CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Sept. 17 /PRNewswire/ — According to Yankelovich’s 2007/2008 MONITOR Multicultural Marketing Study, made public today, African American and Hispanic customers are almost twice as likely to “enjoy looking at or listening” to advertising than their peers, but most find current messaging is not relevant.. The study shows that only 25% of African American. Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White consumers feel that today’s marketing is both personally and culturally relevant to their lives. To make brands more attractive to a multicultural audience, brand managers need to implement integrated marketing strategies which address life-stage and personal interests in addition to cultural values.

“Multicultural marketing needs to become more multi-dimensional,” notes Sonya Suarez-Hammond, Vice President of Multicultural Marketing Insights at Yankelovich. “Of course, not every advertising spot or print ad needs to reach a Hispanic or African American consumer on all three dimensions of relevance. “But, an overall campaign should. The more integrated and relevant the messaging, the stronger the overall brand connection will be.”

According to the study, ethnic consumers are considerably more receptive to marketing and advertising messages than their peers. Roughly six in ten (60%) African Americans and Hispanics (59%) indicate that they “enjoy looking at or listening to advertising,” compared with 30% of Non-Hispanic Whites. (more…)