
	Media: Reach Multicultural Audiences — Think Strategically For most companies, reaching multicultural audiences can be a daunting task due to the cultural differences, language barriers, and diverse age ranges that mark each segment. Yet, the emerging medium known as social networking sites arrived to revolutionize communication and facilitate information sharing in a way no other medium has allowed before. Marketers have noted the trend and leveraged it to target worldwide audiences. Recently, the Association of National Advertisers surveyed its members and found 38 percent of multicultural marketers are using mobile marketing, compared with just 28 percent of General Market advertisers. Moreover, twice as many multicultural marketers (36 percent), said they plan to start using social networking for the first time in the next year, compared with 19 percent in the General Market. Web pages such as MySpace and LinkedIn, which traditionally catered to General Market audiences, have now added Spanish-language pages featuring bilingual content. Powerhouse Coca-Cola has also flexed its multicultural marketing arm, targeting African-American social networking sites during Black History Month: a Coke mini site and a music area celebrating black musicians on BlackPlanet netted 250,000 friends. Always two steps ahead of the game, McDonald's has also created micro sites targeting different ethnic groups: I am asian; MeEncanta; and 365 Black. The genius behind this approach is that both content and visuals mirror ethnic backgrounds. McDonald's talks to each group as a separate entity, providing customized content, and thus making each group feel special and important. Show consumers your company understands and cares about their needs by giving them content that reflects an awareness of their culture and a respect for their language preferences. Among consumers, this translates into I'm listening. What are you selling? If your target spends a significant amount of their day in social networking sites and feels comfortable interacting in that medium, doesn't it make sense to seek them there? Align your budget with the needs of these multicultural communities and address them through this new medium. Don't just focus on the size of your budget; focus on the relevance of your content. Does it speak to each segment you're targeting? Think smart, and make every dollar count.
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