This document discusses a study on cultural openness among US consumers and its implications for marketers. The study found that consumers are increasingly open to influences from other cultures and identify with multiple cultural identities. It defines 5 stages of cultural openness and provides data showing more consumers have progressed to later stages. Consumers high in cultural openness are less responsive to targeted advertising and more open to inclusive advertising. These consumers also influence trends among other groups. Understanding consumers' cultural openness is important for marketing strategies going forward.

1. WELCOMES YOU to
A CONVERSATION on how the rise in
ETHNIC IDENTITY is SHIFTING BEHAVIOR
in the U.S. CONSUMER MARKET

3. CULTURAL OPENNESS:
A Metric for Tracking Increasing
Multiculturalism

4. AGENDA
KEY TAKEAWAYS
CULTURAL OPENNESS DEFINED
STUDY RESULTS
IMPLICATIONS
EXISTING EXAMPLES

5. KEY TAKEAWAYS
• The rise in ethnic identity in the Census shows the demographic reality,
but there is an important attitudinal dimension that Marketers need to
understand
– Influential consumers are changing their traditional views of racial and ethnic identity roles,
and are seeking greater engagement in ethnic identities other than their own
• Understanding cultural openness within U.S. consumers provides
marketers the possibility to be relevant deeply and broadly;
– By tapping into a cultural identity truth, it will resonant deeply with consumers of that cultural
identity and has the strong potential to appeal broadly with certain consumers outside of that
cultural identity.
– Finding a specific ethnic consumer “truth” that carries a universal truth is the marketing
home run
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6. NEW MAINSTREAM VALUE
PROPOSITIONS ARE
EVERYWHERE
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7. KEY TAKEAWAYS
• With few exceptions, marketing infrastructure is not
currently set up to understand or execute against ethnic
identity’s rise in U.S. consumer attitudes
– McDonald’s has institutionalized it, General Mills, Pepsi, and Time
Warner are moving in this direction
– New metrics/measures are needed
– Cultural depth, especially ethnic identity depth is increasing in its
relevance in marketing
• Multicultural marketing doesn’t go away
– In some cases, multicultural marketing becomes a leader in a more
holistic branding campaign
– In most instances, multicultural marketing can be more
complementary in overall marketing effort
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8. A SOCIETY WITH MANY LARGE RACIAL/ETHNIC
GROUPS IS NOT NECESSARILY A INTRACULTURAL
SOCIETY
Between 2000 and 2010, 80% of all population
growth came from Hispanics, African Americans
and Asians, which Hispanics representing 52% of
that growth alone.*
*Source: Geoscape 2010
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9. LARGE POPULATION SIZE CREATES
IMPACT, NOT NECESSARILY
INFLUENCE
A Jewish bread product with impact
A Jewish bread product with influence
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10. CULTURAL OPENNESS
DEFINED
Cultural Openness is the degree to which the historic boundaries
between ethnic and racial groups are perceived as being highly porous and
easily crossed. Such porousness allows people to navigate without self-
consciousness and social constraint within and across different cultural
groups, absorbing the elements that work within their preferred lifestyle
but not necessarily at the cost of pride and participation in their native
culture.
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11. THE 5 MAIN STAGES OF CULTURAL OPENNESS
1 2 3 4 5
Intercultural Acknowledge and Personally recognize Actively pursue and Organically and
influence is a understand the and appreciate the immerse oneself in non-self
source of concern, benefits of benefits of inter-cultural consciously
and people who are intercultural intercultural experiences and navigate within
different are eyed influences within influences in their situations. and across
with distrust. society. own lives. multiple cultural
group boundaries.
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12. MULTICULTURAL
MARKETING STUDY
METHODOLOGY
Respondent Recruitment Process:
• Phone-study participants were recruited using a random-digit-dial (RDD) sampling
technique and were placed into their appropriate self-selected multicultural sample
group, while web participants were recruited from select web panels.
• To achieve the full sample of African-American respondents, we used a geographically
enhanced RDD sampling technique that targeted high-density African-American census
tracts. The remaining Hispanic respondents were recruited via a Hispanic surname
sample list.
Two-phase data collection process:
• 20- to 30-minute telephone and Web interviews in respondent’s language of choice
• 60- to 75-minute survey that was self-administered and returned via mail or the Internet,
also in their language of choice
The total numbers of participants ages 16+ who completed both phases of the
study:
• 1,620 African Americans
• 1,645 Hispanics
• 3,001 Non-Hispanic Whites
• The study includes 937 cell-phone only respondents.
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13. STAGE 1
Intercultural influence is a source of concern, and
people who are different are eyed with distrust.
“One of the best things about America is the cultural diversity you find here.”
Total Disagree: 20% (Gen Pop - 2010)
“I feel I must maintain some sort of allegiance to people with similar ethnic roots to my own because when things
get bad, those are the only people you can count on.”
Total Agree: 32% (Gen Pop - 2005)
“I am uncomfortable with the changing ethnic makeup of this country.”
Total Agree: 45% (Gen Pop - 2008)
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14. STAGE 2
Acknowledge and understand the benefits of
intercultural influences within society
“I appreciate the growing influence of other cultures 83% 77% 64%
on many of the products we use.” African Hispanics Non-Hispanic
Americans Whites
“I appreciate the influence that other cultures are 78% 77% 62%
having on the American way of life.” African Hispanics Non-Hispanic
Americans Whites
“Cultural diversity is necessary for progress in our society.”
Total Agree: 58% (US Gen Pop from Global Monitor - 2010)
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15. STAGE 3
Personally recognize and appreciate the
benefits of intercultural influences in
their own lives
“I have learned many new things from people whose 82% 77% 69%
race or ethnicity differs from my own.” African Hispanics Non-Hispanic
Americans Whites
n/a 64% 80%
“I know a Black person I consider a friend.” African Hispanics Non-Hispanic
Americans Whites
58% n/a 66%
“I know a Hispanic person I consider a friend.” African Hispanics Non-Hispanic
Americans Whites
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16. STAGE 4
Actively pursue and immerse oneself in
inter-cultural experiences and situations
“I am always looking for different cultural experiences 68% 61% 48%
and influences that will broaden my horizons.” African Hispanics Non-Hispanic
Americans Whites
“My taste in food, music, media and entertainment 48% 42% 34%
have changed as a result of having friends outside my
African Hispanics Non-Hispanic
race/ethnicity.” (among those with friends outside of
Americans Whites
their race/ethnicity)
47% 30% 32%
“Someone in your extended family is from a different
race or ethnicity.” African Hispanics Non-Hispanic
Americans Whites
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17. STAGE 5
Organically and non-self consciously navigate within
and across multiple cultural group boundaries
“Someone in your immediate family is from a different 29% 23% 14%
race or ethnicity.” African Hispanics Non-Hispanic
Americans Whites
“Less than half of my closest friends are of the same 34% 36% 23%
cultural or ethnic background as I am.” (MMS 2007) African Hispanics Non-Hispanic
Americans Whites
27% 37% 23%
“I see myself as a citizen of the world more so than as a
citizen of the United States.” African Hispanics Non-Hispanic
Americans Whites
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18. YOUNGER, BUT NOT
ONLY THE YOUNG
Mean Age 45 46 44 41 40
Ethnicity Indices
Non-Hispanic Whites High High Avg Low Low
Hispanics Low Avg Avg High High
African Americans Low Low Avg High High
Education Indices
High School or Less
Avg Avg Avg Avg Low
Some College Avg Avg Avg Avg Avg
College Graduate or more Low Low Avg Avg High
Mean Income 65K 64K 68K 69K 72K
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19. THEIR HERITAGE OF ORIGIN
REMAINS IMPORTANT AND
VALUED
“Feel highly connected to my heritage.” 41% 47% 49% 58% 51%
(Top 3 box on an 11 point connected
scale)
“I would like to participate in more
60% 67% 72% 82% 79%
activities that celebrate my cultural
heritage.”
“I feel a need to preserve my family’s 46% 58% 67% 78% 77%
cultural traditions.”
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20. MORE RESPONSIVE TO
INCLUSIVE VERSUS TARGETED
ADVERTISING
Degree to which the following types of
advertising persuade you to buy or try a new
product: Ads that show people of my race or 20% 16% 20% 25% 21%
ethnicity (Top 3 box on a 7 point persuades me scale
among Non-Hispanic Whites)
Degree to which the following types of
advertising persuade you to buy or try a new
product: Ads that show the many different
cultures and kinds of people in the US (Top 3 box 13% 18% 26% 36% 34%
on a 7 point persuades me scale among Non-Hispanic Whites)
I find that I often have a hard time relating to a
brand’s spokesperson if that person is not of my
race or ethnicity.” (Forced choice versus the opposite
sentiment among Non-Hispanic Whites) 28% 16% 5% 6% 3%
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21. CONDUITS FOR NEW IDEAS
AND CULTURAL
INFLUENCES
“I am usually one of the first people in my 35% 43% 53% 70% 72%
group of friends to accept new ideas or try
new things.”
“I like taking the risk of being one of the
first people to try a new product or 30% 38% 41% 55% 57%
service.”
“African Americans are a good group to
look to when you want to know about...”
(among Non-Hispanic Whites)
How to rally people around a
community issue 7% 14% 17% 22% 28%
How to be spiritually fulfilled 6% 9% 13% 18% 21%
New Music 5% 9% 12% 17% 15%
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22. GENERAL MARKETING
IMPLICATIONS
• Consumers with high levels of cultural openness are less likely to be put off
by marketing that is not specifically designed with their particular ethnic
group’s sensibilities in mind or that references cultural touch points that are
not a part of their culture or ethnicity of origin
• At this point in time, consumers with high levels of cultural openness are the
conduit through which cross cultural influence flows from one ethnic
consumer segment to another
• In order to assess accurately the pace and current status of the movement
towards intraculturalism both in society at large and among their target
consumers, marketers need to measure and track cultural openness or run
the risk of prematurely abandoning (or holding on too long to) targeted
ethnic outreach marketing strategies.
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23. PHASE 2 RESEARCH GOALS
(INITIAL RESULTS EXPECTED MAY 2011)
• Consumers with high levels of cultural openness are less likely to be put off by marketing that
is not specifically designed with their particular ethnic group’s sensibilities in mind or that
references cultural touch points that are not a part of their culture or ethnicity of origin
• Officially size, benchmark and begin tracking the Cultural Openness stage segments by
ethnicity within the US 16+ consumer population
• Produce richer stage profiles that include more depth of information around demo- and
psycho-graphics as well as media habits, shopping behavior, and responsiveness to various
marketing strategies
• Develop a cultural openness short form that clients can incorporate into their own custom
research
• Build consulting platforms based on Cultural Openness that will help our clients enhance
their:
o Marketing/Advertising Strategy
o Media Buying
o Brand Positioning
o Product Innovation
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o Customer Service

24. EXAMPLE:
Kia Soul Michelle Wie
24

25. EXAMPLE:
DJ Hero Mix2Gether
25

26. EXAMPLE:
AT&T MOBILE
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27. PANEL DISCUSSION

28. DISTINGUISHED PANELISTS
FRANK COOPER MICHELLE EBANKS ROBERTO SURO
SVP and Chief Consumer President,
Professor of Journalism and
Engagement Officer, PepsiCo Essence Communications
Public Policy, Managing director of
Thank You. the Annenberg Innovation Lab,
University of Southern California
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29. THANK YOU
for participating and
CONTINUING the conversation…