So over the last 6 months we've been working furiously to create a new Multicultural/General Market advertising model. And we're done!
We've been working with OK Cupid, the online dating site, doing deep dives into their data, understanding how the different ethnicities interact.
We executed a 600 person subconscious study to understand what people really think about the different ethnicities. (wow, by the way)
Our crack CI team dove deep into 60 years of television history to understand how this whole minority thing has been changing in entertainment. They analyzed all the words that have been added to the English Oxford Academy dictionary in the last 10 years, analyzed the importation of spices over 20 years, looked at music since 1950...and more.
The results are shocking. This country has changed dramatically in the last 10 years.
Who would've guessed that "ethnicity" has changed our language more than the advent of technology?!
Or that ppl under the age of 35 are just not dating within their own race anymore?
Or that Justin Beiber (bless his heart) can't get on the top ten without partnering up with an African American artist?
And so with these facts as proof we lead two of our biggest clients: The US Census and State Farm down a brand new shiny path of Crossculturalism.
And here is the essence of it:
Stop thinking of ONLY how to target multicultural audiences, and start figuring out how to leverage them.
That's right. Leverage them.
Make your General Market advertising much more contemporary and relevant to today's generation by making it Multicultural.
Now, you still do targetted advertising to these groups. They're influential. You have to win with them. But that's not what I'm talking about.
What I'm talking about is that you can the idea of "general market" and make IT multicultural.
Maybe you've seen our State Farm campaign? Iconoculture called it one of their Multicultural best practices of 2010. The "General Market" campaign is Hispanic. The insight is Hispanic. The idea is Hispanic. Even the executions are Hispanic...some even have Spanish in them. And yes. That's the General Market campaign.
It flips things on its head.
It stops thinking of Multicultural folks as silos and brings them into the mainstream discussion.
(again, you still do Targeted efforts, but what changes is your General Market)
Come check it out Monday September 27 at the Paley Center in NY. It's part of Advertising Week. We'll be presenting case studies and all the research in detail. Fun stuff.
Shoot me an email if you want an invite to that specific conference.
http://www.advertisingweek.com/events.php
I'll start putting up our Data Visualizations soon too...stay tuned.
8 comments:
Wow. Hard to argue with that. Still, you're going to piss some people off. Some may say that you're just being a big mean General Market agency trying to take Multicultural business.
Neat idea though. Enhorabuena.
Cool! But seriously, how many brands are going to do this? Marketers are White guys in their 50's. Not your average multicultural guy. They're going to feel a lot more comfortable staying white and keeping the Multicultural thing as a token on the side.
Thanks Anonymous. The truth is, you just can't reach millenials without going Multicultural. And if gen market agencies want to continue talking to the youth, they're going to have to talk Multicultural. That's the business opportunity.
And Felipe. I hear what you're saying. But clients, even very traditional ones, eventually come around when they start looking at the numbers (like this one: want to talk to 21-25 year olds in NYC. Well...they're 72% NON white)
At some point, it just becomes too much ignore. (I hope)
I hope so Ken, but we've been waiting for them to wake up and smell the chock full o' nuts for a long time. Multi-cultural budgets are smaller and the first to get cut and because many of the corporations are not in the "know", they would rather ignore the solution than take ownership of it.
I look forward to companies giving their "general market" communications and budget to an agency that knows this marketplace well and leaves their "niche" budget to be fought over by the agencies who are on the outside looking in.
Great model Ken, congrats. Definitely the future of the US advertising. It goes along the same lines of the Total Market Approach our agency is taking, in which not only the General Market work influences the Hispanic work, but the Hispanic work influences the General Market work in a way that makes brands stronger.
BTW, love the paragraph about your State Farm campaign!!
If you ever give another presentation about Crossculturalism please announce it (I'm following your blog). I won't miss it!
Cheers,
Thanks Ivonee!
The presentation at Advertising Week went very well, I think. Got a warm reception. Especially the dating research and subconscious stuff we did.
A few folks challenged the idea, though, because they thought it was a Gen Market agency with Gen Market folks trying to do Multicultural stuff. And that would be...well...hollow.
In the end, though, I explained, this philosophy only works if you have a serious Multicultural bench-strength at your agency. You need Hispanic/AA account folks, planners, creative and media folk. A serious multicultural practice with true MC knowledge.
Otherwise, it really is all smoke and mirrors.
In the end, this sort of approach really should increase demand for folks from different walks of life. Let's see what happens!
Ken, whether some marketers like it or not, there is where the US advertising and marketing industries are going.
With 103 million of Hispanics, African Americans and Asians in the US, the brands that ignore those "minorities" when crafting their GM messages will definitely lag far behind in the competition.
Here is a very interesting article about the "New Majority" published by Advertising Age a few months ago. It supports the idea of a multicultural market. BTW, it refers to State Farm as "One of the most innovative Hispanic marketers", congrats for that!
Keep thinking, creating and sharing the great stuff!!
http://adage.com/hispanic/article?article_id=144536
Hi Ken, I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and I love your approach! Is there any chance to receive or view anyway your presentation at adweek? I leave you my email federico(AT)nsbla.com.
Very best, Fede
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