Multicultural ads garner big wins for 9 major companies

At this year's annual Multicultural Marketing and Diversity Conference, presented by the Association of National Advertisers, nine companies were the recipients of the Multicultural Excellence Awards. Among the winners were Allstate Insurance, Ford Motor Co, Scott's Miracle-Gro, Target and Toyota, according to AdvertisingAge Magazine.

Most of the ads run by these companies had one thing in common: humor. Making audiences laugh is one of the best ways a company can make sure their products are remembered. However, more than being funny, to be considered for this particular award the ads also needed to speak directly to a specific culture or ethnic group.

"We were looking for a campaign that was insights-driven and delivered a culturally relevant message," Dipika Hemdev, assistant manager of multicultural marketing at General Mills and one of this year's judges, told the news source. "And also tops it off with humor. Those are the ads that typically won."

Scott's Miracle-Gro was awarded with the best Hispanic campaign. Their television spot featured a Hispanic home and a bug-smashing flip flop spraying a bottle of Ortho Home Defense solution, protecting the household as the family pursued other interests. Another Hispanic-oriented radio ad by Target featured a Mexican band singing to customers about their fabulous prices: "Green Giant baby carrots for $1.99 ... At Target, sales prices sound like a serenade."

Marketers have become increasingly aware of the need for multicultural advertisements as the American population continues to change and evolve. The Hispanic market is recognized as one of the biggest and most coveted ethnic markets, with $11.1 trillion in current buying power that is expected to grow to $14 trillion as early as 2013.

Marketing agencies that want to tap into this enormous potential need to identify the best way to target the Hispanic audience. Using humor as a marketing tool can only take you so far - Semcasting has introduced its Hispanic Index Indicator, which can help marketers reach Hispanic consumers in their own neighborhoods. Using this tool, marketers are able to target their campaigns more efficiently by sending out ads to exactly the right audience. This helps advertisers limit their expense while maximizing their outreach and their ROI.