Spanish-Language as Cultural Relevance?

Many marketers approach their Hispanic marketing like an equation. How many Hispanics are exposed to their message via general market messaging? Then, they discount a specific percentage of spill that is not understood by the target (effective spill). Then they develop complimentary goals in Spanish-language to meet their communication objectives. Lastly, some translate their spot from English to Spanish and others develop original Spanish-language creative.

The problem with this approach is that Hispanic targeting becomes a function of language not of cultural relevance. Sure, those who create original creative targeted to Hispanics in Spanish are getting at the cultural relevance. But what about the Hispanics reached via effective spill? Are they not worthy of targeted, culturally relevant creative in English?

Certainly with limited resources, the lowest hanging fruit is targeting those not appropriately reached via general efforts. Yet, the Hispanic market is rapidly evolving and it's only a matter of time before it shares many traits with the African American market.

Ask any African American marketing agency and they'll tell you the same thing. They have to fight for every penny and explain why simply relying on general market spill is not effective. Clients on the other hand, point to the heavy usage of television and radio (African Americans spend on average 10 more hours with broadcast media per week than non-blacks.) US Born Hispanics spend 13.5 more hours vs. non-Hispanics, so it seems Hispanic agencies will eventual suffer the same level of scrutiny.

Which goes back to the original point - when language is used as a crutch to justify advertising, you forget about a critical and growing segment of the Hispanic market - US Born Hispanics who spend less time consuming media in Spanish.

Multicultural Gays Online

Since the beginning of the web; lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT) have found virtual communities to find support. Sites like Gay Cafe created a place where young and old LGBT's could be themselves and find others like them. Gays of color also found refuge in these chat rooms and later, dating sites.

However, there are few places online that connect or provide resources exclusively for Latino or African American gays. For minorities within the LGBT community, there is an additional stigma to being gay driven by a machismo prevalent in their cultures. This dynamic drives many to live a closeted existence and often makes these groups more susceptible to STDs including HIV.

Thrown in, the LGBT community is also not free of the racism that many Hispanics and African Americans endure. Often, minorities within the gay community find it difficult to connect within a primarily "Abercrombie-obsessed" ideal of beauty. Many Latinos and blacks complain that they are approached by gay white men whose attraction to them could be described as a fetish.

Recently, sites have begun to spring up to address the special concerns of these communities. QV Magazine, an online publication expected to launch in Spring 2009 plans to provide special coverage of issues that impact gay Latino men.

Yet for every QV Magazine, there are still more minority groups within the gay community who do not have a place of their own online. Lesbians of color, African American gay men and trangenders of different ethnic groups still need their own place on the web. With the infinite space available, it's just a matter of time before content is created to address their unique needs.

Multicultural Center of Excellence

During this recession, corporations are likely reevaluating the personnel they appoint to manage their multicultural efforts. Efficiencies influence whether a company designates an internal diversity marketing professional or integrates those duties within the general market. Businesses who value their sales performance should avoid the perils of the latter option.

Employing sophisticated, fully integrated and effective marketing efforts against multicultural consumers requires a center of excellence. A center of excellence (COE) is a person (or team) armed with consumer and cultural insights. The COE understands the benefits that his/her company provides multicultural audiences and can translate those benefits in terms the audience can comprehend. The COE does not translate or adapt general market work exclusively for the sake of integration. He/she does so because that work contains universal truths that transcend culture. And when that work does not translate pan-culturally, the COE makes a case for the development of relevant work. The COE has the power and stature within the organization to influence change. The COE also treats his multicultural agency like a partner and empowers them to do good work; supporting their efforts within his organization. The COE does these things not to stroke his/her own ego, but because it’s right for the business.

Marketers without a multicultural center of excellence will often fail to understand the difference between ethno-centricity/stereotypes and cultural relevance. Bogged down with other priorities, these “integrated” efforts result in a flowchart where diversity is a line item. Creative assets are adapted to minimize resources regardless of whether the creative works or not. Cultural relevance? Who cares, so long as these consumers know the price is $9.99. If creative targeted to these ethnic segments is required by senior management, the marketer responsible for these efforts evaluates the cultural relevance based on the number of stereotypes inserted in a :30 spot. Family with abuelita – check. Sombrero – check. Fast salsa music – check. As for reaching acculturating Hispanics or African Americans – why bother? They are already covered by your general market plans. Who cares if you can customize these efforts to be more persuasive? As for multicultural agencies - they are just annoying vendors. Life would be easier if you only had to work with one agency, right?

No doubt there are companies who hire dedicated multicultural marketing professionals who do bad work. They hired the wrong person. And I’m sure that there are companies out there who do good work without a center of excellence. They got lucky! But by and large, I continue to believe that companies who invest in true multicultural expertise and develop a center of excellence are those who are most successful. Make an assessment of your company or your client’s company. Who manages their multicultural efforts? Is it a center of excellence or is it “integrated?”