Mobile Marketing to Multicultural Audiences

As a regular reader of our article series you know by now that Hispanics and African Americans outpace other customer segments in voice and data usage. Many of the agencies and brands we work with today also recognize this fact and are in the midst of adding a mobile multicultural strategy to their marketing plans. The mobile channel can be complex with the large number of players in the value chain and new business models. But this channel also affords agencies and brands the unique opportunity to target customers at the geographic, demographic, psychographic and behavioral level in a cost effective manner. Here are a few examples.

Marketers targeting multicultural audiences now have the ultimate tool in hand by being able to tailor a campaign down to a specific region, market or city. The first step is to develop an engaging program while maintaining simplicity. The message can provide some information that is not readily available or it can be promotional from a product or brand awareness perspective. The second step is to integrate a compelling mobile call to action with local market advertising. An effective mobile campaign cannot be a stand alone program. Examples of programs run the spectrum from a Hispanic grassroots organization promoting a specific local market cause and support for a particular candidate via a simple information alert application, to a large brand promoting a regional menu offering targeted at a specific multicultural audience with a ringtone giveaway. The final step is to select a partner from the value chain that can deliver a program from end to end at an affordable price that justifies the investment to the brand.

Marketers know that effective marketing to multicultural audiences requires more than simply translating the core message to another language. For example, to successfully market to U.S. Hispanics, it must be determined from the outset of any marketing strategy whether that target will be one of acculturated or un-acculturated Hispanic consumers. Place of origin must also be considered when developing strategies to reach the U.S. Hispanic. The advantage that mobile has over other mediums is its flexibility to localize the message and create one to one marketing relationships in any language across any culture. Using mobile can also provide valuable feedback in a timely manner and allow the brand to adjust the message or offering quickly. Examples of programs may include a movie promotion targeting U.S. Hispanics in Spanish and English, to a major bank that would like to inform a certain income level of Hispanic customers of its latest mortgage offerings.

Mobile will be the most effective way to reach multicultural audiences in ways not seen before with measurable results to justify the brands investment. Agencies and brands that are targeting the multicultural audience with mobile offerings and campaigns have enjoyed good success and are planning to do more. The audience, technology and partners like Briabe Media are there to help you embrace this new channel. What are you waiting for?

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