Multicultural marketing has been in a constant evolution since its inception. The rapid and constant change within our industry and the shifting demographics are only fueling a heightened importance on the practice. Total Market has certainly dominated the conversation in terms of approaches to marketing to a more diverse, multicultural mainstream, but there are a number underlining trends that are shaping the present and future of multicultural communications.
- It’s no longer about in-language. It’s about in-culture
For years multicultural marketing communications was about the translation. And for years that was enough. With the acculturation of Asians and Hispanics, and a growing acceptance of bilingualism and biculturalism – cultural identity has evolved past language. Today’s multicultural consumers are savvy enough to catch poorly-executed literal translations of campaigns. These consumers, especially the bicultural Millennials, want to know that brands get them; that they’re speaking directly to them, and giving a nod to their culture. Brands that will be successful at resonating with bicultural consumers will be effective at understanding the unique mindset, subtly speaking to their values, showcasing passion points, authentically celebrating heritage, and acknowledging their cultural beliefs and motivators.
- Multicultural media landscapes continue to evolve
In the past several years there has been a series of media industry shifts and developments in what appears to be a race to capture a younger, more multicultural audience. There has been a boom in the introduction of newer “multicultural” media outlets like Aspire, Bounce TV, El Rey Revolt, Nuvo, TV One, among others. More recently we saw the diversification of existing networks like BET with the introduction of Centric. And then there is Univision, the leading Spanish language network. Until recently, Fusion had been Univision’s answer to capturing millennial and diverse audiences, but they surprised the industry when the purchased The Root and then The Onion. And just a couple of months ago Univision announced the acquisition of Gawker. How Univision plans to package these proprieties under one media company umbrella is yet to be determined, but it’s clear that they are aggressively looking for differentiating ways to build a more diverse offering aimed at a younger audience – beyond just Hispanics. How and when other media companies will follow suit, is yet to be determined.
- Social Issues in Multicultural Communities are Driving Social Media
During this summer of discontent, individuals, police, politicians, celebrities and brands have all struggled with whether and how to respond to the Black Lives Matter movement. One thing is clear, Americans, especially those who have felt voiceless, are increasingly turning to social media for news. More than a news platform, social media has created a forum for diverse communities to discuss and encourage others to get involved with a cause or movement. According to a recent Pew Research Center study on social media conversations about race:
- Nearly 1B race-related posts on Twitter (between Jan 1, 2015 and March 31, 2016) touched a wide-ranging set of subjects, including social activism, pop culture and personal experiences. However, the majority of the racial conversation (68% of total tweets) was directly related to news and current events.
- Major recent events bring #BlackLivesMatter back to the forefront and the tone shifts overnight. In the weeks following the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile at the hands of police and the Dallas shooting where a lone gunman killed five and injured nine police officers, there were nearly 5M tweets, using the now ubiquitous hashtag.
- One-in-four black social media users say that most or some of the posts they see on social media are about race.
Companies understand their commercial viability is based on their cultural relevance. Understanding the issues and the role that media and social media play, are paramount for marketers communicating with diverse audiences. By ignoring the social issues of the day, they risk appearing to be tone deaf and ultimately losing their place in the market.
