Keywords: Western Europe, English, ethnicity, socially disadvantaged groups, media ethics and diversity, marketing
Minority ethnic audiences in the UK represent a significant cultural and consumer force. Increasing ethnic and cultural diversity – like other forms of societal change – represents both a threat and an opportunity to marketers.
New consumer segments can provide fresh sources of top-line growth with focused new product development. However, diversity can also mean audience fragmentation, making mass appeal products and mass communications less viable. Marketers are typically unaware of whether or how their own behaviour needs to change to meet the challenge of diversity. This is in marked contrast to media, employers and policy-makers, all of whom are keenly aware of the issues arising from ethnic diversity. To help address this, MediaLab the research division of Mediaedge:cia, has worked with Channel 4, News International and the Broadcasting Standards Commission to investigate the effectiveness of mainstream advertising amongst the larger minority ethnic groups in the UK.
Reaching the ethnic consumer a challenge for marketers [EN].pdf
