Emerging markets (EM), small minority groups in America, have a unique dynamic which requires certain cultural, social, and political awareness prior to any grassroots efforts. In these small markets, the key is to gain trust by addressing important cultural and political issues directly and in a culturally sensitive manner.
Allied Media has succeeded in conveying the Client message through familiar faces among the communities. When it comes to ehtnic groups, connecting and relating to the voice or face passing the message is crucial to the success of most of the campaigns. For grass roots campaigns, Allied Media helps clients convey awareness issues, concepts or even the overall client objective directly to community leaders.
Allied Media believes that there is an important difference within all the ethnic groups when it comes to reaching out the different generations. Reaching out to the 1st generations of communities will differ slightly than the 2nd and 3rd generations, for example, religious centers and community organizations will be a good place to target the first generation who will affiliate strongly with their native language and culture while venues such as music concerts will be more appropriate for the 2nd and 3rd generations who are more assimilated in the mainstream culture but still affiliate with their home countries music, etc.
Implementing ethnic media strategies helps ethnic customers be informed about projects and programs through the use of ethnic newspapers, radio, television and videos, billboards, posters and variable message signs, mass mailings of brochures or newsletters, and distribution of fliers. Working with the ethnic media, an advertiser takes an active role in disseminating information. For example, the San Francisco area’s annual "Beat the Backup" program during promotes ridesharing in partnership with a full range of ethnic media outlets.
Ethnic Marketing: A Strategy for Marketing Programs to Diverse Audience
Lisa A. Guion and Heather Kent
This paper is the seventh in a series of articles on planning programs to effectively outreach to diverse audiences. This series will include specialized papers on enhancing cultural competence, recruiting diverse volunteers, planning culturally appropriate marketing strategies, and other topics that are integral to the design and implementation of culturally relevant Extension education programs.
Overview
Once you have planned your culturally relevant program (see EDIS fact sheet FY756, "Planning Programs to Break Down Cultural Barriers" for more details on culturally relevant programs), then you are ready to develop strategies for marketing the program to the ethnic audience you are targeting.
Marketing, in general, means publicizing your name, program, and service to your target audience. Ethnic marketing employs the personal marketing strategies that best reflect the cultural values, beliefs, and norms of the ethnic audience you are targeting.
An understanding of diversity is crucial when developing strategies for ethnic marketing. The concept of the salad bowl is gradually replacing the concept of the melting pot in describing the social setting of America. In a "melting pot," all cultures and peoples blend together to become similar: in a "salad bowl," cultures and peoples are combined in one place, but retain their individuality. Therefore, it is important to tailor your marketing message to appeal to the shared cultural norms, values, traditions, and beliefs of group that you seek to reach.
There are three steps for developing an effective ethnic marketing strategy:
1. Consider ethnic diversity when selecting personal marketing strategies;
2. Determine the level of ethnicity of the audience you are targeting; and
3. Develop and implement your ethnic marketing campaign.
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