Advertisers will use racial outrage—including outrage involving Black Americans—as an attention and engagement strategy, although this varies by company and campaign.
Anger and moral outrage can make people more likely to stop, comment, share, or repost.
Advertisers can use racial outrage, Create or tap into controversy, Trigger strong emotions, Generate unpaid exposure, Turn attention into brand awareness, Segment audiences, Use backlash as publicity, Measure engagement.
Black Americans are a substantial consumer market, and Black cultural expression has significant influence on American music, fashion, entertainment, sports, and social media. Consequently, campaigns involving Black identity or racial issues can attract attention well beyond the intended audience.
There is also a distinction between authentic engagement and manufactured outrage. A company may genuinely be responding to an important social issue, while another campaign may intentionally use provocative racial imagery simply because controversy generates attention.