Recap: The Case for Culture in Marketing – AMA Wichita

She started with hard-hitting truths about the current mass-market. 1 in 2 children born in 2012 were of children of color (with this number continually growing), and by 2050, multicultural populations will be the majority. African Americans held $1.3 billion in buying power last year. Hispanics held $1.4 billion in buying power and are projected to hold $1.5 billion in buying power by 2020. All of this just goes to show if you are limiting your market, you are missing out.

Now, more than ever, we are connected to others across the globe through social media. Smith went on to describe how social media is “culture soup,” her coined term to describe the breadth and depth of the audience that mobile-social allows us to reach. With this wide-reach, there is always the risk for a marketing flop if diverse groups aren’t consulted on the marketing message.

So how do you avoid a marketing faux pas? Create a team comprised of varying backgrounds and give them the freedom to speak openly. If your team doesn’t currently reflect this, pull in others from teams across your organization early in a marketing concept. Building a culturally aware and diverse team can take time. Start where you can and include as many in the conversation as possible. Make sure everyone is allowed to speak! And when one person raises a red flag, see if you can work together to produce a new message.

Overall, L. Michelle Smith presented useful takeaways and practical tips that everyone can benefit from. Cultural awareness isn’t built in a day, but by opening up your team to new ideas and conversations, you will create inclusive, resonating marketing messages everyone will enjoy.

If you’d like to hear more from L. Michelle Smith, check out The Culture Soup Podcast^®!