Lessons from the Marketing Campaign Trail - O'Reilly Mediaassets.en.oreilly.com/1/event/37/Lessons from the Marketing Campaign Trail_ Using... · Mental Programming PERSONALITY CULTURE

Lessons from the Marketing Campaign Trail

Using Social Media to Engage Multicultural Communities

Jessica Faye Carter May 5, 2010

Copyright © 2010 Jessica Faye Carter.

we’re going for the guilt-free session

GUIILT


Every community and every person is multicultural.

(it’s not just about race, ethnicity, or minorities)


This session is not only about how to market to ethnic groups…


It’s about how to use social media to connect with people across different dimensions of their identity

(ethnicity is only one dimension)


Our approach •  What is culture?

– how do we talk about it in this era of emerging technologies?

–  social media as a culture •  Engaging users across dimensions of identity •  Establishing next-level connection points •  Common pitfalls and how to avoid them •  Going to market: testing your concept and

site •  Getting ready for the future


Lesson #1: Understand Culture + Social Media

Culture Talk

•  Different ways we talk about culture – From the Latin cultura, “to cultivate” – Refinement, the arts, things congruent with

the notion of being civilized – Mental programming or “software of the mind”

•  Muddled lexicon – Sociology, anthropology, business, diversity,

race


What is Culture?

“Collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from others.”

Source: Geert Hofstede and Gert Jan Hofstede, Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind, 2005


Mental Programming

PERSONALITY

CULTURE

HUMAN NATURE

Specific to individual

Universal Inherited

Learned

Inherited and learned

Specific to group or category

Source: Hofstede, Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind, 2005

Culture Revealed: Symbols, Heroes, Rituals, Values

•  Symbols –  Shared meaning in language, power, attire within the group –  May shift between groups

•  Heroes –  People whose attributes are valued and respected by the

group (e.g., Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, Ernesto (Che) Guevara, Confucius)

–  May be shared by different groups •  Rituals

–  Important group activities with deeper, hidden meanings (e.g., religious ceremonies, salutations, celebrations)

•  Values –  Invisible; inferred from symbols, heroes, rituals



What about social media culture?

When Cultures Collide

“Hacker” Culture

Business Culture

Emerging Technology

Culture

National Cultural Attributes

Individual Cultural Attributes Copyright © 2010 Jessica Faye Carter.

Cultural Views

Hacker •  Focus on technical

proficiency •  Stick to the

“operating system” •  Human and

personality levels of mental programming

•  Resistance to highlighting culture

Emerging Tech

•  How to remain true to our hacker roots, but…show me the money!

•  All levels of mental programming

•  Opportunity for expanded understanding of culture

Business •  Diverse markets

present a business opportunity

•  Revenue is King •  All levels of mental

programming, but narrow view of culture


Culture + Tech

•  Long Tail •  Openness/Transparency •  Collective Intelligence •  Hacking/Remixing Data & Info


Lesson # 2: Engage Groups by Using Co-cultures

Mental Programming

PERSONALITY

CULTURE

HUMAN NATURE

Specific to individual

Universal Inherited

Learned

Inherited and learned

Specific to group or category


Co-Cultures •  Everyone belongs to multiple cultural groups

(“co-cultures”) –  National origin –  Ethnic/regional background –  Gender –  Economic status –  Education level –  Physical appearance (e.g., weight, height,

attractiveness, coloring) –  Sexual orientation/preference –  Religion

•  Sometimes these co-cultures conflict


What do you see? •  Lisa Dineo •  Born in Japan; lived there

until she was 12 •  Teenage years in Iowa •  ½ Black, and identifies

herself as multi-ethnic •  M.P.H., Johns Hopkins •  Religion: Catholic •  On her iPod: Rihanna,

Colbie Caillat, Lazybatusu •  Married to a Japanese

man, 1 son


Marketing to Co-cultures •  Hacker culture

–  Less emphasis on commercial issues—it’s about exploration of new ideas

•  Multicultural marketing (Business) –  Choose culture with highest affiliation (e.g., ethnicity,

gender, etc., or socio-economic status) –  You can only do so much specialization

•  Emerging Tech –  The Long Tail is profitable (because social media has

aggregated these markets –  Phase 1: combine multicultural marketing with social

media


Multicultural Social Media

Pros •  Integrates with current

business practices and nomenclature

•  People are somewhat conditioned to view culture as ethnicity

•  Gives some sense of using culture as a connection point

Cons •  Lexicon still muddled •  Still using major identity

categories—not reaching all co-cultures

•  Some controversy about use of culture in business practices


Connecting with Co-Cultures: NBA

•  Rather than focusing on one aspect of users’ identities, establish multiple connection points –  National origin –  Multiple language

offerings –  Regional interest –  Entertainment

offerings www.nba.com/enebea


Connecting with Co-Cultures: American Airlines

•  Part of larger diverse marketing campaign

•  Focuses on Black travelers

•  Nelson George, Travel Expert-at-Large

•  English language (other languages could expand reach)

•  Blackness has different connotations in other regions of the world

www.blackatlas.com


Lesson #3: Establish Next-Level Connections

Getting Past Cultural Basics

•  Connect with users beyond what is generally considered culture

•  Consider these areas: – Emotional connections – Values (e.g., family-oriented, respect for

elders, religious considerations) – Highlight commitment to community – Showcase a group’s history


Marketing to Co-Cultures - Search

•  Search engines target religious users who want to avoid certain content

•  Could be of interest to non-religious users

•  I’mHalal has warnings for the devout


Historical Connections: The Queerest Places

•  Chronicles historical sites with relevance to the LGBT Community –  Cole Porter’s house – GLAMA in Kansas

City •  Celebrates LGBT

culture and history •  Part of community of

historical LGBT sites

queerestplaces.wordpress.com


Lesson #4: Watch out for Pitfalls

Pitfalls on the Road to Success

•  Assuming everyone will like your idea –  Not a fit w/personality – May prefer the

“human only” approach

–  You cannot please everyone

•  Avoid limiting culture to appearances, languages, cuisines

PERSONALITY

CULTURE

HUMAN NATURE A screenshot of Pitfall! on the Atari 2600


Pitfalls II

•  Skip the stereotypes – Reducing an ethnicity to one characteristic

•  Be careful with humor –  it varies considerably across cultures –  insider/outsider dynamics may not allow you

to express certain types •  Remember the idiom!!


Lesson #5: Test Your Concept and Site

Going to Market •  Two models

– Hacker culture says do the site quickly, make refinements later

•  Pros: first to market, establish leadership with the group

•  Cons: this could lead to costly mistakes and really bad publicity if things go poorly

– Business culture says test, test, test •  Pros: Sensitive to the importance of culture, may

resonate on deeper levels •  Cons: Slower to market; does it get waylaid in the

pipeline?


Unilever’s Approach •  Tested brands like

Pond’s Age Miracle Cream with Chinese women

•  Used blogs to connect with testers

•  Testers shared their thoughts on the product

•  Risky move, but paid off—product very well received


American Airlines’ Approach

•  Several stages of testing –  Focus groups –  Employees previewed

and gave feedback •  Took perspective of

audience seriously •  Continued monitoring

and engagement www.blackatlas.com


Social Testing •  Engaged users will

highlight site, including pros and cons

•  Try to engage them (not just to respond to comments), but take their concerns seriously –  Be selective with this

approach


Lesson #6: Get Ready for the Future

Future of Multicultural Social Media

•  Mobile – Broad reach across demographics – Reaches global markets that lack significant

technological infrastructure

•  Customized user experiences – Everyday life – Entertainment and leisure


Connect with me

[email protected] twitter.com/jescarter 203.539.1436

Thank You.


Documents

Lessons from the Marketing Campaign Trail - O'Reilly Mediaassets.en.oreilly.com/1/event/37/Lessons from the Marketing Campaign Trail_ Using... · Mental Programming PERSONALITY CULTURE