Marketing to an ethnic minority
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Your article on ethnic marketing, “Colour Blind” (MW June 21), states: “Brand owners approach ethnic marketing with trepidation. Some observers suggest it smacks of racism – it is, after all, classification by race.”
Racism is the application of a particular set of attitudes or assumptions to an individual member of an ethnic minority – or on a group as a whole. Classification may be underpinned by such attitudes or assumptions, but not automatically so. As there is no inherent relationship between classification and certain attitudes, it is possible to classify, without being racist.
A second issue, is the central role played by the manipulation of variables in any process of segmentation. The process of selection, weighting and establishment of any inter-variable relationships, may indeed be informed by inappropriate assumptions and correlations.
Let us take the example of Proctor & Gamble’s marketing for Pampers. It would appear that a correlation has been drawn between poverty (lack of washing machine), location (inner city) and ethnicity.
In the absence of any further information, I will not comment on what assumptions may or may not have underpinned such a correlation. The most interesting question is, what constitutes a significant variable – it is not one which is merely observable, but also one which informs (in this instance) purchase behaviour?
There may indeed be a correlation between ethnicity and location and ethnicity and affluence, but surely the most significant factor affecting buying decisions in the P&G example is the lack of ability to wash nappies due to the absence of a machine, not the ethnicity of the individual.
As a result, the representation of ethnic diversity in their marketing should be related to the observable cultural composition, and not assumptions in relation to the correlation of observable factors.
A final point. I did enjoy the Beattie ads. They always made me laugh, but not because she was Jewish – indeed I do not recall her ethnicity being established. They made me laugh because she reminded me of my mother.
Tracey Middleton
Consultant
Rosalyn Palmer PR
London W10
