Navigating the digital world can be difficult for brands, and with the changes in the “general consumer” comes changes in how brands connect with their audience. This was the main topic at the latest AAF Luncheon titled “Diversity in the Digital World.”
Mediator, Liz Blacker, did a great job of keeping the conversation going with the panelists which included Laura Hernandez, Executive Director of Multicultural Marketing at AT&T, Leo Cusimano, Publisher at Dallas Voice, Pete Lerma, principal and founder of Richards/Lerma and Cornelius Foote, President/CEO of Foote Communications. They discussed the challenges of diversity, the changing consumer and even a few points on how to get a brand started with multicultural, digital marketing.
Leo Cusimano, Laura Hernandez and Liz Blacker
The general market is now a diverse market. However, multicultural no longer means including just hispanic or African American, it now reflects the world more realistically. This means that brands now must market to all groups, races, genders, etc. In the end, it isn’t that complicated though. Multicultural marketing is all about marketing- plain and simple. Connecting brands and people through creativity.
In the past, marketers were always the ones bringing multicultural messaging to brands, now brands see the potential in it and ask how to market to a broader audience. However, it is still a challenge to get companies and marketers alike, to be agile enough to respond to the ever-changing consumer.
Reach Out
Another great take away was to take advantage of the many platforms consumers are using. Chances are, your audience is on many of them and you could be missing out on great opportunities. However, when expanding your reach, take care to not exclude anyone. This can mean a device or group of people.
Cornelius Foote and Pete Lerma
Because I can’t resist a good quote, here are a couple of my favorites from the event:
- “The general market does not exist.” – Laura Hernandez
- “Consumers are not looking for brands to be more hispanic, but to reflect the world around them.” – Pete Lerma
Is your company interested in diversifying their audience? Contact us today!
