Why Black Female Leadership is Important in Marketing

Hopefully you know this already, but let’s say it louder for anyone who needs a reminder—Black female leadership is important in all areas of business, and marketing is no exception! The experiences, stories, and perspectives of every race, ethnicity, and gender matter, especially in marketing. Black women have been historically underrepresented in workforce leadership. How can companies expect to reach consumers if they don’t have diverse and inclusive marketing teams and strategies?    

Breaking Down Racism and Sexism in Marketing 

The diversity efforts of many companies, especially large corporations, focus either on gender or race. Not enough companies focus on gender and race. Unfortunately, because Black women and women of color face a combination of sexism and racism, they face systemic barriers to promotions, raises, and even pay parity—in 2019, Black women were paid 63% of what non-Hispanic white men made in the same timeframe. (For all women combined, the pay gap is 83%.)

In the marketing industry, many companies fail to not only have diverse teams, but to have inclusive marketing that represents Black women and women of color. But did you know that women of color generate $1 trillion as consumers and $361 billion in revenue as entrepreneurs, launching companies at 4 times the rate of all woman-owned businesses? And combined spending by all Black households has increased 5 percent annually over the past two decades, outpacing the growth rate of combined spending by White households. 

Inclusive and representative marketing led by Black women can help unlock stories about the Black experience that haven’t been told, or that have been skewed and stereotyped. Being able to access and tell these stories allows companies to reflect Black lives, needs, experiences, values, and goals.

As our Digital Media & Design Manager, Allena Natchez Fleming, shares: “Anybody can describe somebody’s experience, but they can’t tell their experience. In the past there was a lot of marketing that was targeted to Black women that didn't even speak to Black women. It’s often someone's perception of what the Black culture is instead of what it actually is. Now that we have more representation in the field of marketing, we have more opportunities to control what that looks like, which feels great compared to having someone guess your experience. It’s all about the story and it’s very disrespectful when someone tries to tell your experience like they’re you and they're not you.”

A diverse and inclusive marketing team is better-equipped to represent a broader range of current and potential customers. Diversity is critical to creativity; diverse teams can deliver engaging marketing in a way that avoids stereotyping and increases media representation for people of color overall. Having a diverse team can also help companies solve problems quicker because of the wider variety of perspectives and experiences brought to the table, according to Harvard Business Review. 

McKinstry launched a proprietary consumer survey of 6,200 U.S. consumers in April 2021. Black respondents noted not seeing themselves in advertising and global consumer marketing campaigns, a lack of same-race business ownership, and a lack of company commitment to social justice. The survey results suggest that Black consumers are willing to shift about 30 percent of their current spending—almost $260 billion—to companies that can better deliver what they need. Clearly, companies could be putting more effort into meeting the needs of Black consumers.

A Forbes article by Mario Carrasco summarized the need for diverse marketing well: “Within the African American population, there are many subcultures with distinct styles. The complexity runs much deeper than the range of skin tones or hair texture. Identity matters. Heritage matters. And to deny African or Caribbean immigrants that heritage by not representing it in advertising sends the message that your brand subscribes to the false narrative of homogeneity.”  

Creating Equity in the Marketing Industry

Black women are still underrepresented in leadership positions. Only 6.3 percent of marketing research analysts and 5.7 percent of marketing managers in the U.S. are Black. According to LeanIn’s 2020 report, “The State of Black Women in Corporate America,” for every 100 men promoted to their first manager role, only 58 Black women receive similar senior leadership roles, even though it’s shown that Black women ask for promotions at the same rate that men do. 

Fifty-four percent of Black women say they are often “Onlys,” meaning they’re the only Black person or one of the only Black people in the room at work. Despite this, women of color are projected to make up the majority of all women by 2060, which means they’re set to become a majority of the U.S. workforce. 

Research from the Center for Talent Innovation indicates that Black women are substantially more likely than white women to say they’re interested in pursuing executive leadership roles, and they’re more likely than their white female peers to have long-term career goals.

Having more Black female leaders in marketing agencies is critical to creating equity in the industry. Black senior leaders can help show aspiring marketers of color that they are welcome, respected, and valued. They may also be able to offer support to Black team members in a way that white leaders aren’t able to, and empower staff members of color to voice their opinions. 

According to McKinsey, there is a direct correlation between diversity in the leadership of large companies and two measures of financial outperformance—profitability and value creation. McKinsey also states that compared to men, female business leaders are doing more to support their teams and advance diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Women are also more likely to be allies or mentors to women of color, and to actively confront discrimination. 

Marketing agencies need to be able to create a culture that leverages the benefits of diverse talent—one where all women, employees, and clients feel comfortable bringing their ideas and experiences to the table.