St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1946-03-22
Negroes Show
Preference for
Advertised Brands

lively more popular among Negroes
than whites, Edgar A. Steele, re-
search director of Research Com
pany Of America, pointed out re-
Gently in summarizing before the
New York chapter Of American
Marketing Association findings by
his company in Washington, Bal
timore and Philadelphia for the
Afro-American group, which has
editions in Baltimore, Newark.
Philadelphia, Richmond and Wash
ington.
In his discussion Of "The In
fuence Of the Negro on our Ma
tional Economy" Mr.. Steele com
pared the buying habits Of more
than 1000 Negro families inter
viewed in each Of these three
cities with data compiled in l945
by the Milwaukee Journal and
the Omaha World-Herald for these
two essentially white markets"
he also presented findings on
family income, savings, education
and magazine and newspaper
leadership Of Negroes in the three
eastern cities.
Buying Habits Differ
Whereas in Washington, 579s of
Negroes were found TO buy their
groceries at Safeway stores. in
Baltimore and Philadelphia thew
deal primarily with independents.
A q 7 stores are second in number
OF Negro customers in Baltimore
and American stores second in
Philadelphia. The white" studies
in Milwaukee and Omaha had
given first preference to neighbor-
hood independent" grocery stores.
Maxwell House, which was
ranked third among coffee brands
IN Milwaukee and fourth in
Omaha, is given a definite prefer
ence by Negroes in Baltimore and
Philadelphia 1860 and 4O.3Gs !
and, with 21.5eS, is outranked In
Washington only by Wilkins. a
regional brand, with 1850. Hills
Bros. is first in Milwaukee and
Butter-Nut in Omaha.
Gold Medal Gets Votes
Although Gold Medal leads all
flour brands in Milwaukee, with
$500, and is passed only by
omar, regional brand, in Omaha
(35.b%), from half to two-thirds
OF Negro families in the three east
ern cities prefer it. Similarly,
Aunt Jemima attracts the highest
percentage Of buyers of pancake
and waffle mixes in Milwaukee
and Omaha (46.5@o and 53,9T(,
but its strength among Negroes in
the three cities is even greater.
ranging from $3.50 in Washing.
ton to 1861 in Philadelphia, pills
bury is a slow second in each of
the three.
Bread brand preferences are
more varied. Continental leads in
Milwaukee and Omar in Omaha,
but Bond is first, with more than
half Of Negro families, in Wash
ington and Philadelphia, and
Schmidt's, 41.99o in Baltimore.
Use Less Dog Food
Red Heart leads among dog
foods in Milwaukee, Washington
and Baltimore, but its popularity
is about twice as great in the two
western cities. Pard Is first in
Omaha and Hunt Club in Phila-
delphia. Although dog ownership
is nearly as high among the east
ern Negroes as the western whites,
use OF dog food is about one-third
less.
The proportion Of Negroes using
packaged coffee is about S59S in
the eastern cities, as compared
with about 800 for whites in Mil
waukee and Omaha, and the pro-
portion Of -four users is slightly
less-About 949S to 999o. The use
Of pancake and waffle mixes, how
ever, is about the same, and the
Negro families buy slightly more
bread.
a somewhat higher proportion
OF Negroes than whites apparently
buys soap products for household
laundry use. A different brand
was found to lead in most areas
Fels Naptha bar in Milwaukee and
Philadelphia, 0xydol IN Omaha,
Ivory in Washington, Octagon in
Baltimore.
Colgate a FavOrite
The Negro use of toOthpaste is
slightly less than that of the west
ern whites, both being around
70qo. Colgate is ahead in all mar
kets except Omaha, where it is
slightly outranked by Pepsodent,
but Colgate averages about Soc
stronger in the Negro markets
than in the white. Pepsodent is
second in Washington and Phila-
delphia and Ipana second in Bal
timore.
About 400 of the Negro fam
lilies buy packaged liquor, and
about one-third Of these prefer
blended whisky. In Washington
rum is second, in Baltimore and
Philadelphia, gin. About 1000 of
the colored families buy cola"
drinks, with Coca-Cola preferred.
The proportion Of eastern Negro
and western white cigaret smokers
appears to be about the same
500, but about 400 of the eastern
colored women smoke cigarets as
against about 800 of the western
white women. Although Lucky
Strike was first in nationwide vol
ume in 1915, and leads among
Milwaukee men and Milwaukee
and Omaha women. Camel is pre-
ferred by about 400 of the Negro
men in all three cities; Chester
field is second, with about 23Gs.
and Lucky averages only about
1870. Similarly, Camel leads among
Negro women, with more than
500. Philip Morris is second in
Washington, Lucky Strike in Bal
timore and Chesterfield in Phila-
delphia.
Chevrolet, Ford Leaders
Motor car ownership among Ne
groes in Washington is about
three times as great, proportion
ately, as in Baltimore and about
four times as great as Philadelphia.
Chevrolet, prewar national sales
leader, is first in Washington, and
Ford first in Baltimore and Phila-
delphia. More than 27cc Of the
Westinghouse plan to buy a
new car when available, as com
pared with 1851 of the Balti-
more and 22.5eo Of the Philadel-
phia families.