LSN : News : Stat: Searches surge for Black-owned businesses

Chime offers financial wellness to the everyman

Chime, US

US – Challenger bank Chime's latest advertising spot positions its services as both accessible and wellness-driven.

With Americans of all backgrounds feeling the financial impact of Covid-19, agency barrettSF highlights the diverse individuals who can benefit from its services, including a yoga master, a barista, and a barber. Focusing on Chime's USP of providing a no-fee service, the brand taps into people’s collective concerns around financial unease and uncertainty, rather than focusing on a specific audience or set of values as is traditional for banks.

‘We know that people need trusted financial services that are on their side more than ever,’ said Melissa Alvarado, chief marketing officer at Chime. ‘We’ve proven that banking can be free, helpful, and easy to use, and hope this will inspire more people to learn about Chime’s mission.’

Consumers are increasingly considering Financial Wellness as a key tenet of their overall health and wellbeing, with companies such as Chime stepping in to support and guide them in being more mindful with money.

Dress-X angles digital fashion towards influencers

Dress-X, US

US – Dress-X is a new retail platform positioning digital fashion towards the influencer crowd.

Showcasing virtual garments from a range of contemporary brands and 3D designers, the retailer describes itself as offering ‘clothing made for content’. Among its collections are virtual dresses, suits and streetwear priced from £23 ($30, €25), as well as bespoke designs. Once a customer has purchased their digital garment, the Dress-X team overlays it to their chosen photograph.

A part of its ambitions, the platform is placing a particular focus on targeting influencers in order to eliminate the waste associated with sending them real items of clothing. 'We share the beauty and excitement that physical fashion creates, but we believe that there are ways to produce less, to produce more sustainably, and not to produce at all,' says Daria Shapovalova, co-founder of Dress-X. 'At the current stage of development we aim to show that some clothes can exist only in their digital versions.'

While Immaterial Fashion has so far been a niche market, platforms like Dress-X and a Hot:Second are promoting the idea of virtual garments as a sustainable yet fashion-forward choice.

An at-home music-powerment platform

US – Genius Home Studio is a music competition linking aspiring artists with established musicians to create original songs – from the comfort of home.

Kickstarting with the launch of a virtual soundboard, the collaboration between Genius and HP encourages nascent musicians to produce each element of their track at home, from songwriting, production, and music video direction, to choreography and performance. Along the way, the receive support and advice from established industry talent.

Genius will then release the winning song at the end of the programme, as part of an ongoing contest on the brand’s Instagram channel.

Michael Heal, head of branded content at Genius, said the programme aims ‘to give a new generation of aspiring artists a place to learn the basics of music production and be inspired to continue pursuing their dream of becoming superstar artists.’

The lockdown period has inspired many young people to take creativity into their own hands, with brands stepping in to offer education and support creation. For more, explore Music-powerment.

Genius Home Studio by HP and Genius, US

Stat: Searches surge for Black-owned businesses

Shopify Hardware Campaign

A study by Yelp has shown that US searches for Black-owned businesses grew exponentially between May 25 to July 10 2020, versus the same period in 2019.

In total, 2,500,000 searches took place for 'Black-owned businesses' – a 7,043% year-over-year increase – while searches for Black-owned boutiques specifically climbed 331%. With dining and leisure in mind, searches for Black-owned coffee shops increased by 161%, while bakeries and ice cream shop searches grew 56%.

According to Yelp, 'Black-owned bookstores have seen a particularly high increase in consumer interest, with searches up 1,437% year-over-year, as people look to find resources from Black authors, possibly to better educate themselves on anti-Black racism, police brutality and other social justice issues that have plagued the Black community.'

Bands themselves can also play a role in supporting Black-owned or founded businesses. In our recent article, we explore how brands are using their influence and reach to support the progression of Black people and people of colour in business.