Ethnic, cultural or multicultural marketing strategies are campaigns to reach ethnic subcultures in the United States, primarily being Asian American, Native American, African American, or Hispanic/Latino.   Effective multicultural marketing does not mean marketing in non-English languages.  Multi-cultural includes effectively integrating your brands into ethnic popular culture.  Some firms have enjoyed great success by employing entertainment marketing thru product placement, award and event show brand exposure. 

Visible minorities have been here for many generations:  Asian Americans have been here since the middle 1800s, well before the arrival of other European immigrants.  Latinos have been here well before the 1800s, on land that was originally a part of Mexico which was lost to the United States during the same time period in the mid 1800s.  The current generations from these groups and subsequent immigrants participate in the educational and social systems here, and the further the group gets from it's original immigrant ancestors, the more their native language is not only English but often it is only English. 

Highly acculturated groups tend to also be more affluent than their founding immigrant ancestors, which makes reaching these marketing segments smart business.  To be effective, ethnic multicultural marketing strategy requires understanding the psychographics of these sub-cultures, to comprehend inculture nuances and subtleties.  Whether you are Asian American, Latino/Hispanic, African American or First Nation seeking to market to other visible minorities or to the general market, Cultural Marketing Communications can help you.  These segments are among the fastest growing and most youthful markets in the economy, far beyond that of the general market. 

Importance of Ethnic multicultural markets

The 2000 US Census showed an explosive population increase in ethnic multicultural markets.  The US Commerce Department reports also indicate major population shifts:  as of Census 2000, African Americans, Hispanics and Asians account for 79 million out of 281 million Americans.   Buying power is the total personal income of residents available after taxes that can be spent on goods and services, otherwise thought of as disposable personal income.  Total buying power of ethnic multicultural markets from African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans have been projected at $2.3 trillion by 2007. 

 

Trends Another segment of ethnic multicultural marketing is the significant impact in buying power of a rapidly growing, youthful population of people of mixed race.  The younger demographic generation of this heterogeneous segment is projected to not only change the way we view race and ethnicity in America but with increasing population numbers will further impact consumer products in ethnic multicultural markets.

 

By 2007, the Selig Center for Economic Growth projects ethnic multicultural marketing buying power at:

• African Americans, $852.8 billion

• Native Americans, $57.3 billion

• Asian Americans, $454.9 billion

• Hispanics, $926.1 billion