I have a confession to make...I cheated, on my favorite brand of hair products!!!! (dramatic pause)
But, wait, there’s more…I don’t plan to go back! I am in love with a new brand, a Black owned brand. I wasn’t looking to stray, trust me – I was very happy with the other brand. I was LOYAL, but as I’ve been more conscious about buying Black I decided to try something new and fell in love. There. I said it! So glad to have that of my chest.
I’d been using the same brand of hair products for YEARS. I wouldn’t even try another product . That, my friend, is Brand Loyalty, and Brand Loyalty = Power. I cannot tell you the amount of money I’ve spent on my favorite brands. Way more than I would like to admit!! Black consumers, we may not realize the amount of spending power we possess. According to a study conducted by the New York marketing- analytics firm, NewMedia Metrics, “African American are more brand-loyal than whites and are eager to share their satisfaction with family and friends…” What does that mean? The money that we spend on goods and services is a vital aspect of keeping businesses profitable! Cha-ching!
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Big Businesses know this and have taken full advantage of our loyalty. Have you noticed the change in advertisement for many major brands? Black and minority actors being used as spokespersons for popular items. Mainstream products introducing “natural products” catering to the natural hair wearing black woman. Why? In order to keep their loyal customers happy BUT mostly to KEEP their loyal customers.
If products are advertised in a way that targets a particular demographic it is more likely for said demographic to be attracted to the product and to buy it. So, if I’m loyal to a brand, the brand uses a black woman with natural hair (that looks like me) in its advertisement, I’ll buy it. However, when it’s all said and done my community still doesn’t benefit from my purchase. This goes back to the differences between “Black owned-Black endorsed” that we spoke about in our “Hello. My Name is B.O.B” newsletter.
As we seek to empower our community, let’s use our power to “Buy Black”. I encourage you to patron a black owned business and/or find a black produced product. When you find one you like, get behind that product and establish your loyalty. Tell your family and friends about it and together we can empower our community by supporting our businesses.
Until Next Time.
I'll Holla.
-C-
