Black History Month US 2023: Four Standout Campaigns

Published 22 February 2023

Author
Marian Berelowitz
5 min read

While brand investment in Black History Month US (February) is waning, we highlight four robust campaigns providing inspiration for businesses to celebrate meaningfully. Social media giants and companies across aviation, beauty, toys and fashion are highlighting under-recognised histories and contemporary notables while tapping into key consumer cohorts, including Black travellers and beauty consumers.

Pinterest’s Black Travel Hub Pairs Education & Inspiration

Pinterest’s Find Your Routes campaign spotlights its utility as a travel inspiration tool while tapping into the growing Black Travel Movement – a self-defined cohort primarily in the US who are bringing awareness to Black tourists’ distinct needs and particularly heightened concerns about safety.

Pinterest’s new Black Travel Hub (1.39 million followers) incorporates a historical lens, dedicating a board to the Green Book – the Jim Crow-era guide that directed Black American travellers to friendly establishments. Pinterest partnered with Smithsonian museum curator Candacy Taylor, author of a book on the Green Book, to compile the board. To guide contemporary Black travellers to positive and safe experiences, the hub also includes content from Black-owned digital publisher Travel Noire and Black travel influencers such as Nylah Akua.

Pinterest has seen a 130% year-on-year spike in searches for ‘Black couple travel aesthetic’ and an 82% rise for ‘Black girl travel aesthetic’ (Pinterest, 2022).

Pinterest’s Black Travel Hub Pairs Education & Inspiration

Pinterest’s Find Your Routes campaign spotlights its utility as a travel inspiration tool while tapping into the growing Black Travel Movement – a self-defined cohort primarily in the US who are bringing awareness to Black tourists’ distinct needs and particularly heightened concerns about safety.

Pinterest’s new Black Travel Hub (1.39 million followers) incorporates a historical lens, dedicating a board to the Green Book – the Jim Crow-era guide that directed Black American travellers to friendly establishments. Pinterest partnered with Smithsonian museum curator Candacy Taylor, author of a book on the Green Book, to compile the board. To guide contemporary Black travellers to positive and safe experiences, the hub also includes content from Black-owned digital publisher Travel Noire and Black travel influencers such as Nylah Akua.

Pinterest has seen a 130% year-on-year spike in searches for ‘Black couple travel aesthetic’ and an 82% rise for ‘Black girl travel aesthetic’ (Pinterest, 2022).

Barbie & American Airlines Spotlight Under-Sung Female Aviator

Redressing the erasure of Black accomplishment from popular histories is a potent opportunity for brands, as we discuss in Cultural Diversity Campaigns: Surfacing Unsung Histories.

Spotlighting Bessie Coleman – who became the first Black American woman to earn a pilot’s licence in 1921 – Barbie collaborated with American Airlines on a campaign timed for her birthday, on January 26. A Coleman doll was added to Barbie’s Inspiring Women line-up, while the airline held a commemorative flight piloted by a Black woman, Tammy Binns, where all passengers received the doll. A video posted to both brands’ social channels details the activation.

American Airlines’ campaign is part of a 2020-launched drive to become more inclusive of Black travellers and employees. Public-facing initiatives include 2022’s Let There Be No Limit, partnerships with Black chefs for its lounges, and a YouTube series dedicated to Empowering Black Talent in Aviation.

Barbie & American Airlines Spotlight Under-Sung Female Aviator

Redressing the erasure of Black accomplishment from popular histories is a potent opportunity for brands, as we discuss in Cultural Diversity Campaigns: Surfacing Unsung Histories.

Spotlighting Bessie Coleman – who became the first Black American woman to earn a pilot’s licence in 1921 – Barbie collaborated with American Airlines on a campaign timed for her birthday, on January 26. A Coleman doll was added to Barbie’s Inspiring Women line-up, while the airline held a commemorative flight piloted by a Black woman, Tammy Binns, where all passengers received the doll. A video posted to both brands’ social channels details the activation.

American Airlines’ campaign is part of a 2020-launched drive to become more inclusive of Black travellers and employees. Public-facing initiatives include 2022’s Let There Be No Limit, partnerships with Black chefs for its lounges, and a YouTube series dedicated to Empowering Black Talent in Aviation.

Sally Beauty’s Riposte to Hair Discrimination 

Beauty retailers are competing more strenuously for Black consumers’ patronage. Looking to retain its robust Black customer base, American retailer Sally Beauty launched We See You, an e-commerce hub and video series pushing back against hair discrimination.

The e-commerce landing page showcases Black beauty brand founders, recommends products for specific hairstyles, and tells consumers: “Wear your hair as you wish. There is no wrong way to do you.” A 15-second video features models with different hair textures and curl types, referencing questions often directed at Black people, such as, “Is your hair real?” (The comeback: “That’s my hair business”.) The campaign also includes short “love letters to my hair” videos by models and influencers. Coinciding with the campaign, Sally Beauty is holding in-store and online promotions for its 100-plus textured hair brands.

Sally Beauty’s Riposte to Hair Discrimination 

Beauty retailers are competing more strenuously for Black consumers’ patronage. Looking to retain its robust Black customer base, American retailer Sally Beauty launched We See You, an e-commerce hub and video series pushing back against hair discrimination.

The e-commerce landing page showcases Black beauty brand founders, recommends products for specific hairstyles, and tells consumers: “Wear your hair as you wish. There is no wrong way to do you.” A 15-second video features models with different hair textures and curl types, referencing questions often directed at Black people, such as, “Is your hair real?” (The comeback: “That’s my hair business”.) The campaign also includes short “love letters to my hair” videos by models and influencers. Coinciding with the campaign, Sally Beauty is holding in-store and online promotions for its 100-plus textured hair brands.

Gap’s Tastemaker Brooklyn Collab

Bidding to expand its cultural cachet, Gap is centring an extensive campaign – an apparel collection plus digital and out-of-home advertising – around the tastemaking reputation of Haitian-American Ouigi Theodore, creative director of influential menswear store The Brooklyn Circus. The campaign features personalities in The Brooklyn Circus orbit, ranging from fashion diversity advocate Bethann Hardison and trans actor Indya Moore to The Brooklyn Circus’s operations manager, Malik Tate. Adding extra credibility to the collaboration, the modern prep gear is selling on both brands’ sites.

Gap’s Tastemaker Brooklyn Collab

Bidding to expand its cultural cachet, Gap is centring an extensive campaign – an apparel collection plus digital and out-of-home advertising – around the tastemaking reputation of Haitian-American Ouigi Theodore, creative director of influential menswear store The Brooklyn Circus. The campaign features personalities in The Brooklyn Circus orbit, ranging from fashion diversity advocate Bethann Hardison and trans actor Indya Moore to The Brooklyn Circus’s operations manager, Malik Tate. Adding extra credibility to the collaboration, the modern prep gear is selling on both brands’ sites.

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This article is an example of Stylus' expert research into how Retail & Brand Comms trends are evolving. Get in touch so someone from the Stylus team can explain how your business can harness the power of trends and insights like these – and more.

Want to know more?

This article is an example of Stylus' expert research into how Retail & Brand Comms trends are evolving. Get in touch so someone from the Stylus team can explain how your business can harness the power of trends and insights like these – and more.