ABSTRACT
As the American population becomes more diverse, marketers seek to better understand the impact of consumer characteristics such as ethnicity on activities ranging from communication patterns to purchasing decisions. Communication appeals to specific ethnic groups and other “targeted” marketing efforts have vastly expanded their share of all U.S. marketing activities in the past decade (Jandt, 1995). According to Solomon (1996), “almost half of all Fortune 500 companies now have an ethnic marketing program” (p. 465). Advertising targeted to U.S. Hispanics in Spanish-language media alone, for example, exceeded $1 billion in 1996 (Goldsmith, 1996). Although U.S. Hispanics’ buying power is valued at over $225 billion, the African American market is estimated to be worth in excess of $270 billion (Phillips, 1993). The Asian American market as a whole is small by comparison, but Asian American household incomes can average 23% more than those of comparable Anglo Americans (O’Hare, Frey, & Fost, 1994). The new and exciting possibilities brought on by the integrated marketing communication perspective are also helping marketers to direct their efforts synergistically. Buying power, media availability, and holistic marketing strategies are combining to make ethnic groups attractive markets.
