"For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this earth. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers."
President Barack Obama, Presidential Inaugural Address - January 20th, 2009
Welcome to Ethnic & Multicultural Marketing.
Dear Students:
Welcome to our course.
Ever wonder why you buy something? Do you really want it? Do you Need it?
Ask yourself these questions...
Who's marketing to you? How are they doing it? Why you? Do you sometimes feel they are talking just to you? Are your relatives and close circle of friends buying the same products? Does your ethnicity, race, place where you live or place where you came from have anything to do with it?
Start looking around. Start paying attention. There's a name to what's happening to you. There's a reason why you eat McDonalds or shop at Target instead of Wal Mart. You may think it has to do with money or pricing (and on some levels it does), but you'd be surprised why else you buy.
Call it Ethnic Marketing. Or marketing to ethnic and multicultural communities...or just target marketing (no, not the store this time, more as in a bullseye...you!)...perhaps segment marketing. Either way, this is not your usual marketing effort. It certainly is not MASS MARKETING or what could be described as an attempt to market to the General U.S. Population...that speaks to everyone as if they are all part of the same group (what we often called mass reach marketing.) This a form of marketing that's not really new either. It has been around for years and it is not only changing the way we do business in America, but has already changed it!
This type of marketing understands that each U.S. consumer is different and may fit into any number of groups or communities that define not only the consumer, but the motivation behind what he or she decides to purchase, how they buy it, and even expectations that may occur after the purchase is made.
This type of marketing study not only attempts to better understand the microcosm of marketing segments, but better yet, tries to categorize the consumer into a defineable and targetable, more manageable group or community with common characteristics. This form of marketing is based on such descriptive markers as country of origin, language preference, acculturation level and even cultural influences. More importantly, it also attempts to study the "why" behind how this consumer fits into any category or combination of categories in the first place.
Unlike International Marketing which also studies ethic culture but in it's foreign (or original) setting, Multicultural and Ethnic Marketing studies ethnic culture and other such community patterns right here in the U.S.
While some of this study may focus on specific geographic areas (for example: Cubans in Miami, Florida), the overall effort is to understand all of the major groups, how they interact with each other and with those outside their boundaries.
We begin this process in our classroom simply enough by first trying to better understand who we are. In creating a picture of ourselves and how we self-identify, we begin to understand how others see us and what they might look to find in us. We look at the many elements and layers of our own persona as a consumer: age, ethnicity, cultural background, how much money we make, gender, tastes...and simply how we describe ourselves relative to the whole population in general.
We all belong in some group whether we like it or not. When we begin to think like this, we need to forget our individuality for the time being.
In defining ourselves, we can then determine where we fit in any possible combination of descriptions that marketers may understand. Are we Asian, Hispanic, Latino, African American, Jewish, Black, Carribean, Gay, Handicapped, or any combination of defining community labels that best describes us? More importantly, based on how we define ourselves, how can marketers reach us? If we understand the possible different ways in which we can be reached (what newspaper we read, what television we watch), then that it follows that we may leqarn how to market to people who may be just like us!
Understanding and knowledge are at the core of this class. But unfortunately there are many different variables, studies and resources to draw from. Quite frankly, few are perfect. In dealing with this type of marketing, we have to rely on intuition as much as hard data. And when it comes to cultural and ethnic factors, we also have to navigate through stereotypes and prejudices and instead rely on direct contact with the groups we wish to target. There's a bit of anthropology, economics, sociology, religion, psychology and just plain old "gut feeling" mixed in.
At the end of the semester, we look to understand certain basic things:
- A simple, 101-type grasp of what defines multi-cultural and ethnic marketing as it relates to the top ethnic communities of the U.S. consumer market: Hispanics, African Americans and Asians.
- Hard data on the top ethnic consumer groups, emerging groups and other categories.
- How to reach ethnic consumers effectively using media, public relations, events, guerrilla marketing and much more.
- Strategies used to persuade ethnic communities to buy a certain product or service.
- Definition of marketing terms related to ethnic marketing.
- Who we are individually within the scope of ethnic marketing.
- Why this type of marketing is so critical to consumers now and in the future.
- And why this understanding can affect every level of your business, regardless of the type of business
When we walk out of this class, it is my hope that you will continue to look around and see that every message out there speaks to us in ways you never considered. You will see things you never noticed before. And the next time you walk into Burger King or Sears or Best Buy, you will immediately understand exactly why you did so...and you'll probably realize in ways you never imagined that it wasn't just some random choice you made on your own. You'll understand that someone out there is pulling your strings and you are following!
Welcome and enjoy.
Roger Gonzalez