For decades, advertising has played a powerful role in shaping how people see brands, culture and even themselves. But behind many of the stories of American advertising lies another history – one shaped by Black creatives, agencies and ideas that helped change the way Black America was represented.
That history is at the centre of Pitch Black: The Best Black Ads of the Past 50+ Years, a new book by advertising veteran Mark S. Robinson. The book officially went on sale on September 7, 2026, and brings together advertising history, cultural analysis and a collection of influential campaigns created for and by African Americans.
Rather than simply presenting advertisements as pieces of commercial artwork, Pitch Black looks at the stories and circumstances behind them. The book examines how advertising became an important part of the broader Civil Rights movement and how Black-created advertising helped influence perceptions of Black America.
At its heart is a question that challenges the familiar story of American advertising: what if some of the important architects of modern American pop culture were not the advertising figures traditionally associated with the industry, but Black creatives who established their own agencies during the era of Jim Crow?
Robinson’s book attempts to answer that question through both historical research and visual storytelling.
An archive of advertising rarely seen together
One of the most distinctive elements of Pitch Black is its collection of advertising images from the past five decades. A panel of Black creative leaders in advertising selected the advertisements, which are presented alongside historical curation.
The result is intended to be more than a coffee-table collection. Robinson explores the creative thinking behind the advertisements, their original intentions and their wider influence on Black culture and American society.
According to the book’s material, no single central archive, library, or museum has historically brought this advertising work together. Pitch Black seeks to fill that gap by bringing the work into one collection.
That makes the book particularly relevant to readers interested in advertising, marketing, African American history, popular culture and design.
A career spent inside advertising
Robinson brings considerable industry experience to the project. He has spent 45 years working in advertising, with experience at some of the industry’s most prestigious agencies. His work and career have been featured by publications including Fortune, Black Enterprise, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Advertising Age.
His professional experience has also extended beyond traditional agency work. Robinson was a member of the American Advertising Federation’s Multicultural Marketing Leadership Council, has lectured nationally for the Advertising Educational Foundation and has served as a mentor for the Minority Advertising Internship Program.
Filmmaker Spike Lee also selected him to co-found and manage the advertising agency Spike/DDB.
Robinson later launched Heritage Apparel, an internet-based clothing company focused on African American history and heroes. In 2001, he was recognised as Entrepreneur of the Year for the launch of S/R Communications Alliance, described in the author’s biography as the first 100% minority-owned network of 10 multicultural advertising companies.
Building on an earlier book
Pitch Black is not Robinson’s first attempt to examine race and representation through the lens of American business.
His earlier book, Black On Madison Avenue, combined memoir and history to examine the experience of Black professionals within the advertising industry. The book received nine literary book awards.
His first book, Place of Privilege, explored the experiences of the first young Black men to integrate New York’s prestigious Dalton School.
Together, Robinson’s books reflect a continuing interest in documenting aspects of Black American history that are often viewed through personal experience, business and culture.
Recognition before publication
Pitch Black also attracted recognition before its official September release. According to the publisher’s press material, the book had already received four national literary awards: the Literary Titan Award, Booky Award, Readers’ Favorite and Firebird Book Award.
The book has also received praise from figures within the advertising industry and academia.
Jason P. Chambers, Ph.D., author and Associate Professor of Advertising at the University of Illinois, praised Robinson’s combination of advertising examples and deeper historical analysis, noting that the book examines the stories behind the advertisements and their impact on society and Black culture.
John Osborn, President of SeenThis and former CEO of BBDO & OMD, highlighted the book’s exploration of both the cultural and economic consequences of getting advertising representation right – or getting it wrong.
Why the book matters today
Advertising is often remembered for its slogans, campaigns and memorable images. But advertisements can also become historical documents, reflecting how societies understand identity, race, aspiration, and consumer culture at particular moments.
That is the larger idea behind Pitch Black.
The book argues that Black advertising was not simply about selling products to a particular audience. It also helped create representations of Black life at a time when mainstream American advertising frequently failed to reflect that reality.
Robinson’s work brings those images together to show how creativity and commerce intersected with a much larger cultural transformation.
Today, Black influence can be seen across American music, fashion, entertainment, art and commerce. Pitch Black looks back at part of the journey that helped make that influence possible, focusing on the advertising industry and the creatives who worked within—and sometimes outside – its traditional structures.
For advertising professionals, historians, students and readers interested in American culture, Pitch Black offers an opportunity to look at familiar commercial history from another perspective.
More importantly, it preserves a body of creative work that Robinson believes deserves a permanent place in the historical record.
Pitch Black: The Best Black Ads of the Past 50+ Years is now available, with the book officially released on September 7, 2026.