Download A guide to multicultural marketing to youth (or how not to

A guide to
multicultural
marketing
to youth
(or how not to totally screw it up)
Ashley Farr, National Planning Director, SMART
© Smart Partners Pty Ltd 2008
Hello
1. Why are we here?
2. Cultural nodes of Gen Y
3. Strategies – the best youth strategies
4. How do you know when it works?
Youth has moved on…
Youth trends are global
Exclusive
targeting fails
Cultural nodes for Gen Y
Cultural Nodes
Hyper-communion
MACRO
MICRO
Nationalism and connection
with the global diaspora:
Non-specific universal
connection
Hyper-communion within
specific cultural communities:
specific ‘nodal’ connection
Food courts – connection
with world food and national
community
Juxtaposed cultural foray
in Leichardt and Lakemba Greek
club – connection with specific
micro-cultures
Gen Y relish the freedom to connect at both micro and macro levels:
cultural nodes as well as a broader macro Australian culture
This is reflected
in codes of dress and hair style ...
Gen Y seek motifs that connote connection to a
specific culture
Hijjab and
jeans
Mohawk
• Authentic provenance and a sense of genuine
belonging in a period of transition and insecurity
Desire to be authentically
Australian with having a point of individual and community
difference
Other cultural juxtapositions …
Multilingualism in a
predominantly Italian
community
Korean + Englishspeaking nodes
Bras juxtaposed
with prayer mats
Islamic and
western nodes
Mash-up culture is changing the face of
Australian society
Connection to
monolithic
Australia. Singular
defined identities
Connection to
multi-faceted,
hybrid Australia.
Mashup, ‘neither,
nor’ identities
Gen Y increasingly identify with and
seek to connect with Mash up worlds and
people
Multicultural marketing to
Gen Y
There are two fundamental
categories of racial based
marketing…
1. Multicultural Marketing: That which
aims to reach the entire diaspora
through a message of inclusivity.
2. Ethnic Marketing: The targeting of
specific minorities, ethnicities,
cultures and languages.
You need to be clear which it is that you are
doing. Gen Y is general multicultural focused
Ethnic Marketing
Multicultural
marketing is
not just a
translation…
Gen Y is a borderless community
Gen Y on are 24/7 feasting on news and products
from around the world
They are constantly globally connected community
Cultural barriers excite and are to be explored
A Million Penguins, a
collaborative, wiki-based
creative writing exercise.
© Smart Partners Pty Ltd
2009
Brands &
organisation's
need to be
involved in
ethnic cultures
just as they are
in youth
cultures. They
must genuinely
speak the
language.
Marketers must resist the fallacy of
homogeneity within ethnic groups
We must be aware of the hailing
affect. How do individuals react
to being labeled a minority?
“Hey
YOU!”
Much of Australia’s youth have a
bi-racial identity
Youth crave collective individualism
© Smart Partners Pty Ltd
2009
You must avoid tokenism and self
congratulation.
Youth no longer respond to
tolerance and acceptance. They
want celebration.
Shakira, Latin Beat for
Reebok
Tommy Hilfiger
Successful Gen Y strategies
Break with
tradition
Be a lighthouse
identity
Sacrifice
Immerse
Yourself in their
culture
Be a
thought leader
Constantly
Re-invent
Create symbols
Over commit
Be Idea
centric
Don’t be
afraid of
flying
So how do you know when it is
working?
Measurement
• Use hard data (sales, brand metrics,
applications etc, )
• But soft data can more compelling
(complaints, blogs, you tube hits)
• Agree up-front, measurement of success
• 60% of marketers don’t measure for ROI
• Some can’t, some don’t want to
• Use it as the basics for refinement and not
judgement
• Study short-term and long term effects
• Be patient (attitudinal change is slower than
behavioural change )
The Cheat sheet
1. Be inclusive not exclusive
2. Remember for Gen Y Globalism =
Multiculturalism
3. Understand who it is you are trying to
reach and why
4. You need to be as culturally and racially
literate as your target audience
5. Study the new cultural nodes of
communication of gen Y
6. Embrace celebration not tolerance
7. Avoid hailing “hey you”
8. Evoke emotions don’t just show them
9. Get Gen Y involved in your brand but keep
the keys
10. Understand ‘collective individualism’
The best Gen Y
marketing is the best Gen
Y multicultural marketing
Lift plus