Black History Month Marketing Do's and Don'ts
The month of February is Black History Month, which honors the achievements and contributions made by African Americans in U.S. history while also raising awareness of current issues that affect the Black community. Many of your clients have already tapped you on the shoulder, looking for guidance on how they should approach this important month. “What should we say, and how should we show up to consumers?”
In more eloquent words, I'm sure you told them that it's important to not focus on promoting their brand; instead, you pledged to help them create genuine messages that support the meaning of Black History Month. To back up your efforts, I’ve compiled a list of do’s and don’ts in the article below. Keep these tips in mind while you guide your clients during Black History Month.
Creative Friction - Episode 4
DON’TS
1. Don’t celebrate publicly if you’re not celebrating internally.
Companies will sometimes post something to their social media or website celebrating Black History Month, yet don’t do anything to impact their internal team.
This behavior create distrust, as it seems like a marketing gimmick to your employees.
2. Don't just throw something together.
Don’t release a calendar of events on Feb 1st.
This comes off like an afterthought, and it looks like you waited until the last minute.
3. Don't put the brunt of the work on Black employees.
Don't ask your Black employees to put together the panels or the Q&As, in which all they are doing is regurgitating professional and personal traumas. My college was infamous for doing this to Black students. It’s humiliating and disrespectful.
Instead, invite your employees to share the responsibility for planning and leading activities. Ask Black employees to advise, but don't make it their job.
4. Don't assume that this month is just for your Black employees.
Black History Month, like all diversity and inclusion initiatives, should ultimately be a company-wide effort.
Neglecting to involve all of your employees in at least some of the planned events is a missed opportunity to start important conversations and highlight experiences and contributions that everyone should be aware of.
DO’S
1. Show support for the community outside of February.
When brands only show up in February, it comes off as insincere. Be mindful of when you reach out to Black speakers for events. Are you only calling them to participate in a Black History month event?
Actively, consistently donate to causes and organizations working against racism.
Highlight and follow through on this effort extending past the month of February.
2. Collaborate with employees / Elevate Black voices from your community.
Look inward and highlight Black employees.
Invest in ideas from ERG groups. Companies are often nervous about programming ideas. Get out of your own way, and trust your employees.
If your team isn't representative of the audience you want to celebrate, note that as an area of opportunity and priority for your hiring efforts in the future. Then, seek out counsel from advisors who can help fill in any gaps in your cultural intelligence.
3. Make sure participation is relevant to your brand.
Ensure that your participation in Black History Month remains relevant to your brand. For instance, Netflix does a good job of highlighting Black filmmakers during the month; and the content still lives throughout the year.
Your support for this effort should extend beyond the month of February.
Key Takeaways
We discussed many of these do’s and don’ts on the Creative Friction podcast. Shout out to Madeline Reeves for highlighting and summarizing these key takeaways.
Check your intentions - If your actions, posts, or promotions are about your ego or making the brand "look good,” take a step back to reassess. You're not doing the deeper work to really ensure that you are aligned and accountable to Black folks and representation—not just during February, but always.
If you aren't sharing diverse stories already, then stand down and stay on the sidelines – It’s silly, tone deaf, and tokenizing to suddenly pop up and care about Black folks for a few weeks out of the year. This work is either aligned with your long-term brand strategy because it is connected to your core values, OR it is not a conversation you should be contributing to.
When in doubt, hire Black marketers & creators - And pay them WELL to help you get this right. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from their expertise.