Aspiring to Connect Content, Culture and Commerce

At AspireTV, "See Yourself Here" is more than a brand promise and "Shop With Purpose" is more than a mantra; it's a movement.

A movement to change the way in which black audiences see themselves by celebrating, reflecting, and sharing both black culture and urban lifestyle. Empowering black audiences to not just shop as a lifestyle habit, but to shop with purpose and intention. Understand the who and the why behind the product and, most importantly, support the black community through your purchase.

Black buying power is trending toward a record $1.5 trillion by 2021, according to the report "African-American Women: Our Science, Her Magic Nielsen Insights." But speaker Maggie Anderson, author of The Empowerment Experiment, pointed out in her still-popular 2014 Grand Rapids TEDxTalk that only two cents of every black dollar spent in this country goes to black-owned businesses. So, how long does a dollar circulate in the black community? Well, in the Asian community, a dollar circulates for a month; in the Jewish community, approximately 20 days; and in the White community, 17 days. But in the black community, Anderson said, a dollar circulates for six hours!

In other words, Black consumers are an affluent, influential, and important population, and nationwide, there are more than 2.6 million black-owned businesses with a combined gross of $150 billion — yet eight out of 10 fail within the first year. Why? According to the 2017 HuffPost Black Voices Report: Lack of exposure, capital, and/or selling power.

So, what's our response to this need and to harness the power of the black dollar? We launched aspireMKTPLC to provide a one-stop destination for our community in search of a uniquely black-curated shopping experience. The aspireMKTPLC, powered by AspireTV, connects our audience to content, culture, and commerce.

We are the embodiment of that "good, good girlfriend" who knows the latest trends, fashions, and products that are culturally relevant to our community. But, most importantly, we've created a platform to elevate black entrepreneurs and their businesses. The aspireMKTPLC is a hub that supports the dreams of black business owners, bringing national attention to these owners and their ventures.

Now, just so we are clear, the aspireMKTPLC is not an e-commerce experience; rather, we provide a plethora of benefits to highlight and elevate black businesses — providing discovery, delight, and goodwill. Shopping with purpose on the aspireMKTPLC keeps the black dollar in the black community just a little while longer.

For more on the aspireMKTPLC, visit our website and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @aspireMKTPLC.

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