What Advertising Owes to Black Culture
Advertising and media owes immeasurable amounts of its relevance to Black culture. The impact of AAVE, Black Twitter, music, movies, and fashion trends simply cannot be denied. Time and again Black culture’s influence hasn’t been recognized, but rather commodified for profit. Let’s count just a few examples:
Trim has us obsessed with coconut water (so VitaCoco tapped in)
Even E-40 found a way to rhyme Safelite Repair, Safelite Replace.
You’d think this impact would make brands rush to work with Black creatives, executives, and agencies. Sadly it's quite the opposite. Media and marketing aren’t exempt from the employment bloodbath that the Black community is experiencing. The diversity within the industry was always atrocious and it’s only getting worse. Additionally, budgets to reach diverse audiences, community initiatives, have effectively disappeared.
It’s hard to not feel whiplash when witnessing how quickly corporations have pulled their support from these communities. Brands have made it clear that they are more interested in appealing to power than investing in culture.
What does this mean for Black creatives and businesses? Now more than ever, it’s time to work outside of the system rather than begging for acceptance. You CAN do your own thing unapologetically without having to depend on corporations. While commercial support may be dwindling, cultural capital and community are invaluable. Be bolder, pursue collaboration with like-minded partners, and triple-down on committing to your community. While institutions are crumbling all around us, you have the unique ability to build, grow, and sustain ecosystems.
You will always have “the sauce” that brands so desperately want. As attention continues to splinter, the cultural and financial stakes for connecting to audiences are only getting higher. Culture will continue on with or without brands. So what will happen when these communities are reluctant to collaborate or the price goes up substantially? That’s not your problem to solve. Let your ability to self-sustain through turbulent times be a balm. Go rogue, be bold, and build your coalition.