St. Paul recorder., 1962-08-31


Increases In both numbers and
income make Negroes a more
Important sales target. But
companies differ over whether
special approaches are needed to
sell to them.
Il am the insoluble piece of fat
in the great American melting pot
the leopard that can't change its
spots. Not day goes by but that
I'm reminded I am a nonwhite. u
So speaks Chicago Negro -
well educated, prosperous. He puts
his finger on the one overriding
factor that isolates some 19-mil.
lion us. citizens from the main
stream. President John H. John.
son of Johnson Publishing Co. calls
it forced identity"
The isolation carries over into
the marketplace. white people
won't let me be just an Amer.
ican," the Chicago man goes on
They make me live - and buy
as a Negro"
Business will have to reckon in.
creasingly with this forced identi
ty in the days ahead. More com
panies that will admit it are al
ready actively catering to the Ne
gro or are deep in research. Fol
in the market, as in the schools
the restaurants, and the hiring
halls, the Negroes are on thu
march.
1. The new force.
Cold data indicates both thu
strength and weaknesses of thi.
advancing group. At last censu.
time, Negroes represented only
10.5% Of the total population. The
nonwhite median family income ot
1928 Jagged considerably behinc
the white median Of $5,825. YET
the Negroes outstripped the whites
on two counts during the 1950s
In numbers, they grew nearly 2s%
against a 17.5% gain for whites
Their median income represented
a 73% gain, a shade higher thar
the whites gain Of 69.4%.
Move to cities. More important
is where the growth occurred. Ne.
groes are moving to a vital mar.
keting area: the big city. In Wash.
ington, DC, they now account
for more than half the population
Other cities are likely to face this
situation before long.
This concentration makes an i'm
pact greater than numbers alone
would indicate. The Negro could
prove downtown's salvation" says
William Capitman, president OF
Center for Research in Marking
Inc. Some cities are beginning to
agree.
Beyond the figures looms the
intangible: a change in attitude in
the Negroes themselves. Hard,
earned gains in this country, plus
the emergence of the African ma,
tions as an international force
have brought a new sense of pride
"a greater willingness to be ident,
flied.
Economic power. They have
brought, too, a new sense of power
In the past year or so, the Negro
has discovered a brand-new right
the right not to buy. He is learn,
ing to WELD it in way that will
make him a still more potent force
in the market: to open up widel
employment opportunities.
II. To sell or not.
In recent weeks, Business Weeh
reporters talked with manufact.
urers, retailers, media, community
leaders in some 20 cities. They
asked: Is this a special market
If so, how do you sell it? They
came back with two violently op,
posed views.
With some notable exceptions
you would conclude from the an.
swers that integration is well un'
der way in marketing either in,
tentionally or by default. Many
appliance manufacturers, shoe con.
Germs, apparel makers, food pro.
cessors, and retailers shook theil
heads and said: I'VE treat al
markets alike"
Some figure it as a matter Of
straight economics. A big tire
company sums it up this view: 1--WE
don't feel 1t Is economic or wise
to carve our effort into pieces"
Marketing quandry. Some are
frankly scared. As one man puts
1t: IF we use the wrong approach
we may ALLEVIATE the Negro. If we
use the right approach, we may
ALLEVIATE our white customers"
More positively, some big stores
feel they get better results by moi
making a special appeal. Says the
president Of Jones Store in Kan
sas city: IT think they would re-
sent 1t II they thought we were go
ing after them as Negroes" Car.
son Pir4e Scott & Co. in Chicago
adds: IF they think wen Of Us
we think It Is because we treat
them as grownup people"
But the commonest reason wa