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	Obama campaign poster aimed at Chinese voters in Chicago reads: Please cast a vote for Obama Strong Reforms Lower taxes, more benefits Whole-heartedly save the economy

One key to the success of the Obama presidential campaign was its aggressive targeting of minority voters, tailoring its message to specific communities and using their own languages. Hispanics, the fastest-growing population in the U.S., were pursued by both parties. The Obama campaign went beyond the competition, using special messages for many different communities, especially Asian communities.

For example, in Virginia, a hotly contested state in which Asian's constitute over 5 percent of the population, Obama was helped by activists going door-to-door with flyers in languages like Putonghua (a standard form of modern Chinese), Hindi and Laotian.

The Obama campaign strategy was a very conspicuous example of a trend that has been gaining ground in business for years - a trend towards multicultural marketing. And, as we'll discuss below, you don't have to be a big corporation to join the trend.

"Leading the Way"
In 2008, the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) held its 10th Annual Multicultural Marketing Conference. Entitled "Leading the Way," the conference celebrated the strides made in multicultural markets, which, according to the conference website, "are now leading the way for real revenue and share growth for many companies. [Emphasis added.]"

There is every reason to believe that this trend will not only continue, but flourish. The Census Bureau now predicts that whites will become a minority in the U.S. by 2042, much earlier than past forecasts. (The working age population will become predominately non-white even earlier – in 2039.) The Hispanic portion of the population is expected to double to 30% by 2050, while the Asian population will grow to 9.2%. The Pew Research Institute predicts that 82% of the population growth between 2008 and 2050 will be due to immigrants and their offspring.

Narrowing the Focus
Because of their size and buying power, the African-American, Hispanic and Asian markets remain the areas of most interest to marketers because of their size and buying power; but, in many urban areas, large immigrant communities from nations including Iraq, Russia, and Haiti may also represent significant consumer power.

Unilever's "Pasa La Belleza" ("Spread the Beauty") marketing campaign aimed at Latinas won PR Week's 2008 Multicultural Marketing Campaign of the Year award. The campaign was spurred by research that showed that Latina's spend nearly double the average on beauty products. The success of that campaign prompted Unilever to develop the bilingual ViveMejor ("Live Better") website and magazine.

Because of their size and buying power, the African-American, Hispanic and Asian markets remain the areas of most interest to marketers because of their size and buying power; but, in many urban areas, large immigrant communities from nations including Iraq, Russia, and Haiti may also represent significant consumer power.

And it is not just businesses that need to reach out to these communities. One of MTM LinguaSoft's current projects involves multilingual telephone surveys and focus groups for the Brooklyn Public Library System to help it improve community programs throughout its network of 60 branches. The research is being conducted in Spanish, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Russian and Polish.

Current computer technology, combined with developments like variable data printing and the vast dissemination of the internet, have made it possible to locate and target specific groups with great accuracy. A business or other organization can now tailor and deliver its message separately to each group.

Appealing to diverse communities doesn't just involve changing the ethnic composition of the models used in ads and catalogues, or translating a single message literally into various languages. Successful multicultural marketing involves learning about the culture and values of the groups that you are targeting and adapting your message to appeal to that culture. This may even include using different versions of the same language. For example, the Spanish used in marketing materials aimed at the largely Cuban immigrant population in Florida would not be same as the Spanish used to appeal to Mexican and Central American immigrants in the Southwest.

Starting Small
For many small- to mid-sized businesses, the prospect of multicultural marketing can seem overwhelming. Such campaigns may be okay for large corporations with big budgets for market research and advertising, yet seem out of reach for firms with lesser resources. But you don't have to launch a huge campaign to get benefits from multicultural marketing!

One interview with experts on multicultural marketing gives three basic guidelines:

1. Even modest efforts can boost sales. Take small steps to reach out to one or two cultural minorities in your area that are likely potential customers. "[A]dding a word of welcome to a communication, sponsoring a cultural event or having one employee who speaks the target language can make a big impact." The important thing is that making the effort shows that you will welcome this community as customers.
2. Get the language and culture right. If translation is necessary, making the modest investment of using a professional language service provider to translate your materials is important, but appealing to the culture of the target community is just as important. This can be as simple as getting to know some members of the community and listening to their concerns and opinions.
3. Keep your core brand message consistent. The real goal is not to give totally different messages to different communities, but to figure out what you think the core benefits of your products or services are and then to deliver that core message in ways tailored to appeal to each community. You certainly don't want customers, who may be bi- or multi-lingual, to get the sense that you are pandering to different communities by delivering drastically different messages to each community. In the end, your marketing materials are only part of your brand experience. There shouldn't be a disconnect between the message in your marketing and the actual experience that customers have when they actually interact with your business or organization.

MTM LinguaSoft would be happy to consult with you about how to start your own multicultural marketing campaign. Just email us or give us a call at (215) 729-6765.

Kathy joined the staff of MTM LinguaSoft in June 2007 when she was looking for a fourth career. In her past lives, Kathy has been a lawyer, a professor of international relations, and part owner of a print shop. With a new husband and new home back in Philadelphia, where she attended college and graduate school, Kathy was looking for new challenges and a job closer to home.

Working at MTM LinguaSoft has given her the opportunity to use a wide variety of skills while constantly learning new ones. While she is primarily responsible for marketing and public relations, Kathy has also been able to make good use of her computer knowledge, designing databases to track contacts and jobs, and maintaining the MTM website.

Kathy is glad to be contributing to the growth of a new and dynamic business, and is especially happy to finally have an office with a window.