Is 'black history month' pride or marketing?

To be honest, I was completely ignorant of the fact that February is Black History Month, and that much of corporate America today commemorates the occasion with much gusto. And celebration. And increasingly, with much hype.

It was actually Google’s airing of an ad titled “The Most Searched: A Celebration of Black History Makers” during the Grammy Awards on January 26 that started trending like crazy, and caught my attention. As the name suggests, the 90-second spot features the most searched African-Americans who made history — including abolitionist Frederick Douglass, musician Louis Armstrong and poet Maya Angelou — and the moments that defined contemporary history, like the Montgomery bus boycott and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech.

Now that I had gotten drawn to the subject, I figured that Google were not the only ones championing the cause of African-Americans. Coca-Cola’s new “History Shakers” ad spot released earlier this month highlights six African Americans — homeless activist Terence Lester, Olympic gold medalist Simone Manuel, opera singer Davóne Tines, food activist Champale Anderson-Greene, roboticist Ayanna Howard and media producer Tony Weaver Jr.— and highlights their roles in shaping modern history in their own unique ways.

Not to be left behind, Twitter has through @Blackbirds — the official account of the social media platform’s business resource group for members and allies of the African diaspora — launched a campaign called #LoveToSeeIt, through which the company hopes to amplify the voices of those in the black community and their allies by encouraging users to tweet celebrations of African-American pride.

Is all this true “pride” and support for America’s coloured folks? Or is it clever marketing hype targeted by “woke” brands at the substantial black audience in the United States? Feel-good, and no more? Lip-service, and nothing beyond?

There is of course a school of thought that emphasises that instead of a month of perfunctory gestures, the US needs yearlong efforts for recognising African-Americans who made — and continue to make — a substantial contribution to the country’s progress and well-being. This recognition needs to be an integral part of everyday American lives all year round, and not just during the year’s shortest month.

But I don’t want to get lost in the semantics of such a debate. What I admire about American marketers and brand-builders is the ability to create events and occasions out of almost nothing. January 13 is now celebrated as National Sticker Day and July 17 is World Emoji Day. March 6 is National Dress Day, January 15 is National Hat Day, December 4 is National Sock Day … but more interestingly, June 14 is National Flip-Flop Day and July 5 is National Bikini Day!

What’s even better is that February 2 is celebrated all across North America as Groundhog Day. According to what I call modern marketing tradition, on February 2, groundhogs wake from their winter slumber to peek out of their burrow. If they see their shadow, they go back inside, which predicts six more weeks of winter. If they don’t — spring will come early that year. And this has become the trigger for large scale store promotions, and maddening activity online on e-commerce sites.

The newest creation of the past decade is White Day, celebrated on March 14. In many Asian countries, especially Japan, women celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving chocolates and handmade gifts to their boyfriends, male colleagues, and friends. A month later, on March 14, the men are supposed to reciprocate the gesture. This is now branded as White Day in the US, and is being aggressively marketed. In the years to come it may become as potent a marketing aperture as Valentine’s. Who knows? Family Day (February 17), Sibling Day (April 10), Best Friend Day (June 8), Boss’s Day (October 16), Singles’ Day (November 11) are other tent-pole days invented by marketing minds in the US, and each of them has substantial franchise.

In India Akshaya Tritiya is the only occasion of note in recent years that has created a new window for marketers, especially for purchase of gold. Twenty years ago, the festival was largely unknown across the country, or at least not celebrated with full page ads by jewelers. Today Akshay Tritiya competes with Dhanteras on gold sales. Valentine’s has gained momentum too, and Ganesh Chaturthi has slowly gone national. But we have not managed to ignite anything close to a Black History Month which can catch the popular imagination and make even controversial events of the past, a strong marketing hook for today’s millennials.

Sandeep Goyal is an advertising and media veteran