So, after about 15 years in the industry, here's my long and detailed answer to that statement: No. We. Are. Not. The. Same.
Do folks really believe that a white guy from Kennebunkport, ME has a whole lot in common with an African American guy from Georgia or a Latino from Bakersfield? OK, they all breathe. And have a heartbeat. All three need to eat. And...well...that's about it. Everything else about them is different.
Ok. I'm exaggerating a little. But the point is this: they are intrinsically different because they view the world differently. Their culture--that intangible understanding of the world that has been handed down to them through the generations--filters everything they see. And African American culture is quite different than White culture and from Hispanic culture. This should be pretty self-evident, given their respective Histories.
Now, some General Market shops (or Multicultural shops striving to be General Market shops) may vehemently disagree. It is, after all, in their best interest to say, "Common Values--we all share some common values! So hire me and I'll tell you what values are shared and you can tap into them"
They'll cut their studies 1,200 different ways and end up with segments that cut across cultures. And yes, that's important too.
But the non-fuzzy, non-warm truth is, we're different. And that means different categories mean different things to us. And that's where Mr Rapaille kicks ass. His classic book The Culture Code,
delves deep into some of those differences. While not necessarily Hispanic/AA, his philosophy still applies. One particularly clear example he uses is FOOD. For the French, food is about pleasure. It's about enjoying the taste, the experience, the je-ne-se-whatever. OK. I buy that.
And for Americans, food is...fuel. Period. And therefore "the experience of food" doesn't matter all that much. What does matter is fast and calories and "on the go."
As your kid leaves home with his frozen go-gurt in his lunchbox and you head for the nearest McDonald's to pick up a high-protein wrapped whatever to eat on your way to work you might find yourself agreeing with Mr Rapaille.
Now, he doesn't touch on Hispanic...but thinking back to family dinners and those blasted "sobremesas" (the mandatory, two hour long chat after dinner) with drunk tios, I'd venture to guess that for Hispanics, Food=excuse to socialize.
Those are three intrinsically different attitudes toward food. Three different "Culture Codes
" as Rapaille calls them. Does that mean you need three ads (if for some reason the French were on your radar)? Maybe. Maybe not.
But it definitely means that you need to--at the very least, sit down and dig in to how the different segments relate to your category.
After that you can decide whether you can find a point in common or you need a separate effort.
Because...and I'll say it again, we're different.
(And by the way, that's kinda what makes this country cool. There. That's kinda fuzzy and warm. Now you can't accuse me of being heartless.)
So buy the book.
It'll become a foundational piece of how you view marketing to different cultures.
4 comments:
Though I agree with your statement that we are all not the same, right below that you say the following:
"
Do folks really believe that a white guy from Kennebunkport, ME has a whole lot in common with an African American guy from Georgia or a Latino from Bakersfield? OK, they all breathe. And have a heartbeat. All three need to eat. And...well...that's about it. Everything else about them is different."
I think that there is some value in your argument but I think you can say the same of someone from the mid west and someone from New York even if both are white Americans? Their values sets, aspirations and views of the world and its products are very different. Aside from being Americans and like you said eating and having a heartbeat (OK there are some more shared attributes) but you get my drift. You could have the same claim.
Very true Anonymous, but what Mr Rapaille argues (much more eloquently than I do) is that there is a "national" identity that unites your Midwesterner and New Yorker, despite the fact that geographic differences abound. They both come from generations of white Americans, with Puritan values (strong work ethic, independent, not very expressive, etc). These values are shared (with variations) by people across the country. It's an interesting idea...and once you read the book you start seeing it in everyday life.
I still believe that the culture element applies even to Americans (non-Latino). In fact the one size fits all approach to mass market efforts is one of the elements killing effectiveness today. Content and advertising focused on northeastern nuances with an increasingly southwestern population. Still your Latino marketing points here certainly ring true.
Anonymous, I believe your statement: "but I think you can say the same of someone from the mid west and someone from New York even if both are white Americans" is completely in agreement with Ken's model.
As I understand the model (and Ken can correct me if I'm wrong), it is about finding those common denominators that are relevant to your specific category, and that are present in ALL your consumer groups (midwesterners, New Yorkers, Colombians, Argentineans, African Americans, etc). Then you build your message around those denominators.
In order to be able to find a common "sweet spot" (despite the groups' cultural differences), you need to posses a deep knowledge and understanding of each of your segments. And even though, you might not be able to find it. However, if you do find a common sweet spot, Eureka!!!! - that will mean brand voice and message consistency, HUGE efficiencies, and more importantly a much stronger brand!
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