according to The Urban Institute, NUD (Non Urban Dictate) is the acronym for a very subtle and little-known marketing term specifically directed toward people of color. It essentially means that a company is not interested in the Black consumer. A NUD label means that a company does not want their marketing and advertising materials placed in media that claim an "urban" audience ("black people") as their main target. There are legitimate reasons for companies not using urban media. It may be that Blacks don't index high in certain categories or that a company's strategy is to market to the Black consumer down the road after they have established a strong position in their primary target. But, NUD usually means that a company is not interested in the Black consumer. Companies evade discrimination liability by embracing it as theory rather than policy. As a service to Black consumers, the Urban Institute will list all companies that have a NUD policy. Armed with this information, we feel that Black consumers will be able to make informed buying decisions.Here's a list of Companies with NUD policies:
1. Starbucks
2. Jos. A Bank
3. Comp USA
4. Weight Watchers
5. Keebler
6. Life Savers
7. Continental Airlines
8. Northwest Airlines
9. America West Airlines
10. HBO - Apollo Series
11. Paternal Importers
12 Calico Corners
13. OMScot
14. Pepperidge Farms
15. Ethan Allen
16. Busy Body Fitness
17. Mondovi Wines
18. Builders Square
19. Pottery Barn
20. Lexus
21. Aruba Tourism
22. Ciba Vision
23. Kindercare
24. Grady Restaurant
25. Eddie Bauer
26. Don Pablo
Please spread this information on to any other consumer that you consider a friend and advise them to do likewise. Remember, you CANNOT act wisely unless you are informed wisely.
The Urban Institute can be contacted at 2100 M Street, NW Washington,DC
UPDATE!!! [ this post is wrong. a little research confirmed it's based on a hoax. i posted a cool retraction here. loveyougottagobye!]
good news! i finally settled on a winner for the MF DOOM ART CONTEST, so we have a cover for the new issue! for ZEES, that meant a cool $100 for the starving artist fund, and for us, that means we can start taking preorders for the new issue. in addition to an expanded feature that will include the DOOM article and Album review by Purple Magazine's own Dazjae Zoem and the best entries in the art contest, there's also brand new comics from Nat Landry and Kristoffer Smith. of course you can always look forward to more informative articles about comics, hipHop, news, art and culture in the vaunted ghettoManga tradition!