Black creators, who are accustomed to an influx in opportunities during the month of February, have long requested a more stable enthusiasm from brands that doesn’t plummet at the end of Black History Month.  But beyond consistency, creators are also reminding marketers to consider their understanding of Blackness—and the wide range of cultures and regions that exist beyond the US and Canada. 

“Education is key for creators and brands,” said content strategist Imani Bashir, who pointed to the NFL’s Super Bowl campaign set in Ghana, which celebrates international talent in football. “It’s important that brands utilize people who have insight into these cultures, and not just people who know how to do influencer marketing.” 

The impact of representation and education was one topic from the latest episode of Linkedin Live series “Creator Tea Talk,” a space for industry conversation hosted by part-time marketer and part-time creator Jayde Powell. 

The conversation was grounded in a disconnect between opportunity and value: while Black creators offer up to a 10 times higher media value in key categories than their white counterparts, they account for 7.2% of the creator economy. Panelists highlighted the nuances of meaningful representation, celebrated the distinctiveness of Black creativity and outlined how investing in Black talent benefits brands. 

Presenting the right metrics  

The notion that Black audiences are valuable for influencer marketers is nothing new—-a 2022 study from Nielsen found that Black adults are 71% more likely to buy products endorsed by influencers on social media. Despite their heightened media value, MSL and The Influencer League uncovered in 2021 that the pay gap between white and Black creators is 35%. 

Joy Ofodu, voice actor and creator, summarized this disparity as “overrepresentation on the consumption end, but underrepresentation on the entrepreneurial end.” To counteract this exclusion, panelists stressed that creators must come to partners prepared for meetings with the right metrics that highlight their media value while expediting the process. 

Brandon Smithwrick, head of content at Kickstarter, said he looks to work with the creators who are able to quickly pinpoint the exact audience they serve. From there, influencer marketer Amber Kai stressed that talent managers can effectively position creators as necessary for the success of the campaign, and not an add-on or afterthought. 

“It’s about sitting with a brand, having an honest conversation and saying ‘Hey, I know you don’t have anyone else who can do this the way my client does,’” said Kai, head of brand partnerships at marketing platform Sequincia. “It’s about making the point that your client is so valuable to the brand that they will be losing out on making money if they don’t pick them for the campaign.” 

Rewriting representation 

Powell stressed that specifically during Black History Month, brands “forget that there are Black creators outside of the US and Canada.” Kadeem Fletcher, chief cookie officer at Fat Butter Cookies. Fletcher shared he’s experienced this segmentation firsthand: when he moved to New York from Trinidad during his childhood, he was met with classmates who questioned his Blackness. 

“We shouldn’t be pitted against each other because we’re from different regions,” said Fletcher, adding that marketers should recognize their power in representing the breadth of a community and “ushering in this new wave of unity.” “It’s one of those invisible walls that have been put into place for us not to be on the same accord, and it’s a hard thing to tackle, but we can fix that problem and turn it into something beautiful.” 

Ofudo celebrated recent campaigns that highlight diverse Black backgrounds, pointing to Iwájú, Disney’s first collaboration with a Nigerian animation studio. 

“There is no need for one country to dominate the entire time,” said Ofudo, stressing that maturity in the creator economy comes from rejecting ethnocentrism. “This is the America that I’ve been missing on television.”

Defining, and celebrating, Black creativity 

When considering the impact of Black creativity, Fletcher identified a “everyday resilience and understanding of the world from a very specific lens.” Social media marketer Kheyra Horton defines Black creativity as a “spiritual expression.” 

“In many cases in our generation, the content that we put out on the internet and into that digital atmosphere will outlast us,” she said. “Black creativity is leverage, and content is your digital legacy.”

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