Culture Shock

Living in Los Angeles, I live and breathe diversity every day. Whether it’s listening to the local Latino radio station on my drive to work that also happens to play hip hop, ordering takeout from the local Thai place, or simply driving down Venice Blvd. and passing all the Indian stores and restaurants, LA just pulsates with vibrant and unique cultures.
It would be no surprise then that my local PRSA chapter recently hosted a panel on multicultural communications. Diversity is something inherent in my not-so-little town of LA, but this growing trend seems to be apparent all over the U.S. Projections by the U.S. Census Bureau show that the nation’s Hispanic and Asian populations will triple over the next half-century. The African American population is projected to rise from 35.8 million to 61.4 million in 2050, an increase of about 26 million or 71 percent. Given these statistics, it becomes very clear that multicultural communications will be an ever growing aspect of public relations, which is why it is important for us as communications professionals to understand how to reach these audiences effectively.
As PR professionals, we hear time and again the importance of LISTENING to your audience before throwing your own message out there. When it comes to multicultural communications however, the importance of listening and understanding the values inherent within the audience you are trying to reach couldn’t be more emphasized.
Most marketers think the way to reach a specific multi-cultural audience is to target culturally-based organizations. That’s just one way to go. Another way to target your particular audience is by researching interest-based groups related to that demographic. An example raised during the panel was the sport of soccer and its influence in the Hispanic culture. Looking beyond cultural organizations and into other areas such as sports can provide opportunities that a brand can leverage to reach their target group. In much the same vein, it is important to not focus solely on your target age demographic within that community. For example, one of the panelists highlighted their work with the U.S. Army’s campaign to reach out to African American youth, targeting 18-24 year olds. Aside from targeting that specific age group, through research they found that it was even more important to reach out to their influencers, who were coaches, parents, and other elders.
As America’s rich and diverse tapestry continues to grow, it adds an even more exciting layer to how we think about diverse audiences and how we can provide strategic thinking and program execution to cater to each. Hopefully you are fortunate like me to just step outside your doorstep and take it all in.

April Dornidon