Black Consumer Report

HAS UNCLE BEN HAD A FACE LIFT?

Is it my imagination, but has Uncle Ben had a face lift?  I was reading my Sunday paper pull-outs and saw an ad for Uncle Ben’s Rice.  The headline said:  “My rice does for a meal, what a bow tie does for a suit jacket.”…Ben knows best. 

The ad itself didn’t blow me away but the photo of Uncle Ben was what caught my eye.  I know they researched this ad to death to insure it didn’t offend Black folks, but something is off for me. 

Could it be that they are trying to reposition Uncle Ben as a real uncle and not the cook on the plantation?  Or could it be that this piece of communication makes Uncle Ben the arbiter of what good rice is (obviously his)? 

I’ve always believed that the consumer should be the quality or taste expert, not the product.

RACE MATTER REQUIRES ALL OF US TO COME UP WITH A BIG GAME.

‘Back in the day’, we would sit patiently waiting for that lone Black act to appear on the Ed Sullivan’s show, and/or Black athletes like Jim Brown to show-their-stuff.

A few Sundays ago, when watching the NFL playoffs, that feeling of cultural pride and accomplishment returned and I found myself cheering for two teams (I have little or no interest in) because they have Black coaches.  Needless to say when both won, I almost blew the roof off of my home. Oh what a wonderful thing and how proud I am of these two individuals.

As we watch the “Big Game”, let us remember that Race Matters have come a long way since those Ed Sullivan days, but unfortunately there is still a long way to go and it requires all of us to play a part.

JUST HOW MUCH DOES THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN MARKET SPEND?

One of the things that I strongly believe is that Black people don’t understand their value and importance as a consumer.  The following should confirm the value of this consumer.

The numbers don’t lie… Currently at $761 Billion in annual spending power, African American spending is estimated to exceed $1 trillion by 2010.

African-American buying power ranks 10th in the world, ahead of India, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, and Australia and is larger than the buying power of all the small countries in Northern Africa, and the Middle East.

Here is a category breakdown of African American spending:

Automobiles & Trucks……………………….. $28.7 billion
Apparel products and Services…………. $22.0 billion
Health care………………………………………… $17.7 billion
Insurance…………………………………………… $16.6 billion
Philanthropy………………………………………. $11.4 billion
Media……………………………………………………. $6.3 billion
Education……………………………………………… $6.0 billion
Hair care & Personal Care…………………....$6.3 billion
Travel, Transportation & Lodging………….$4.6 billion
Books………………………………………………… $257 million
House wares…………………………………….. $596 million
Sports & Recreational Equipment …… $475 million

Source: 2005 Black Buying Power: Target Market News and The Hunter-Miller Group

IN RECOGNITION OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING

Republican Senator Chuck Hagel said that the President's plan to send 20,000 more of our sons and daughters off to fight and die in Iraq was the "biggest foreign policy mistake since Vietnam."

Monday we celebrate Dr. King's 78th birthday.  Please take two minutes to listen to his words about Vietnam.:  http://www.bushflash.com/mlk.html

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy New Year and may 2007 be the springboard to your desired life.  I hope that you maintain health of mind and body to realize all your dreams and aspirations.

WHAT'S BILL COSBY SAYING THESE DAYS?

In the book “Who’s Afraid of a Large Black Man?, Charles Barkley asked several celebrities about Bill Cosby’s comments regarding the state of young Black people.

For the most part they all agreed with what he had to say, but some disagreed with how he expressed his thoughts. 

I thought it would be important to hear from Bill Cosby again.  Is he out of touch with reality or is he right.  I for one agree with his comments.  What about you?

"We Can't Blame White People" by BILL COSBY

"They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English. 

I can't even talk the way these people talk:, Why you ain't;  Where you is;  What he drive;  Where he stay;  Where he work;  Who you be.

And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk. And then I heard the father talk.

Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can't be a doctor
with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth. In fact you will never get any kind of job making a
decent living. People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an education, and now
we've got these knuckleheads walking around. The lower economic people are not holding up
their end in this deal.

These people are not parenting.  They are buying things for kids. $500 sneakers for what? 
And they won't spend $200 for Hooked on Phonics. 
I am talking about these people who cry when their son is standing there in an orange suit.

Where were you when he was 2?  Where were you when he was 12? 
Where were you when he was 18 and how come you didn't know that he had a pistol? 
And where is the father?  Or who is his father?

People putting their clothes on backward: Isn't that a sign of something gone wrong?
People with their hats on backward, pants down around the crack, isn't that a sign of something? 
Or are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up?
Isn't it a sign of something when she has her dress all the way up and got all type of needles [piercing] going through her body?

What part of Africa did this come from?    We are not Africans.  Those people are not Africans;
they don't know a thing about Africa.  With names like Shaniqua, Taliqua and Mohammed and all of that crap, and all of them are in jail.

Brown or black versus the Board of Education is no longer the white person's problem.

We have got to take the neighborhood back. People used to be ashamed.  Today a woman
has eight children with eight different 'husbands' -- or men or whatever you call them now.
We have millionaire football players who cannot read. We have million-dollar basketball players who can't write two paragraphs.  We as black folks have to do a better job.  Someone working at Wal-Mart with seven kids, you are hurting us.

We have to start holding each other to a higher standard. We cannot blame the white people any longer."

WHO’S AFRAID OF A LARGE BLACK MAN?

Who’s Afraid Of A Large Black Man by Charles Barkley is worthwhile reading.

Yes, my reaction to this book was much like yours, why should I read a book by Charles Barkley, a basketball player?  I’ve watched him play his entire career and admit he was one the best.  I’ve watched him on TV as a commentator and it’s clear he knows what he’s talking about, but at times he can be “over the top”.  So, why did I buy this book?  Call it a hunch; I guess I thought it would be interesting to reading about my favorite sport, from one of the best.

To my surprise, when I started reading the book I couldn’t put it down.  First, it’s not what I thought it would be; it’s a, well done, series of frank and probing discussions from a variety of celebrities on the subject of race in America.  One of the many things I found interesting was who Charles selected to be a part of the book.  Quite frankly, some of the people I would not have selected, but I must admit, they all provided interesting and candid insights into this very sensitive subject.  And, Charles’ comments were a unique technique that brought all of the interviews together into a one cohesive thought.

This is a wonderful gift for anyone, but for every young Black man it will be a life changing experience.

ANN FUDGE RETIRES FROM Y&R

By now we have all heard that Ann Fudge will retired from Y&R after 3 years.

For many of us she’ll be missed, not because of what she did for Y&R or the world of marketing communications, but because of her mere presence as the head of one of the world’s largest global marketing communications companies.  A Black women sitting at the top of a general market advertising agency; WOW!  She will be missed as the lone beacon of hope and inspiration that sends a bright signal to the world and most importantly young African Americans that it’s possible for an African American to run a general market advertising agency.

So, where do we go from here?  Are there other Ann Fudge’s out there who have the credentials and where-with-all to run a global advertising agency?  Well, according to the American Association of Advertising Agencies the answer is an emphatic no.  In my estimation there are several.

Why is it that I can identify these individuals and this powerful organization can’t?  Could it be that they are blinded by color?  Or that this industry will only embrace opportunity and inclusion for only a select few?  Things that make you go humm.

In any event, farewell Ann Fudge you’ll be missed.

ANOTHER CASE FOR THE IMPORTANCE OF BLACK CONSUMER MARKETING

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal, entitled: “Betty Crocker Adds B.Smith to Package for Cornbread Mix, and Sales Take Off”, is a great case history on the value and importance of the African American consumer.

Here’s this brand, (Betty Crocker Corn Bread and Muffin Mix, which at best was the number 2 in the category behind Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix,), looking for a way to gain market share.  Well, a very observant marketing executive realized that African Americans represented 36% of the category.  With this fact, I can imagine the conversation in his mind, ‘what if we gave this African American target a reason to try and buy our product?  Well, the results are significant.  According to the article, this shift in marketing direction lifted the company’s corn muffin mix sales 22.3% in the 12 months ending September 2006.

With these types of results, why is it that other marketers, whose brands have similar consumer profiles not capitalizing on this opportunity?  The greatest resistant I have heard is that marketers don’t want their brands to be identified as a “Black brand” thereby reducing the appeal to their White consumers.  What ever the excuse, in the end it just isn’t smart business to overlook, or take for granted any market.  The last looked Black and White consumer dollars spend the same.  To this I say wake out marketers.  Big Ups to Betty Crocker!

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

Now that the mid-term elections are over, and the Democrats have control of the house and senate, DeVal Patrick was elected governor of Massachusetts but Harold Ford Jr did not win his bid for senator of the state of Tennessee.  My earlier thoughts were that the results from these two races would tell us a lot about the state of racism in American.

Both candidates ran excellent campaigns, they dealt with the issues, remained clear about their solutions, stayed away from slander and attack, and did not use their race as an issue, but made it very clear that they were committed to all of the people of their respective states. 

So what have we learned?  Given the results you could concluded that northern states have moved on, while southern states have not.  Or, blue state will remain blue and red states will remain red.  Or, as one political consultant asked, about these results, ‘how hip was the room?’, concluding Massachusetts is hip on race and Tennessee isn’t.  Said another way, Tennessee was just not ready for an African American senator.  I conclude the latter, Tennessee is not quite ready. 

However, progress has been made; 3% was the margin of difference, but let’s not kid ourselves, much work is needed.  Meaning, someday in my lifetime, we’ll be able to realize that the content of one’s character and not the color of one’s skin, will be our focus. When this happens well all be better for it.