Lexus recently announced a social media campaign geared towards African-American consumers, featuring Universal Motown recording artist (and recent Harvard grad) Ryan Leslie. In keeping with its emphasis on social media, Lexus also used pitchengine along with traditional media sources to publicize the initiative:
The battle is on. And Honda’s a big part of it.
Honda is using social media as part of its ”Battle of the Bands” initiative, a showcase and competition for marching bands from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The prize? Each of the schools of the participating bands receives $1,000; the eight schools whose bands make the finals receive $20,000. Honda uses a social media site, Hondabattleofthebands.com, to provide information, updates, videos, photos and to allow fans to vote for their favorite bands. It’s a very relevant use of social media in the African-American community:
Pepsi recently launched “We Inspire”, a social networking site geared towards African-American women. Edited by Nichelle Stephens, the site invites African-American women to share inspirational thoughts across six categories: beauty, laughter, joy, hope, wisdom, and love. African-American celebrities such as Queen Latifah, Taraji Henson, Keyshia Cole, and Raven Symone offer their inspirations along with the rest of the community. Users can log into the site using Facebook Connect and vote for their favorite stories, or share their own inspirational anecdotes.
Updated: According to a recent Pew Internet research report, large percentages of Blacks (26%) and Hispanics (18%) are using status updating services, like Twitter, on the Internet. (Pew said they had insufficient statistical data to measure the usage rates of Asian-American users.)
Much of the involvement of African-Americans and Hispanic Internet users is likely tied to their heavy involvement in social networking sites and mobile Internet usage, both of which are closely related to the use of status updating services.
If you weren’t already planning a vacation, American Airlines’ new social networking site, BlackAtlas.com, will make you want to plan one right away. The tag line: “your passport to the Black experience,” effectively sums up the reason why this latest endeavor has so much potential for success.