Arbitron Studies Black Consumers

According to Arbitron, African American consumers are nearly twice as likely to work in a white-collar job than a blue-collar job; nearly 50% of Black Americans own their home and Urban AC listeners index the same or higher in education levels as total U.S. adults, age 18 and older.
The results are part of the “Arbitron Black Consumer Study,” which provides advertisers, agencies, media planners, buyers and Urban-formatted radio stations information about Black consumers and how to reach them using radio.
Arbitron Director of Urban Radio Marketing Services, Julian Davis, wrote the study. He compiled information from Arbitron and Scarborough showing that African-American consumers, in terms of their education, home ownership, spending power and spending choices, are great marketing prospects for mainstream advertisers.
The study features suggestions from Essence Communications President Clarence Smith for the “no urban dictate” that keeps commercials for some advertisers off Urban-formats, and “minority discounting” practices that have lowered the cost-per-point for unit rates on minority formats.
In February, Davis will present segments of the Black Consumer Study at the Power of Urban Radio event in New York City on Feb. 1 and he will appear at the Urban Network Convention in Maui, Hawaii, on Feb. 15.