• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, October 13, 2014

According to Nielsen, the African-American woman is a trendsetter, a social maven, the head of her household, a leader in business and community. She is progressive with her thoughts on health, entertainment and diversity in advertising. She is becoming more empowered with saving, spending and investments.

African-Americans are 38% more likely to make a purchase when the ads have African-Americans included in them, says the report. Diversity in advertising is particularly important to African-American adults in health care, food, fashion/apparel and media, but not as important in the beverage and liquor category.

The Importance of Diversity in Advertising (% of Respondents 18+)
Industry	African-Americans	General Population
Healthcare	82%	63%
Food	77	67
Fashion/apparel	76	59
Media	75	58
Finance	74	56
Shopping	74	57
Cosmetics	73	56
Technology	72	55
Auto	70	51
Insurance services	69	53
Travel	68	55
Home furnishings	63	47
Beverage/liquor	44	37
Source: Nielsen/MarketingCharts, October 2014

Religion plays a strong role providing a foundation for her decisions and family values, says the report. Passionate about products she likes, she will share her experience with friends and family on social media and through word of mouth. She is culturally engaged and is a conscious consumer making mindful decisions on how she engages with products, brands and companies often outpacing other demographic groups.

The report summarizes the essence of African-American women consumers study findings this way:

Culture and Community

• 62% of African-American women believe embracing and supporting their ethnic culture is important:
• 59% believe supporting minority business enterprises is important
• 59% expect companies that they support give back to the community in a meaningful way
• 58% are more likely to attend religious services regularly
• 31% are more likely to pray daily than the general market
• 40% of African-American women 18-54 consider themselves to be trendsetters

Health and Wellness

• 79% of African-American women agree that pursuing good health is important

Shopping

• 80% of African-American women agree that being conscious of purchasing decisions is important
• 79% of Black Women agree that it is important to trust a brand when purchasing its products
• 63% are more likely to purchase a luxury vehicle in the next year than the general market
• 45% are more likely than the general market to shop at Bloomingdales
• 40% are more likely to purchase movie tickets online than the general market
• And, African-American women are twice as likely to shop at Neiman Markus than the general market

Concluding, the African-American woman offers an unparalleled opportunity for brands, opines the report. Get to know her, understand the key drivers of her purchasing habits, likes and dislikes, her preferences, behaviors and her value of culture and community, it suggests.

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