Companies working to reach growing minority audiences in the United States

According to CNN, minority groups make up one-third of the U.S. population. Their spending power is growing, but this market is largely untapped. More companies are realizing this and are trying to focus more PR campaigns and advertisements towards diverse markets. Athletics are a great way to reach diverse audiences because many minority groups are represented in the NBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, NFL and MLS. Sports are a worldwide language, so it’s a great way for U.S. companies to reach groups such as Latinos, African-Americans, Asians and other culturally diverse people.

A few years ago, Allstate Insurance partnered with the American Black Film Festival to reach African-American audiences, and it sponsored NASCAR Driver for Diversity, Jesus Hernandez, to reach Hispanic audiences. The heads of Allstate wanted to reach minority audiences because everybody needs insurance. The company started a campaign called the Beyond February Program to show support for and commitment to African-Americans outside of Black History Month. The program includes local agency activities, donations to children in need, advertisements and other activities that empower the community.

Allstate reached its Hispanic audience by partnering with Hernandez in June 2007 for seven Grand National Division races. It also continued its partnership with the Urban Youth Racing School in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., which promotes racing in youth minorities. Allstate also rejoined African-American driver, Bill Lester, for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Power Stroke Diesel 200 in 2007. These campaign efforts by Allstate were smart moves because minority audiences are often an untapped market. The minority audiences in the United States are growing and steadily having more influence and spending power. Allstate wanted to extend its reach to gain new customers.

Jessica Faye Carter wrote a blog post about how more companies are using social media to reach minority audiences. One campaign that she mentioned was the NBA, which wanted to reach its Latino audience.

One way the NBA tried to reach the Latino audience was to format its website to be translated to Spanish. The NBA began a website called “Ene-be-a” geared towards Latinos. It features news and videos from around the NBA. The site has catchphrases that roughly translate to “You make the difference” and “This is your game.” Ene-be-a focuses on Latino basketball players, much like Allstate did within NASCAR, to build what Carter says is “an emotional connection.”

More companies are stretching their influence by sponsoring minority athletes, and they are building a larger audience and customer base. These are just a few good examples of the efforts companies and corporations are making to reach more diverse audiences.