How Black Identity, In All Its Freshness and Different Beauty, Turned Blackness into A ‘Brand’ That America Wanted to Buy

- The advertising images and messages contained in this comprehensive coffee table book chronicle a previously unrecorded chapter in the history of American business -

NEW YORK, N.Y., Sept. 1, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — “Pitch Black: The best Black ads of the past 50+ years” (ISBN: 978-1736621585), a new book by advertising luminary, Mark Robinson, officially goes on sale September 7, 2026, and is destined to challenge what you think you know about American business, fashion and culture. “Pitch Black,” chronicles a pivotal chapter in America’s Civil Rights movement.

“What if the most influential architects of modern American pop culture weren’t the ad men of ‘Mad Men,’ but the unsung Black creatives who built their own ad agencies in the shadows of Jim Crow?” asks the author.

The advertising images and messages contained in this comprehensive coffee table book chronicle a previously unrecorded chapter in the history of American business, fashion and culture, revealing how advertising created by Black people and for Black people became one of the most effective tools of the Civil Rights movement, changing the world’s perception of Black America.

“Today, African Americans have become masters of culture, art and commerce. Today, there is no pop culture without Black people. And there is no commerce without pop culture,” says Robinson.

But this has been a long journey. How we got here is the story of Black America in the advertising of the past fifty years.

Between chapters of historical curation, the book showcases the best Black advertising images of the past 50 years, hand-selected by a panel of some of the top Black creative leaders in advertising.

Mark Robinson has spent the past 45 years in advertising at the industry’s most prestigious agencies featured in Fortune, NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Black Enterprise and Advertising Age. Robinson is a past member of the American Advertising Federation’s Multicultural Marketing Leadership Council, a national touring lecturer for the Advertising Educational Foundation, and an ongoing mentor for the American Association of Advertising Agencies. Mark was chosen by filmmaker Spike Lee to co-found and manage his agency, Spike/DDB.

Mark’s previous book, “Black On Madison Avenue,” winner of an astounding 9 literary excellence awards, is part memoir and part explosive history of “America’s most un-diverse white collar profession.”

Even before this book’s official release on September 7, 2026, “Pitch Black” has already received four national awards for literary excellence; the Literary Titan Award, the Booky Award, Readers Favorite, and the Firebird Book Award. And now, praise has begun pouring in from across the advertising world.

“Mark Robinson has done it again. In ‘Pitch Black’ he‘s brought together a wide range of advertisements with a bunch that you’ll remember and some that you’ve overlooked. And alongside the ads, he’s brought sharp analysis written in his trademark style. And his is no mere surface analysis, Mark goes deep into the history to uncover the stories behind the creation and intention of the ads and their impact on society and Black culture,” said JASON P. CHAMBERS, Ph.D.; Author, Associate Professor, Advertising, University of Illinois.

“’Pitch Black’ brilliantly shows the cultural and economic upside of getting it right, and the implications of getting it wrong. It’s a brilliant read with practical advice and insights that are just as relevant today as they were back then,” said John Osborn, President, SeenThis, former CEO of BBDO & OMD.

Where can you go to see examples of the best and most successful advertising created for – and created by – African Americans?

There is no central archive, library or museum where a collection of this great and historic work is accessible or exhibited. Remarkably, “Pitch Black” represents the first ever archive of that excellent creative work.

MORE INFORMATION:

Author website: https://markrobinson-writing.com/

Learn more about “Pitch Black”: https://markrobinson-writing.com/pitch-black-a-new-book-coming-in-2026

On sale September 7, 2026, wherever you buy books.

IMAGE link for media: https://d1an6hb2j63rg7.cloudfront.net/Pitch_Black_v8_9194e6793a.jpg

Image caption: Cover, “Pitch Black: The best Black ads of the past 50+ years,” by Mark Robinson.

NEWS SOURCE: Author Mark S. Robinson

Keywords: Books and Publishing, author Mark S. Robinson, Pitch Black, ISBN 9781736621585, Advertising Marketing Black History Multicultural Best Creative Ads Civil Rights, NEW YORK, N.Y.

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