My Bucks Are Beautiful to P&G

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The biggest U.S. advertiser, Procter & Gamble, is launching "a new multibrand campaign called 'My Black Is Beautiful,'" reports Advertising Age. The brainchild of P&G multicultural marketing director Najoh Tita Reid, the campaign seeks to "make all black girls and women" feel beautiful, while forging "a closer relationship between P&G brands and their black consumers." According to P&G research, "71% of black women feel they're portrayed worse than other women in media and advertising. Despite that, they spend on average three times more than the general market on beauty products." In April 2007, P&G was a month away from unveiling the campaign to employees when radio host Don Imus made his infamous racist remarks. P&G's Reid encouraged the company to pull its ads from Imus' show, in part to lay the groundwork for "Black Is Beautiful." Reid explained: "We said, 'Let's start grass roots and work our way toward national advertising.' ... It's more authentic." The still-evolving campaign will include grants from P&G's Always and Tampax, "booklets likely to be distributed by Essence," and "a series of community discussions," organized in conjunction with women's groups.