I See You
How to authentically engage, serve, and earn the loyalty of diverse customer groups (In a way that doesn’t feel tone deaf, uninformed, or opportunistic)
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released data showing that 49 percent of kids under age 15 are minorities. Known as post-millennials or Gen Z, they are now “the most diverse” generation.
Data from Pew Research says that millennials are now the largest generation in the workforce. And within 15 years, people of color will make up the majority of the American working class.
The demographic and psychographic makeup of your customers is changing. Because of this ever-increasing shift, you need to be equipped to speak to these audiences in an authentic way to have any hopes of being relevant to them.
While many companies know they need to adjust away from traditional marketing methods to reach these new customers, many don’t know how to do it in an authentic way. Consequently, they struggle to get the results they want. No bueno.
But the companies that have figured out how to engage and serve these often neglected customer groups have been receiving big paydays as a result.
Last year, with sales of $821 million, Wonder Woman became the highest grossing superhero origin film of all time. The Black Panther movie shattered sales records on from its opening weekend debut when it became the fifth largest movie opening of all time. And the ultra-inclusive beauty line Fenty Beauty earned $72 million in its first month.
Now, these increasingly powerful customer groups see that it is possible to be served well by companies who want them as customers. As a result, they are becoming more vocal, in demanding other businesses vying for their resources, stop treating them like an afterthought.
Women, people of color, and other minority groups are using both their voices and their wallets to make powerful statements. The businesses who listen and adjust how they operate accordingly will earn the loyalty of this growing base of customers as a result.
Topic Authority:
- African-American woman living in Spanish-speaking Argentina
- 5 years as a diversity & inclusion champion and employee resource group leader at Johnson & Johnson
- Managed global launches spanning 13 markets across North America, Europe, and Australia
- Interviewed a number of experts and business leaders to glean best-practices on diversity, inclusion, multi-cultural marketing, and cultural intelligence
A Few of My Published Articles on the Topic:
- Want to Outperform Your Peers? A Study of 366 Companies Says Do This 1 Thing (Inc.)
- Millennials, Gen Z, and Minorities Will Soon Be the Majority. Follow These Proven Strategies to Stay Relevant (Inc.)
- Pepsi Ad Debacle Is a Perfect Example of the 1 Thing Many Companies Get Wrong (Inc.)
- The Business World Ignored These Women for Decades. This Hot New Startup is Benefiting (Inc.)
- What the massive fanfare around ‘Black Panther’ signals about a major shift in marketing (Inc.)
- Teams that master this 1 skill win more customers (And spend less time apologizing) (Inc.)
- H&M is the latest company to apologize for a culturally insensitive ad. Here are 3 lessons learned to prevent their mistake (Inc.)
- The bold move Unilever is making to do a better job marketing to women of color (Inc.)
- Customers have had enough of this common practice–and they could call you out on it (Inc.)
- Why the controversial Dove ad missed the mark: 3 Important lessons for marketers (Inc.)
