St. Paul recorder., 1961-07-07

drivers on sun OIL ITuChS, dIlu dl
least one company salesman should
be a Negro. The ultimatum was
given to the company on Febru-
ary 16, with a 17-day deadline.
mot a Drop Of Sunoco"
Sun resisted, telling the minis
ters that it couldn't justify hiring
that many new employees in such
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 theil
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 a 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 CON-
pany had been active in the Ne
gro market for 25 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 nov
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 q
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 cotilhon's grand march
A Huge Market
The growing business awarenes:
of the needs and desires of the
Negro consumer is readily fathom'
agile. Not only are Negroes one
Of the nations largest single min
ority groups, outnumbering the
U.S.'s 4 million Jews by more thar
four-to-one ratio, but their mum,
ber is growing at a rate 57%
faster than the white population
Moreover, their migration from
the South has concentrated Ne.
groes increasingly in large cite!
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 anc
population experts expect the ratio
to climb in the future. Already
Negroes make up a substantial
bloc of most big cities populations
l-53% of Washington, DC, 2SG;
in Detroit, Cleveland, and st. Louis
26fo in Philadelphia and 22% il
Chicago. New York's 1887, ,931 Ne
groes, by themselves, would con
stitute the nations sixth larges
city, more populous than Balti
more, Cleveland San Francisco O
Boston.
Negroes differ from other SO
called minority markets on on
major count: In contrast to i'm
migrant groups, most notably a
the moment to the Spanish-speak
ing Puerto Ricans, they are no
likely to be assimilated into tn
general market in the foreseeabl
future. "A person can change hi
= language, but a Negro can
change the color of his skin" say
Benjamin H. Wright, sales promo
tion and merchandising manage
of Ebony magazine. That's VIII
the Negro market will remain
separate market for a long tim
to come"
: Companies seeking greater sale
il among Negroes have discovere
that extra advertising and promo
ton is usually advantageous. "Lik
rain, general advertising and pr
duct publicity cover the Negr
market, but it does not do the fu
job Of influencing Negroes to bu
unless somewhere along the MAJ
keting line a special message
beamed in their direction" says
Parke Gibson, a Negro marketin
consultant in New York.
Today, most important nations
advertisers prepare special can
paigns for the Negro market. Coo
Cola international Corp, for exam