Having worked on multicultural marketing in the US for more than two decades, one question I’ve been often asked over the years is this: When will multicultural advertising be just plain advertising?
That is a fair question. From a purely demographic perspective, the largest ethnic segments represented under the multicultural marketing umbrella, Hispanic, Non-Hispanic Blacks and Asian Americans, make up almost 40% of the U.S. population and more than 100% of the country’s population growth.
Broken down by generation, these three segments represent 45% of all Millennials, 49% of Gen Z consumers and 52% of Gen Alpha members.
From a geographical perspective, these three segments represent almost 50% or more of the total population of states like Florida, Texas, California, and New York, where almost one-third of the entire U.S. population lives.
From a cultural standpoint, these ethnic segments play a pervasive and growing role in the music we listen to (Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Karol G, Rosalia to name a few), the food we eat (have you seen PepsiCo’s acquisition of Siete Foods for $1.2 billion?), the fashion we wear, the shows we stream, the language we speak, and so much more.
So, it is logical to conclude that multicultural marketing has become mainstream and will continue to be so in the future. It seems natural and obvious. Case closed. Right? Not so fast.
Over the past decade, we have reviewed numerous research, marketing mix modeling, and advertising ROI studies. These employed various methodologies, samples, and timelines, but they all converged on the same insight: culturally driven creative messages tend to resonate more strongly with ethnic consumers than general messages that target all consumers as a single unit. The response to the power of culturally relevant insights has been significant and noted through all standard KPIs, from awareness and consideration, to purchase intent. And this impact has been consistent across all ethnic groups.
What’s behind these impressive results? A series of factors, starting with a higher sense of pride in belonging to their ethnic groups. Most ethnic consumers, especially younger generations, have been demonstrating a desire to see more of their culture reflected in marketing and advertising programs.
Moreover, another driver for this higher ROI is the recognition that messages that are more targeted from a creative standpoint tend to be more authentic. Targeted messages offer the possibility to address a specific audience with a series of direct and indirect cultural nuances and cues which can collectively strengthen the emotional connection with the message and the brand.
I spoke with José Villa, President and Chief Strategy Officer of Sensis, a cross-cultural advertising agency and chairman of the board of the Hispanic Marketing Council, the organization that represents the Hispanic marketing industry. Here’s his take on this topic:
“Multicultural consumers—especially Hispanics—are not looking for mere representation; they demand authenticity. The data is clear: culturally driven creative and ad campaigns consistently outperform generic, one-size-fits-all advertising. Why? Because when brands tap into cultural nuances with respect and depth, they build trust, emotional connection, and ultimately, brand loyalty.
By placing multicultural consumers at the center of their approach, brands unlock deeper cultural relevance, stronger emotional connections, and ultimately, greater brand loyalty. The best-performing companies don’t just adapt their messaging for diverse audiences—they build their strategies around them from the start. This approach isn’t just about inclusion; it’s about driving business impact in an increasingly multicultural marketplace.”
Best-in-class brands in the multicultural market space understand that the binary choice between advertising and multicultural advertising is a false one, as they shouldn’t be considered mutually exclusive.
As a matter of fact, companies that are experiencing extraordinary growth from multicultural segments have successfully implemented strategies that know how to leverage and combine both efforts, as these brands execute a mix of ideas that are inclusive and other ideas that are specific to multicultural consumers.
For instance, many clients are asking their agencies to collaborate with multicultural agencies at every single step of the creative process, starting with the brief creation through the production and post-production stages. These clients are setting clear expectations that the end goal is a multicultural presence that feels organic, not forced or token.
In parallel, these clients and their multicultural agencies collaborate on identifying messages, channels, calendar opportunities or promotional windows where specific, multicultural driven messages can be crafted to amplify the brand and maximize ROI.
What’s the best mix between multicultural inclusive and multicultural specific messages? In my experience, there’s no magic number, but given some best-in-class case studies I’ve seen, I’d say that at least 30%-40% of the exposure (GRPs, views, etc.) should come from authentic, multicultural specific messages.
Unfortunately, most brands in America today do exactly the opposite, they rely predominantly on Total Market messages, covering 90%+ of all views towards multicultural consumers with generic, one-size-fits-all executions. The irony is that these clients have the perception of being efficient when they are just decreasing effectiveness and wasting valuable resources that could yield better results.