LAS VEGAS–Here’s a “Breaking News Alert,” joked one speaker here: “America is changing. And then turning serious, he noted there’s a lot a credit unions can get wrong when it comes to multicultural marketing, including coming across as insulting and condescending.
Luis Soto Carrillo, marketing manager with Vantage West Credit Union here, shared with the CUNA Marketing & Business Development Council meeting here some rules to keep in mind when reaching out to multicultural communities.
The reasons for such outreach are obvious, according to Soto, who noted:
- There are 131-million multicultural Americans (37% of the population)
- In the U.S. there are 58.9 million Hispanics
- Multicultural buying power in 2021 will be $16 .1 trillion
- The Asian population in the U.S. grew 72% from 2000-2014
- By 2043, the white majority of the U.S. will be gone
According to Soto, examples of companies that have failed in their multicultural marketing have included:
- Visa’s “Life Takes Visa” translated into Spanish as “Life Drinks Visa.” “You have to test your campaigns with people who are actual native speakers and who speak the language conversationally. You must understand idioms and nuances. So, test your creative. If you don’t show your campaign to your prospective audience, you will have problems.” The most important thing to remember, he said, is that culture always beats language.
- Pepsi, which partnered with Kendall Jenner, in an ad that came across as tone deaf for suggesting giving a Pepsi to a police officer helped resolve all problems. “We live in the age of casual activism,” said Soto. “Good things don’t necessarily go well together. Avoid social and political topics unless you can fully commit to a cause.” And, Soto reminded, “Nobody takes the Kardashians seriously.”
- When it comes to using stock photos, Soto urged credit unions to not allow biases to make it into their creative. “Do not overcompensate,” he said. “We see it all the time when marketing agencies are trying to reach out to a consumer, and if they are targeting Hispanics, they say, ‘Let’s find a brown person.’ Does the person next to you look exactly like you? Not every person has to look the same in a campaign.”
The Combo: Race + Politics
“Be strategic in your support of social causes,” recommended Soto. “One thing we have to ask is, are the employees in our organizations representative of the constituencies we serve. Focus on company diversity first. Train employees and communicate what it is you are trying to accomplish. And stick to your core business. Our goal as credit unions is to serve our members and help them to achieve their dreams. So maybe we should focus on that instead of being activists for the sake of being activists.
Avoid Influencers
For credit unions that opt to work with social media influencers, Soto urged a rethinking of that approach. Instead, he said it’s important to lead by example and to partner with authorities, not influencers. “This is ethnically driven, not ethnically exclusive,” he said, citing a campaign done by Nike.
Soto cited another campaign done by Target that celebrated culture without translation, specifically addressing things that can’t really be translated and instead are told by celebrating nuances.
“Recognize quirks and bring them to life in a light way,” said Soto, urging again that market research be used. “Listen to conversation,” including in social media.
Finally, Soto pointed to a campaign run by Lyft that is emotionally charged and which says “thank you.”
The takeaway, he said, is “real people, real stories.”
He urged credit unions to leverage organic content and share stories of the people who represent the new face of the country: minorities.
The Lyft campaign featured a driver sharing the cultures to which he has been exposed, with Lyft giving him a campaign all around the world. It was Lyft’s way of saying thank you to the driver, named LaMont, who was identified after the company asked its users about a driver they remembered.
How to Get It
So how can a credit union “get it” when it comes to multicultural marketing.
According to Soto:
- Hire a diverse team. “Credit union employees and volunteers should represent the communities they serve.”
- Research. “Understand your community. Listen to the market, but most importantly, listen to your members and employees.”
- Understand the Cultural Intricacies. “There are stories that the data just can’t tell.”
- Localize. Localize copy, images and videos.
- Be Inclusive, But Be Careful. “Celebrate groups but do not exclude others. There is such a thing as trying too hard.”
- Be Authentic. “Do not change your branch identity to market to a group. Strategize—a campaign is only one component of a multicultural strategy.”