Mastery Over Marketing: Reclaiming Our Minds and Money

At BLK + GRN, we’ve always known that Black communities are uniquely targeted with some of the most toxic products on the market. That realization—that companies were intentionally marketing harmful goods to us—wasn’t just infuriating. It was illuminating. It exposed a much deeper issue: marketing doesn’t care about what’s best for you. It cares about what’s most profitable. Once I saw that clearly, I couldn’t unsee it—and it shifted how I look at everything.

We are constantly being told what to want. What to buy. What to eat. What to gift. What to wear. Marketing is relentless and often invisible. It shapes our values, our routines, and even our dreams. And when we don’t recognize its power, it’s easy to follow its lead—often in directions that don’t align with our health, our goals, or our financial well-being.

Take, for example, the pressure around birthdays and holidays. The narrative tells us that a mountain of gifts is how we show love to our children. But what if, instead, we saw those occasions as opportunities to plant seeds for their future? A contribution to a 529 plan or custodial investment account may not offer the instant gratification of a new toy—but it’s an investment in a future where they get to choose their own path with fewer financial barriers.

Or think about the way restaurants are marketed to us: fast, fun, convenient. The truth? Many of them are filled with ultra-processed ingredients and carry a heavy long-term cost to our health. Cooking at home isn’t just about food—it’s about education. It’s about learning the science of nourishment, building skills, and taking control of what we put in our bodies.

I also apply this awareness to how I think about clothing. I don’t buy new clothes unless it’s absolutely necessary. I try to reuse what I have, restyle old pieces, and when I do shop, I prioritize Black-owned thrift stores or secondhand options. It’s not just about sustainability—it’s about resisting the marketing that convinces us we need a “new look” every season to feel valuable or seen. Clothing doesn’t define worth, and fashion trends shouldn’t dictate our wallets or self-worth.

When you really understand that marketing exists to drive consumption, not consciousness, it becomes easier to step back and reclaim your power. One strategy I use? Turning off the TV. Logging off social media. Quieting the noise. Every scroll, every ad, every perfectly curated post is another opportunity for someone else to plant ideas in your head about who you should be and what you should buy.

Mastery over marketing starts with awareness. It’s about noticing how ads show up in:

• Commercials disguised as entertainment
  

• Social media posts masked as “inspiration”
  

• Podcasts filled with sponsored segments
  

• Books pushing products alongside ideas
  

Once you see how pervasive it is, you can start to ask: Is this for me—or is this for profit?

A great place to start deepening that awareness is by watching The Shopping Conspiracy on Netflix. This eye-opening documentary uncovers the psychological tactics retailers and marketers use to keep us buying things we don't need. It lays bare how much of what we think are our own choices are actually manufactured desires designed to drive endless consumption.

At BLK + GRN, we’re not just committed to non-toxic products—we’re committed to non-toxic living. That means questioning the systems that push us toward overconsumption, disconnection, and dependence. Mastery over marketing isn’t about opting out of society—it’s about opting into your values. It’s about choosing with intention, spending with purpose, and remembering that your attention, your health, and your dollars are powerful tools.

And when we take back that power, we not only heal ourselves—we disrupt the very systems designed to keep us asleep.