St. Paul recorder., 1943-01-01
How Companies In
Many Fields Cultivate
The Negro Market
By David ]. Sullivan
in American Salesmanship Magazine

Magazine
Beech-Nut Packing Company fol
instance, in 1888, started to employ
Negro demonstrators who first con-
centrated on crackers, then coffee
and in 1910 went out into the mar
ket to put over Beech-Nut soups
and baby food.
Records show that they did a
marvellous job on both.
Distribution of the soups was
facilitated by using a full-color
sampler, and repeat sales to the re-
taller were Immediately attained.
The demonstrators success with
baby foods made the company
double baby food sales to Negro
consumers. How? With specialized
merchandising to Negro doctors
and mothers, tying in with the To-
cal retailers. It was done, of
course, with a Negro field repre-
sentative.
Probably one of the most COM
petitive industries today is the to-
bacco industry. But Philip Morris &
Co., Ltd, Inc, through good use of
j. Sanifer, backed up with effective
merchandising support and adver-
tising in Negro papers, increased
sales 300 in one year in New York
City's Negro market. The company
jumped in 1941 from seventh posi-
tion to fourth position in cigarettes
sold to Negro smokers.
Another example: that of Gordon
Baking Co. In 1888 that firm en-
ployed a Negro merchandising man,
William G. Black, and a Negress,
Mrs. Ralph Sharper to cover the
Negro market of New York City.
AS result of this continuous spe-
cial effort, Gordon Baking Co. is
now first in market in which con-
sumers buy more than $3,000,000
worth of white bread a year.
You might say, "But 1 sell dur
able goods" Here is an answer
which means dollars and cents to
you.
Though Negroes in 1885 made up
only 80 of Detroit's population, the
General Electric Co. sales of dur
able goods to Negro purchasers
were 1870 of G-E's total business
done in that city. Yes, it's a mar
ket for washers, ironers, refrigera-
tors, ranges, and vacuum cleaners.
In Philadelphia, the General Elec-
trio distributor, through Negro
statesmen, sold over $25O,OOO worth
of appliances yearly. The other
companies, General Motors Corp,
Kelvinator Division, Nash-Kelvina-
tor Corp, Norge Division, Borg
Warner Corp, etc., had Negro
statesmen too. Of interest is the
fact that white statesmen enjoyed
added business because Negroes
knew that the companies employed
Negro statesmen.
When it is realized that Negro
buying power in 1910 exceeded the
total of the country's total exports,
then one can appreciate the size of
the market figured in dollars and
cents.
Negro Specialists Spur Sales
Already manufacturers are look
ing ahead to peacetime and the re-
sumption of civilian production. But
the problem of getting the greatest
good from, and use of, the vastly
expanded production facilities now
engaged in war work, is one of un-
usual magnitude.
Since the fight for markets over
V-Day will be terrific, no market
need be overlooked. But your plan
ming today to include Negro spe-
cialists in the sales and distribu-
tion picture certainly will insure
your sales success with the con-
sumer.
Although many products are be-
ing rationed now, some national Or
ganizations are maintaining domi-
nant position in consumer prefer
ence and mass volume business by
keeping their Negro specialists
actively engaged during the war
period. A few such companies are
Pepsi-Cola Co., Hoffman Beverage
Co., Jacob Rupert, Homan & Co.
| (Clabber Girl Baking Powder),
Carstairs Bros. Distilling Co., and
Park & Tilford Import Corp.
In this connection the Pepsi-Co
Co. is even expanding as is Nehi.
Corp. with Royal Crown Cola-so
much so that they may be consid-
cred first in the Negro market.
When the market is thought of in
terms of dollars and cents, it is in
teresting to know that in 1889 the
29,827 Negro-owned retail stores
realized sales of 71,466,00O. In
this group more than II, 900 stores
are purveyors Of groceries, meats
and vegetables. For that year Ne
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