7 Steps to Develop a Successful Multicultural Marketing Strategy
Below are 7 Steps to Develop a Successful Multicultural Marketing Strategy which could be considered as vital key elements:
1. Think Ethnic: when you are looking to target ethnic groups prioritise the groups you want to reach or those who make an impact on your business such as spending power, reach, particular catchment areas. A few years ago we were asked by Tilda to launch a new brand of rice aimed at the Bangladeshi community that resides in a tight catchment area in Tower Hamlet. Our understanding of this close knit community and insights into their strong purchasing muscle helped us develop creative solutions backed by tactical grass root activity that ensured that the new brand quickly established a strong sales and challenged the dominant brand and carved good marketshare. The creative produced by the agency acknowledged the influence community networks and resonated with the Bengladeshi consumers at a deeper level.
2. Choose an expert ethnic marketing agency with insights and track record of delivering success helps clients understand the ethos and lifestyle of the target consumers.
3. Build a Successful Multicultural marketing Strategy within your core strategy: Incorporate the ethnic campaign within the core strategy, not just a bolt on you add at execution level or an afterthought, a mistake many agencies and clients do nowadays. Few years back the Metropolitan Police tried to copy a US marketing model by hiring a rapper to sing on a radio commercial to encourage black youth not to use weapons against each other. The agency based their ad campaigns on stereotypes and failed to connect with the target audience it set out to reach. Clients may be advised to ask themselves how would their brand be perceived if seen through a multicultural eye? How would their message be translated in another language- few years back our client BT asked us to check the main agency headline they developed for the Asian market which said: “Call home and be chatty for a price of a Chapatti”, The client was happy and saw the headline as very funny. Our agency advised against it as when it translates it looses the Pun as well as the fact that Chapatti for an Asian family cost only 3Pence as they buy big bags, and not £1 pound which people paid for in a restaurant, The client dropped the creative as it could be seen to be misleading as the cost of calling per minute at the time was £1 Pound.
4. Multicultural groups have a number of festivals and celebrations so consider target those festivals not just Christmas as it is an ideal time to launch, communicate and interact with diverse groups when they are more receptive to your messages – when we were tasked by Talk Talk to launch a Global Minutes Boost at the Asian community, the timing was perfect around Diwali to launch the new products and we developed bespoke messages to target the community as well as a well thought grass root activity around their catchment areas and festive places to reach as many Asians. The campaign was more successful in terms of conversion than the generic ad campaign.
5. Try new media platform: 20 years ago there were only 8 ethnic magazines targeting the diverse communities the UK. Now with more than 45 TV channels, 15 radio stations and more than 210 magazines and paper makes it easier to target individual communities but you still need to understand the benefit of each group.
6. Monitor and evaluate your spend: Most clients spend money on ethnic media without understanding what will they get out of it. Clients need to be just as regirous with the media and demand results and ROI.
7. New media: as the take up of internet and broadband is highest with Asian, Chinese and African communities, client need to consider digital media as part of the media mix. 50% of ethnic communities are under 21 years old and are therefore users of online platforms.
