African American Market
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On-Site , On-Air, On-Line, On-Shelf, On-Point
African-American Market Activation
Lafayette Jones
President and CEO, SMSi-Urban Call Marketing, Inc.
Sandra Miller Jones
Founding Chair of Segmented Marketing Services, Inc.
The “how” of marketing to the black consumer is more challenging. While traditional black magazines (Essence, Ebony, Upscale), black community newspapers (www.nnpa.org) and black TV (BET, TV One) continue to be strong, media choices (podcasts, Webcasts, e-blasts, etc.) have multiplied. Market activation is achieved through the best mix of all marketing tools. Frank Mulhern at Chicago’s Northwestern University says brand marketers are making strides: "Nearly 50% of the overall survey respondents indicated that multiple departments—PR, marketing, sales, advertising, etc.—work together to implement a marketing campaign.” (“ROI of Integrated Marketing”)
On-Site:
Free product sampling is a proven on-site technique that can increase sales by 40 percent. After Johnson & Johnson’s AMBI skincare expanded its product line for women of color, it launched in-store and trade show sampling. A custom AMBI Urban Call Health & Beauty Every Day! portrayed the new lines. The Custom Content Council (www.custompublishingcouncil.com) reports 70 percent of American consumers say custom publications make them feel closer to the sponsoring company and that “the company cares about its customers.”
The sampling and publication networks of SMSi-Urban Call Marketing www.smsiurbancallmarketing.com reach more than 50 percent of black and Latino consumers in grassroots venues like churches, beauty salons and barbershops. For special events like the K&G Fashion Superstore men’s empowerment initiative (Suit Up to Win: Body, Mind & Soul) field personnel --“Feet on the Street” – develop relationships with key opinion leaders to plan community promotion events (http://tinyurl.com/UrbanCall-KG).
On-Air:
Black radio reaches “95.1 percent of African- Americans aged 12 and older each week, making it the top medium for this market segment,” says Pepper Miller quoting the Arbitron rating company’s Black Radio Today in her book, “What’s Black About It?” Atlanta’s 15 black stations have diverse formats from Talk to Gospel to African-Caribbean music, just one example of black radio’s diversity and prevalence (www.blackradionetwork.com).
On Line:
In 2013 eMarketer.com predicts that 56 percent of black consumers will be using the Internet. The Magazine Publishers of America (www.magazine.org) says that African-Americans purchase more online tools than the general market. General Mills launched an on-line voting campaign for its Feeding Dreams initiative. More than 260,000 votes were cast in 10 southern cities at www.feedingdreams.com.
On Shelf:
Ethnic channel distribution has grown to include food, drug, mass, chain, dollar stores, OTC beauty supply stores, club stores (Sam’s Club, Costco) and the Internet. A Coca-Cola study, "Grow with America: Best Practices in Ethnic Marketing and Merchandising" says that a marketing plan should “communicate value at all contact points.” Find attractive channels for the multicultural consumer and execute in-store merchandising.
On-Point:
To be on-point means employing the right moves. Magic Johnson, the legendary basketball player and head of Magic Johnson Enterprises (www.magicjohnsonenterprises.com) formed an alliance with Aetna insurance and AARP that resulted in highly successful Magic@50 Community Health and Fitness Expos (http://tinyurl.com/UC-Magicat50).
Strategic pathways to success mean increased market share, sales and satisfied black customers who want more. With limited budgets, test in key cultural markets and use metrics to support expansion. There are experts who can help you employ 360 degree surround (on site, on air, on line, on shelf, on point) to effectively penetrate urban markets.
Contact information:
SMSi-Urban Call Marketing, Inc.
4265 Brownsboro Rd., Suite 225
Winston-Salem, NC 27106
Ph. 336-759-7477
Fx. 336-759-7212
president@smsi-net.com
www.smsiurbancallmarketing.com
www.segmentedmarketing.com
