EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine May 2018 | Page 26

‘Black Panther’ & ‘Wonder Woman’:
WHAT MAKES THEM SIMILAR AND HOW IT IMPACTS YOUR BUSINESS
by Sonia Thompson
O
ver the past year, die-hard fans have lost their minds in
anticipation of the premiere of the movie Black Panther.
There have been countless posts on social media, memes
circulated around the web, and lots of gushing over the outfits the
all-star cast wore to the premiere. And of course, there was lots of
chatter from eager fans about what they would wear to see
the movie.
But most people getting swept away by Black Panther fever
weren’t hardcore fans of the comic series. The excitement overtook
them for a more powerful reason: many African-Americans have
never seen a superhero that looks like them on the big screen.
Women and girls around the world felt empowered last year
after watching Wonder Woman take over the big screen. And that
feeling was magnified among people of African descent after seeing
the predominately black cast in Marvel’s portrayal of the Black
Panther superhero and his entourage.
Black Panther has made more than $1.2 billion worldwide, and to
date it is the 14 th highest-grossing movie ever. Last year, worldwide
sales of Wonder Woman topped $821 million, which at the time made
it the highest-grossing superhero origin film.
Film industry expert Scott Mendelson likened the success of
these two movies to “giving a starving demographic a prime filet.”
How businesses benefit from serving historically
underrepresented communities
Representation matters, in particular to minority communities.
And since the U.S. is on a trajectory to soon become a minority-
majority nation, your customer base will only grow more diverse.
Even though it’s right to have diversity, to be inclusive, and
to do a better job of highlighting positive images of traditionally
underserved communities, it also makes sound business sense.
And the companies that decide to serve these often neglected
customer groups have been receiving big paydays as a result.
Rihanna launched her Fenty Beauty cosmetics line last fall, with
Photo credit: Marvel
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