Advertisers continue to miss opportunity to reach African American consumers – Report

With 43 million African Americans in the United States representing about 14 percent of the population, more than half under the age of 35, advertisers are not effectively reaching a growing population projected to account for US$1.3 trillion in consumer spending by 2017, according to a Nielsen report.

The purchasing power of African Americans continues to grow, but advertisers are missing the mark by passing over black-oriented media.

That is the conclusion of a Nielsen report, which shows that of the US$75 billion spent last year in the United States on television, magazines, Internet and radio advertising, less than 3 percent went to media focused on black audiences.

In short, the message and the medium matter when selling everything from feminine hygiene products to Big Macs, both of which are purchased more heavily by African Americans than the general population, according to the report.

African American consumption patterns are, in some areas, higher than the total market, – advertisers are not advertising in sync with the consumption patterns and behaviors and habits of the African American consumer.”

Read more: The Seattle Times