BMW Refuses to Advertise to Black Consumers
Written by: Kim Sawyer
BMW’s media buying agency sent an email to stations requesting information on ad rates, but specifically stated “No combos or urban formats” should be included. In other words, BMW issued a ‘Non Urban Dictate (NUD)’ to the radio stations.
Not clear on what a NUD is? Well, it basically means that a company is not interested in the Black consumer. [A NUD label means that a company does not want their marketing and advertising materials placed in media that claim an urban audience as their main target.] Sometimes, there are legitimate reasons for companies not using urban radio. It may be that Blacks don’t index high in certain categories or that a company’s strategy is to market to the Black consumer down the road after they have established a strong position in their primary target. But, typically, a NUD means that a company is not interested in the Black consumer.
The National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters has weighed in on the controversy surrounding BMW’s NUD. The trade organization has requested a meeting with the chairman and CEO of BMW, Jim O’Donnell, to discuss the implications of an email from a media buying agency for the carmaker requesting information on ad rates, excluding those targeting urban areas, from radio stations in the Boston, Houston, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. markets. In addition, the good Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, has sent a letter to BMW expressing concern over the NUD.
Now, when I read this, I was taken aback simply because I like BMWs and I am seriously contemplating purchasing one of their vehicles. But now with this…..I don’t know! I mean, if BMW doesn’t care to market to Black consumers — me being one of them —- then I should rethink my plan to purchase from them, right?
7DayBuzz readers, what do you think about this NUD? Is it fair? Should business be forced to market to every ethnicity or should they be able to pick and choose who they want to buy their product?
Tags: Black consumers, BMW, BMW refuses to advertise to Black Consumers, National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, Rev Jesse Jackson
August 28th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
Kim,
First, no you can’t force a company to run ads to a certain demographic. You can however exercise your disgust from the situation and buy a vehicle from their competitor if you’re that unhappy with the decision they made. I would be curious to see the market research that they used to determine it wasn’t a valuable market to advertise in. We do need to remember that the company can spend their advertising dollars anywhere they see fit and with the world economy being so unstable there might be a legitimate reason why they made this decision. Only time will tell.
.-= Ryan Kazinec´s last blog ..Can Your Physician Definitively Diagnose You with Swine Flu (Type A Novel H1N1) ? The Answer Might Surprise You. =-.
August 28th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
@Ryan Kazinec – Hey Ryan. Thanks for your comment. It is very thought-provoking in the sense that I may have to look at a competitor simply because I just do not agree with this tactic. I know, if more research was done, there may a legitimate reason, but right now, it just doesn’t feel right, you known what I mean?
.-= Kim sawyer´s last blog ..BMW Refuses to Advertise to Black Consumers =-.
August 29th, 2009 at 2:00 am
@Kim sawyer – I do know what you mean but hope that a company as big as BMW has enough common sense to base a decision off of facts/statistics rather than some kind of prejudice.
As funny as it is I’ve stopped shopping at a store in the past simply because I found their commercials obnoxiously annoying. (Old Navy in the 90′s) So needless to say I see no problem with buying from a competitor if it bothers you that much. Have a great day.
.-= Ryan Kazinec´s last blog ..Can Your Physician Definitively Diagnose You with Swine Flu (Type A Novel H1N1) ? The Answer Might Surprise You. =-.
August 29th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
I’ve had personal first hand experience of Germans. I stayed with an old German lady in Cape Town for about 12 months. She was 17 years old in 1945 in Deutschland. They are intolerant, petty and condescending and hateful of all people who are not Aryans.
Germans were not Nazis out of thin air. This runs deep.
They have no legitimate reason for their discrimination other than their own mindless petty ideas about the inherent inferiority of black people.
America dropped the A bomb on the wrong country. It’s not too late to rectify that mistake.
.-= Richard Catto´s last blog ..Southern African Anglican Church adopts friendlier disposition towards Gay couples =-.
August 29th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
wow@Richard Catto -
August 29th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
I feel Kim’s post is definitely in order. BMW’s racial preferences should definitely be published. I was recently in the car martket. I consider BMW. Had I known about this NUD, I wouldn’t have considered it, because the car I drive expresses something about my attitudes and cultural orientation. Which definitely excludes BMW
.-= Vigilante´s last blog ..The Kennedy Healthcare Reform Bill Explained =-.
August 29th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
@Richard Catto – Richard, I echo Clyde – Wow! Germans really feel that way about Blacks?
August 29th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
As far as the car, see initially I wanted a Range Rover Sport, but then I drove the X5 and I liked it too. I liked how it hugged the road, even though it’s an SUV. But now with this NUD, I may have to go back to my first choice – Range Rover Sport. This is crazy!
August 30th, 2009 at 7:42 am
Why am I not surprised?! However, I doubt this information will stop some of us black folks from buying their cars.
.-= TheBigBlackNewsBlog´s last blog ..BMW Snubs African-American Consumers; In Other Words, They Don’t Want Yo’ Money Nigga! =-.
August 30th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
@TheBigBlackNewsBlog – Hi. Welcome to 7daybuzz and thanks for commenting. As much as I would like to NOT agree with you, I can’t. To some of us, status is important and a BMW represents status, so…..
.-= Kim Sawyer´s last blog ..BMW Refuses to Advertise to Black Consumers =-.
August 30th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
I think what Black people need to understand and realise is that white people are the most messed up race on this planet.
You cannot find a more intolerant kind of person than the average white human being. And I’m saying this as a member of the white race group.
When there’s a problem, a white person has been brought up not to ask, “how do we fix this?” but instead to ask “who is responsible? who is to blame?”
The history of the white race is one of always trying to find out WHO is the cause of all their problems and then killing the identified problem, be they fellow white people, Jews, blacks, etc.
I doubt this is going to change any time soon, because if you look at the messages that white people communicate on a daily basis, it’s always about who to blame, who to hold responsible. Who is the “nigger in the wood pile”? Yes, it was white people who came up with that choice phrase.
This is the white disease – finding a scapegoat, putting all their energies into punishing others, instead of forgetting about that and putting their energies into fixing the problem. Finding out who did something wrong is never going to solve the world’s problems, because human error is something we will never eliminate – it is part of all of us. It’s not something to solve, it’s something to accept.
Black people should look to the Asian peoples as people to work with and to be regarded as equals. Asians do not suffer from the white disease, nor do they suffer from the racist attitude that whites have.
The best Asians to work with are Chinese. The best part of that future is that they are the most numerous human beings on the face of this planet.
The Chinese are now working with Africa without judgement and without seeking to exploit our continent. This is a whole new era, because the European countries have always sought to exploit Africa and have always had a seriously racist attitude towards Africans.
My last thought tonight is that when a white man’s mouth moves and tells you it is not about racism, he is lying. Lying is the natural language of the white race. They have lied for so long, they don’t even know it themselves anymore. They have convinced themselves that they are not racist, when actually it is the only thing you can accept as true of the white race – they despise every perceived imperfection.
.-= Richard Catto´s last blog ..Southern African Anglican Church adopts friendlier disposition towards Gay couples =-.
August 31st, 2009 at 11:42 am
All hail King Richard! For you are the only white man that possesses the knowledge, the understanding, and the compassion to truly understand just how horrible the white race is. Thank God for you, How would Asian and Black people be able to sleep at night if you weren’t around to talk down them with you insanely ignorant ass teachings.
The first comment King Richard left made me nauseous while the second comment solidified the feelings I’ve had about this malfunctioning reject for quite some time now. I am a bit concerned that no one else has denounced his horrendous comments as of yet. This will be the last time I reply to anything King Richard has to say as he is obviously a complete joke and isn’t worth my valuable time.
His arrogance and absolute certainty that he knows everything about black people, white people, and Asians is preposterous. Proclaiming a handful of experiences he has had is justification for persecuting an entire race which stretches across continents is plain ignorant. If we all followed this philosophy we would hate everyone.
Let me provide an example. There is a horrendous murder case taking place in Knoxville, TN right now that should be all over the national media but isn’t. To sum it up, a young white couple (Early Twenties) were carjacked, brutally raped repeatedly by there captors (With objects as well), one was shot to death and then burned while the other died from suffocation after being shoved into a garbage bag after being raped within an inch of her life. This disgusting act was committed by four black people, three men and one woman. None of the victims family members I’ve heard interviews with are claiming this is any how race related; the consensus seems to be it was a crime of convenience and not race which brings me to my point. If I followed King Richards philosophy I would officially talk down on all black people because of these very evil few. That is obviously not how I look at things. I recognize it would be pure ignorance and misplaced hate to persecute an entire race based on the actions of few. Evil knows no skin color, evil is evil.
For those who would like to see what the national media isn’t covering. Here is the Wikipedia entry on this crime. Please send thoughts and prayers out for the family members of the victims.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Channon_Christian_and_Christopher_Newsom
.-= Ryan Kazinec´s last blog ..Can Your Physician Definitively Diagnose You with Swine Flu (Type A Novel H1N1) ? The Answer Might Surprise You. =-.
August 31st, 2009 at 1:06 pm
@Richard Catto – You have said some strong and powerful stuff! It may take time for some people to digest it and even then you may not get any replies. If I were to say what you said I would be all wrong, but I wonder how it is received (internally) from others.
Having said all of that, there are people of every race who are good people.
September 1st, 2009 at 10:01 am
@Richard Catto – I’ve read a lot of garbage in my life time but this takes the cake. I haven’t even read the rest of the comments on here, because when I read how you feel about Germans my mouth dropped open. Funny how you bash an entire country and say “They are intolerant, petty and condescending and hateful of all people who are not Aryans.
Germans were not Nazis out of thin air.”
Just so you know, I’m a second generation German on my mom’s side, and my Great Grand Parents and Grandmother were full blooded Germans. They have since passed but they haven’t been gone long enough for me to allow you to “generalize” them into a category with your false claims. Sad thing, most of my life I’ve been tolerant of other people and let them say what they feel, but you have offended me. You opinion to me is garbage. You are more intolerant of others than the very people that you claim are racists.
I’m trying to be an adult right now and not lace you with obsenities but you make that very difficult. You are one of those individuals who stand up and run their mouth about whatever they feel and think that you will not have to suffer any consequences for those words. You’re in for a rude awankening because I for one am not going to let this slide. You shouldn’t throw around statement like the Nazi one you threw out there, you have no idea what the Nazi’s did to there own people.
Honestly I like smack the crap out of you for being such an intolerant a hole who spouts off whenever he feels like it.
September 1st, 2009 at 10:07 am
@Richard Catto – Thought it couldn’t get worse and then you go and post more nonsense. I agree with Ryan. Whisky Tango Foxtrot Richard……
September 1st, 2009 at 6:24 pm
As can be seen by Aaron and Ryan’s response, criticising white people and exposing them for what they are, very often brings forth a lot of rage, contempt and abuse, but not remorse.
I have seen the same reaction from other white South African racists who refuse to accept responsibility for the outrages committed in Apartheid South Africa. They refuse to acknowledge that being a member of the SADF (South African Defense Force) or SAP (South African Police), both since renamed to SANDF and SAPS (to differentiate them from the disgraced Apartheid security apparatus), made them culpable and is something to apologise for, not something to be proud of.
As a white South African, born in 1967, having lived in and amongst both racists and those who accept everyone equally, I can speak from my own first hand experiences. I have stayed with Germans, I have done conscripted national service in the Apartheid Army with extremely racist Boers, I have lived with English South Africans who have one foot still in Britain. I have had a close friendship with a French South African who has worked in exotic places like Morocco. I have had many varied experiences and acquaintances and lived 41 years in Cape Town, South Africa. And my conclusion is that most white people are racists and are unapologetic about it.
Those who are transforming themselves into tolerant individuals are able to admit their intolerance and do not react with righteous indignation. They know it is true.
It’s possible to work with such people, but those who are still in denial and who react angrily to the accusation still have a long road to walk. Not everyone recovers from being racist. I believe it is a disease like alcoholism and drug addiction, in the sense that it is a mental disease which can only be treated when the person acknowledges that they suffer from it.
One last thought from me tonight – you can see from the link that I blog about people who have traditionally been discriminated against, e.g. gay couples, and I am quite used to receiving hateful comments from bigots who become enraged whenever their bigoted world view is challenged. It is the one sure fire way of knowing that I am hitting the mark.
.-= Richard Catto´s last blog ..Southern African Anglican Church adopts friendlier disposition towards Gay couples =-.
September 1st, 2009 at 10:24 pm
BMW will be unaffected from this pulse in the marketing mistake.
.-= Jerilyn Mckinley´s last blog ..Effects of Energy Drinks: Good or Bad =-.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:19 am
@Jerilyn Mckinley – Hi Jerilyn. Welcome to 7daybuzz and thanks for commenting. As much as I don’t won’t to agree with you —- you’re right. This publicity will not hurt BMW’s bottom line at all because at the end of the day, people like to drive BMWs.
.-= Kim Sawyer´s last blog ..Should Marketing Be Directed Towards A Certain Group? =-.
September 2nd, 2009 at 6:55 am
@Richard Catto – Um what exactly am I suppose to show remorse for Richard? I’m pretty sure I haven’t done anything to anybody so I don’t really think I need to show remorse for anything. Are you saying that I should pay for the sins of my race? Because that makes no sense what so ever. I’m not going to apologize for something that someone who is white did to someone of another race/color. Why you ask, because then I’d be apologizing all day everyday and I wouldn’t be able to live a life because I’d be too busy apologizing. Of course if I have to apologize for all the wrongs my race has caused I’ll keep my other line open and what for the apologies from other races that have wronged white people. How about that? Does that work for ya? I’ve never met anyone who is so self righteous. I think I’ve finally figured you out though. You like to have the opposite opinion on whatever is popular and then when someone disagrees with your point of view you attack them and call them racists and bigots. I’m sure all of South Africa is glad you are there to stand up for their rights.
I’m also not impressed that you have friends that live in other countries. So do I. That doesn’t mean anything, doesn’t make you a man of the world either. I don’t even know why I’m wasting my time writing you. You’ve already made up your mind about “people” like Ryan and I. You start a flame war over here and attack the fact that we had the gall to say anything back to you and defend ourselves which makes us racisits. Your all class Richard. Don’t know if you’ve ever seen the movie Anchorman (you’re probably above watching that type of movie) but as Ron Burgundy would say….
You stay Classy Richard.
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:57 pm
@Aaron – Love the sign off! You do realize that you’re a racist because you just quoted a movie that contains primarily white characters and ALL white characters are racist bigots. How dare you! …..Just a wee bit of sarcasm.
.-= Ryan Kazinec´s last blog ..Can Your Physician Definitively Diagnose You with Swine Flu (Type A Novel H1N1) ? The Answer Might Surprise You. =-.
September 10th, 2009 at 6:36 am
Hi Kim. Wow. Just read this post, sorry I’m so late. I now need a massage (Richard, Ryan and Aaron. Hey Aaron!) But here is what I want to say about the original post, I now live in Columbus, GA. There are black people everywhere, in abundance. Coming from Indiana, that is so different for me but let me tell you, I am shocked by the NUD because BMW has got to be at the top of the list for the most driven car by blacks in Georgia!!! On post, off post, in upscale neighborhoods, in ghetto neighbors, everywhere! I have seen styles of BMWs I didn’t even know existed! Lol. Sometimes I wonder if they are really BMWs or cars they just stuck the emblem on! Just kidding but you get my drift! BMWs everywhere in Georgia!
I am just shocked about this.
September 20th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
This has been going on for a very long time, there has to be some truth in this matter. I’m here because I just receive an email today on this subject and felt I needed to do my research before forwarding the email to friends and family. Businesses can advertise where they want and Consumers can also spend their time and money wherever the want. “Do unto others and they do unto you” is my motto.
July 18th, 2011 at 5:29 pm
I like the valuable information you provide in your articles. Ia€?ll bookmark your blog and check again here regularly. I’m quite certain I will learn plenty of new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!
November 17th, 2011 at 10:26 am
This page also helped me out, as well http://www.usautoplex.com. Give it a look over and see if it helps you as well.