Denise M. Massari
Move over mass marketing. Here comes something meaner multicultural / ethnic niche marketing. The audience is no longer one and is certainly not allowing its many selves to be dumped into the same pot. It wants something that appeals and connects to its particularity. In order for that to truly happen, marketers need to do research determine how the target group lives, works, identifies itself and factors into America at large. This is nothing new. This is true for any marketing team attempting to reach a particular audience. What makes this specific form of marketing-- multicultural or ethnic marketing different is that marketers will need to "capture the nuances of each multicultural segment and make that all-so-important emotional connection with consumers who are often marginalized in so many aspects of their lives" to be successful. "Marketing to a culture in cultural terms is about touching those cords that have been instilled in us since childhood".
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How exactly does one do this without offending the target ethnic group?
The usage of language, cultural objects and transparent renderings of familial or social situations is not enough. It needs to be "authentic and honest about relationships. The marketer must truly understand the culture and the underlying perceptions that members of a culture share."
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"Speak to me" has never rung truer than it does right now in today's marketing world, and the billions of dollars the various ethnic consumers have to spend are pulling all of the strings. It is the charge of this unit to examine the multicultural marketing strategies employed by Taco Bell over the last two decades, judge them as success or failure and conclude how we, as consumers, are targeted through these means. This will be achieved by utilizing the Spanish language and culture as a direct focus on the Latino community as the target audience.
