Advertising Age - The Big Tent

What Is Your Multicultural Agency Doing for the Communities It Targets?

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:58 EDT

Most multicultural agencies stress to their clients the importance of giving back. But the shops should be giving back as well.

How Coke Is Targeting Black Consumers

nzmuda@adage.com(Natalie Zmuda) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:53 EDT

Coca-Cola re-established a dedicated African-American marketing group in 2006 and has spent the past few years testing programs and conducting market research. In the first half of this year, those efforts have come to fruition, with four new campaigns for the Dasani and Coca-Cola brands.

Do African-Americans Need a Separate Search Engine?

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:26 EDT

RushmoreDrive.com, the first black search engine, recently shut down only a year after its launch. This raised the question about whether there is a market for a black version of Google.

Hispanics Face Discrimination Even Among Their Own

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:38 EDT

I'm asked questions that have no business being asked in this day and age. At a time when jobs are hard to find, it pains me to believe that there are worthy candidates being passed over because of skin color, social status or accent.

NBC Just Can't Quit Same Old Hispanics

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:04 EDT

This week the Hispanic blogosphere was abuzz with one topic in particular: NBC's "We the People," a week-long series on Hispanics in America which kicked off Monday and looks to address several topics facing the Hispanic community in the U.S.

Even in Obama Era, Ethnic Identity Is a Big Deal for Some Youth

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:14 EDT

I have the proverbial egg on my face. In a somewhat knee-jerk reaction, I applauded Culture Lab for a post called "Marketing to Youth in the Obama Age -- Is Urban or Multicultural Still Relevant?" I was excited to see the youth perspective that I have been hearing in focus groups about race for some time. However, John Parikhal, a global leader in media strategy, marketing, research and consumer trends, and Ken Smikle, publisher of Target Market News, checked me -- and rightly so.

AdColor Awards Could Make You a Bad Parent

kwheaton@adage.com(Ken Wheaton) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:28 EDT

Here's one of three PSAs for the AdColor Award show unveiled at a kickoff party at the JWT Bar two weeks ago.

National Hispanic Group Is Wrong About the Census

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:25 EDT

A Latino group is urging its members to boycott Census 2010. Boycotting the census has marketing implications: Corporations, federal agencies and ad agencies depend heavily on census data to determine how to effectively target and reach consumers in this country, including the large and growing number of ethnic consumers.

What a 'Mes'

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:32 EDT

The new American Girl doll is Rebecca Rubin, a Lower East Side Jewish girl with reddish hair and a desire to act. For those of you who don't know anything about me, let's just say Rebecca Rubin could very well have been me, had I been 10 in 1914.

Carrying Cash Can Seriously Hurt Your Dancing Skills

Mon, 18 May 2009 13:55 EDT

MasterCard is launching its first ever nationwide effort to pitch its prepaid and debit cards among U.S. Hispanics.

Howard, 4A's Kick Off Fundraising Efforts for New Center

mmiley@adage.com(Marissa Miley) — Fri, 15 May 2009 14:42 EDT

The Center for Advertising Excellence the other night demonstrated its focus on building partnerships with advertising execs, not bulldozing ahead with potential lawsuits. "I hope the CEA is the last diversity initiative to be created," said newly appointed executive director Adrianne Smith, a 15-year veteran of the advertising industry. "This should be the last stop."

JWT Hosts Evening for Minority Creative Talent

Mon, 11 May 2009 12:02 EDT

When we talk about diversity (or lack thereof) in the ad industry, we tend to talk about an ad agency as if it were one thing. But the fact is the creative department has long been regarded as the area in most need of diversity and inclusion given its very function of creating communications that speak to an increasingly diverse consumer population.

Market Research: Cinco de Mayo Isn't Independence Day

Mon, 04 May 2009 16:38 EDT

As Cinco de Mayo festivals get canceled across the U.S. because of swine flu, and anti-Mexican sentiment appears to be raising its ugly head, it seemed appropriate to highlight the potentially important impact that the Battle of Puebla (aka Cinco de Mayo) had on U.S. history.

Furniture Fitting for Both Black and White (and Hispanic)

kwheaton@adage.com(Ken Wheaton) — Fri, 01 May 2009 16:06 EDT

Red House Furniture in High Point, N.C. is trying an interesting approach to selling furniture--one that must be see to be believed. Without spoiling it for anyone, it imagines a world of racial harmony, where a couch can be "perfect for a black person or a white person."

Reclaiming Black Identity: Mainstream and Black Media Still Have Work to Do

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:02 EDT

In spite of Black socioeconomic progress, Black America still has issues about skin color, hair and racial heritage. The reality is the struggle of having to think about one's identity is still very real for many Blacks. Marketers need to be aware of that.

What Would Aaron McGruder Do?

kwheaton@adage.com(Ken Wheaton) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:48 EDT

Andrew Hampp writes that BET is readying a new network. Centric, named for "being at the center of the universe" of black culture, BET CEO Debra Lee said, is slated to launch in October in nearly 45 million homes. The network is designed to target affluent, trendsetting black 25- to 54-year-olds with programming that resembles a black-skewing version of Bravo. ... BET is also readying a rebranding of its own

Will the Recession Put Multicultural and General Market on a Level Playing Field?

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:37 EDT

Clients and agencies need to insist on a zero-based approach to prioritizing opportunities and allocating dollars. If there was ever a moment to shed the "this is the way it has always been done" and take a fresh and unencumbered approach, it is now.

Betty Brown's Bad Lesson for Marketers

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:13 EDT

U.S. Rep. Betty Brown of Texas thought she was being helpful by suggesting that Asian Americans like me change their names so that it will be easier to identify us when we exercise our right to vote. Unfortunately, in the world of advertising, immigrants and individuals with foreign names have to deal with this type of bias everyday.

For Black Websites, Blackness Is Important ... but Not the Only Thing

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:15 EDT

If Black people the world over are on a continual quest to define what it means to be Black, chances are that the definitions being passed around by mainstream marketers are already out of date -- if they were ever current to begin with. Black media -- and Black websites in particular -- might not give marketers all the answers but might start them out with the right questions.

Defining 'Get It' When It Comes to U.S. Hispanic Marketing

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:21 EDT

What makes those who "get it"so capable of accepting targeted marketing based on ethnicity and culture as a valid and important pursuit vs. those who ignore it or, in some cases, are disdainful of both the marketing technique and of the consumers in question?

Wanted: Light-Skinned African-American Women

kwheaton@adage.com(Ken Wheaton) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:23 EDT

According to an article in The Florida Courier, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Ciroc vodka and two modeling agencies are in damage-control spin after a casting-call ad looking for "white, hispanic or light skinned African-American" women caused a bit of a firestorm on the web.

Mainstream Media May Find Rich Revenue Streams in Multicultural Marketplace

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:47 EDT

If media can figure out how to appropriately price non-English and ethnic-targeted advertising to reflect the size of the various multicultural audiences they may already be reaching, they may find completely new revenue streams

NAACP, MAP Target P&G, Other Marketers in Agency Diversity Fight

kwheaton@adage.com(Ken Wheaton) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 08:54 EDT

The NAACP has sent a letter to Procter & Gamble Co. Chairman-CEO A.G. Lafley and 24 other marketers previously on Advertising Age's Leading National Advertisers list asking that they "require their advertising agencies to use diverse teams in creative and account-management positions."

One Last Lesson From Alberto Rafael Rodriguez

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:01 EDT

The death of Alberto Rafael Rodriguez got me to thinking about work and life.

Is Market Segmentation Simply Discrimination in Disguise?

kwheaton@adage.com(Ken Wheaton) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:28 EDT

So, can anyone make the argument that market segmentation is some sort of nefarious discrimination?

Multicultural Shops at Risk in the Frenemy Era

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:28 EDT

The multicultural agency is often required to work with general-market agencies on client assignments, and is often asked by clients to share strategies, insights, learning, tools, assets, research, etc., with the general-market shop on the account. This is the same shop that will later turn around and try to take that very account.

How About a Standardized URL for Spanish-Language Brand Sites?

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:22 EDT

We should have a consistent URL format for Spanish websites that consumers can easily locate. This would make the website easier to find, which would obviously be better for the brand.

'Bicultural' Has Moved Beyond Simply Meaning Two Cultures

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:18 EDT

"Bicultural" is the least understood and most poorly used word in Hispanic advertising. We'll never straighten it out completely, but we can begin to try.

A Moment of Clarity for Students and the Industry

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:39 EST

The One Club-Adversity program and The Creative Circus co-hosted an event meant to expose interested students to the academics of advertising. Attendees were given personal tours of the campus led by Creative Circus students and were able to participate in a panel discussion facilitated by educators, students and industry professionals from agencies such as R/GA, Fallon and BBDO.

What Gladwell's 'Outliers' Can Teach You About Marketing

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:29 EST

While Malcolm Gladwell's latest book, "Outliers," is positioned as a book about success, it is worth recommending in the context of the multicultural marketing dialogue. Gladwell manages to reinforce the premise that cultural legacy is part and parcel of consumer behavior and should be embraced as such by marketers and their respective agencies.