THE PANELISTS

• Stephanie Blackwood is co-founder of Double Platinum, a full-service marketing communications agency specializing in the gay and lesbian market, affiliated with the Publicis Group.

• Saul Gitlin is executive vice president of strategic services and new business for Kang & Lee Advertising, the leading Asian multicultural communications and consulting agency in North America.

• Jacqueline Hernández is publisher of People en Español, the largest selling Hispanic magazine in the U.S.

CULTURAL RELEVANCY IS KEY
If the seminar could be summed up in one message, it’s that when marketing to multicultural America, cultural relevancy is more important than language. In order to create credible campaigns with messages that resonate, advertisers must understand these large niche audiences from the inside out. Each panelist offered up a case study from his or her company that illustrates this practice.

THE GAY AND LESBIAN MARKET
Stephanie Blackwood of Double Platinum, a full-service marketing communications agency specializing in gay and lesbian marketing, talked about successfully challenging a category leader. Her case study was about the premium vodka brand Stolichnaya (Stoli), which had to overcome Absolut’s 25-year history in the gay/lesbian segment. Working from Stoli’s brand positioning—“Be Yourself. Drink Stoli”—Double Platinum translated this to gay and lesbian consumers, who are challenged daily to “Be Yourself.” This became the central message of Stoli’s gay/lesbian campaign, which centered on a documentary, produced by Double Platinum, which featured gay and lesbian people talking about their identity and the experience of being true to who they are. The six cast members were selected because they were “living authentically, and who, by virtue of the way they were living, were changing the world around them.” The film was screened at 17 gay and lesbian film festivals, aired for two months on LOGO, a gay and lesbian cable network, and was promoted through print advertising, Web advertising and sponsorship of national and local LGBT nonprofits. Six months into the yearlong campaign, research showed that Stoli’s awareness and usage was significantly higher in the gay and lesbian segment as the general market.

The message to advertisers: Research and understand the target consumer. Align brand values with the target’s values. Connect with the target through culturally relevant messaging. And finally, be a client who is prepared to venture fully into the gay market and develop a unique point of view.

THE ASIAN MARKET
Saul Gitlin of Kang & Lee Advertising, the leading Asian multicultural communications and consulting agency in North America, advises advertisers to focus on opportunity, not size. Too often advertisers think, “Hispanics: 40 million. That’s big, I should do that.” And, perhaps, “African Americans: near 40 million. Yes, I should do that.” But they dismiss Asians thinking, “Well, they’re only 13 million people; 4.2% of the population.” Big mistake, says Mr. Gitlin. In many product categories, the population size does not indicate the magnitude of the opportunity. In the automotive category, for instance, Asians, who comprise 4.2% of the U.S. population, account for 20% of all new Mercedes and18% of BMWs. Similar percentages exist for other luxury automotive brands including Lexus and Acura. BtoB marketers should be keen on the Asian market as they own and operate 1.1 million businesses nationally, generating $343 billion in sales revenue. By contrast, Latinos own and operate 1.5 million businesses, generating $222 billion in sales revenue.

THE HISPANIC MARKET
Jackie Hernández publisher of People en Español explained the mercurial nature of the Hispanic market. Her rules about this constantly changing market are thus:

1. One size does not fit all: Hispanics come in all shapes and sizes including Mexicans, Cubans, Dominicans, even as diverse as Jubans/Jewbans (Jewish/Cuban). Know the difference and know the nuances.

2. Know who you’re talking to: The medium you’re using can also change to what language or relevancy you have for that consumer. For example, People en Español teamed up with Kraft to produce a special holiday issue. The holiday issue, which carried advertisements only from Kraft, featured celebrities and showcased how they’re celebrating and entertaining during the holidays. The issue was mailed to a select group of subscribers with a cover-wrapped letter from Kraft. Post-research shows that consumers loved getting it. Why? Because the Hispanic consumer doesn’t get many things in his or her mailbox that’s in Spanish or that’s culturally relevant. To see their celebrities, their stars, celebrating the holidays, wrapped with a letter from Kraft to their name, was a huge deal. Post-research said that 98% of them think of Kraft differently now.

3. Speak to Hispanics in Spanish or Hispanic media: Advertisers must realize that 80% of Hispanics are Spanish dominant or bicultural. Don’t assume you’re reaching them already in the general media market. “I remember growing up it was not cool to be Latino,” said Ms. Hernández. “Now, it’s very cool. So more and more Hispanics are turning to culturally relevant media—whether Spanish or English, print/TV or online. As a matter of fact, PeopleEnEspanol.com is now a bilingual site. The Internet is a huge future opportunity.”