Brands often focus their marketing initiatives on specific groups of people when running campaigns. It allows them to tap into the culture or lifestyles of that group and showcase how they (the brand) may meet a need for them (the consumer). Certain products are positioned more to target a certain group over other groups. For example, basketball tennis shoes (i.e. Jordans) are often positioned more so to target the African American or urban communities. Brands recognize the buying power and trendsetting nature of the African American core. Here is a snapshot of the numbers for the African American consumer:
- 38% of African Americans are more likely to purchase a product that features African Americans in the advertisements (per Nielsen
).
- African Americans will have a $1.4 trillion buying power by 2019. Currently, African Americans have a $1.3 trillion buying power.
- 81% of African Americans are more likely to show brand support on social media – creating word-of-mouth organic marketing for brands.
When creating marketing strategies, brands should not shy away from marketing to this group of buyers (demographically speaking). African Americans are the most influential group in the American consumer base. They are early-adopters, trendsetters, and highly engaged. By using social media and other networks, they have the ability to influence other groups to buy into new ideas, products, and launch movements. Hello, Black Twitter! Empire, anyone?!? Their power is undeniable, so as a marketer, I know how important it is for us to tap into our community and other multicultural groups. We need to have more African American people (and other people of color) in advertisement, respect for the culture(s), and products for them. Understanding what segment of the African American group that your product appeals to and focus on reaching them. No group is a monolith, so fully understanding how to reach the particular group that would benefit from your product or service is key to having more success.
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