Juneteenth is a commemoration of June 19th, 1865 when 250,000 enslaved African Americans in Confederate states were legally declared free – two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.
Named as a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth has become a celebration of community and resilience; a time to reflect on how far we’ve come and where we’re headed.
Learn about Juneteenth with us!
This year, our Hive of marketing experts is learning more about the history of Juneteenth and its surrounding context. Join us! Here are the resources we’re exploring:
The Smithsonian Celebrates Juneteenth
National Museum of African American History & Culture: Juneteenth
Southern Living: Grandmother of Juneteenth, Opal Lee, shares the importance of this historic holiday
Vox: Why All Americans Should Honor Juneteenth
US National Archives: On Juneteenth
Juneteenth and inclusive marketing
One of the biggest misconceptions about inclusive marketing is that it’s a clarion call for every brand to become a social justice warrior. It’s 1000% not.
Inclusive marketing is marketing that acknowledges diversity.
Inclusive marketing looks at all aspects of a campaign from the audience segmentation of paid media efforts, to visual assets, to ad copy, to the makeup of the marketing team, and more.
Why should marketers pay attention to Juneteenth? Here are a few reasons:
- Combined spending by all Black households has increased 5% every year for the past two decades, outpacing the spending growth rate of White households. – McKinsey
- Black Americans media usage outpaces all other groups. – Nielsen
- Black buying power in the U.S. is estimated to grow to $1.98 trillion by 2025 – Selig Center for Economic Growth
Successful inclusive marketing campaigns reach previously untapped customer segments. We call that “audience expansion” and it’s the #1 goal of performance marketing.
If you’re looking for marketing performance gains, you MUST look at inclusive marketing.
Ready for more? Explore our Inclusive Marketing Guide.
U.S. census data shows that diversity is not holding steady – it’s increasing. Explore our Inclusive Marketing Guide to understand:
- Why inclusive marketing is the ONLY true performance marketing strategy
- Why both B2B and consumer brands should be marketing this way
- 4 start-today tips for transitioning to inclusive marketing
