Earl B. Hunter, Jr. began his Thursday morning 2022 RVDA Convention/Expo session by waking sleepy attendees with a melodic message.
“It’s been a long time coming,” he sang in a clear, full-bodied tenor, “but I know and I know, change is gonna come, yeah.”
Bringing issues forward
Hunter, president of Black Folks Camp Too (BFCT), presented the seminar topic “Black Folks Will Buy RVs Too” last week in Las Vegas.
Black Americans spend $1.3 trillion per year on goods and services. Too often that money is left on the table by companies that do not understand the history or needs of Black consumers, Hunter said.
“You need to know how to ask for Black folks’ money,” he said.
Hunter said many Black consumers have a generational fear of the outdoors. BFCT aims to remove fear, enhance knowledge and invite Black consumers to join with everyone around the campfire, he said.
Hunter said the name of the company, Black Folks Camp Too, as well as the organization logo, the Unity Blaze, are foreign to the industry.
BFCT has a seven-part plan to slowly change the lack of diversity in the camping and RV industries. The plan includes awareness, interest, trial, preference, loyalty, ambassadors and love.
Right now, the broader diversity issue is an elephant, and “we are at the toenail of the elephant,” Hunter said.
The evolution is not going to happen overnight, he said. He founded BFCT in 2019.
“I have been talking about this for three years,” he said. “People are finally starting to listen.”
BFCT initiatives
BFCT recently expanded its online digital education offerings. The organization establishes industry partnerships, provides an online career board and fosters internships and scholarships at historically black colleges and universities.
BFCT provides RV dealer marketing kits, consumer research and social strategy to put businesses in touch with diverse consumers. The organization collected industry data about consumers it shares with corporate partners, Hunter said.
He said he has been a corporate keynote speaker 200 times since the organization was founded. He has spoken at organizations such as Winnebago, KOA and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
BCFT has partnered with the North Carolina Dealer’s Association as well as the South Carolina, North Carolina and Oregon State Parks.
Hunter spoke at Winnebago Industries two weeks ago.
“I asked them to invite customers in who do not look like the customers they have now,” he said. “The RV industry is missing dollars because they don’t know why they are missing that money.”
Hunter said he often is approached by well-meaning people who want to help lower-income minorities enjoy the outdoors. Black consumers with buying power also need to be approached and have their needs addressed, he said.
“The majority of Black folks do not know an RV can be financed,” he said.
Unity Blaze Partnerships
BFCT recently partnered with Go RVing to create an educational series to certify RV dealers who want to become BFCT Unity Blaze Partners. The Unity Blaze is BFCT’s campfire symbol logo. The Unity Blaze means “treat everyone, everywhere, equally.”
Go RVing released research at the 2022 RVDA Convention/Expo revealing consumers who had a good childhood experience tent or cabin camping were much more likely to buy an RV in the future than those who did not have those childhood experiences. The study found minority group members often do not have these formative nostalgic memories.
Hunter said creating positive outdoor memories in future generations will be important.
“I think we need to get more families into the outdoors and enjoying that lifestyle. Children are going to do what their mamas and daddies do,” he said. “We have to be more strategic.”
Once more RV industry players raise the Unity Blaze and become involved in BFCT programs, the more the industry will shift, Hunter said.
To become a Unity Blaze partner or see a list of RV dealership partners, click here.
