Quote EndQuote Cross-Cultural Strategy

Culture and Diversity: Does it matter when it comes to Marketing?

Posted by Vanessa Vachet | 03.02.15

 

 

Does Culture Matter when it comes to Consumers?

Does Culture Matter when it comes to Consumers?

 

What is culture? This is a weighty philosophical question. With increased connectivity through the use of technology, global migrations, people intermarrying or marrying outside their cultures, some say that the meaning of culture is changing fast or even that there is no such things as separate cultures.

 

It’s true that the Canadian ethnic landscape is changing. Stats Canada recently reported that one out of 5 people in Canada’s population is foreign-born. By 2031, they project a steep increase in immigrant populations. Visible minority groups could comprise 63% of the population of Toronto, 59% of Vancouver and 31% of Montréal, with just over half (55%) born in Asia.

 

In fact, the foreign-born population of Canada could increase four times faster than the rest of the population, numbering somewhere between 9.8 and 12.5 million, depending on immigration levels. By 2031, nearly half (46%) of Canadians aged 15 and older could be foreign-born, or could have at least one foreign-born parent.

 

That is exactly why UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has brought this debate of ‘culture’ to the forefront. What will the countries of tomorrow look like? Will any one culture be relevant or will we all blend into one mass of languages, values and customs?

In Future, Will any one Culture be Relevant?

In Future, Will any one Culture be Relevant?

 

First off, we might want to define what is culture? According to UNESCO, the definition of culture has long been a controversy and the term is used in a variety of ways. One commonly used definition is: 

“[Culture] is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by [a human] as a member of society.” 

The term sub-culture is used to refer to minority cultures within a larger dominant culture.

 

Separate cultures, some would argue, are doomed to disappear. The things which make us ‘unique’, major identifiers such as race, ethnicity, religion and cultural beliefs, will all become irrelevant in a global society. Instead, our cultures will merge into one unified whole; a blend, if you will, where no one tradition, language or belief is dominant. Some say this merge is inevitable, and will happen, sooner or later.

Could all Cultures blend into One?

Could all Cultures blend into One?

 

Others argue that culture is somehow ingrained. It is essential, they say, to our human nature and our human psyche. We are a tribal species after all, and how can you move through this world without family, creed or culture? Think of the lone wolf without a pack. Some do well on their own, but by and large, a wolf does much better when he is part of a pack. That, some would argue, is the reason why societies formed in the first place; so that those with similar race, languages and beliefs could ban together and pool their resources to ensure better survival. Small tribes grew into nations, and then a global force which spans the world. Yet, even though people are more widespread than ever, we still have a deep desire to maintain our mother tongue and our ‘mother culture’. It is more than just familiarity that drives us to hold on to the past? Or is it something more? Maybe culture is a vital part of what makes us us and without it, we would be a lone wolf, without a pack, and without a sense of belonging?

 

How is Culture relevant to Marketing?

How is Culture relevant to Marketing?

 

 

Now, let’s focus the debate on marketing. Why is culture relevant when developing marketing strategies?

Well, sadly, businesses often take contemporary culture for granted. “It gets dismissed simply as the thing everyone’s talking about around the water cooler, but it’s bigger than what’s trendy today,” says  Rob Fields, an award-winning marketer who’s passionate about helping companies solve the disconnect between their brands and marketing objectives. “Culture is the one thing that enables marketers to create greater engagement, relevance and grow their business. The failure to acknowledge the importance of culture, to brand- and business-building, is the same as deciding that you’re okay with being at a competitive disadvantage.” Fields argues that brands never speak directly to consumers. It’s always through the medium of culture and therefore cannot be ignored when developing marketing strategies.

 

“Culture,” he says, “contains many things–empathy, purpose, “cool”–that are hard to quantify, won’t fit into strategic plans, or don’t easily scale. But culture is where you find context and opportunities for engagement and business growth.”

 

When it comes to multicultural or cross-cultural marketing, some marketers argue that there is no need to invest in multicultural advertising or to target a particular group. In a matter of years, every consumer will become the ‘mainstream’ and that will do away with ethnic targeting. In fact, Ad Age recently published a summary of the Association of National Advertisers’ Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Conference, where they basically stated that niche marketing is on its way out.  Speakers were almost universal in their belief that narrow-casting one group, such as African-Americans or Hispanics, is missing the point. Teresa Iglesias-Solomon, VP-multicultural and Latino initiatives at Best Buy, said there are commonalities within each target group and “we need to make sure we are looking at the whole customer”, whether they are African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic or Caucasian.

The Future of Marketing: Culturally Diverse or One-Size-Fits-All?

The Future of Marketing: Culturally Diverse or One-Size-Fits-All?

 

Others believe the opposite. That even in the most multi-faceted society, there will always be distinct and separate cultural voices that need to be engaged. And businesses cannot afford to miss out. According to Brown and Cheng, authors of Migration Nation: A Practical Guide to Doing Business in Globalized Canada, $21 out of every $100 spent in Canada comes from someone who was not born here. “While total consumer spending in Canada has grown 21 per cent in the last five years, the rate for South Asian Canadians has been a whopping 76 per cent, with Chinese Canadians not far behind, at 40 per cent. They represent important markets for Canadian businesses, and marketers need to understand how to reach them.”

 

Take, for example, my father. He comes from France originally, but has now spent more time in Canada than in his motherland. Though he is thoroughly ‘Canadianised’ after almost forty years spent in BC, he still tunes in, every day, to the French news, still speaks his native tongue and still has the desire to eat French fare, listen to French music and to celebrate French traditions. He may be considered ‘mainstream’ on paper, but he is still very much a Frenchman at heart. If almost a half of a century in Canada didn’t erase his cultural beliefs, chances are, it never will.

 

According to these authors and ad industry experts, “in the past, it was enough for a company to translate a brochure or other marketing collateral into non-official languages.” Today, “they have learned to go further, incorporating relevant visuals, copy, and creative rendition to appeal to more diverse audiences. This means not merely including token images of ethnic communities, but ensuring that those images are relevant to the brand and the messaging and that they reflect a greater understanding of those communities.”

How can we Use Cultural Insights to Target Ethnic Audiences?

How can we Use Cultural Insights to Target Ethnic Audiences?

 

Effective multicultural marketing is more than merely targeting ethnic segments, but engaging in truly meaningful communication with them. And how is that done? That is where culture comes into play.

 

The Cultural Lens, explains the book Migration Nation, is shaped by one’s ethnic culture, pre-migration experiences with products and brands, and post-migration experiences of acculturation. “Our tastes and preferences are shaped by the language, cultural, religion, values, and habits from our countries of origin.” And Brown and Cheng provide the example of Chinese Canadians who, they explain, may like orange juice, but “tend not to drink it in the mornings, unlike the mainstream, as they find it too cold and acidic, and therefore prefer something hot for breakfast.”

 

The settlement journey they also argue, “Is not a linear process of leaving one’s ethnic culture behind and adopting something else.” Again, my father is a real-life example of how you can take the Frenchman out of France, but you can never take the ‘French’ out of the Frenchman. “Understanding the settlement journey will help marketers to better understand their consumers,” explain Brown and Cheng, “and the need to communicate with them in a more relevant and actionable manner.”

 

So, is understanding someone’s culture and personal journey relevant to marketing? You bet. Effective marketing will always involve including different languages and values in each campaign. Each segment has to be approached differently and consumers have to ‘feel’ a personal connection in order for the marketing message to sink in. Remember, consumer decisions are as much about ‘heart’ as it is ‘mind’ and culture is where the heart lives, breathes and grows. So, how can one ignore it?

 

“Marketers must shift their mindset about culture,” says Forbes contributor Denise Lee Yohn. They must pay attention to “both the latest trends and the deeper, abiding values that change more slowly.”

 

Companies and organizations should develop a thorough understanding of diverse cultures, both the challenges and benefits of each group, before embarking on a strategy that targets a specific audience. Then, they should ensure that their marketing messages are authentic and accurately reflect cultural traditions and norms. Marketers should also constantly assess how their target market is evolving and changing over time. Michael P. Krone in “Diversity Marketing & Cultural Awareness” says companies should ask themselves whether their business resembles the communities and customers they serve. “If they feel unrecognized,” Krone warns, “you will begin to lose them.”

Does Your Business Mirror the Communities You Serve?

Does Your Business Mirror the Communities You Serve?

 

So, the big debate rages on. What should companies do? Should they invest in multicultural targeting? Or should they save their money and just focus on the mainstream consumer? Our advice: don’t throw the baby out with the bath water just yet. The world is still a mosaic of cultures and it is not likely to change anytime soon. If watching ‘Border Security’ has taught us anything, it’s that people still risk fines, hefty fines, in order to bring back unique foods, spices, plants and drinks from their home country. If the urge for a taste of home were not so strong, would they risk their very entry back into Canada?

 

Culture is still a strong internal drive, maybe even instinctual on some level, and to engage with consumers on a visceral and meaningful level, culture cannot be ignored.

                                                                                             

 Sources:  (Images via Flickr Creative Commons: From Top to Bottom: Daniel Orth, Texas A&M University-Com, Lori, Kyle Van Horn, Barnacles Budget Accom, Sebastiaan ter Burg, Texas A&M University-Com)