BET Networks & Other Media Entities Launch #InTheBlack Campaign To Illuminate Black Buying Power

Leading African American media entities are uniting to bring awareness of black buying power to large advertisers and general audiences through the #INTHEBLACK campaign.

#InTheBlack campaign

BET Networks has partnered with HuffPost BlackVoices, Black Enterprise, Burrell Communications, Cable Advertising Bureau, Essence Communications, GlobalHue, Inner City Broadcasting Company, Stevie Wonder’s KJLH-FM Radio Los Angeles, Johnson Publishing Company, National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB), Nielsen, North Star Group, National Newspaper Publishers Association, One Solution, Radio One, TV One, Interactive One, Reach Media (Tom Joyner and BlackAmericaweb.com), Steve Harvey Radio, TheGrio, The Root, The Africa Channel, UniWorld Group, Vibe Media and Walton Isaacson to create a history-making black media and marketing consortium.

The #InTheBlack campaign will encourage increased investments in the African American consumer marketplace while helping companies reach the African American audience more effectively.

The campaign will highlight the fact that African American spending reached a massive $957 billion dollars in 2010, and that blacks’ buying power is projected to reach $1.2 trillion by 2015. Noted trendsetters through their consumption, African Americans comprise only 12 percent of the U.S. population, yet consistently outspend all ethnic groups in several key categories including electronics and entertainment.

Raise awareness on economic opportunities

The consortium will use its collective resources and strength to speak to the ad community and consumer audience to raise awareness and create a sense of urgency around the economic opportunity the black consumer segment presents.

The consortium will educate advertisers and brands that mainstreaming or general market ads don’t always speak to the needs and interests of the Black consumer. There has been a fair amount of targeting to the Hispanic market, but the consortium would like to see something that’s comparable to the Black consumer, too.

There will be a campaign mobilizing all of the consortium representatives to speak to the advertisers and brands. The media will also encourage their audience and listeners to actively go out and support the advertisers that support the community.

“We are excited to partner with some of the nation’s most influential media and marketing groups to highlight the growing economic opportunity of the Black marketplace. As a collective, we are better positioned to demonstrate the value of targeting the black consumer audience and partnering with leading brands to help them succeed” said Debra Lee, BET Networks CEO.