The Multicultural Market
By: Roslyn Golden Patterson

Are you leaving money on the table? It’s quite possible if you aren’t targeting multicultural audiences. Consider that in the Kansas City area alone, African-Americans alone spent more than $2.4 billion last year on products and services; the minority market as a whole is growing and becoming increasingly segmented.

If you develop one mass message and disseminate it to the general market to sell your products or services, you may be overlooking the important niche of minorities. There isn’t always a language barrier to consider but minority groups often consider and act on messages that they receive from trusted sources. Churches, community centers, special interest media and acquaintances are listed as the most trusted sources of information for minority groups. Grassroots and guerilla marketing tactics are extremely effective and go a long way with these audiences.

It’s not always necessary to change your messaging to appeal to different groups; however, it may be necessary to use non-traditional and alternative media. And, note that it is insulting to some to see a commercial with a rap tune to appeal to an African-American audience or a salsa beat underlying a radio commercial to appeal to a Hispanic audience. ThereÕs no need to be so transparent, itÕs just a matter of communicating your messages to the right audience at the right time and at the right place.

If your messages are resonating with the general market as a whole, then they will probably resonate with the minority market too. There are only a few areas, such as healthcare, where the messages should take into consideration certain cultural nuances and differences as campaigns are developed. It also is important to remember that even within each minority group there is more segmentation to consider.

Creating strong brand identification and loyalty among multicultural audiences increases market share, opens doors for growth, and ultimately impacts your bottom line. DonÕt get caught leaving money on the table.

Roslyn is the co-owner of HOTMETAL Creative, LLC, a full-service marketing communications firm. To contact her, please call 816-513-6808 or email her at Roslyn@hotmetalcreative.com.