H Code, the leading multicultural digital media company, today announces the launch of B Code, a new entity focused on developing solutions for advertisers and agencies to reach, inform and connect with Black audiences at scale across the digital landscape. Built upon H Code’s robust proprietary scaled end-to-end digital marketing platform, B Code is set to become one of the most impactful solutions for helping brands understand and engage with the Black digital community. In addition to bolstering multicultural marketing initiatives, B Code provides digital publishers with growth resources and access to increased ad revenue.

“This audience has repeatedly expressed that the status quo in messaging and representation is not sufficient. There are no easy answers, but we are committed to leveraging data insight and cultural awareness to help advertisers connect authentically.”

The launch of B Code comes at a time where brands, advertisers and publishers are increasing their efforts to serve multicultural audiences following a disruptive conversation on race in 2020. B Code serves as a partner and resource as strategies are defined and expanded to better engage with Black audiences.

“In order to drive further growth and evolution in multicultural marketing, brands need to understand the Black community — their nuances, their attitudes, and their real needs. Our latest study revealed that 76% of Black consumers think brands simply don’t understand Black culture. The industry has work to do to help audiences feel seen and engaged,” says Damian Benders, General Manager of B Code. “This audience has repeatedly expressed that the status quo in messaging and representation is not sufficient. There are no easy answers, but we are committed to leveraging data insight and cultural awareness to help advertisers connect authentically.”

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With a network of 100+ premium publisher partners and a digital reach of 10M+ unique visitors, B Code is able to connect leading brands directly with Black audiences and Black-owned media while ensuring that strategies are aligned to deliver culturally relevant messaging and impactful creative at scale. At launch, B Code’s network of exclusive and preferred partners across key verticals spans a wide range of targeted media publishers including: The Grio, Sis2Sis.com, MadefortheW.com, SOHH.com, DefPen.com, BlackFilm.com, NewsOnyx.com and Rap-Up.com among others.

“The Black media space is undergoing a significant period of transformation, and there are growing and varied opportunities to engage with this audience that has been historically neglected and underserved by brand advertisers. For over 25 years, 4CONTROL Media, Inc has focused on serving the Black community with SOHH.com and its sister properties. We are excited to be collaborating with B Code in innovative ways to help drive a much needed expansion in spend across the Black media landscape,” says Felicia Palmer, Co-Founder & CEO of 4CONTROL Media, Inc.

Meaningful, real-time insight into the attitudes and purchase intent of the Black audience is the foundation of B Code’s offering. The B Code Intelligence Center (BCIC) regularly surveys and studies a dedicated panel of Black consumers and digital enthusiasts. The size of the panel provides unprecedented access to proprietary data and insight on this segment that enables B Code’s ability to create and execute targeted digital and integrated campaigns while also providing campaign optimization in real-time. In tandem with the official launch, the company is releasing their first annual B Code Black Digital Fact Pack, a new resource that establishes a baseline for the behavior and attitudes of the Black audience online.

Based on a survey of 1,334 Black respondents and is representative of all main geographical areas of the United States, The Black Digital Fact Pack is the first in a series of comprehensive studies B Code will release to expand the examination of the digital lives, attitudes, preferences and purchase intentions of the Black community. The Fact Pack explores the foundation of online behavior and seeks to understand how the past tumultuous year impacted core trends and patterns amidst the Coronavirus pandemic and social justice upheaval. This study provides much needed baseline data and insight on the Black community to help guide publishers as well as brand strategies going forward.

“With advertising infrastructure changing rapidly, we need to rely on a more diverse portfolio of solutions such as direct sales, sponsorships and branded content. We’re looking forward to the data B Code provides us to offer even more insight into the audiences we want to tap into in order to create content that resonates with our audiences,” says Cameron Lazerine for Rap-Up.

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B Code’s Black Digital Fact Pack covers a range of key topics including internet usage, preferred platforms & devices, entertainment consumption and general online behavior. Selected highlights:

Purchase Behaviors & Opinions

The Fact pact underscores the importance of authentic and successful multicultural marketing. 82% of Black respondents say that once they find a brand they like, they stay loyal to that brand. However, 70% do not think brands target Black audiences enough or understand Black culture.

Entertainment & Time Spent

Black consumers are also likely to be cord-cutters with only half of the audience maintaining a cable subscription and 80% using connected TV platforms or services. Their most popular streaming services are consistent with the overall marketplace: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu / Hulu Live TV.

Internet Usage

83% use smartphones as a way of connecting to the internet, more than double that of desktop users, indicating that the majority of Black users are mobile first. Black users primarily use the internet to search for information (69%) and nearly a third of them shop online regularly, indicating a growing preference for ecommerce. They also use the internet to consume entertainment content regularly, with over half of them watching TV shows and movies, listening to music and playing video games online.

Platforms & Devices

Following smartphones, the majority of Black consumers also own gaming consoles with half of them identifying as gamers.

Compared to other demographics, Black users have been the slowest to adopt TikTok as a social platform with less than half (43%) using the app, and instead primarily spending their time on YouTube (77%). Other social channels are still ideal environments to engage with them as 1 in 2 use social media for a minimum of 6+ hours every week.

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