Advertising In African American Culture

The product that is a “need” for me personally is relaxers for my hair. African Americans have a need for this product, because we have different textures of hair. Some African American have, “the natural look”, and that is ok for some people. I choose to relax my hair, so I have a need for this product.

When I was about 13, I remember seeing a commercial about an African American woman and her hair was flowing. It was straight, and there was no heat that needed to be put on the hair. My mother always had my hair pressed, and curled. Pressing the hair is when an iron device that looks like a comb is put on the stove, and heated up. My mother would then take the hot comb and comb it through my hair to make it straight. After seeing a commercial on how an

Black hair care products now stressed the need for “manageable” hair, and it is more than a hairstyle, it was a statement of self, a bold declaration of cultural identity. Advertisers were keenly aware of this and cashed in while they could. So is this marketing strategy ethical? Yes, because it has changed our culture and how we as African Americans view ourselves. A product to I wanted that became a product that I needed is the automobile. At the age of nine my parents began to teach me to drive. At age fifteen I wanted a car just to show my friends that I could drive. I began driving around town just having fun with no cares or worries. Then at age 17 I got my first job. My mother would take me to work, but sometimes I would have to call others to take me. This is when the want became a need. I really needed a car, so I began my search for the perfect car for me.

Most people shop for cars out of necessity. Maybe their previous car broke down, or in my case it was my first car. While the basic need for transportation exists for most potential car buyers, marketers try to segment these individuals into specific groups through marketing