backgrounds and experiences and want to be viewed with the same unique complexities as other cultural groups that make up our society. It’s important to acknowledge the diversity within the Black community to understand the associated behaviors and psyche of each subculture. To learn more, read our eBook that highlights the importance of Black Identity. In addition, this year for Black History Month, see how C+R’s CultureBeat division will help to change the narrative and elevate Black culture through a 3-part series, Consumer Connections: Changing the Black Narrative. In the weekly episodes during the month of February, we will highlight conversations curated from a panel of Black consumers around relevant topics such as Black excellence and joy, brands that resonate with the Black community, what it means to be an ally, Black-owned businesses, and more. And, beyond February, we’ll cover other important topics such as mental health, hair and beauty and more. View full company profile here. |
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Ethnic Technologies® Celebrates Black History Month Ethnic Technologies® joins MMRnews in celebrating Black History Month. Ethnic Technologies® is the global leader in multicultural marketing, digital applications, research, data enhancements and analysis. The Ethnicenter from Ethnic Technologies is the result of over 40 years of continuous multicultural, cultural religion and language preference research. E-Tech’s multicultural and language preference data elements repeatedly outperform the competition in accuracy and coverage. Whether in digital applications, mailing or customer analysis, the E-Tech® data achieves excellent results. E-Tech 2023 accurately reflects rapidly changing demographics and delivers additional market intelligence in many different ethnicities, through twelve months of additional, updated research and new, state of the art software methodologies. Examples of just some of the initiatives achieved this year include: ● Increased granularity among Nigerian-Americans (African American): 30% increase in Igbo ethnicity of Nigeria ● Research into the unique names and history of Jamaica, and other Caribbean nations, led to a 16% increase in Caribbean audiences in the United States These are just some of the enhancements available in E-Tech 2023, which will enable you to better reach key African American consumer markets. View full company profile here. |
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B Code, My Code’s marketing and media platform for reaching Black audiences, recently released an in-depth white paper titled The Power of Values-Driven Marketing to Black Consumers. The study explores why brands should harness the power of values-driven marketing to Black consumers. Its findings reveal this sector overwhelmingly prefers to purchase exclusively from purpose-driven brands that follow through with their commitments of diversity and inclusivity. My Code’s Intelligence Center is the company’s proprietary platform dedicated to analyzing and reporting on ever-changing multicultural American consumers’ sentiments, opinions, and habits. Data was collected online from nearly 2,500 Black Americans representative of all main geographical areas of the United States, ages 18-64, in September 2022. This white paper is a resource to guide brands to take the necessary steps to create deeper and more rewarding connections with Black consumers. The Power of Values-Driven Marketing to Black Consumers identifies which values and cultural touch points signify an authentic commitment to values-driven consumers. The report pinpoints the opportunities for brands across various tent poles throughout the year. View full company profile here. |
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Black Consumers Support Brands Uplifting Their Communities “In order for brands to earn the trust and loyalty of Black consumers, companies must be committed to understanding how social, environmental, and political issues impact them. Black History Month is an important moment to celebrate Black culture and should also serve as a reminder for brands to recognize ways to uplift Black communities on a consistent basis. Our recent FOCUS Black: State of Consumer Engagement 2022 report reveals that six in ten (58%) Black consumers have taken an action (positive or negative) as a result of a company’s alignment with sociopolitical issues that matter to them. They want to support companies that have strong track records of providing opportunities for BIPOC people and women. As forces in American society attempt to undo the progress of the past few years when it comes to putting Black issues and concerns front and center, we hope brands take this opportunity to continue to propel us forward towards racial equity. We welcome the opportunity to work with clients to deliver research and insights to better understand how they can align with the needs and interests of Black Americans.” — Adriana Waterston, Chief Revenue Officer and Insights and Strategy Lead at Horowitz Research, adrianaw@horowitzresearch.com, 914-834-5999 View full company profile here. |
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Zekeera Belton, Vice President of Client Services and Diverse Segment Strategist at Collage Group Zekeera leads efforts and programs to identify, analyze and address client’s needs at Collage Group. She and her team work in partnership with Fortune 500 companies, helping them gain a better understanding of diverse consumer segments. Her work fosters deep relationships and leverages the full set of Collage capabilities to plan and craft specific solutions that meet member challenges. Zekeera is a proven leader with real world expertise and application of national, regional, and grassroots strategies. She is one of Collage’s experts on African Americans, multiculturalism, women, and LGBTQ+ consumers. Zekeera regularly leads presentations and brand/strategy workshops, demonstrating how companies can better connect and authentically engage with African American consumers, and other diverse groups. She is a results-driven marketing and communications professional with 20 years of experience developing and executing private and public (government) sector campaigns and programs. Prior to Collage, Zekeera served as a Marketing Director for Penn, Good & Associates, a Marketing Services Consulting firm located in Washington, DC. In previous years, she was a consultant at MarketBridge, a management consulting firm, leading sales and marketing optimization engagements for global corporates such as IBM, Microsoft, SAP and others. Zekeera holds a B.S. in Business Administration, with a double concentration in Finance and Management, from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. She is originally from New York City and now lives in Southern Maryland. In her spare time you may find her playing pick-up basketball, flag football, or hosting social gatherings in the DC area. View full company profile here. |
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Identify, Deliver and Optimize Your Multicultural Marketing with Claritas The multicultural population currently accounts for 44% of the U.S. population and by 2028, will account for more than 47% of the U.S. population. For marketers to effectively engage multicultural audiences, they must first understand them at the most granular level. Their likes, dislikes, demographics and behavioral preferences. Claritas has assembled one of the most robust, industry-leading proprietary data sets on over 147M multicultural consumers by acculturation, country of origin, preferred language, lifestyle preference, technology behaviors, media preferences, and shopping behaviors. Included in this, are current and future estimates & projections on the 43M U.S. Black consumers. With this 360-degree view of multicultural audiences, we are able to help marketers across all industries more effectively identify the ideal audiences, deliver effective multichannel campaigns, and measure the impact campaigns have on driving conversions and improving ROI. -For the most comprehensive insights into multicultural audiences, including the Black American consumer market, we’ve compiled some useful proprietary resources for you, for free. View full company profile here. |
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Would you like to see your company, expert, speaker or POV featured in our next theme newsletter? If you are interested in including your paragraph and logo in our next issue of Multicultural Marketing News/MMRNews ($425), please visit here for more information or sign up here or contact Lisa Skriloff at 212-242-3351 or Lisa@multicultural.com. Participation is free to organizations featured on multicultural.com. Sign up here to feature your organization/company on multicultural.com. Next Issues: March 2023 Newsletter Women’s History Month Deadline for reservations: March 7th Deadline for copy: March 9th Create your Listing and Order here Save the Dates for Key 2023 Multicultural & Diversity Conferences + events Deadline for reservations: March 7th Deadline for copy: March 9th Order your Featured Event Listing here |
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About This Newsletter Multicultural Marketing News (MMRNews), is a free e-mail newsletter published by Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc. (MMR) and sent to +9000 subscribers. For a free subscription to Multicultural Marketing News (includes Multicultural Travel News), sign up here. |
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