One size does not fit all: marketers must dig deeper to connect with cultural markets

An article in AdvertisingAge by Tommy Thompson (April 22nd) sheds some much-needed light on today's cultural markets in the U.S--most especially on the fact that while they may be of the same ethnic backgrounds, that is where many of their similarities end.

But, as Thompson points out, many of today's marketers are the last to know.

Arguing that targeting as large a group as the 45 million Hispanics currently in the U.S., he explains that profiles based solely-- and far too simply --on benchmarks like "Hispanic Adults ages 18-49" doesn't adequately reflect these groups' wants, needs, views or preferences.

And while Thompson's piece focuses on the Hispanic market, with the surging growth rates across multiple cultures and ethnicities, his counsel provides a cautionary tale across all market segments.
According to Thompson:

"The reality is that the Hispanic consumer is not a homogeneous group and therefore these types of broad statements won't work for most brands in today's changing environment. In order to effectively connect with today's Hispanic consumer, we must understand that there are sub-segments united by common interests that make the whole. Let's say there are niches within the niche.

"There are in many ways vast differences between the consumer of Mexican decent in San Antonio vs. one in Sacramento vs. one in Dallas or one in New York (yes, there are Mexicans in New York). Most importantly, there are differences in the strategies and tactics that a brand should use to reach them and engage them. The reality is there are many factors that our Hispanic consumers are exposed to that shape who they are, what they like, what sports they play or watch, what they consider entertainment, what brands they buy and the list goes on, but you get the point. Our job as marketers is to find the common thread that unites as many consumers as possible so that we can be effective and efficient with our client's dollars."

In this era of mass-market fragmentation, when marketers start digging deeper to better understand the various (and highly varied) new niches of consumers, their intelligence will pay off in both profits and competitive advantages. Innovating in specialty foods is an especially ripe opportunity due to two key reasons: first, it's clear these micro niches need to be better understood and, thusly, better served. And, second, specialty foods are not only being enjoyed by their niche of origin, but by mainstream audiences. Given that sales of specialty foods are up 17% over the last two years, compared with only 4% for overall food sales, we're already seeing success resulting from better targeting and branding.

Indeed markets are changing-- as are the micro-markets within them --which begs the question for today's marketers...is your branding changing, too?