When Cadillac launched its one-minute advertisement that stressed upon the importance of working hard, many critics pointed out that the commercial essentially insulted those who weren’t American, and could not afford to buy the luxury car.
While the commercial was well-intended and Cadillac wanted to focus on the importance of hard work, the commercial as a flop because it failed to focus on a diverse group of people. In 2012, Nike was also under fire for their controversial ad for their leggings, which was seen as mocking the Samoan culture.
Being culture conscious is important for businesses, especially in today’s era, where minorities are becoming the masses, especially as consumers.
But Cadillac and Nike are not the only ones who have failed to diversify in the past. Many businesses struggle with creating a platform for consumers with different ethnic backgrounds. Whether it’s in the workplace or in advertisements, without making an effort to cater to different groups of people, businesses often face the brunt of being under fire for creating poorly-researched advertisements.
How to Avoid Shooting Your Brand in the Foot
There are several ways you can avoid making mistakes when targeting a diverse group of consumers. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when developing an effective marketing strategy:
Research, Research, and Research
One of the main reasons why some business organizations fail to develop an effective marketing strategy is because they fail to conduct thorough research. It’s important to look into the type of audience you are aiming for.
Since many ethnic groups have different cultural norms, views, and values, it’s important to create advertisements that effectively cater to all of these.
Diversify Your Organization
Hire employees that come from different backgrounds. This will help you reach out to your potential consumers more effectively because you will have access to cultural understandings and insight.
It’s important to keep in mind that cultural values and differences cannot be learned in one day. Creating an effective marketing strategy requires understanding your target audience and constantly improving, and adapting to consumer demands. Just like marketing trends, the demands of consumers are constantly changing.
In order to gain a diverse following for your brand, you have to be meticulous in creating advertisements that reach out to more than one type of ethnicity.
GoDiversity is Hispanic advertising agency that specializes in online advertisement focused on the multicultural target audience. Visit their website for further information.