9 ways for brands to authentically connect with Black Americans

Juneteenth-branded watermelon salad, headwraps and ice cream—we’ve been bracing ourselves as the performative product launches (and perfunctory apologies) increased in advance of Juneteenth, the newest U.S. federal holiday. A common thread connects these product failures: their lack of authentic consumer insight, their extension of harmful stereotypes and their avoidance and lack of engagement with the true meaning of the holiday. The result? These launches not only end up feeling performative but also opportunistic.

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So, why does this matter? As more brands attempt to serve Black consumers in the U.S. and tap into their $1.4 trillion of consumer spend on Juneteenth and beyond, authentic connection becomes increasingly important.

How do we, as researchers, connect to and respect the individual, culture, and community as we illuminate the Black experience for brand partners? Here’s a list of best practices that can inform and inspire everything from research to content. Is the list exhaustive? No. But it’s a great start to designing more thoughtful workplace and marketplace DEI initiatives.

Go beyond stereotypes

Black Americans are acutely aware of their misrepresentation in the media. Often there is a disconnect between how they are perceived and who they are. They struggle to reconcile the two and can feel inaccurate perceptions in daily interactions. W.E.B. DuBois referred to this as ‘Double-Consciousness’ and first wrote about this theory in 1903 in his influential book, “The Souls of Black Folk.”

Involve Black affluents

Black American affluents are influencers and early adopters in many lucrative categories. Yet capturing this demographic is often missed when teams solely focus on Black ZIP codes to find Black Americans for research purposes.

Realize that Black immigrants are typically an unacknowledged segment

One in 10 Black Americans are foreign-born, and more than 20% have immigrant connections. Many strongly identify with a national heritage outside of the U.S., including Black Americans from Africa, the Caribbean and Central and South America. For this reason, Black is typically deemed to be a more inclusive term. Remember that African American is an ethnic term, not a racial one.

Create empathy through cultural immersion

Go beyond asking Black friends or colleagues for perspective. For informal opportunities, curate perspective from social media and secondary research to get a feel for top trends on race/culture and your topic. Leverage streaming services to learn from stories focused on the Black experience. And for more formal initiatives, hire an expert to inform, inspire and guide choices. Qualitative research can be an essential first line of defense for DEI initiatives. It can be creatively incorporated to this end to interrupt bias in product or communications development for everything from packaged goods to algorithms.

Avoid triggers

Anything that approximates stereotypes can be a trigger. Today, these triggers are often called microaggressions. For example, references to Black people being “articulate” can be received as a back-handed compliment, suggesting that they are not typically well-spoken.

Be mindful of Black trauma

Intergenerational trauma still impacts the Black community, frequently causing lower self-esteem, lower health outcomes and internalized oppression (such as ascribing to colorism and believing that lighter skin tones are more acceptable). Intergenerational trauma is not unique to African Americans. Formerly oppressed or colonized people often experience lasting effects. ‘Han,’ for instance, is a Korean term describing an internalized and collective response to Korea’s long history of suffering from being invaded by foreign powers.

Understand systemic racism

Even without racist people, systemic racism means that the laws, processes or routines in institutions contribute to unfavorable outcomes for a race of people. Discriminatory lending practices that created barriers to homeownership and wealth accumulation for Black Americans offer an important example of systemic racism at play. Being aware of how U.S. institutions are not centered on Black experiences and can cause harm are critical to connecting.

Anticipate key intersectional experiences

While race is a primary lens through which many Black Americans experience the world, no group is a monolith and race is only one part of identity. Although Black Americans share a racial identity, their incomes, religions, nationalities, abilities and many other factors make them exceptionally diverse. Intersectionality acknowledges that identities are not independent. They converge to generate varying levels of privilege and discrimination. Anticipating how a Black woman might react or experience a new product means examining it for both racist and sexist implications. Gender is not the only intersecting identity to consider. Ability, sexuality, age, citizenship and income are all valuable perspectives to have, along with race.

Remember, they’re not just consumers

Like all races, Black people are multifaceted. However, they are disproportionately portrayed as servants, entertainers, criminals or as one-dimensional characters. Moreover, while many brands and research agencies will prioritize diverse respondents for B2C initiatives, often that practice is not extended to B2B initiatives. Diverse groups of employees, leaders, investors, doctors, influencers, technologists, engineers, etc., should all be included in research that informs brand work.