photo by steed media service

The National Association of Market Developers — the oldest black business organization in the country — is comprised of a wide variety of individuals in various disciplines of marketing; including sales, communications, Internet technologies and financial services. President Clyde Allen is a champion for the organization’s history and its mission. “[This organization] is absolutely necessary because we were the group that literally birthed the whole concept of target marketing,” explains Allen. “Through [the founders’] techniques, they designed this whole specialized market concept [in 1953].” Some of the first African American vice presidents of major American corporations, and some of the first black MBAs, all came from NAMD.

“We have a mission,” explains Allen. “One that’s important is being a consumer resource — not just for the consumer, but also for companies that need to receive data for the marketplace.”

The black consumer is still relevant, and with an estimated trillion dollars in buying power, it can be argued that the black dollar is more viable than ever before. Because of that untapped leverage, an organization like the NAMD is in a particularly unique position. They continue to remind corporations how indispensable black ad agencies are to their ability to market to African Americans.

“Because I come out of corporate America,” says Allen, who previously worked with the Seagram’s corporation, “[I love] being able to transfer the information about the establishment of these markets to the younger corporate executives.” The viability of the black dollar should never be undervalued, and committed entities like the NAMD ensure that it never will be. -todd williams

Send this Article to a Friend
facebook