1940s - 1950s · Closing the Gap: Professionals of Color in Advertising

"Most blacks aiming for an advertising career did fall into the special-markets trap: claiming particular expertise at selling to blacks, they were then confined to that limited category."

Stephen Fox, The Mirror Makers (1984) [1]

A page from Clarence Holte's Photo Magazine, presumably from the 1940s [5]

A page from Clarence Holte's Photo Magazine, presumably from the 1940s [5]

A page from Clarence Holte's Photo Magazine, presumably from the 1940s [5]

A page from Clarence Holte's Photo Magazine, presumably from the 1940s [5]

A letter written by Clarence Holte expressing to the Lever Brothers the need to reach the nationwide Negro market and the benefits of placing advertisements within the Negro press [5]

A letter written by Clarence Holte expressing to the Lever Brothers the need to reach the nationwide Negro market and the benefits of placing advertisements within the Negro press [5]

Employment for African Americans interested in mainstream advertising for general-market companies was difficult. Prejudice plagued the industry, and served as a road block for the professional advancement for people of color.[2] In Paul K. Edward's 1956 speech describing some of the obstacles black people in advertising faced, he stated:

“The third factor is prejudice, to some extent, on the part of business concerns in the hiring of Negroes in such creative work as selling, advertising and research, but there is also in many instances, honest hesitation and doubt respecting the capacity of the Negro other than a very few individuals with exceptional talent, to make a profitable contribution.”[3]

Many agencies restricted the hiring of black professionals to low level positions or as specialists in the “Negro Market”. No black admen held a significant position in a major white until the 1950s. Clarence Holte was one of these admen. As head of the "Negro Markets" division for BBD&O in 1952, Holte became the first black professional hired in a significant executive position at a leading New York Agency.

America's Negroes Live as a "Country within a Country"... 3

A 1945 booklet advocating for the placement of advertisements within African American newspaper [3]

America's Negroes Live as a "Country within a Country"... 6<br />
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A 1945 booklet advocating for the placement of advertisements within African American newspaper [3]

America's Negroes Live as a "Country within a Country"... 7<br />
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A 1945 booklet advocating for the placement of advertisements within African American newspaper [3]

America's Negroes Live as a "Country within a Country"... 8<br />
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A 1945 booklet advocating for the placement of advertisements within African American newspaper [3]

The lack of hiring discouraged African Americans from applying to mainstream advertising jobs, which in turn continued the cycle of a lack of hiring.[2][1]

In order to make a career in advertising, many African Americans were limited to the positions stated above or to selling black products through black media to black consumers. The 1940s saw the development of these black agencies. Some black pioneers that opened agencies during this time period include [2]:

David Sullivan, New York - 1943
Fusche, Young, and Powell, Detroit - 1943
William B. Graham - 1944
Edward Brandford, New York - 1946

The Lever Brothers declining Clarence Holte's proposition to place advertisements in black supplemented newspapers [5]

Agencies reached out to advertisers to demonstrate the purchasing power of the black consumers and convince them that placing their advertisements within black media was the best way to reach black consumers.[4] Unfortunately, the insufficient amount of business mainstream advertisers gave to these black agencies put them at financial risk. Some mainstream companies didn't have the desire to or didn't find "it wise to direct to special advertising at special groups", such as the Lever Brothers Company as depicted on the left. The Lever Brothers believed that their general campaigns could reach any special group, including African Americans, and therefore did not feel the need to work with a black agency. However, the 1945 pamphlet seen above reveals that the general media was inadequate for black consumers. It didn't depict "negro social news" or have advertisements intended for "negro consumption."[5][3] David Sullivan's agency, the “Negro Market Organization” was one of the agencies that felt the consequences of mainstream advertisers not doing business with black agencies. It was unable to maintain a sufficient client base and was shut down in 1949. Sullivan subsequently sent out 1,200 resumes over the next 15 years. Only one agency almost gave him a job offer, despite him being a recognized expert on black consumers during World War II, having a strong background in sales and advertising, and previously offering advertisers valuable insights in cultivating their domestic markets.[2][1]

William Beverly Carter discussing the backlash advertising agencies received for their association with black consumers in his 1956 speech, "Marketing Opportunities and Problems in Special Markets" [4]

Businesses worried about how their association with black agencies would impact their white consumers. A nationally distributed cigarrette company lost 30% of sales in the South due to its use of of a black model in a black publication. Additionally, a beverage company expressed worry following the exposure of their membership with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. But at the same, as William Beverly Carter put it, black consumers supported companies who had shown "that they are for the Negro and the American concept of the equality of opportunity."[3]

Fox, Stephen R. The Mirror Makers : A History of American Advertising and Its Creators. 1st ed. New York: Morrow, 1984. 278. Print.
Davis, Judy Foster. Pioneering African-American Women in the Advertising Business : Biographies of Mad Black Women. New York, NY: Routledge, 2017. 38-40. Print.
The Negro Market in 1956 : Five Speeches Delivered at the Third Annual Marketing Clinic, Tennessee A. and I. State University, April 5, 6, 1956. Nashville, Tenn.: Bureau of Public Relations and University Press, 1956. John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University. Print.
America’s Negroes Live as A “Country within a Country” in Many Places as A “City within a City.” New York, NY: Interstate United Newspapers, Inc., 1945. John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University. Print.
Holte, Clarence L. Clarence Holte Advertising Portfolio, 1944 and Undated. 1944. John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University. Print.