Niche Advertising and Minorities

Niche Advertising and Minorities

            They are inevitable and almost impossible to avoid, and whether you like them or not, advertisements will find their way to you as a media consumer. As we have been changing the way we consume media recently, advertisers have adapted. What has also changed in our media consumption is the amount of platforms we have to choose from, as there are now an endless amount of TV networks, magazines, apps, and websites through which we consume. With this increased specialization in media, we create these niche communities of consumers who share a common interest. For instance, it’s fairly obvious that all the loyal readers of SnoWest, a popular snowmobiling magazine, are all avid snowmobilers and consider it one of their passions.

This has allowed advertisers to know exactly who is consuming specific forms of media, making their job infinitely easier. This also makes us as consumers much more susceptible to making (or at least considering) a purchase based on how well the advertisement connects with our needs and wants. An article from Inspirationfeed.com talks about how brands are capitalizing on using niche advertising to hone in on trends in the world of media consumption.

“Today, most companies and their advertising partners are more concerned about niche marketing and advertising. This is just one of the corporate strategies employed to maximize ad spending that effectively reach a specific market. This is backed by various market researches, demographic studies and consumer statistics.” The article goes on to discuss how advertisers communicate to specific audiences, and what are some ‘rules’ niche advertisers should follow. One of these rules advises that niche advertisers should “speak the language of your niche market. Creating brand strategy includes in-depth studies on words that trigger great response from target audiences” (Inspirationfeed.com)

This rule of niche advertising comes into play especially with how advertisers attempt to communicate to minorities. Sarah Banet-Weiser’s article discusses how brands first capitalized on the implementation of minority-positioned advertising during the 80s.

“The influx of racial representations in the 1980s media landscape did not necessarily reflect a progressive political consciousness about the politics of race but were the result of a convergence of political and cultural dynamics, including the increase of niche channels on cable television, the rise of brand culture, the marketing tool of lifestyle demographics, and the politics of the Reagan administration” (Banet-Weiser).

The section of this article is entitled “No More Cosby Show: Generational Struggles over Race in the New Economy” and goes on to discuss how African-American culture was first affected and economically exploited by brands and their use of niche advertising. Banet-Weiser notes the work of Herman Gray, who conducted a study of race representation on American television. Gray remarks how corporate America used diversity as a marketing tool in the 1980s. We still see this tactic used today as advertisements attempt to attract minority audiences, much like a political candidate would do. McDonalds has been notorious for having such advertisements, most often showing ads that attempt to appeal to African-Americans. They typically show a humorous scene amongst a group of black friends and have an urban theme complete with hip-hop music. Some people may regard these types of advertisements as racist, as the advertisers are seemingly using stereotypical elements of African-American culture. As Gray mentioned, brands seem to use diversity as a marketing tool to appeal to their niche audiences of minorities.

Brands annually invest millions of dollars into market research and psychological studies to better understand their consumers for advertising purposes. Tying back into the rule of knowing your consumer, intensive studies have been done by corporations to better understand how people feel, and thus what products they are more inclined to buy. One industry that has taken this approach to an impressively in-depth level is the auto industry. An article from Advertising Age looks at how auto marketers are studying the psychographics of each ethnic group and assigning emotional traits to them. Auto Consultancy Strategic Vision found that “Latinos look for an enhanced sense of security; blacks are more attracted to models that reflect the success in their lives and express their individuality; and Asian-Americans showed stronger interest in balanced, complete vehicle performance and style to match their lives” (Halliday).

In turn, auto marketers use this information to highlight certain functional benefits of their cars in advertisements. This attempt to gain sales among minorities is among the ways niche advertising is used on the most miniscule scale, completely oblivious to us as media consumers. Thus, the strategy of niche advertising has been used for brands to communicate to specific audiences and communities, especially with minorities. Ethical conversations have been brought up about whether or not it is exploitation, however it is a tool brands will continue to use and one we will continue to see (or not see) as media consumers.

Tina. "Niche Advertising and Marketing: Zeroing in on Your Target." Inspirationfeed.com. N.p., 26 Dec. 2012. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.

Higgs, Bronwyn. "Imported advertising: imported culture." Marketing Magazine (2007): 80-83.

Halliday, Jean. "Automakers Must Get 'Emotional' to Sell to Minorities." Update Your User Profile. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.

Cody Fuller