Cultural differences are becoming increasingly significant in targeting ethnic groups in the field of consumer behavior for marketers. If marketers want to reach those consumers of different cultures, then it is fundamental to know everything about the culture being targeted (Reese). As a marketer, it is important to understand that marketing from one country to the next can be very different and that is why it is so consequential to realize any differences before initiating marketing activities into another country. When a marketing strategy works well in one country, it does not mean that it will work just as well in another (Lee).

Culture is "the way of life of a people" (Lee). This way of life consists of accepted patterns of behavior and thought in relation to values, beliefs, code of conduct, and many other factors of that culture, which are passed down from one generation to the next through learning and experience. Culture is "governed by its own principles and not by the raw intellect, and that differences among peoples do not reflect differences in levels of intelligence" (Lee). This just simply means that one culture is not inherently smarter than another based upon the way they live their life.

Consumer behavior is more than just physically purchasing a good or service, it also relates to the before and after purchasing activities. Consumer behavior can be defined as "the study of people’s needs, motivations, and thought processes used in choosing one product over another, and their patterns of purchasing different goods and services (Clemente). Realizing the differences among consumers, allows marketers to develop strategies and products based on consumer needs. For marketers to fully understand consumer behavior, the motivating forces behind purchase decisions needs to be studied and analyzed. These forces are sociological forces, studied to determine how social interaction influences other people’s motives, learning, personality, attitudes, and perceptions. The sociological forces are culture, subculture, social class and reference groups. Knowing the differences among these forces allows marketers to identify who buys what and why (Clemente).

Subculture is a segment of a larger culture characterized by a common set of traits according to race, nationality, religion, geographic location, and lifestyle. Marketers who want to learn the behaviors of a subculture must identify it first, because people within a subculture demonstrate similar attitudes toward art, music, food, recreation, politics and many other activities. However, this does not always hold true, because while subcultures do demonstrate some similar attitudes, differences are also demonstrated among behaviors (Clemente). This is what makes marketing so difficult. A prime example of generalizing all members within a subculture as having the same behaviors is the Hispanic subculture. In the United States, anyone who is of Spanish descent is automatically labeled Hispanic, but this is misleading. It is misleading because this subculture can be further grouped into Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and Dominicans (Clemente). While, all of these ethnic groups share some distinctive traits, they also differ in many, which must be a red light for marketers to stop and identify the differences among each subculture.

The United States population is changing, it is becoming more diversified, and it is important for marketers to understand this. The current population shows an uneven distribution with 75 percent Anglo-Americans, 12 percent African-Americans, ten percent Hispanic, and three percent Asian-Americans. It has been predicted that by the year 2050, the United States population will consist of 50 percent ethnic minorities (Reese). By the year 2010 Hispanic-Americans will be the largest minority, with diverse origins of Mexico, Central America, South America, Caribbean, and Spain. Currently, African-Americans are the largest ethnic minority; however, Asian-Americans are the fastest growing (Subculture). Immigration, which will expand to about 60 percent, is going to be the leading contributor to this growth in ethnic minorities. Therefore, marketers need to grasp what this means, that consumers are now going to have very different cultural backgrounds than the current consumers (Reese).

New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, and Los Angeles have already observed multicultural America. In fact, in some parts of the country, the minority has already become the majority. Minority majority means that non-white ethnic groups make up more of a particular area than do whites. This is occurring in states where the largest numbers of immigrants come into, such as Texas, Florida, and California (Mogelonsky).

Since the combined minorities are becoming the majority, along with it is the ever-increasing media growth. Within the past ten years, African-American media alone, increased by 72 percent and even more amazing is the 160 percent and 173 percent by Hispanics and Asian-Americans, respectively. The reason for such high growths is that these specific cultures have specific needs, which are and can only be met by ethnic media’s. The general media just does not make available the information needed by these cultures. Contrary to general media, ethnic media provides useful and educational material presented in a way that invites a relationship with its readers. In other words, ethnic media is filling a void for ethnic groups (Skriloff).

A major implication of ethnic media is the advertisements within the printed or electronic media form. The ads acknowledge the reader and imply that they have money to spend on their products. Another major implication of ethnic media is the effect it will have on word of mouth communication. With the increasing number of immigrants into the United States, the community in which the new immigrants choose to reside will influence them of what to read and what not to read (Skriloff).

Marketers must also realize the spending patterns of ethnic minorities, because multicultural markets are growing along with their buying power. It has been noted that multicultural families’ household expenditures will exceed those of their white counterparts. The purchase behavior of individual ethnic minorities was looked at in 13 different areas of consumption. These areas consisted of entertainment, clothing, vehicles, and home purchases. The three minorities were African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Hispanics. Their spending behaviors were based on a weighted average and compared to that of white household spending. Minorities showed stronger ratings in ten of the 13 various categories. Groceries, entertainment, personal care products, clothing, and education were just five of the areas where ethnic households spent more than white households. The categories in which white households spent more than the minority population were in areas of going out to eat at restaurants, public transportation, and rent. Minorities are spending more because they’re making more, thanks to the stable economy (Maguire).

An article from Los Angeles Times Sports (taken from the website at http://www.timesoc.com/HOME/NEWS/SPORTS/MARIS/SOSA/lat_sammy0926.htm) is a good example of how famous minority sports players are often used in advertisements to promote some companies’ product. The purpose of using someone famous and someone who isn’t white, is to target ethnic minorities. However, there’s controversy over whether or not Sammy Sosa, a baseball player for the Chicago Cubs and a native from the Dominican Republic, will be what the public wants. The controversy comes in because he was not born in the United States and because he carries a heavy accent, which might make him more difficult to understand in the 30-second time frame, allowed for commercials. On the other hand, Oscar De La Hoya, who was born in the United States and is of Mexican descent, has the option to not do any advertisements unless both Spanish and English are combined into the campaign. De La Hoya has the opportunity "to become the first athlete to be marketed across both cultures" (Johnson).

Therefore, while Oscar De La Hoya will be a big hit in the media, Sammy Sosa may not be. One reason is that campaigns, which target Spanish and Latino cultures do not yet have the money it takes to get someone like Sosa to represent them (Johnson).

The magazine advertisement below is a prime example of integrating ethnic minorities into the media. The ad is for Custo Barcelona, a brand of clothing. Currently, this line of clothing is in Spain, France, England, Hong Kong, and the United States. In the United States this clothing line is located in such clothing department stores as Sacks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Henri Bendel, and Fred Segal. The woman in the advertisement could be from one of many Asian origins. However, it is hard to tell of what Asian descent she is from. Also, it’s impossible to identify if she is a United States citizen, an immigrant, or if she is from another country. Either way, using a woman of an ethnic minority is an effective way to target minorities, of the same origin. Marketers are catching onto the idea that it is critical to use minorities in the ad to target other minorities (Mademoiselle).

The following are list of relevant web sites, which can be searched for more information about different cultures and subcultures and how they pertain to marketers.

1. Erasing the Boundaries: Drawing African Americans onto the Internet http://www.medill.nwu.edu/imc/jimc/journal/mclean.html

2. Info about Culture Shock

http://library.advanced.org/12426/info.html

3. Principles of Marketing: Lifestyles

http://www.enm.maine.edu/courses/business/BUA263Web/Lifestyles.html

4. Major in Marketing

http://www.simmons.edu/programs/depts/management/market.html

5. Historical Roots, Origin, and Influences

http://www.strictlysalsa.com/prican.htm

6. Cultural Diversity