The Portrayal of Blacksin Business Publication Advertising

Blacks are becoming increasingly prevalent as industrial purchasers, managers, and entrepreneurs, and government statistics indicate that this trend will continue into the 1990’s. Such increases mean that business-to-business marketers must develop communications that are capable of reaching and influencing the black segment of the industrial market. While there is little evidence to indicate that white members of the buying center are alienated by the presence of blacks in ads, studies have shown that blacks resent the way that they have been depicted in advertising. These feelings can be expected to have negative effects on black professionals’ attitudes toward the products shown in such advertisements since industrial purchasing behavior is known to be influenced by emotional as well as rational considerations. This article reports the results of an analysis of business publication advertising over three decades. The findings show that the increase in the use of blacks leveled off during the decade of the 1980’s and that there were some changes in the ways in which blacks were portrayed in such ads.