Multicultural Marketing Experts Give Their Two Cents On Census Data - Brief Article

Brandweek, May 14, 2001 by Becky Ebenkamp

No one would be surprised to learn from Census 2000 results that the Hispanic population grew in the country's coastal urban centers, such as New York City Miami and Los Angeles. What's very telling is that the Hispanic population increased in states such as Arkansas, Nevada and Iowa.

Arkansas, in fact, experienced the largest Hispanic population increase percentage-wise--it grew 337% over the last decade--followed by Nevada and Iowa. Texas had the largest numerical increase with 2 million-plus more Hispanics in 2000 than in 1990, followed by New Jersey and Nevada. What this says to me is that the Hispanic impact is a phenomenon that cannot be discounted anywhere in the country. No longer can people say, "That's an urban issue."-Daisy Exposito, president/chief creative officer at The Bravo Group, New York

The recent U.S. Census 2000 documents that the African American population has increased 22% since 1990, to over 36 million. This is nearly three times the rate of white America and does not include an estimated 1.5% ethnic undercount.

The annual income of African Americans exceeds $572 billion, more than all other ethnic segments. However, the true significance of the African American consumer market goes beyond the numbers. The cumulative impact of African American music, entertainment, athletics and lifestyle has created the urban market phenomena which has become the dominant influence on contemporary culture. This provides an overwhelming business rationale for targeting this fast-growing marketplace.--Byron E. Lewis, chairman/CEO at UniWorld Group, New York

In the last 10 to 15 years, marketers in many product categories did not even think about marketing to Asian Americans. However, Census 2000 confirms that addressing this audience should be viewed as an imperative. The statistics clearly show that Asians are the fastest growing racial group [Census 2000 does not consider Hispanics a racial segment, but a population group containing many races.] They make up more than 12% of California's population and are the fastest growing segment in urban areas such as New York and Chicago.

What is lesser known is that Asians have the highest education levels and household income ($6,000 more than whites). They own the most expensive homes and cars, and are the most tech-savvy Americans.--Eliot Kang, president/CEO of Kang & Lee Advertising, New York