General Motors will double its spending with Black-owned media to 4% of its ad budget by 2020 with a target of reaching 8% by 2025, the U.S. automaker said on Friday.
GM has been criticized, including in full-page ads in several national newspapers, by some Black media leaders for not advertising enough in Black-owned media. The automaker said it will spend 2% of this year’s budget in that sector.
“This action plan will transform our engagement model with diverse media in a sustainable way,” GM Chief Marketing Officer Deborah Wahl said.
“Over the course of several weeks, we met with many diverse-owned media organizations. We are grateful for the transparency and spirit of collaboration, which helped us frame this inclusive approach.”
GM slashed its advertising and promotional spending in 2020 by about $1 billion to $2.7 billion, according to the automaker’s annual report.
Though the spending will get back to normal according to the automaker.
GM also said on Friday it was allocating $50 million over 10 years for supporting diverse marketing companies.
The automaker is set to hold a dedicated ad spending meeting on May 14 with various media leaders ahead of its general media spending event later in April.
