Experiences refined for people
In 2020, there was a 61.1% chance that any two people picked randomly in America would come from different ethnic backgrounds. LGBTQ+ identification has ticked up to 7.1% from only 3.5% a decade earlier. 26% of Americans live with a disability, and yet only 1% of ads feature them.
America is diverse, and multicultural strategies are imperative.
Multicultural marketing is not just about running ads with diverse faces for target demographics but also about building and sustaining a brand people can trust.
Our research reveals the intricacies of various demographics. We explore multicultural strategies, including what drives African Americans, Asian Americans, and US Hispanics to spend and what brands must do to reach and engage these consumers.
What is multicultural marketing?
Multicultural marketing is about recognizing and celebrating the diversity within your target audience. It involves crafting marketing strategies and messages that resonate with people from different cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds, acknowledging their unique perspectives, values, and experiences.
Crafting successful multicultural campaigns requires a thoughtful approach that prioritizes authenticity and inclusivity.
Many attempts at inclusivity miss the mark entirely because they lean into cultural stereotypes and shortcuts that make assumptions about different cultures. For example, some significant advertisers at the 2024 Super Bowl, like Uber Eats and Volkswagen, provided only generic DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) statements and featured mainly non-disabled, male, White actors.
To address the growing need for nuanced multicultural marketing strategies, we developed a model to create authentic campaigns that actually resonate with your multicultural audiences.
To establish a successful multicultural marketing strategy, identify your target audience and determine the best channels to engage them. This involves analyzing First-Party (1P) data and supplementing it with Third-Party (3P) insights.
Use data-driven approaches to analyze the ideal audience for your product or solution marketing.
Employ tools to gather First-Party data. Use your own CRM (Customer Relationship Management) data to reveal who your current customers are. Conduct surveys and run focus groups to gain insights into the interests of multicultural audiences in your brand and its offerings, avoiding any guesswork.
Example: A skincare company targeting multicultural audiences could conduct online surveys to gather feedback on skincare preferences. Their research might reveal a Gen Z-dominated audience aged 18-28, showing keen interest in natural skincare products and favoring mobile shopping.
Tools & Data Sets to Use
What is a “good” multicultural marketing campaign?
“Successful and relevant multicultural marketing campaigns use data deterministically to reach a diverse audience through culturally appropriate and authentic messaging. Furthermore, the most successful campaigns are created by brands who authentically engage with the community beyond marketing by hiring diverse talent and giving back to the community.”
Enhance your understanding of your target audience by complementing your First-Party data with insights from Third-Party providers. Additional insights offer a more comprehensive audience view, further refining your targeting strategies.
Example: Using census data and additional 3P sources, an automotive brand uncovers that its target demographic consists mainly of middle-aged individuals aged 35-54, with a diverse mix of ethnic backgrounds and varying income levels.
Tools & Data Sets to Use
A thriving multicultural marketing strategy requires additional audience research and brand messaging.
Key Actions:
Use specific cultural data to understand the “why” and “how” behind specific data sets to provide context around family dynamics, sensitivities, religion, and other vital contexts.
Research the available data on sites like eMarketer, Nielsen, and Statista. These resources can provide valuable insights into multicultural communities’ demographic trends, consumer behaviors, and market preferences.
When researching, consider that different generations and geographic locations within multicultural audiences have unique preferences and media consumption habits. These habits will determine the creative messaging and targeting strategies used later.
Example: Generational & Geographic Differences in Asian American Consumers
Generational Insights:
Geographic Nuances:
An example page of a KORTX Intelligence report on Asian American geographic nuances.
Tools & Data Sets
Slapping cultural symbols and phrases across products or promotions isn’t enough to honor diverse cultures.
US Internet users expect brands to feature diverse individuals in advertisements (40%) and ensure ads and content are accessible to those with disabilities (39%). Failing to do so can harm your brand reputation, as seen in Dove’s lazy multicultural ad.
Your messaging should reflect your target audience’s diverse cultural, generational, geographic, and inclusive nuances. Although this will vary depending on your target audience’s demographics, general principles to follow are:
This dynamic McDonald’s ad mockup offers both English and Spanish versions, automatically displaying in the user’s browser or mobile device language.
Example: A brand conducted research and found that 75% of images portray Asians with other races, and Asian Americans are over 10 times more likely to be shown in white-collar jobs than in blue-collar roles. Less than 1% of popular visuals include culturally specific aspects of Asian American life.
Based on this, the brand decides to focus its ad creative and messaging by highlighting different skin tones, community connections, and a variety of interests beyond traditional roles while presenting Asian Americans within their communities.
✏️ Case Study Success: Home Depot Retool Your School
KORTX and The Home Depot’s partnership, driven by our multicultural expertise and audience targeting capabilities, achieved an average of 0.25% CTR and up to 0.49% in specific campaigns.
Why should marketers support minority-owned businesses?
“Supporting minority-owned businesses not only provides exceptional but often untapped talent. It also offers upward mobility to underserved communities held back simply due to a lack of opportunity.”
Successful multicultural marketing requires ongoing investment in diverse talent, authentic community engagement, and a commitment to social causes.
Brands like Nike and adidas are shifting their strategy toward more meaningful engagement with the Black community by prioritizing donations and internal projects over traditional marketing campaigns.
For International Women’s Day, KORTX helped Amazon with creative for a landing page for “Women at Work.”
📚 Related article: Multicultural & Diversity Marketing: 2024 Trends
Review inclusive multicultural and diversity marketing trends to refresh your strategy and stay competitive in 2024.
How can brands effectively engage with multicultural audiences beyond culturally significant periods?
“Brands must shift their focus from performative actions during specific months to genuine, ongoing engagement throughout the year.
This means going beyond marketing for just Black or Arab American History Month. It means year-round multicultural support and strategies reinforcing authentic representation and active participation in community initiatives.”
Successful multicultural campaigns leverage data-driven insights and cultural research to craft relevant and respectful messaging. They employ visuals and language that genuinely reflect the diversity of their audience, avoid stereotypes, and ensure accessibility for people with disabilities. By genuinely committing to understanding and serving multicultural communities, brands can create meaningful connections that resonate and endure.
KORTX provides deep multicultural research, collaboration, and a true commitment to the communities you serve.
Drew Pytel is a Senior Account Manager at KORTX. He has extensive experience researching and creating strategies for multicultural campaigns. He enjoys golf, bourbon, and being active with his wife and 3 kids.
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