Family Digest Magazine announced this week its KIDS' HEALTH section, which will focus on the physical and emotional health of African American children.
"With this addition to the magazine, Family Digest becomes the only publication to feature African American children-specific health editorial in every issue," per founder Darryl L. Mobley. Visit the website.
I’ve been keeping track in recent weeks about the subprime mortgage fallout. Civil Rights groups and others have called for a moratorium on foreclosures and that borrowers are provided with more affordable alternatives.
But what I didn’t know is that although subprime mortgages consist of 20% of all home loans, 55% of all mortgages taken out by African Americans in 2005 were subprime. More...
Speaking of football players and endorsement deals, the NFL draft is being held in the NYC this weekend.
African American prospects are dominant in the draft, but few align themselves with Black agents to represent them, whether it's for negotiating salaries or those lucrative athletic and/or apparel contracts.
Charles Hallman of the Minnesota Spokesman Recorder gives more insight in his recent article. More...
Campbells will continue with its Chunky Soup “Mama’s Boys” advertising campaign, with NFL Players Larry Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs and Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars set to appear, along with their moms. Read On...
Photo Op:
Celebrities were out and about in New York yesterday, from attending Russell Simmons' "Do You" Book Launch at Stereo...
The Chevy Spring Fest, with a lineup that includes rappers Trick Daddy and Rick Ross, rolls into Miami this Saturday.
Sources say the Black Family Channel will end its run as a 24/7 network on April 30th.
BFC, which is in talks with the Gospel Music Channel regarding acquiring its subscriber base, will “not shut down operations, although it’s unclear in what capacity it will exist.”
The network, owned by the likes of Willie Gary, Cecil Fielder, and Evander Holyfield, “was unable to secure significant cable and satellite distribution to continue” on television.
AOL BlackVoices reports that Patrick Robinson, who honed his design skills under Patrick Kelly and went on to work for labels such as Armani, Anne Klein and others before launching his own line, will debut an exclusive collection of womens’ clothing at Target.
The collection is due to arrive at selected stores on May 6th. 
We mentioned Uncle Ben's promotion (if that's what you want to call it) to Chairman Ben in a previous post.
Slate.com's David Segal offered his opinion on the Chairman's rise to the boardroom and a slideshow highlighting the "strange history of racist spokescharacters". Read On...
Serena Williams and Vicks partnered up today to announce the "Vicks Sinus Send-Off" Sweepstakes. One winner will receive an all expense paid excursion to Wimbledon.
It's Media Monitors Top 10 Advertisers on Urban Radio ending April 22nd. Toyota, US Navy and Disney are new this week:
Paul Wall of SwishaHouse Records is the newest artist affiliated with Virgin Mobile’s "First Dibs" Ringtone Program.
Songs from his first album, which include collaborations with Jermaine Dupri, Jon B, Snoop Dogg and Trina, are exclusively available via Virgin’s site.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) launched its "STOP Campaign" today, an initiative geared towards ending the demeaning images of African Americans found in the media. Visit the NAACP website to learn more about the effort...
...And Russell Simmons, along with the Hip Hop Summit Network, says "No" to the "H" word, along with a few others. (Source)
“Chrysler Presents the Divas of Gospel," an eight-city tour featuring Yolanda Adams and Mary Mary, arrives on April 26 in Denver, CO.
"For Chrysler, this tour is a unique opportunity to showcase our Chrysler vehicles to a very influential and important audience," said David Rooney, Director/Chrysler Marketing and Global Communications. (Source)
Check here to see additional stops on the tour...
On the Media Front:
Former NFL Running Back Eddie George will host his own internet radio show, “Radio, By George”, on VoiceAmerica, starting this Monday.
Eddie and his wife, Tamara “Taj” George, former R&B singer with the group SWV, also premiered their reality series, “I Married A Baller," last night on TV One.
And has Alison Stewart moved on from MSNBC’s “The Most”? Read on…
Roberts Broadcasting, an African American owned media company, is banning music that contains sexist, violent, and racist language on one of its radio stations. Read On...
VH1's Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School starring Mo’Nique drew 5.07 million total viewers in for its Sunday debut, ending the record of 4.43 million held by the premiere of “I Love New York.” Read Story
Global drug giant AstraZeneca said Thursday it is teaming with U.S. doctor groups to correct a dearth of minority physicians conducting drug trials. Read More
Louis Carr, President/Media Sales and Debra Lee, Chairman and CEO of BET
BET News Correspondents Andre Showell, Sharon Carpenter, and Dr. Ian Smith
Terrance and Rocsi of "106 and Park" and Stephen Hill, EVP/Entertainment Programming and Music TalentEarvin Johnson Still 'Magic' in Corporate America. Read On...
The folks at Media Monitors list the Top 10 Advertisers on Urban Radio ending April 15th. Geico and Fox Television are new this week:
InterActiveCorp, parent company of Ask.com and Ticketmaster.com, announced it will launch an online community geared towards African Americans in January 2008. (Source)
Budget Rent-A-Car has renewed its sponsorship of the Tom Joyner “Sky Show”. Joyner, dubbed the “Hardest Working Man in Radio,” has the top syndicated urban morning program in the country.
The Sky Show, taped in front of a live audience and featuring well-known performers, comedians and the Joyner Morning Show crew, is broadcast regularly on TVONE.
NYSE and Black Enterprise honor African Americans on Wall Street by the ringing of the closing bell at 3:55 PM EST today. Click here to see it live.
An accompanying fundraising event for the documentary "Wall Street in the Black" will be held on April 25. I checked out a preview of the film, looks interesting...
Jason Whitlock appeared on Tucker Carlson's MSNBC show this Thursday:
Jason Whitlock, the Kansas City Star newspaper journalist who was called out earlier this year for writing two differing accounts about Vegas’ 2007 NBA All Star Weekend, shared his thoughts on the Imus fallout. Read On...
Advertisers Procter and Gamble and Staples pull out from The Don Imus Show.
"Based on recent comments...it prompted us to kind of take a look at our decision to advertise and as a result we decided to stop advertising on that program," said Staples spokesman Paul Capelli. (Source)
The New York Times also reports P&G went even further and cancelled over $560,000 in advertising from Imus' show, as well as nixed advertising from the entire MSNBC morning schedule. (Source)
Here is Media Monitors list of the Top 10 Commercials on Urban Radio for the week ending April 8th.
New this week are: Burger King, Toys R Us and Wal-Mart.
Since the Don Imus story is being carried on all the major media outlets and several blogs, BuzzologySurveys' initial thought was to not include a posting about his derogatory comments regarding the Rutgers Womens Basketball Team and subsequent “apology.”
But as the dialogue deepens about Imus, the impact of his comments on such an accomplished group of women, and race relations overall, we felt it imperative to post some recent developments:
New York Times: Rutgers Women to Meet With Imus Over Remarks
National Assn. of Black Journalists: Despite CBS; MSNBC suspension, 'Imus Must Go'
The whole Imus story just reconfirms why it is so critical to have diversity within the media as well as on Madison Ave. Different perspectives mean more sensitivity towards cultural issues and a better representation of what we see on TV, hear on the radio, or read in print.
The show's demographic is said to be a top draw for major advertisers including Chrysler and The New York Stock Exchange. We're curious what their reactions have been to calls for a possible boycott:
Mediapost.com: Will 'Imus In The Morning' Advertisers Sleep In?
We'll keep you posted on any developments. In the meantime, check out previous articles about the need for diversity in both industries:
UNITY Journalists of Color: Embracing Newsroom Diversity Cannot Continue to be a Slow Process
Target Market News: 4As Diversity Panel Says More Execs of Color Needed at Top of Media Firms
Gannett News Service discusses efforts to market home furnishings to a multicultural audience, including:
B. Smith, entrepreneur and lifestyle expert who partnered with Bed Bath & Beyond to produce a home textiles and other products, has expanded into the furniture biz through an arrangement with Clayton Marcus Co.
Johnson Publishing and Dan River Co., a leading manufacturer of home and apparel textile products, also have a licensing deal to create a luxury bedding products geared towards ethic consumers. (Source)
Also Making News:
Women’s Wear Daily: Diddy’s Deals 
Black Enterprise announced today that General Motors would return as host of the 2007 Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo being held in Buena Vista, Florida on May 9 -12.
The New York Times reports that sales of mobile ringtones are expected to decrease by $50M this year, with ringbacks being the hot growth area, estimated at $65M.
What’s the difference between ringtones and ringbacks you ask? For those not familiar, Billboard.com offers these definitions:
Ringback: A personalization service for mobile phones. When a caller dials a ringback user, a song replaces the typical ringing noise before the user picks up.
Ringtone: The sound (or song) made by a mobile phone indicating an incoming call.
Billboard.com also lists this week’s top ringtone: R& B sensation Chris Brown’s Poppin’, and top ringmaster, Rapper Mims “This Is Why I’m Hot”. Oh, a ringmastger is a snippet of the actual song. African American artists dominate the Top 10 Ringmasters Chart.
Check out “What’s Hot” over at BET Mobile…
YouTube.com, credited for starting the explosive growth of sharing video content online, has generated several imitators. But in a field of many, one site is creating buzz for focusing on a specific audience: Gospeltube.com.
GospelTube.com, “allows visitors to watch and share Christian and Gospel videos worldwide through a web experience for the whole family.” Read More...
Have a Happy Easter everyone!
Alltel and Maya Angelou announced the winners of ''Words of Wisdom: Lessons In Courage.”
The nine scholarship winners of the essay contest received $5,000 to be used at their respective HBCU (Historically Black College or University)."
"Alltel Wireless is committed to celebrating the academic accomplishments of students within the African-American community” said Regina Woziwodzki, director of multicultural marketing for Alltel. Source
The 50 Million Pound Challenge, a joint effort of Dr. Ian Smith, most notably of the VH1 Celebrity Fit Club, and State Farm Insurance, is an initiative geared towards helping the Black community become proactive about improving their physical health.
Celebrities such as Steve Harvey, Patti LaBelle, Omarion, Yolanda Adams, and NFL star Michael Strahan were expected at today’s kick off on The National Mall in Washington, DC. For more information, visit 50millionpounds.com.
The American Heart Association states a startling fact: African American women are at a greater risk for heart disease, the nation’s number one killer, than Caucasians and other groups.
In an effort to stem this epidemic and provide needed health information, Cheerios and American Urban Radio Network have partnered up to promote the “Sisters Saving Hearts Awards.”
Grants totaling $25,000 will be given to recognize African American women and organizations working to educate and raise awareness about the disease. Source
In keeping with the trend of consumer influenced advertising, Marketingvox.com reports that Pepsi is launching DesignOurPepsiCan.com, with the top vote getter being displayed on over 500 million cans.
“Celebrity Can Artists” such as Pharrell Williams are also creating designs in what Pepsi is calling a part of its “global brand restyle.” Full Story
Toyota's Scion, known for using hip-hop influenced marketing, launches its newest contest seeking unsigned rappers. The contest begins April 9. Read More…
Ready for Mobile Audio content? A new study by Arbitron and Telephia says that consumers, especially the desired 25 to 44 male demographic, with a large proportion being African American and other minorities, may be open to an incentive based or ad-supported model. Source
Coors Brewing Company released details about its 2007 African American-focused advertising campaign on Wednesday. "The World's Most Refreshing Beer" is launching street-level marketing, radio, out-of-home and print advertising to expand its reach and connect “emotionally with multicultural consumers." Source
Allhiphop.com is reporting that Jay-Z may have another endorsement deal under his belt. He’s in talks with Armand De Brignac, makers of the exclusive champagne featured in "Show Me What You Got", the 1st single off his latest album.
You may remember the hoopla last year surrounding Jay-Z’s boycott of another champagne company, Cristal, after comments made by Frederic Rouzaud, the wine maker's managing director.
With H-O-V-A’s blessing, hip hop is sure to embrace the bubbly, but does Armand De Brigand really rhyme with anything?
Many thought the concept of affordable tennis shoes and apparel wouldn’t catch on in an industry that offers $150-$300 kicks, but apparently Stephon Marbury knew otherwise. His Starbury line, including the $14.98 Starbury I, was so phenomenally successful that Footwear News named it the "2006 Footwear Launch of the Year."
This morning NBC’s Today Show highlighted Marbury, his line and how growing up in Brooklyn birthed the idea of creating quality merchandise. (See Video Clip)
Other ballers in the NBA have begun to take note, with “Big Ben” Wallace signing on as a spokesperson. "Once parents and their kids begin to see that other pro athletes are getting down with this, then it just makes a world of difference," Marbury said in a phone interview. Source
The line is sold exclusively at Steve & Barry’s.
Here’s a look at Media Monitors the Top 10 Urban Radio Spots for the week ending April 1st:
The Washington Post reports that Soledad O'Brien, anchor of CNN’s "American Morning", has been replaced. Apparently the ratings for the morning program have declined 6% within the last year.
O’Brien, who should be commended for her frank and “no-holds barred” questioning during an interview with then FEMA Director Michael Brown, was part of the team that helped CNN win a Peabody Award for its Hurricane Katrina coverage. She’s expected to stay on board as a correspondent. Source
I ran across this post entitled ”The Continuing Significance of Email Among African Americans” on Blackprof.com. It’s an interesting read and discusses why communication via this avenue tends to be favored over blogs and other forms of connecting. It also raises the question are Blacks technologically behind as a community. Read More...
With the recent sale of the Rocawear trademark to Iconix for $204M, are urban owned brands becoming extinct? Black Enterprise poses this question in their recent article, Thinning Threads.
Stephen Hilger/Bloomberg NewsWelcome to the premiere post for BuzzologySurveys’ blog!
After working within the media field for several years, I, along with members of my team, continually wonder why we don’t see more advertising reflective of Black consumers and information of interest to us.
And we're not alone. Yankelovich Partners, a well known authority on consumer attitudes, and Burrell Communications, a leading African American ad agency, noted in their 2005 survey that 50% of African Americans agree that “very little, if any, of the marketing and advertising I see has any relevance to me.”
And yet, The University of Georgia’s Selig Center estimated that our spending topped $799 billion in 2006 and will reach $1.1 trillon by 2011.
That means Black folks need to better leverage their buying power. So as consumers ourselves, we want to be a catalyst for that change!
Visit our blog daily to find the latest headlines about marketing efforts geared towards our community, view commercials, promos and other ad campaigns, read interviews with decision makers, and continue to stay informed!
