Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1961-07-07

least one company salesman should
be a Negro. The ultimatum was
given to the company on Febru-
airy 16, with a 17-day deadline.
mot q Drop Of SunOco"
Sun resisted. telling the minis
tiers that it couldn't justify hiring
that many new employees in such
a short time, particularly when
company employment was falling
as a result Of the end Of the winter
heating Oil season. The ministers
were polite but adamant. On Palm
Sunday and again on Easter Sun
day the word went out to theii
congregations: until The Pastor
Says So, Not A Single Drop OF
Blue Sunoco."
The boycott quickly spread. 1t
was endorsed by Negro churches
throughout Pennsylvania and in
cities stretching from Boston to
South Carolina 1t passed to Ne
gro Masonic groups and other
lodges and social organizations.
Finally, early in June, after two
and a half months, Sun called in
representatives of the ministers
group and gave them list Of new
Negro employees. 1t met the min
isters' demands and the boycott
was terminated Immediately.
Most or the other companies,
when confronted with the minis
ters' suggestions" came to terms
much more speedily, in a matter
of few days, If not a few hours.
PepSi-Cola Co., for example, held
out for only two days last fall
after the Philadelphia Negroes de-
clared a boycott in connection with
a demand that the company's local
bottling plant hire more Negroes
in truck driver and white-collar
jobs. I'VE were surprised to be
included in the boycotts'', says
Harvey C. Russell, director Of spec
ial markets for Pepsi; the conn.,
pany had been active in the Ne
gro market for rs years and en-
ployed Is Negro marketing experts
in the parent company and COM
pany-owned bottling plants. How
ever, the soft drink firm Is now
apparently back in the good graces
of this racial group. Last Christ
mas, Joan Crawford, the actress
who's also a Pepsi-Cola director,
and Pepsi president Herbert Bar
net were guests of honor at a
Negro debutantes ball in Phil
adelphia- Miss Crawford threw
the switch to light the gala's
Christmas tree and, with Mr.. Bar
net, led the cotillion's grand march
A Huge Market
The growing business awareness
Of the needs and desires Of the
Negro consumer Is readily fathom.
agile. Not only are Negroes one
of the nations largest single min.
GRITTY groups, outnumbering the
U.S.'s 4 million Jews by more thar
a four-to-one ratio, but their mum.
Der Ii growing at a rate 57%
faster than the white population
Moreover, their migration from
the South has concentrated Ne
groes increasingly in large cities
Of the North and West where they
are easily reachable by SPECIALIZED
sales campaigns.
Three out Of four Negroes now
live in cities of $4,000 or more and
population experts expect the ratio
to climb in the future. Already,
Negroes make up a substantial
bloc Of most big cities populations
-53% Of Washington, DC, 289s
in Detroit, Cleveland, and st. Louis,
269S in Philadelphia and 22% in
Chicago. New York's 1,087 ,931 Ne
groes, by themselves, would con-
shtute the nations sixth largest
city, more populous than Balti-
more, Cleveland, San Francisco OF
Boston.
Negroes differ from other So
called minority markets on one
major count: In contrast to i'm
migrant groups, most notably al
the moment to the spanish-speak-
ing Puerto Ricans, they are not
likely to be assimilated into the
general market in the foreseeable
future. "A person can change his
language. but a Negro can't
change the color OF his skin" says
Benjamin H. Wright, sales promo
ton and merchandising manager
Of Ebony magazine. That's why
the Negro market win remain a
separate market for a long time
to come"
Companies seeking greater sales
among Negroes have discovered
that extra advertising and promo
ton Is usually advantageous. Like
rain, general advertising and pro-
duct publicity cover the Negro
market, but it does not do the full
job Of influencing Negroes to buy
unless somewhere along the mar.
keting line a special message Il
beamed in their direction" says d
Parke Gibson, a Negro marketing
consultant In New York.
Today, most important national
advertisers prepare special cam.
paigns for the Negro market. Coca
Cola international Corp, for exam.