This week, I thought a lot about the systemic issues that still face our society today, and how the media/advertising world fits in. My mind immediately went to the rebranding that has happened over the past few years since the rise of the BLM movement. The first one that popped into my head was Aunt Jemima syrup and pancake mix.

This brand’s logo and name was used to market these products, and it pushed a stereotype that has persisted for generations. “Aunt Jemima” is a discriminatory and racist name that typically would refer to black women who were slaves. As America’s eyes were finally starting to become fixed on the sights of changing the world around us for the better, brands like this one took a hit.

I found a CNN article from the day after the brand officially changed its name to Pearl Milling Company. It basically talks about the reasoning for the switch and how they came to the decision on the name. It turns out, that was the original name of the company and it refers to where the products were originally created. Why the company ever called itself Aunt Jemima is beyond me.

The article goes on to talk about how PepsiCo did not know how the public would react to the change, seeing as they were completely renaming a popular brand. Looking back on it now, we know that there were mixed reactions. There were those who embraced the change, viewing it as the right thing to do, getting rid of the stereotypical and racist name and logo. There were others, however, who were outraged at the change, not understanding why people were so sensitive.

In my opinion, those people are not intentionally cruel or insensitive to the struggles that African Americans face everyday. I think that they are just ignorant to it all. They don’t understand how that logo could make people of color feel, because they simply cannot ever understand. That is why multicultural marketing is so important. Learning how different groups think and feel is important in knowing how to market a product to them. It is essential for us as marketers and communicators to understand (as best as we can) the feelings and struggles of different racial and ethnic groups, so that nothing like the Aunt Jemima situation happens in the future. It’s the only way to run a successful campaign in today’s ever-changing and diverse society.