In a recent survey of 200 African-American moms with family incomes of $50,000 or more, Playground PR asked, “What would you want the toy industry to know about you and what factors effects your purchasing decision process?”
Below is a list of the Top 5 Marketing Mistakes Toy Makers and Retailers Make When Marketing to African-American Moms.
1. Authentic Messaging-
26% of moms polled said that they felt the use of a kente cloth (a piece of traditional multi-colored African fabric) was an overused, generic marketing ploy used by toy companies and retailers when trying to get their attention. These moms said that not have they not owned a kente cloth since the 1980’s, so therefore its recurrent use in advertising children’s toys and games did not inspire them to purchase a particular toy or product. In fact, this was a determining factor in their decision not to purchase something.
2. Watch the “N’ Words
Not the one that you think. Moms said that they are greatly offended by the this’n’that products. Proper grammar is just as important to them as it is to every other mother so watch the ebonics.
3. Defined Features
59% of moms surveyed stated that purchasing a doll with features that resembles those of their daughters’ was very important to them. They spoke of deep frustrations regarding having to first find African-American dolls, then having to find an African-American doll but then to discover that she looks exactly like her Caucasian counterpart, jut dipped in brown.
4. Where Are The Black People?
35% of African-American moms surveyed said that they tend to opt for books rather than toys because books tend to embrace diversity a lot more frequently than toys and video games. These moms expressed frustration with marketers that only feature African-Americans during African-American programming. One mom asked, ”Are we their dirty little secret? I won’t buy from a company that only features us in commercials during the NAAP Image Awards or on BET.”
5. Who Speaks That Way?
42% of the Black moms said that they can’t stand the typical depiction of loud talking, grammatically challenge, hip holding, characters are not personalities or characteristics that they want their daughters to emulate.
