African, Hispanic (Latino), and Asian American Demographics

The growth of ethnic minorities in America has been phenomenal. Since 1980, the Asian American population has almost tripled, Hispanic American more than doubled, Native American increased 62%, and African American increased 31%, while the non-ethnic population has remained almost the same.

This is a trend that is expected to continue. The latest estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau predict that the minority population will comprise fully half the U.S. population by the year 2050.

It may seem as if the same song is being sung by a number of different choirs. The opportunity to reach powerful segments is here today. But how about we not "dip our toes in the water" and make a true commitment to these segments? Let's be honest, we as marketers have known about this opportunity for a while.

Latino Immigration From a Different Direction - New America Media

So, here we go again, not only Hispanic immigrants are being influenced by the American culture, but they are simultaneously influencing the way Americans live and perceive life. Does this sound familiar? Probably it does if you have been reading not only the rest of my blog, but anything related to multicultural marketing published recently.  The novelty in this case? that the Latino influence is expanding way beyond the states usually associated with immigration.
Emory University's Mary Odem discusses her recent book on how Latino immigration has affected the southern U.S. Latino Immigration From a Different Direction - New America Media

The Gray And The Brown: The Generational Mismatch

A gem of an article published by National Journal magazine about the impact of the multicultural young generation on the future of America.

This is the time for brands to set the direction that will impact them for the next 20 years. What should brands do? Allocate most of its resources to today’s pure “general market” consumer or to put them into the multicultural Gen Y consumer to win over the market segment that's going to continue increasing dramatically? I believe the best approach is the latter.

The fact is that those marketers brave and insightful enough to see and proactively engage the new consumer will be far ahead of their competition. Engaging this younger more multi-cultural segment in a relevant and authentic manner will lead to ROI now and down the road.