Diddy published an open letter to “corporate America” on Thursday in which the founder of Revolt TV and Bad Boy Entertainment specifically called on General Motors for listing his network as an example of its support of Black-owned media.
As Diddy explained in the letter, Revolt does receive ad revenue from General Motors but their business relationship is “not an example of success.” Diddy noted that Revolt, like other Black-owned companies, is instead forced to fight “for crumbs” due to General Motors and other entities having refused to “fairly invest” in Black-owned media.
“In 2019, brands spent $239 billion on advertising. Less than 1% of that was invested in Black-owned media companies. Out of the roughly $3 billion General Motors spent on advertising, we estimate only $10 million was invested in Black-owned media. Only $10 million out of $3 billion!”
Elsewhere, Diddy proposed that corporate America at large should reinvest an equitable percentage of what it takes from the Black community back into the community. For example, if the Black community represents 15 percent of a company’s revenue, an equal 15 percent (or more) should be put toward Black-owned media.
This month, General Motors announced its plans to quadruple the percentage of its advertising budget that goes toward Black-owned media outlets between now and 2025. In March, Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group and additional signatories published an open letter to General Motors CEO Mary Barra in the Detroit Free Press.
Back in 2019, Diddy showed support for Allen amid news coverage of Allen’s discrimination case against Comcast in which the telecommunications conglomerate attempted to cite their limited dealings with Revolt as an example of inclusion.
While Diddy’s open letter highlights a number of relevant points regarding the unfair distribution of high-profile ad dollars, some have expressed criticism of Diddy’s message by pointing to Bad Boy’s own history and alleged unpaid job offers from Revolt.
Below, see a sampling of reactions to Diddy’s latest open letter.
