Consultancy to help brands target female ‘ethnic’ groups
The initiative has called the segment ‘multi-influentials’, which refers to women of multicultural background living in the US, as well as women in emerging consumer markets throughout Latin America, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and the Middle-East.
Targeting the ‘multi-influentials’
According to its research, there are 50 million, and growing, ‘multi-cultural’ women living in America, controlling over $1 trillion purchasing power.
It is argued that this segment, which is 35 per cent of the women’s market overall, presents unique potential for business growth.
According to the consultancy group forged by Vox Collective and 85 per cent Niche, the population of this group of women increases at 20 per cent annually, compared with 1.1 per cent growth in white woman of non-Hispanic background.
Miriam Muley of 85 per cent Niche has said “Women are not monolithic and marketing to women does not mean marketing to white women alone”.
A website has been set up to launch the ‘multi-influentials’ initiative and social networking tools such as facebook and twitter will also be used to engage with this cultural segment.
There will also be a workshop tour, planning to visit a range of Fortune 500 companies whose business is driven by women. A conference will also be held to help business understand and discuss the business potential among ‘ethnic’ women.
“Multi-cultural women in the US and around the world have great influence in key household decisions, what differs are the unique cultural triggers they respond to. Our goal is to extend the dialogue about women’s marketing in a way that naturally and strategically combines gender and cultural marketing”, said Muley.
Cosmetics likely to be high on agenda
The workshops and conference have yet to be finalized, but the primary focus will be on industries with ‘strong women’s market potential’, including fashion and retail, cosmetics and consumer packaged goods among others.
The sessions will provide consumer insights, cultural overviews and outline recommendations on how the client can optimize its ‘multi-influential’ potential.
As a co-founder of this initiative, Mulaney is no stranger to the cosmetics market, having been EVP of Marketing at Carson Products, a division of L’Oreal, and a General Manager at Avon products.
The cosmetics industry is certainly becoming more aware of the need to move into the ‘ethnic’ market. In 2008, this market was tipped to be a huge growth sector and companies such as P&G targeted their Head and Shoulders brand with a new ambassador for the Hispanic market.
Susan Jaramillo, chief creative officer at the Vox Collective said “Our goal is to help brands better understand the cultural and lifestyle triggers that influence the decisions of this important and growing segment”.
