Download Minority Marketing


“A Muslim teenager claims in
a federal lawsuit that she
was denied a job at
Abercrombie & Fitch
clothing store at a Tulsa mall
because she wore a
headscarf” (Murphy, 2009).

“The teen, who wears a
hijab in accordance with her
religious beliefs, claims the
manager told her the
headscarf violates the
store’s ‘look policy’” (Murphy,
2009).
“The combined buying
power of America's
minorities will increase
from $1.6 trillion in 2010
to more than $2 trillion
by 2015” (Klein, 2010).

The dominant American culture exerts pressure on immigrants
to become absorbed in mainstream society (Elton, personal
communication).

“Unfortunately, many [companies] make little effort [to target
the changing American consumer] beyond replacing a
Caucasian spokesperson with a minority” (Klein, 2010).

Our memberships in ethnic, racial, and religious subcultures
often play a big role in guiding our consumption behaviors
(Elton, personal communication).

Products that succeed in one culture may fail in another if
marketers fail to understand the differences among
consumers in each place (Elton, personal communication).

Who liked when they gave their presentation and
no one answered their questions?

Would a sales associate wearing a Hijab effect
your opinion of Abercrombie & Fitch or your
consumption there?

Do you notice marketing directed to minorities?

Do you feel current marketing strategies targeted
at minorities are effective?



Aronson, A. (2002). Protecting growth: the business case for diversity today.
Bloomberg Businessweek, Retrieved from
http://www.businessweek.com/adsections/2002/diversity/diversity.htm
Klein, K. E. (2010, December 14). What companies get wrong when
marketing to minorities. Bloomberg Businessweek, Retrieved from
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/dec2010/sb20.htm
Murphy, S. (2009, September 18). Muslim teen alleges discrimination by
abercrombie and fitch. Chron National, Retrieved from
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/6625271.html