Ethnic Marketing
By Sonia Reyes
While traditional advertising has had modest gains this decade, agencies and media companies catering to Hispanic consumers have routinely posted double-digit growth.
But will that growth be compromised now that the “digital divide” seems to be saying adios? Jupiter Research forecasts that, as of this year, 68% of Hispanics and 69% of African American households will be connected to the Internet, numbers that are on par with the general population.
In the past, the division between “minority media” was more distinct, but now the lines are blurring, especially among the tech-savvy young. Donna Daniels, vp-consumer strategy at Iconoculture, Minneapolis, said the digital divide is over, fueled by the popularity of such sites as Black-Planet.com, AOL Black Voices and the college student-oriented Facebook.com.
“These sites provide young folks with a venue for self-expression and to connect,” said Daniels. It’s not just about crafting a one-size-fits-all effort to reach African Americans, but building a strategy that that addresses lifestyle. “Marketers need to ask themselves, ‘Where are these folks and how can I get to them?’”
With that self-awareness comes a resistance to pandering. As an example of Minority Marketing 2.0, look at MTV en Español’s evolution into MTV Tr3s in September. While the previous incarnation could justly be described as “MTV in Spanish,” Tr3s is bilingual (subtitles appear when Spanish is spoken) and features shows like Quiero Mis Quinces about quince-añera (15th birthday) parties and Pimpeando, about car culture.
“MTV is now taking a deeper look at how to connect with Latinos,” said Carl Kravetz, chairman/president at the Assn. of Hispanic Advertising Agencies and chairman at marketing firm Cruz/Kravetz Ideas, Los Angeles. “It’s not just about language and music but about connecting with youth with relevant lifestyle issues important to them.”
Brands like MTV are making a greater attempt to reach consumers because they can’t afford to ignore them anymore. According to the recent The Multicultural Economy report from the Selig Center for Economic Growth, New York, the buying power of African American consumers is $798.9 billion and that of Hispanics is $798.3 billion.
“Multicultural marketing is exploding and finally getting more attention from companies,” said Lisa Skriloff, president at Multicultural Marketing Re-sources, New York. “Whatever the medium, it’s there. Not only TV, print, radio, promotions, events, but the added benefits of digital technology.”
While Hispanics and African Americans are now top of mind for many companies, only a few are stalking the Asian American market, just 4% of the U.S. population but growing quickly. Last January, Kraft launched its first dedicated Asian campaign. Wal-Mart said last year it would address Asians in print ads in languages including Mandarin, Vietnamese and Cantonese.
Saul Gitlin, evp-strategic marketing services at Kang & Lee, N.Y., said there’s good news for traditional media: “Print and spot TV will continue to be the most compelling way to reach Asians because there simply aren’t many Web sites in their own language.”