Volume 60, October 2007

Message from the Editor Featured Industry: Advertising Ethnic and Multicultural Advertising in the U.S. Conferences & Events Useful Links Featured Language: Hungarian Hungarian At-a-Glance Advertising & Promotions in Hungary Useful Links Latest News Tips & Tools Inside the Next Issue

Featured Industry: Advertising Ethnic and Multicultural Advertising in the U.S. New statistics released in September 2007 from the U.S. Census Bureau confirm the projections from previous surveys: a surge in non-English speaking Americans. The statistics, which are based on 2006 numbers, show that close to 55 million people are speaking a foreign language at home; an increase of about 8 million more people than in 2000. Nationally, one in five (19.7 percent) over age 5 speaks a language other than English at home, compared to 17.9 percent in 2000. Among states, California (42.5 percent) had the highest percentage in this category, followed by New Mexico (36.5 percent) and Texas (33.8 percent). More organizations are developing campaigns targeted at these growing demographics of culture and language. New events, conferences, and company divisions emerge daily to address multiculturalism and cultural appreciation. In the case of consumer goods and services, the changing face of demographics requires a new approach to advertising and brand marketing. New studies help gauge cultural differences and similarities in media use The Florida State University Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication released information on September 20, 2007 based on the first study of its 2007 series of reports on the Multicultural Marketing Equation. These studies, which were conducted by Florida State University and DMS Research (an AOL LLC Company), highlight the commonalities and differences among major culturally unique groups in the United States in regards to important marketing issues. The report entitled "Old and New Media Use" contrasts the use of television, radio, newspapers, and magazines with the use of the Internet, cell phones, and other new technologies by Hispanics who prefer English, Hispanics who prefer Spanish, African Americans, Asians, and Non-Hispanic Whites. The study was conducted online with approximately 2500 respondents about equally divided by cultural/language group. Dr. Felipe Korzenny, Director of the Center, indicates that "this is a pioneer study that emphasizes the complementarity between established and emerging media and the degree to which the media habits are being driven by the soon to be new majority." Key trends from the study include: Old media and new media share the attention of online consumers across different cultural groups. Non-Hispanic Whites tend to be laggards when it comes to new technologies while members of emerging minorities are venture some and eager to explore. The typical alternative explanation for this is that these minorities are younger. This study, however, shows that after controlling for age, Non-Hispanic Whites continue to be laggards regardless of age. The importance of the native language of consumers is evidenced in the degree to which Asians, Hispanics who prefer English, and Hispanics who prefer Spanish use the media in a language other than English. They use these media in other languages proportional to their acculturation levels. Making multicultural marketing more multi-dimensional The findings from the Florida State study points to how the language of media offerings evolves and the importance that marketers need to place in going beyond language and more into connecting through other cultural avenues with these important emerging groups. According to the Yankelovich 2007/2008 MONITOR Multicultural Marketing Study, released earlier this in conjunction with Burrell Communications, African American and Hispanic customers are almost twice as likely to "enjoy looking at or listening" to advertising than their peers, but most find current messaging is not relevant. The study shows that only 25% of African American, Hispanic, and Non-Hispanic White consumers feel that today's marketing is both personally and culturally relevant to their lives. To make brands more attractive to a multicultural audience, brand managers need to implement integrated marketing strategies which address life-stage and personal interests in addition to cultural values. "Multicultural marketing needs to become more multi-dimensional," notes Sonya Suarez-Hammond, Vice President of Multicultural Marketing Insights at Yankelovich. "Of course, not every advertising spot or print ad needs to reach a Hispanic or African American consumer on all three dimensions of relevance. "But, an overall campaign should. The more integrated and relevant the messaging, the stronger the overall brand connection will be." The study stresses that ethnic consumers are less homogenous as a group than marketers often assume. There are many important sub-segments. Ethnic consumers have very distinct preferences and respond to different emotional hot buttons. Therefore marketers must refine their messaging to avoid generalization and highlight brand relevance and authenticity. SOURCES: Brandweek.com Hispanic Business U.S. Census Bureau Florida State University The Yankelovich MONITOR®

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