‘Hot Topics with Judge Joe Brown’ Connects with Multicultural Consumers

In a notable reversal from recent years, where most new entries in the first-run syndication landscape have not gotten past the test-market stage, the marketplace at present is gutted with a variety of new talk, court and game show hopefuls. Many of those individuals vying for their own shows — Kelly Clarkson, Tamron Hall, Meredith Vieria, Jerry Springer and Joe Brown, to name a few – may be at the upcoming National Association of Program Executives confab (from January 22 to 24 at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach) hawking their proposed shows as representatives from the distributors vie for time period clearances.

For Jerry Springer and Joe Brown, of course, success in syndication is nothing new. Springer led his comical talk show circus, “The Jerry Springer Show,” from 1991 to 2018. And, Joe Brown made sure order was in the court on “Judge Joe Brown” from 1998 to 2013. Both television personalities are attempting comebacks – Springer in daily court themed half-hour “Judge Jerry” from NBC Universal, which is cleared in a reported 75 percent of the country; and Joe Brown in weekly half-hour “Hot Topics with Judge Joe” from Pacific Lake Entertainment. Clearances for “Hot Topics” cover more than 60 percent of the total U.S., and are expected to reach over 90 percent of African American households. The show launches on January 19th.

“For the first time in my life, I am going to be called honorable,” said Jerry Springer, who earned his law degree from Chicago’s Northwestern University and practiced law in his hometown of Cincinnati for more than 15 years, in a statement. “My career is coming full circle and I finally get to put my law degree to use after all these years.”

Joe Brown, meanwhile, is combining his proven experience in the marketplace in a talk show format this time featuring a rotating group of panelists.

”No topic is out of bounds for us,” noted Joe Brown, who stresses the topical nature on his return entry. “We can go from health and lifestyle to breaking news, pop culture and politics, and everything in between. It all depends on what is happening at the time.”

”We will not shy away from any issues or any subjects,” he added. “We might be serious at times and fun in others, and my goal is to incorporate what I have accomplished in the past on my former court show and segue that into a talk show format.”

For “Hot Topics with Judge Joe Brown,” the immediate bonus is the stellar interest within the African American community. Pacific Lake Entertainment is working with E&Z Sales Marketing to engage Burrell Communications and other specialty market agencies to connect with today’s multicultural consumers with the understanding that the experiences of Black consumers are increasingly shaping and influencing the marketplace.

According to a recent Nielsen report, “Black Dollars Matter: The Sales Impact of Black Consumers,” the black population was responsible for an estimated $1.2 trillion in purchases in 2017 (despite making up just 14 percent of the overall population). And, for prospective advertisers in “Hot Topics with Judge Joe Brown,” their influence falls heavily in items such as personal soap and bath needs ($573 million), men’s toiletries ($61 million), and feminine hygiene products ($54 million).

The report also shows that Black consumers spent $810 million on bottled water (15 percent of overall spending that year) and $587 million on refrigerated drinks (17 percent of overall spending). Luxury, non-essential products such as women’s fragrances ($151 million of a $679 million industry total), watches and timepieces ($60 million of $385 million in overall spending) and children’s cologne ($4 million out of $27 million) also heavily over-indexed among African American consumers.

“Our research shows that Black consumer choices have a ‘cool factor’ that has created a halo effect, influencing not just consumers of color but the mainstream as well,” said Cheryl Grace, Senior Vice President of U.S. Strategic Community Alliances and Consumer Engagement, Nielsen. “These figures show that investment by multinational conglomerates in R&D to develop products and marketing that appeal to diverse consumers is, indeed, paying off handsomely.”

“When it comes to African-American consumer spend, there are millions, sometimes billions of dollars in revenue at stake,” added Andrew McCaskill, Senior Vice President, Global Communications and Multicultural Marketing, Nielsen. “With 43 percent of the 75 million Millennials in the U.S. identifying as African American, Hispanic or Asian, if a brand doesn’t have a multicultural strategy, it doesn’t have a growth strategy. The business case for multicultural outreach is clear. African-American consumers, and all diverse consumers, want to see themselves authentically represented in marketing, and they want brands to recognize their value to the bottom line.”

That said, “Hot Topics with Judge Joe Brown” is of immediate value to the advertising community because of its inherent interest within the Black community. Judge Joe brings a mountain of experience to a landscape he was particularly successful in. And, as we gear up for NATPE and the expected hype amongst the new show hopefuls, “Hot Topics with Judge Joe Brown” will have just launched.

“We are extremely excited about the launch just prior to NATPE. Judge Joe’s new show will explore a wide range of personal, political and pragmatic topics affecting all of us in our modern lives,” explained Ernest Cartwright, CEO of Pacific Lake Entertainment. “The show will have a wide appeal but also be intimate as the Judge will not hesitate to bring his own experiecnces into the discussions, both as a successful TV host and as a consistent advocate for minorities.”

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