What Big Brands Should learn from the Black Panther Movie Narrative
It’s official, the Black Panther movie lived up to it’s expected hype and shattered box office opening weekend records. I had the opportunity of seeing the movie upon its official release (February 16) and I couldn’t be happier as an African (Nigerian to be precise) to witness a positive narrative of Africa portrayed. A quick disclaimer, if you haven’t seen the movie yet, there might be a few spoilers in this article should you decide to proceed with this reading.
As a professional that’s completely passionate about branding, online marketing and black culture, The Black Panther movie stirs up a lot of excitement for me and many others (both comic and non-comic fans) who are more than happy to celebrate black excellence at it’s peak. The movie’s star-studded black cast ushered an unprecedented wave of cultural and financial success never before reported in Hollywood. I grew up reading Black Panther comics so I can relate to a lot of symbols and representation of T’Challa (Black Panther) in the movie. For this piece, I will not dwell much on the back story, rather I’ll try to highlight key lessons about this Marvel movie success and how big brands can avoid the tone-deaf syndrome, especially as it relates to getting their message across to the African-American market segment without being culturally insensitive. This goes beyond hiring qualified black professionals to occupy executive positions, although it’s a good start.
Black culture is rapidly gaining popularity, and the world is taking note. There’s a new wave and insatiable demand for black movies that tell a different narrative from the norm we’ve been force-fed by the media. Black actors as drug dealers, prostitutes, convicts or corrupt cops are stale and aren’t winning any votes in the black community, not even if the role comes attached with an Oscar nod. Black people are yearning for a more positive image in film, TV and entertainment, and the good thing is they are willing to back it up with their buying power. Hence, brands that pay close attention to this cultural shift and ultimately tailor their brand image and message to fit this narrative will be the ultimate winners and get invited to the cookout. On the other hand, brands that are tone-deaf and subliminally communicate negative stereotypes in their ads and messages will face a swift backlash from the black community like the case of Dove, Pepsi & H&M.
Why is Black Panther so successful?
The same reason why movies like Get Out, Girls Trip and a few other black movies are disrupting Hollywood. It’s simple, blacks are celebrating a different narrative. For the first time in a long while, the African character is the superhero that saves the day and not the villain that’s a menace to society. Black Panther fills this void and provides even more signs of hope and disruption in what is perceived a white-dominated industry. The unwavering support and rally for Black Panther show that this market segment will support a message that’s told right and most importantly, told differently. The black community was swift to back and show support because of the positive representation of blacks in the movie, Wakanda the fictional city of the Black Panther and his people, is prominent for its large deposit of vibranium as well as it’s highly advanced technology. Then there’s the ensemble black cast from Ryan Coogler (Director) to Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyongo, Michael B Jordan et al. Not to forget the black costume designers and producers whose input was vital to the cultural narration of the movie.
In recent past brands like Pepsi, H&M, Dove, The Academy Awards, GAP and others have received severe backlash for promoting racially insensitive campaigns that did not sit well with the public. Social Media wields enormous power and a voice to a brand’s customer base, hence it is important for brands to tread lightly and comb through their advertising message for culturally insensitive signals before putting it out there. It cannot be undone upon release.
How Can Brands get Invited to the Cookout?
Nike is one brand I can think of that completely gets the African American market segment and the reward for Nike is the brand loyalty they constantly get. Nike is a part of the black culture as a result of the reputation it has built over the years. If Nike was a white man, he would definitely be invited to the cook out, handed a plate and a cold beer as he bonds with black families and friends. Excuse my metaphor, but this is a clear depiction of how brands should evaluate their success with this very important market segment and trust me, African Americans can tell when a brand is genuine or not. Another good example is McDonald’s. Despite public criticism, McDonald’s cannot be shunned by black people. The company publicly donates billions of dollars to black education and scholarship funds, job training, entrepreneurship, and is a major employer of African-Americans worldwide.
Again, hiring qualified black directors, executives and shareholders is a step in the right direction, but not necessarily the antidote for curing tone-deaf syndrome. Here are some suggestions;
Listening:
Malcolm Gladwell once said marketing used to be about talking but now it’s all about listening. I completely agree with his standpoint. Big brands typically tend to adopt this one size fits all approach to marketing but the reality today is the market has never been more segmented. This trend makes it difficult for brands to communicate a precise message to a broad audience. The best approach for big brands is to act as an independent small business and really study the community, behavior and beliefs of their African-American consumer base. Putting the “racism” controversy of Tommy Hilfiger aside, back in the day, Thomas Jacob Hilfiger, the creator of urban fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger, drew inspiration for his underpants with the TH logo in the center by constantly driving through the Boroughs of Manhattan, NY where he saw kids sagging. Companies need to create departments that are somewhat independent of the main organization and can act as the ears and eyes for keeping Big brands up to speed with cultural trends and behavior.
Taking Action:
Now the execution: When creating ad campaigns, big brands should ensure that characters depicted in their ads reflect diversity to a great extent, this seems like a no-brainer but you’ll be shocked to learn how many companies still don’t have a solid representation of positive African Americans in their ad campaigns.
Crossing T and dotting I:
I must admit, brands caught in the web of racist backlash may not intentionally set out to be insensitive towards a culture or ethnicity, but at a time when social media has made customers judge, jury and executioner, it’s important for solid research and scrutiny to go into any campaign targeted to the African American market. In the event that something slipped through the cracks and the message was perceived as culturally insensitive, the first order of business is to release a PR statement that highlights the objective/goal and state how the message was clearly misconstrued and never the position of the company. (Worth a shot)
Supporting the Community:
Big brands should channel a good percentage of their corporate social responsibility to black communities, in a bid to drive significant impact. Brands need to take a cue from McDonald’s by becoming the change agent in underserved communities. This is a step in the right direction for brands to win trust and build loyalty.
Influencers, Public Figures and Notable Personalities:
Of course, this isn’t anything new. Brands have long been working with African American influencers from various industries like sports, music, movies etc. But embracing notable African Americans from rarely explored fields like psychology, poetry, arts, etc. and letting them take part in shaping the campaign process, can provide valuable insight for brands to strategically execute their ideas. A bit unorthodox I agree, but that’s what marketing is all about. …Disruption.
