Understand The Culture

Corporations venturing into ethnic and racial advertising and marketing run the risk of having their campaigns backfire.

They have trouble differentiating between pandering and appealing to various racial and ethnic groups.

"It's difficult to draw that line," said Thomas Tseng, director of marketing at Los Angeles-based Cultural Access Group.

Specialty marketers say companies must immerse themselves in the culture to which they are marketing.

One of the best ways to avoid a faux pas is to hire people who come from that demographic, so outsiders are not making assumptions about how certain things work.

Additionally, there are some general rules that apply across all cultures and backgrounds:

· Don't stereotype.

· Show respect.

· Don't just translate an ad from English in lieu of a full marketing campaign.

But there are also group-specific do's and don'ts, as well as resonating themes, that will be culturally effective and indicate to a customer that a mainstream company is culturally competent.

The African-American Community

Do:

· Stress empowerment for the general community.

· Stress career advancement for black women.

· Take an entertainment-driven approach to advertising (but don't think that using rap music guarantees success).

· Use a spokesperson who can relate to the community. A black face may not be enough.

· Advertise on black radio stations, in black publications and on television stations that have a preponderance of shows with black characters. As a group, blacks tend to be very brand-loyal because so few companies specifically market to them.

Don't:

· Use alcohol and tobacco without careful consideration. The black community has its' guard up against any advertising of these products.

This was an excerpt of a article by Rochelle Kass of The Journal News that was written a while back in which I, Keenan Davis, was featured.