In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Mario Carrasco and Michael Roca, who currently spearheads the Cross-Cultural Center of Excellence at Omnicom Media Group, delve into the evolving landscape of multicultural marketing and media.

Multicultural has shifted from a niche segment to a central focus for many brands and agencies. This change reflects a growing recognition that diverse audiences are not just a part of the market but key drivers of growth and innovation. Understanding and engaging with these audiences can lead to more effective marketing strategies and expand market share.

Historically, companies housed multicultural marketing expertise in separate units. Over time, these teams were often folded into Total Market efforts. Doing so, however, diluted the specific focus needed to genuinely connect with diverse audiences.

As the U.S. moves towards becoming a multicultural majority, a nuanced understanding of the complex and multifaceted identities of diverse audiences becomes critical. However, many sectors underinvest in multicultural marketing and media despite the clear benefits. Brands must move beyond analysis paralysis and take actionable steps toward inclusivity. By incorporating these perspectives from the beginning, brands can create more authentic and impactful connections.

Tune in to the full episode of The New Mainstream podcast to gain valuable insights into the future of multicultural marketing and media.

Understanding consumer trends and preferences through market research has always been important to marketers. But it's become a business imperative in today’s hyperconnected, competitive marketplace. While countries like Colombia, Dominican Republic, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and Mexico have led the way in market research investment in Latin America, we must acknowledge the strides made in Central America, notably in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama.

What’s driving the growth?

Well, several factors are at play. The widespread expansion of the internet has opened up a wealth of data on consumer behavior and market dynamics, now easily accessible with just a few clicks!

Furthermore, the growth of the middle class in the region has generated more sophisticated consumer demands. With a population whose tastes and preferences are constantly evolving, companies must stay up to date. Market research insights are the compass guiding their journey.

Finally, the reduction in extreme poverty in recent decades has been a significant factor. This change has increased consumption and attracted greater domestic and foreign investment, creating a virtuous cycle where economic expansion fuels the imperative for deeper insights.  

How do you navigate the challenges?

Like any journey, navigating market research across LATAM has its share of bends and twists in the road. Access to representative samples of the online population remains an obstacle. Disparities in internet connectivity can skew research results, posing a hurdle to obtaining accurate insights.

As such, data quality is fundamental. With the vast amount of information available online, it is crucial to ensure that the data is reliable and accurate. After all, no one wants to make important decisions based on faulty information.

Additionally, there's an ongoing tug-of-war between traditional methods and online research. Convincing companies to embrace new technologies can be daunting, yet exploring all avenues is essential to paint a comprehensive picture of the market landscape.

What are the market research fundamentals?

First, find an experienced business partner with a track record of providing reliable and representative samples in Central America, like ThinkNow. In addition, instead of seeing online research and traditional methods as adversaries, inquire how both approaches can be integrated to attain a more comprehensive and precise understanding of the market.

Lastly, adopt a balanced approach. While the growth of market research in Central America presents exciting opportunities, sustaining this momentum and fostering its contribution to regional economic development requires addressing industry-wide challenges across LATAM. Collaboration between the public and private sectors is imperative to harness the potential of online research across the region.

References:

World Bank. "Central America: Investment and Economic Growth".

Latin American Institute of Market Research and Public Opinion (ILAM). "Report on the Growth of Market Research in Central America".

López, A. (2022). "The impact of the expansion of the Internet on market research in Latin America". Journal of Economic Studies, 15(2), 45-60.

As Women's History Month approaches each year, the remarkable strides women have made in business become increasingly clear. However, despite these advancements, certain industries, such as the insights industry, continue to struggle with leadership inequities and a lack of workforce diversity.

While the insights industry prides itself on understanding and reflecting diversity in consumer populations, this awareness often stops short within its own workforce. This creates a troubling gap: the voices informing strategies may be representative, but the decision-makers interpreting and implementing those insights remain predominantly homogenous.

This lack of diversity leads to blind spots and missed opportunities, potentially limiting strategy effectiveness and perpetuating biases. Closing the gap between measured and internal diversity unlocks the full potential of insights, creating more opportunities across the board.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Ali Henriques, Global Director of Research Services at Qualtrics, delves deeper into leadership diversity and its impact on recruiting and retaining diverse talent.

The modern consumer has evolved. Today, they're not simply passive buyers but active cultural participants who engage with brands that resonate with their values, identities, and lived experiences. This shift has driven the rise of cultural marketing, a nuanced approach that seeks to connect with consumers through their cultural lens.

However, to truly comprehend this cultural lens, marketers must harness the power of market research to gather rich insights directly from consumers. Using online sample is among the most prevalent and efficient ways to gather these insights.

Cultural Marketing in the U.S.

America is a diverse nation, filled with many different cultures. This diversity presents both challenges and opportunities for marketers tasked with understanding how shared values, customs and beliefs shape people’s lives and influence consumer behavior. This cultural intelligence helps brands tailor their messaging, products, and services to resonate more deeply with specific audiences.

Benefits and Considerations for Online Sample

Online panels can help brands understand and target specific cultural groups. However, this market research tool isn’t without its challenges. Let’s look at the benefits first.

Benefits:

• Accessibility and Cost-Effectiveness: Online samples are generally more accessible and cost-effective than traditional methods like face-to-face interviews or focus groups. This allows researchers to reach diverse cultural groups, even those geographically dispersed.
• Targeted Insights: Researchers can design online surveys and tasks specifically tailored to understand the values, preferences, and behaviors of different cultural groups. This data can inform content creation, messaging, and distribution strategies.
• Quantifiable Data: Online samples enable large-scale data collection, providing statistically significant results for better decision-making. This can be especially valuable for understanding niche or underrepresented cultural segments.
• Participant Diversity: Online platforms offer access to a wider range of participants, potentially including individuals who might not otherwise participate in traditional research due to time constraints or social anxieties.

Challenges and Considerations:

• Sampling Bias: Online samples are not immune to sampling bias. If not carefully designed, they may overrepresent certain demographics, leading to inaccurate conclusions about specific cultural groups.
• Cultural Nuances: Online surveys and tasks might not capture the intricacies of cultural attitudes and behaviors. Researchers must be mindful of language, design, and context to avoid misinterpretation.
• Digital Divide: Not all cultural groups have equal access to the internet or digital literacy. This can lead to the underrepresentation of certain populations in online samples.
• Ethical Concerns: Data privacy and participant anonymity are crucial considerations. Researchers need to ensure transparency and ethical data collection practices.

Overall, online sample is a valuable tool for cultural marketing when conducted by experienced market research agencies familiar with online samples’ benefits and limitations so data collection can be implemented with sensitivity and cultural awareness.

Programmatic media buyers know that multicultural audiences are a rapidly growing and vital market segment. However, advertisers also know that targeting these audiences can be challenging, especially for those lacking cultural competence. Cultural competence is essential for programmatic media buyers aiming to reach multicultural audiences effectively while avoiding costly mistakes. 

What is Cultural Competence?

Cultural competence is the ability to understand, appreciate, and interact with people from cultural backgrounds, values, and beliefs different from one’s own. While necessary for companies and brands aspiring to reach and engage multicultural audiences meaningfully,  cultural competence is essential for programmatic media buyers who rely on data-driven strategies to target their ads.  

The absence of cultural competence in the multicultural data era can have negative consequences for marketers, so it’s important to remember the following: 

• Data can be biased. The data that programmatic media buyers use to target ads is often collected from various sources, including social media, search engines, and online surveys. However, this data can be biased, reflecting the biases of the people who collected it and the systems they used to collect and analyze it. For example, a social media dataset might be biased toward younger users, or a search engine dataset might be biased toward people interested in specific topics.  

Advertisers unaware of these biases could end up targeting ads to the wrong people or using offensive language in ads, risking the company’s brand reputation and alienating the target audience. 

• Different cultures have different values and beliefs. What's considered acceptable in one culture might be offensive in another. For example, direct eye contact is considered rude in some cultures, while others assume that those who avoid eye contact are rude. It is important to be aware of the cultural differences between the target audience and advertisers to avoid causing unintentional harm that jeopardizes brand health.
• Multicultural consumers are more likely to trust culturally competent brands. A study by ThinkNow found that 63% of multicultural consumers are more likely to trust brands that create ads that reflect their culture. When ads are culturally competent, they signal to the target audience that the advertiser understands them and respects their culture. This builds trust and loyalty, which can lead to more sales conversions over time. 

Programmatic Media Tips 

Wondering how to employ cultural competence when using programmatic media to reach multicultural audiences? Here are a few valuable tips:

1. Be aware of your own cultural biases. We all have cultural biases, even if we're not always aware of them. So, the first step to becoming more culturally competent is awareness. To do this, consider taking a cultural bias assessment or talking with someone from a different cultural background. Then, embrace accountability.
2. Research the target audience. Once you have acknowledged your cultural biases, thoroughly research your target audience. Delve into their culture, understanding their values, customs and belief systems. This can be accomplished by immersing yourself in books and relevant articles, conversing with people from the target audience and participating in cultural events. 
3. Use zero-party data from a cultural research company. Zero-party data is voluntarily shared with companies and organizations by customers via surveys, online forms, applications, polls, etc. Cultural research companies can collect zero-party data from multicultural consumers that deliver insights about their culture. This data can inform programmatic media plans that result in culturally responsible advertising. 

By following these tips, advertisers can use programmatic media to reach and engage multicultural audiences respectfully and effectively.

This blog post was originally published on MediaPost.

Volunteer-led Employee Resource Groups aim to foster inclusion, belonging, and community among employees. An ERG with executive sponsorship, a clear vision, and shared values can increase employee engagement and be a vital component of a successful organization.

There are many different types of ERGs, and in recent years, organizations have focused these efforts on promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. Many of these groups center around employee populations disproportionately represented within an organization. Those tasked with leading these groups are the bridge between group members and organizational leadership. It’s a heavy lift, often without additional compensation, but it’s not without its benefits.

Participating in ERGs gives employees, particularly leaders of the group, access to various tiers of the org chart and opportunities to execute meaningful programming for persons who identify with those groups and the employee base as a whole. ERGs also facilitate professional development and the ability to showcase skills and capabilities, which can lead to job promotions and recognition. But key steps should be taken to launch and sustain an effective employee resource group.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Illianna Acosta, Senior Manager of Channel Sales and Global Co-Chair of LinkedIn’s Hispanic ERG, shares how Employee Resource Groups can be used to create an environment of inclusion and how to measure their impact.

About Our Guest:

Illianna Acosta has over 20 years of experience in AdTech, Partnerships, and Sales. Today, she is a Senior Manager at LinkedIn, managing Global AdTech Partnerships that accelerate innovation, revenue, and customer growth and the Global Co-Chair of LinkedIn’s Hispanic ERG. Illianna serves on the National Board of the 100 Hispanic Women Organization and is the Co-President of the Cornell Johnson School NY Alumni Organization. She is a sought out speaker on DEI topics and the author of “Lost In Translation,” an e-newsletter focused on highlighting challenges and limitations under-represented groups experience that have shaped them and how they show up in their personal and professional lives.

Attracting young, diverse talent to the market research industry is essential to its longevity. But this task has proven difficult to date, and it may be a matter of timing. Engaging younger generations in college could lead to greater interest in careers in insights. But that requires intentionality on the part of research companies.

Engagement is just half of the story, however. America’s youth are increasingly diverse. Gen Z is the first majority-minority generation. As they come of age and enter the workforce, they look to work for organizations that prioritize diversity and inclusion. Recent findings show that 68% of Gen Z define diversity and inclusion as racial equality, followed closely by gender equality at 67%, with differently-abled equality rounding out the top three, at 48%. Among Millennials, 69% define diversity and inclusion as racial equality, but fewer define it as gender equality (58%). Differently-abled equality and LGBTQIA equality are tied for third.

Why is this important? If the market research industry hopes to attract younger generations, it must adopt a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Young multicultural adults must see themselves reflected in leadership, so they have something to aspire to. Ultimately, the industry's culture must support diversity and inclusion in principle and practice by creating equitable and inclusive workspaces were people from all backgrounds have a sense of belonging.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Misty Wilson, Director of Marketing at Greenbook, shares perspectives from her journey as a woman of color in market research and what the industry needs to do to attract diverse talent.