Reaching out to an Ever-Changing Marketplace
More than one-third of Americans are people of color Yet people of color are underrepresented in advertising agencies and in ads Median age is 36.7 years Yet ad agencies are youth-obsessed
Represent 12.6 % of the population Annual purchasing power of $957 billion Median age is 31.4, compared to 36.7 for total population Budget priorities: food, fashion, and personal care
Nearly one in six Americans is of Hispanic and Latino origin Represent 16.3 percent of the population Annual purchasing power of $1 trillion Diverse heritage (Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Central and South America, Europe) More than one-third are younger than age 18
55% prefer to see ads in Spanish 30% prefer English 13% don’t have a preference Consider language issues Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Ad Council.
Represent 4.8% of U.S. population $544 billion in buying power High education level: 52% have at least a bachelor’s degree Diverse heritage (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese, Asian Indian)
Less than 1% of U.S. population Buying power of $67.7 billion Advertisers must use Native American names and symbolism in a respectful manner
1.7 million Americans with Arab ancestry Diverse heritage (Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, Morocco, and Jordan) More than 45% have a bachelor’s degree or higher
Ethnic minorities are often ignored in advertising Stereotypes (both negative and “positive”)
Feature ethnic minorities in starring roles Seek the opinions of people from the culture you are targeting Be sensitive to nuances in language Show the diversity of each group Learn about their heritage
One-quarter of the U.S. population Exert $3 trillion in buying power Less than 5% of ad dollars are targeted to them
Don’t think of older people as just one market Don’t specify age Cast models who reflect the way your audience feels When writing copy, give facts, not fluff Set type at least 12 point Don’t remind them of their vulnerability Show them happy with themselves Don’t call them names Try an ageless approach
People with disabilities: one in five U.S. residents report some level of disability The LGBT market: 16 million strong, with $743 billion in annual spending power
Look at the whole person, not one demographic characteristic Avoid stereotypes, even “positive” ones Laugh with them, not at them Make relevant ties to their special causes Test your ads on the target audience Show diversity in your ads
How Sweet the Sound
The African-American market is very involved in their church communities and their choirs Music is integral to Verizon Wireless
Big idea: “How Sweet the Sound,” a competition to find the best church choir Started in 2007 in Memphis, Tennessee Now in cities across the country
Choirs can enter the competition and upload their audition videos online Visitors to the site could learn about the competition, view audition videos, vote for finalists, and subscribe to an newsletter
How Sweet the Sound substantially grew both Verizon Wireless sales and market share How Sweet the Sound expanded to 9 cities in 2011 How Sweet the Sound won the ultimate accolade from the ad industry: a Gold Effie