Black History Month Is a Mirror: What the Industry Must Confront

Black History Month is a celebration.
But it is also a mirror.

A mirror reflecting the campaigns we champion.
The voices we amplify.
The budgets we allocate.
The leaders we promote.
The rooms we build—and the ones we don’t.

In advertising and marketing, February often brings bold visuals, poetic copy, social posts about progress, and curated playlists of appreciation. But once the month ends, the mirror remains.

And it asks harder questions.

Who Holds the Power?

The industry has made visible progress in representation at entry and mid-level roles. But leadership tells a different story.

Who owns agencies?
Who signs the budgets?
Who approves the scripts?
Who shapes the creative standard?

When Black creativity fuels campaigns but Black leadership remains underrepresented at the executive level, we have to ask: is influence translating into authority?

Representation without decision-making power is proximity—not equity.

Where Does the Money Go?

Ad dollars speak louder than statements.

• How much media spend goes to Black-owned platforms?

• How often are Black-owned production companies awarded major contracts?

• Are Black strategists shaping the work from insight to execution—or brought in to validate it at the end?

Black culture consistently drives mainstream relevance. If culture is driving revenue, reinvestment should not be optional.

Budgets are values in numeric form.

Are We Designing for Optics or Outcomes?

Performative allyship is easy. Structural change is not.

Posting a tribute is simple.
Rewriting hiring policies is harder.
Launching a campaign is quick.
Building long-term partnerships takes commitment.

The mirror asks whether Black History Month is a marketing moment—or a catalyst for measurable change.

Because audiences are no longer passive. They are informed, culturally fluent, and observant. They can see when brands align their messaging with their operations—and when they don’t.

Trust is built through consistency, not copy.

The Leadership Pipeline Question

If we project forward five years, what does leadership look like?

Are mentorship and sponsorship programs designed to create executive pathways?
Is creative authority expanding—or remaining concentrated?
Are Black creatives leading revenue-driving accounts, or primarily cultural ones?

Pipeline conversations must evolve into pathway strategies.

The industry cannot celebrate Black excellence publicly while failing to build internal structures that sustain it.

The Risk of Standing Still

When the industry avoids these questions, the cost compounds.

Talent leaves.
Credibility weakens.
Cultural blind spots widen.
Innovation narrows.

The marketplace is shifting toward authenticity, accountability, and transparency. Brands and agencies that resist introspection will find themselves outpaced by those willing to confront uncomfortable truths.

Reflection Is Not Indictment. It’s Opportunity.

A mirror does not accuse. It reveals.

Black History Month offers the industry a rare and necessary pause—a chance to examine systems, not just storytelling. To assess leadership composition, vendor ecosystems, mentorship structures, and ownership models.

Progress requires honesty.

At Coyote, we believe creativity is cultural stewardship. That means examining not only the work we put into the world, but the structures behind it. It means asking whether our practices match our principles.

Black history is a record of innovation, resilience, leadership, and cultural transformation. The question for our industry is simple:

Are we honoring that history in aesthetics or in architecture?

Because the future of this industry will not be shaped by who posts the loudest tribute.

It will be shaped by who is willing to look in the mirror and build differently.