Ad Age: Does Marketing Contribute To Obesity In African-Americans?

From AdAge.com:

There is a body of statistical data suggesting that the black community has been left behind on the road to healthier-food marketing.

That's according to an article in the September issue of the American Journal of Public Health, which examined marketing and advertising studies conducted between 1992 and 2006 and looked at foods and beverages marketed to blacks vs. whites.

Sonya Grier, lead researcher on the project and associate professor of marketing at American University's Kogod School of Business, said her group uncovered 20 studies done during the 14-year period.

The article may be the first comprehensive look at food marketing to blacks, considering the types of products offered to a market, promotions, advertising and other communications, distribution and availability of specific products and price.

Ms. Grier also noted that in some black neighborhoods, it's easier to find a fast-food restaurant than it is a grocery store. More...

Star-Ledger: Census Shows New Jersey A State Of Economic Contrasts

From The Star-Ledger:

When it comes to family income, New Jersey remains a study in contrasts.

On the whole, state residents do quite well, with a median household income of $67,035 -- the second highest in the nation, according to Census figures released today. Only Maryland was higher.

But two of the state's cities -- Camden and Paterson -- remain among the nation's poorest, while suburban Hunterdon County ranks as the wealthiest county in the nation with a population under 250,000, with a median family income of $100,327.

(Also) White households had median incomes of more than $72,500, compared to $44,700 for those headed by African Americans, according to the figures. Median incomes for Asian households was nearly $95,800, while Hispanic were $47,300. Read on...

B&C: BET Ready for Democratic National Convention

From Broadcasting & Cable:

BET will offer live coverage from the Democratic National Convention in Denver Aug. 25-28, as well as four BET News specials examining the key issues, the network announced Thursday.

Coverage will air on BET, BET J and online on broadband channel BET On Blast.

The network and BET J will kick things off with Michelle Obama’s speech live at 10 p.m. Monday, Aug. 25, after which a half-hour of analysis with BET News correspondents, political analysts and special guests will follow.

BET News Special What’s at Stake: The Top 10 Issues Affecting Black America will air Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 9 p.m. Guests will include the Rev. Al Sharpton, Nas, Chuck D, David Banner, Crystal McCrary Anthony, John McWhorter, Boyce Watkins, Marc Lamont Hill, Keli Goff, Clay Cane, Rob Stapleton, Donnell Rawlings, Ardie Fuqua, Godfrey, Jina Johnson, Samson, Sharon Carpenter, Staceyann Chin and Keith Boykin. More...

Business Journal: Wells Fargo Plans To Lend Additional $1B To Black-Owned Businesses

From The San Antonio Business Journal:

After reaching its goal of lending $1 billion to African American business owners by 2010 two years early, Wells Fargo & Co. has set a new goal of lending an additional $1 billion by 2018.

This will allow Wells Fargo to raise its cumulative lending to African American businesses to $2 billion over the next 10 years.

“Reaching our $1 billion goal two years early is a testament to the growth and entrepreneurial vision of this important segment of the U.S. economy,” says Brenda Ross-Dulan, senior vice president and national spokeswoman for Wells Fargo’s African American Business Services program.

Wells Fargo’s African American Business Services program has been in operation for the last 10 years. As part of the anniversary celebration, Wells Fargo will expand its relationship with the National Black MBA Association by sponsoring the association’s Entrepreneurial Institute.
San Francisco-based Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified financial services company with $609 billion in assets. Wells Fargo Bank has more than 40 branches in the San Antonio/Hill Country region. Source

PRNewswire: Online Job Searches Attract Young, Educated, African-American Consumers

From PR Newswire:

Online Job Searchers, those adults who have conducted an employment search online during the past month, represent a youthful, educated, racially diverse group, according to consumer and media research firm Scarborough Research.

Scarborough finds that Online Job Searchers are 62 percent more likely than the total adult population to be ages 18-34; 23 percent more likely to have at least some college education; and 47 percent more likely to be African-American.

"Job search websites are used daily by all types of people seeking employment, especially the young, educated and currently employed," said Gary Meo, senior vice president, digital media services, ScarboroughResearch.

Online Job Searchers are more likely than other Internet audiences to be avid downloaders of digital content, such as music, television programs,video games and podcasts. Read on...

PROMO: Levi’s ‘Unbuttons’ Digital Campaign With Celebrities

From PROMO:

The Levi’s brand is using a little celebrity power and the offer of free music downloads to appeal to consumers under its latest new digital campaign.

The initiative, part of Levi’s “Live Unbuttoned” campaign, lets people “unbutton” artists’ music and download samples of tunes from R&B star Estelle, lyrical wizard Wale and Nikka Costa. The tracks are available for free at levis.com/estelle levis.com/nikka and levis.com/wale. On the individual sites, visitors can also hear each artist’s “revelations” via full motion videos and film content.

“Levi’s has a strong connection to and long history in supporting great music,” Doug Sweeny, director of Levi’s brand marketing, said. “There is something about great jeans and music that just fits. So integrating new, upcoming musicians into the campaign and offering our consumers exclusive musical content was an important part of the inspiration for this initiative.”

Levi’s is supporting the “Unbuttoned” digital campaign with print ads also in Rolling Stone, The Fader, Giant, Dime, Vibe and ESPN magazines. Source

Photo: Levis.com/Estelle

NYT: Home Repairs Become Focus as Consumers Feel Pinched

From The New York Times:

Suddenly, the theme in home goods retailing is “in with the old.”

With the housing market in the doldrums and inflation running at a pace unseen in nearly two decades, consumers are not buying new homes. Instead they are fixing up the ones they have, a trend that is beginning to show up in the financial reports of retailers.

“Consumer’s wallets are being pinched,” said Carol B. Tomé, chief financial officer and executive vice president for corporate services at Home Depot. “Customers are moving away from discretionary projects and are spending money on small repair projects.”

Home Depot, the world’s largest home improvement retailer and a bellwether for the industry, reported a 24 percent decline in profit in its second quarter on Tuesday, though it beat Wall Street estimates. Some of its best-performing categories were related to home repair, like plumbing and goods for the kitchen and bath. Read on...

Chicago Sun-Times: Fear Not, Guys, The Dentist Won't Bite You

From Chicago Sun-Times:

There's yet another reason why men, in particular Black men, might want to get into a relationship. Their teeth.

According to two young African-American dentists who recently opened a practice near Kenwood High School in the Hyde Park neighborhood, men who are married or have significant others also have better oral health.

"They are the biggest influencers," said Dr. Ozzie Smith III.

Although they share the same last name, Ozzie and Dr. Patrick Smith are not related. They met at Morehouse College where they earned their undergraduate degrees.

But these dentists are not pushing the cosmetic dentistry that's become popular with African-Americans who can finally afford to pay for straighter teeth. They are not trying to sell whiteners or veneers or transparent braces. Ozzie and Patrick just want black men to take better care of the teeth they have.

According to the American Dental Association, more than 50 percent of African-American men have untreated dental decay and are less likely to have decayed teeth restored. Even more troubling, black men suffer the highest incidence of oral cancer and have the lowest survival rate of any other group. More...

BrandWeek: Sears Too LL Cool J For Its Clothes

From BrandWeek:

In an effort to bring in back-to-school dollars at a time when retailers such as J.C. Penney, Macy's, Kohl's and Nordstrom are reporting declining profits, Sears said it would unveil the LL Cool J Fall 2008 collection, supported by a print, Internet and POP campaign starring the rapper, his wife and their four kids.

This will be the first line of clothing and advertising between the entertainer and Sears, which signed him to an exclusive deal in May.The LL Cool J Collection of clothing for Sears will debut in 450 stores Sept. 7, to coincide with the release of his latest album, Exit 13, which will available at select Sears stores and at Sears.com on Sept 9.

The print campaign will break in October issues of Cosmopolitan, CosmoGIRL!, Seventeen, Spin and Vibe. Shots include LL and his family wearing embroidered denim, cotton hooded sweatshirts and fleur-de-lis bejeweled T-shirts and other items from the collection. POP includes shots of LL Cool J in pieces from his collection. Items begin at $24 for T-shirts, $50 for denim and $60 for outerwear, per Sears.
Read on...

Photo: Wireimage.com

Forbes: Hip-Hop's Cash Kings 2008

From Forbes.com:

It's been some year for Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. In the past 12 months, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-born hip-hop demigod released a platinum album, signed a 10-year, $150 million deal with concert promoter Live Nation and tied the knot with longtime girlfriend Beyoncé Knowles. Quite a record. But only good enough for a silver medal.

While Jay-Z topped Forbes.com's inaugural Hip-Hop Cash Kings list of the top-earning people in the business last year, in 2008 he cedes the throne to Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, who raked in $150 million over the past 12 months--almost twice what Jay-Z made.

The new king of hip-hop wealth banked $100 million after taxes on one deal alone when his stake in VitaminWater's parent, Glacéau, was bought by Coca-Cola (nyse: KO - news - people ) as part of a $4.1 billion deal. 50's portfolio also includes the popular G-Unit clothing line and record label, plus films, videogames and a slew of platinum albums, including last year's Curtis. Also in the works: a mining partnership with South African billionaire Partrice Motsepe (see "The 50 Cent Machine").

These impresarios have mastered the arts of branding and cross-promotion, with licensing deals for everything from booze to books. Others own record labels, clothing lines, bars and restaurants. As 50 Cent says of lesser entrepreneurs, "They're trying to buy some Gucci / I'm trying to buy the mall." Read on…

Photo: Theage.com.au

Times-Picayune: Better Black Television is Percy Miller's Goal

From The Times-Picayune:

New Orleans-born hip-hop star and entrepreneur Percy Miller -- once known as Master P, now P. Miller -- will launch a new, Los Angeles-based television network in 2009.

The goal of Better Black Television (BBTV) is to "provide positive content for a black and brown culture that will appeal to all races," according to a Friday news release, which also revealed a lineup that will include a bilingual soap opera, video showcase, a Saturday morning kids show as well as series themed around health and fitness, politics, sports, celebrity profiles, cooking, comedy, personal finance, and movies.

"Better Black Television has been a vision of mine for some years," said Miller, BBTV's chairman & CEO, in the release. "I've done a lot to promote and change the way messages are relayed to our children and our families over the last few years. Promoting positive content and positive messages is so important to educate and preserve the next generation. Read on...

Dallas Seeks To Attract African American Tourists

From The Dallas Morning News:

"Dallas tourism officials want to attract more diverse visitors.

The Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau recently teamed up with the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce to launch a visitor site aimed at African-American travelers.

The site, visitblackdallas.com and its companion visitor guide feature dining, entertainment and shopping destinations around the city that may be of particular interest.

That includes long-standing attractions such as African American Museum at Fair Park and the Freedman's Memorial north of downtown. But it also calls attention to spots that folks who haven't visited in a while may not know about.

Phillip Jones, the DCVB's chief executive, said the site reflects changes in the city and its diversity.

"People often have a perception of Dallas as a very monolithic community," he said. "The African-American contributions to the city have been significant, and we want to showcase them and introduce them to a new group of travelers."

Source

Photo: DallasNews.com

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