Minorities

Minorities in the Workplace

Companies and governments are aggressively pursuing a strategy to ensure that minority groups do not continue to face unfair barriers to achievement in the workplace, in the labor market, and in education. Supportive diversity climates are maintained by providing realistic job previews and healthy work environments. Affirmative action, the idea that minorities should be given special privileges to facilitate equal access, is however a controversial issue. While proponents argue that a diversified environment is a desired positive outcome, critics argue that such actions result in reverse discrimination and a sense of victimization of the majority.

Marketing to Ethnic Minorities

In an increasingly global world, businesses are recognizing the need to reach out to minority groups. Companies such as AT&T, Sears Roebuck, and Coca Cola were some of the pioneers of such practices. The three major ethnic minority groups in the United States—Hispanics, African Americans, and Asians—currently account for almost 30% of the population, and they cumulatively account for 20% of the total spending power in the country. In 2004, corporate America did not effectively market to this segment of the market, since only 2% of the more than $200 billion spent on advertising was allocated to the ethnic media. In a study sponsored by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) in 2004, an overwhelming 89% of the advertisers said that they were practicing multicultural marketing while 85% were involved in specifically creating separate ads for separate ethnic markets. The greatest challenge faced by the agencies cited in the study was the measurement of results (38%), funding (34%), and a lack of market research (13%).

The 2005 Yankelovich MONITOR Multicultural study found that 70% of blacks and 53% of Hispanics are very concerned about marketers' methods and motives. Furthermore, 50% concur that most marketing has no relevance for them and that they wanted marketers to be more attentive, in a sensitive and culturally appropriate manner. The results also suggested that for Hispanic consumers, marketers should use both Spanish and English to facilitate the infusion of the brand message with cultural familiarity and relevance. In many countries, companies such as L'Oreal, Alberto-Culver, and Proctor and Gamble – owned Wella have introduced several ethnic minority – specific products in categories such as cosmetics and hair care.

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