Learning to Create Ad Strategies for 'Different' Target Audiences

The demographic profile of the United States has undergone significant changes in the past 15 years. As a result, aspiring advertising creative students are finding it increasingly important to know how to design culturally relevant messages to reach the myriad ethnic audiences whose numbers have burgeoned. Advertisers of "mainstream" products, as potential employers of our creative students, are acknowledging the increasing minority population and are recognizing the impact, differing needs, consumption patterns, cultural backgrounds and buying patterns of these diverse markets. How then can we help prepare our advertising students to design effective messages when they are not members of the particular culture being targeted? Moriarty and Rohe discussed using a "cultural palette," or "a range of symbols and colors, as well as layout and art styles that are culturally appropriate for a particular communication project" (1992, p. 32) as a sensitivity-enhancing exercise for graphic designers. Likewise, this paper presents a focus group exercise for advertising creative and strategy development students that is designed to cultivate awareness and empathy for the ethnic consumers' purchase decision process. While we chose to look only at the African-American audience for this paper, this focus group project is applicable to all minority targets - as well as cultural, social, or age groups that are different from a student population. Background Minority group members soon will outnumber the rest of the population in the top 10 metropolitan areas of the U.S. (Barney, 1991). In particular, African-Americans are America's largest minority (Kinter, 1995; Goerns, 1992). Indeed, according to the 1990 census, the African-American population increased 13 percent between 1980 and 1990 from 26.5 million to 30 million (Berry, 1997; Dunn, 1992; American Demographics, 1991). Further, it is estimated that by the year 2000, African-Americans will number 33.8 million (Jewler, 1995). While African-Americans make up more than 40 percent of the poor in central cities, this ethnic group accounts for fewer than 30 percent of all low-income Americans (Barney, 1991). Plus, African-Americans wield an impressive $469 billion in annual spending power that is expected to increase to $889 billion within the next two years (Fawcett, 1995; Stewart,1998). Yet it is important to understand that half of all households are headed by females, and this group is most likely to live in a cycle of poverty (Baker-Woods, 1995). Research conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that African-Americans are particularly brand loyal. In fact, African-American households spend up to 11.4 percent more than the average U.S. household on such products as brand-name hosiery, clothes, and hair and nail care products (Schnuer, 1996). In addition, black adults care deeply about their appearance and spend heavily on personal-care products. In 1994, AfricanAmerican households spent 41 percent more than average on personal-care services for women ($532) and 24 percent more on services for men ($212). Black households spend more than average on items such as hosiery, accessories and jewelry. Yet, they spend significantly less than average on housing, appliances. furnishings, home maintenance, repairs and insurance (Fisher, 1996). These statistics suggest that the AfricanAmerican market is a vital one for mainstream products; however, messages must be tailored to their specific needs. According to Jewler (1995), "In the new marketplace where minorities have substantial economic and social clout, it's possible to reach minority consumers with a general message, but reaching and selling are separate jobs" (p. 298). Instead. today's messages must strive to reflect cultural diversity so that consumers feel connected to the products they purchase (Stewart, 1998; Minority Markets Alert, 1998; Berman, 1997). Much of the research on marketing to minority groups provides few guidelines on just how to "sell" with effective targeted messages. …