Obama Family Helped Spur Marketers' Interest in Black Consumers

The rumors are true: When Obama was elected to the White House, many people let go of a lot of age-old stereotypes about African Americans. Even more, many companies that were formerly stubborn about marketing specifically to Blacks suddenly saw the benefit in doing so.

My favorite marketing news publication, DMNews.com, reports:

President Obama is making his mark with large spending bills and a unique approach to leadership, but he's also creating subtler effects in the world of marketing by bring­ing African-Americans into the spotlight as a consumer segment. Lexus, for example, has started targeting black women with ads for its luxury hybrids, and Amtrak recently launched an Acela Express campaign aimed at blacks and Latinos.

"Since the election of President Obama, there is more curiosity about the African American consumer and their behavior on behalf of marketers," says Esther Franklin, EVP, director of cultural identities for Star­com MediaVest Group (SMG)'s multicul­tural unit, SMG Multicultural.

"The whole Obama phenomenon should make it easier for marketers to embrace multicultural and diversity in advertising," adds Sonya Grier, associate professor of marketing at American University.

Of course, Obama can't be held solely responsible for this renewed interest in marketing specifically to black consum­ers. The tight economy — which is driving marketers to target more tightly — combined with improvements in the data and analyt­ics space also may be playing a role in this increased focus on a particular segment of the population.

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