our company | Black Raspberry Consumer Insights

What We Believe…

We believe that behind every consumer purchasing decision lies a story. We mine for those stories to understand what makes brands and the consumers who purchase them unique.

We are Black Raspberry Consumer Insights, a qualitative research firm. As we see it, qualitative research involves more than just asking questions on a discussion guide. It’s about engaging respondents and encouraging them to share their honest opinions about products, brands… and life.

Our Philosophy

Over the years, we have observed that marketers often make two false assumptions when considering the African American consumer market. The first assumption is that because African Americans reside in the U.S. and often espouse similar attitudes, values and aspirations as white Americans, advertising designed to target the general market will be equally effective in reaching African American consumers. The second assumption is that African American consumers are a monolith, all having the same attitudes, behaviors and aspirations. And because of that, they can be both defined and marketed to in broad strokes.

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Black Raspberry understands that the truth is that African Americans do not always have the same experiences or speak the same “language” as general market consumers. And that more often than not, the language they speak (both literal and figurative), the choices they make and the beliefs that they hold dear are deeply connected to their collective cultural identity. In many instances, African American consumers are just like every other American consumer and some advertisers are guilty of attempting to create differences when, in fact, there are none. For instance, the ideal dinnertime experience is the same in all households. And when it comes to providing for their families and planning for the future, the vast majority of African Americans have the same aspirations as their White counterparts.

However, it is also true that in many other instances, African Americans’ cultural identity and awareness has a profound influence on the way that they experience the world around them. And this can— and often does— lead to marked differences between African Americans and other consumer groups. As an example, they may watch the same network as other groups, but completely different shows, preferring those that reflect their reality. Or they may have the same products in their bathroom cabinets that white Americans have, but use them in different ways that have been passed down in their families over generations.

The bottom line is that it isn’t always easy to know when and where the differences between African Americans and other consumer groups will emerge. And that is where Black Raspberry can help.

Our Company

Black Raspberry was founded by Dr. Patricia D. Raspberry in 2005. A social psychologist with over fifteen years of experience in the fields of advertising and market research, Dr. Raspberry has established herself as one of the preeminent qualitative research consultants in the country.

In case it matters (and we hope it does), we are also a M/WBE certified corporation.

Patricia Raspberry, Ph.D.

Principal

Patricia is a social psychologist with over fifteen years of qualitative research experience. She worked for several years as an Account Planner at advertising agencies in New York and Chicago and as Senior Planner and Director of Urban Insights at PortiCo Research before launching Black Raspberry Consumer Insights in 2005.

A summa cum laude graduate of Hampton University, Patricia holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan. In addition to her graduate work and extensive professional experience, Patricia has also received rigorous instruction in focus group moderation and in-depth qualitative interviewing at the RIVA Training Institute, in Washington, DC. In 2012, she taught a graduate-level course entitled “African American Consumer Insights” at DePaul University in Chicago. She is currently based in Washington DC.

With clients, Patricia is best known for her ability to connect with all types of consumers and unearth truths and insights that are not readily evident. With her friends, she is known for being the one they can always rely on to ask questions that get really good conversations started. She enjoys juicing (kale, apple, cucumber and ginger is a favorite), reading and watching reality tv (solely for research purposes!).