Commentary

Pointed Findings for Dealing With Multicultural Marketing

Pointed Findings for Dealing With Multicultural Marketing

The current release of the 2nd annual Yankelovich MONITOR Multicultural Marketing Study, aggregating past African American and Hispanic MONITORs developed bi-annually since 1988, offers comparative and contrasting views of the African American, Hispanic and Non-Hispanic marketplaces. The study expands on four key market dynamics and trends in the U.S. multicultural market: The Evolving Family, The Changing Face of Trust, Managing Uncertainty, and Emerging Marketing Frustrations. Key findings show that:

There is an evolution of the Hispanic family underway due to the varying levels of acculturation and language proficiencies living under one roof. The Hispanic woman is now adding to the household income and making more decisions. The children are becoming the go-to persons for information about U.S. culture and society. And, the decision making process for Hispanics is a multi-generational group process in which every family member has input. In the African American market, the higher number of female-headed households contributes to more liberal attitudes about gender roles.  And there are increasing numbers of African-American women who choose to remain unmarried and or childless.

  • 61% of Hispanics and 46% of African American (vs. 39% Non-Hispanic Whites) agree “People’s main responsibility is to themselves and their families
  • 54% of Hispanics prefer that “my children choose Hispanics as their role models”; 50% of African Americans prefer that “my children choose African Americans as their role models”; vs. 22% of Non-Hispanic Whites prefer that “my children choose people of my race or culture as their role models.”
  • 68% of Hispanic females and 64% of African American females (vs. 34% of Non-Hispanic White females) say, “They really would like to start their own business.”

African Americans are pessimistic about their economic situation, feel out of touch with the current government, and have lost what little faith they might have had in corporate entities, but they still trust the brands that effect their lives. The Hispanic family puts the needs of the family before others. This cultural value is largely due to the lack of trust in outside institutions, which is common in Latin American businesses and government. Hispanics become very receptive to brands once trust is earned and there is a mutually respectful relationship.

  • 88% of African Americans and 81% of Hispanics agree that, “discrimination is still a part of most African Americans/Hispanics’ day-to-day lives”.
  • 61% of Hispanics and 60% of African Americans agree “when a company donates to, or does something for my school or community, I think it’s only right that my family and I try to buy things from that company as often as possible.”
  • 63% of Hispanics and 62% of African Americans (vs. 52% of Non-Hispanic Whites) agree, “A trusted brand name has a lot of influence on my decision to purchase food items.

Even though many Hispanics come to this country with a frame of mind deeply rooted in fatalism, many transition to a sense of control or self determination as everyday life becomes more predictable. In addition, religion and spirituality continue to be strong coping mechanisms for dealing with uncertainty and stress. African Americans have a shorter-term financial outlook than non-Hispanic Whites, and their belief in a better tomorrow is tied to a trust in a higher power when faced with uncertainty.

  • 88% of African Americans and 77% of Hispanics (vs. 72% of Non-Hispanic Whites) agree “More and more I look to religion as a source of comfort in my life”.
  • 53% of African Americans and 42% of Hispanics (vs. 27% of Non-Hispanic Whites) “believe I will become rich in my lifetime.”

The data suggests that both African Americans and Hispanics are showing signs of marketing frustrations.  To derail these marketing frustrations, Yankelovich suggests that this can be accomplished by understanding four key cornerstones of multicultural consumer connection: targeted precision, cultural relevance, consumer power and empowerment and community reciprocity.

  • 58% of African Americans and 56% of Hispanics “enjoy looking at or listening to advertising (vs. 31% of Non-Hispanic Whites)
  • 51% of Hispanics and 50% of African Americans agree “very little, if any, of the marketing and advertising I see has any relevance to me.”

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