Beyond Black History Month—how brands can be a year-round platform for Black voices

Brands have been embracing creative storytelling during Black History Month and amplifying these messages via social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Live.

But what we are doing outside of these 28 days to ensure Black voices are amplified and celebrated? Every year, many companies hop on the bandwagon to promote diversity and inclusivity only to drop the ball when February comes to a close. It’s time we break that cycle and make a real difference for the Black community all year-round. 

How do we do this as advertisers? By putting our money where our mouth is and investing in real progress. It’s essential that diversity, representation and inclusivity are at the forefront of everything we do, not just during awareness months. Empowering ourselves with knowledge and understanding of African American culture and committing to it can foster real change. 

For brands to continue breaking down barriers and creating true equality, we need a long-term focus:

Less performative, more progress  

Marketing dollars often follow causes when awareness days or months are high on the agenda, but brands should ask themselves how they can champion and support these communities when #BlackLivesMatter or Black History Month aren’t in the headlines. Not doing so is merely performative and offers no progress toward social equality. Remember why your company made DE&I pledges in the first place.

Consumers want brands to show leadership and be accountable to social issues every day. Going beyond the flashy campaigns and slogans requires long-term focus that is less about public relations and more about the communities brands are committed to supporting. Putting a rainbow flag on packaging during Pride month only to remove it shortly after can come off as disingenuous. Instead, brands can seek out permanent partnerships with diverse creators from the Pride community.     

Ensure diversity in creative teams 

Advertisers looking to authentically amplify the voices of Black people must look beyond February by boosting diversity on their creative teams. Building a team rich with Black people will allow valid insights into the culture that can help advertisers avoid stereotyping and tokenism when creating ads.

Partnering with creators or influencers who are passionate about these issues and providing a platform for their stories is an impactful part of DE&I. Better still, brands should examine their internal diversity funnel and ensure they have the right programs and anti-bias training to be true allies and champions. 

Reassessing employer branding 

Brands need to ensure that initiatives for BHM extend beyond tokenism by making them an integral part of their annual marketing efforts through consistent messaging about diversity and inclusion in campaigns. Brands could also learn from those BHM campaigns what resonated—and amplify those parts throughout the year. 

While awareness is important and necessary, awareness alone isn’t enough. Brands need to assess their employer branding strategy and develop an inclusive culture to attract and hire diverse talent. Rather than giving a one-off donation to a BHM cause, brands should commit funds to ensure they are inclusive in their hiring, promotions and product development and also create programs that help create equal opportunities to demonstrate their commitment to these values. 

Supporting Black-owned businesses and NGOs

According to recent studies, Black-owned businesses are crucial for driving economic progress in the African American community. However, these businesses often face systemic barriers and lack of resources and funding that hinder their growth and success. By investing in Black-owned businesses, advertisers can help drive economic progress for the African American community as they have the power to put the spotlight on those businesses and non-governmental organizations. 

There’s a real opportunity for larger corporations to partner with smaller and medium-sized businesses that are actively supporting diversity to be an accelerant for change. Brands could even consider Black content creators to be small business owners. Corporations also have the weight and budget behind them to ensure oppressed communities are given the support they need to level the playing field. Advertisers could also help to create meaningful content that celebrates African culture and its history to provide sustainable support and grow their presence in an ongoing capacity. 

Authentic storytelling

Authentic storytelling has become an important element in modern advertising, particularly with respect to accurately representing Black history and culture. By using authentic storytelling—meaning stories told and created by Black people—companies can humanize the experiences of diverse communities and build meaningful connections, while also avoiding negative stereotypes often perpetuated in mainstream media depictions. Removing these stereotypical narratives can help promote positive relations between advertisers and Black customers, ultimately creating progressive and impactful experiences for both sides.

A force for change past February 

Inclusivity is better for company growth, society and the global economy, but we can expect real and meaningful progress and change only by keeping our inclusive lens on 365 days a year. Let’s take the momentum created by awareness and initiatives created for Black History Month and remind ourselves of the need to embed this thinking and action into the day-to-day beyond February.