Pitch Black

Mark Robinson has done it again. In Pitch Black he gives us an engaging picture of advertising done by and for Black folks. He's brought together a wide range of advertisements with a bunch that you'll remember and some that you've overlooked. And alongside the ads, he's brought sharp analysis written in his trademark style. And his is no mere surface analysis, Mark goes deep into the history to uncover the stories behind the creation and intention of the ads and their impact on society and Black culture. Pitch Black is a book that you should definitely buy and add to your collection.

— Jason P. Chambers, Ph.D.

Author, Associate Dean for DEI | Associate Professor, Advertising

Mark S. Robinson's Pitch Black is a fantastic archive of American advertising and Black identity across decades. Overall, this is a brilliant read, and those interested in media and Black history branding, and American pop culture will enjoy it.

— Asher Sayed

Reader's Favorite

Finally, someone said it out loud. I've worked in and around marketing long enough to know that Black creativity has always driven culture while rarely getting the credit. Mark Robinson changes that with this book. Flipping through decades of groundbreaking Black advertising is both a celebration and a gut punch, you see the brilliance, but you also feel the weight of how much was overlooked or co-opted. Robinson knows this world from the inside out, and it shows. This isn't just a collection of great ads; it's a cultural record that needed to exist.

— Crystal G. Robert

Goodreads

Pitch Black is essential reading, a curated archive that preserves what must be included in the advertising canon. Mark Robinson and his distinguished panel of creative directors have created more than a retrospective; they've assembled evidence of creative brilliance that shaped American culture and deserves permanent recognition in our collective narrative. For students, practitioners, and anyone committed to understanding the full story of American visual culture, Robinson has given us an indispensable resource. As poet Sonia Sanchez reminds us, we cannot move forward without knowing our roots. Pitch Black preserves that crucial creative legacy and makes it accessible to all who study design and advertising.

— Robin Landa

Distinguished Professor, Kean University | Author of Branding as a Cultural Force (Columbia University Press, 2026)

Pitch Black brilliantly shows the cultural and economic upside of getting it right, and the implications of getting it wrong. It's a brilliant read with practical advice and insights that are just as relevant today as they were back then.

— John Osborn

President, SeenThis | Former CEO of BBDO & OMD

Personal and polemical, Pitch Black doubles as Robinson's call to action, anchoring the historic narrative in a curated, decades-by-decades gallery of landmark print campaigns from the 1960s through the 2000s, which evidences how Black identity, style, music, and language reshaped mainstream branding—turning "Blackness" into one of America's most influential cultural brands. Pitch Black serves as both record and remedy—a self-portrait of a people who moved from being used to sell products to mastering the art of storytelling that sells culture itself.

— Carol H. Williams

CEO & Chief Creative Officer, Carol H. Williams Advertising | Advertising Hall of Fame, Class of 2017

Pitch Black is, if nothing else, an eye-opener. It remains a powerful book that educates and highlights the perils of overlooking a strong consumer base when trying to establish brand and engagement. For what it seeks to achieve, Pitch Black remains a strong historical/reference book that stands up on its own merits.

— Alice Bennett

Reedsy Review