Multicultural audiences are invading the airwaves!

Something's been brewing in TV ads--that might scare some folks: Multicultural actors playing starring roles in lots of spots.  A while back I wrote about the Kin campaign--a long form, multi-spot saga that revolves entirely around a central character that is Latina. And now Doug Melville has written a piece for Adage.com that points out the mostly black casting in many recent spots.

And here's the interesting part: it's not white suburbanites that are nervous about this trend, it's Multicultural industry professionals. Many are afraid that this trend takes business away from their industry. Ie- why should I do Hispanic Advertising now that Hispanics are playing big roles in my gen market work?

But folks, the truth is, using African Americans, Hispanics and Asians in advertising is just good business. Not because these audiences are growing and important, but because these audiences are setting the trends! Why wouldn't you want a trendsetter endorsing your product?

But here's the rub (actually 2 rubs):

This isn't a replacement for your Multicultural efforts. It's just an improvement of your general market work. You're still going to want to reach out to these targets directly and get them to buy your product. Otherwise, you're leaving fruit on the ground.

If you're a Multicultural shop, you shouldn't see this as a threat. It's an opportunity. It's actually the biggest opportunity facing the industry since the advent of SIN (the first Spanish Language network in the US)! Think about it...your target...the one you know inside in out, is now leading the trends in the US. Shouldn't you be able to capitalize on that?