Study: Marketers should take culture into consideration when targeting

Online marketers should not consider simply age or sex when setting up the targeting for future online campaigns. The latest Simultaneous Media Survey from BIGresearch indicates that culture is just as important.

by Kristina Knight

Joe Pilotta, VP, Strategy of BIGresearch, said, "(This) breakout of... (Hispanic) consumers reveals differing cultural identities within the categories which give a real insight into the complexity of marketing to Hispanics who have their own internal diversity. Cultural differences must truly be a part of a consumer-centric model, not just another variable."

The Survey focuses on the responses of many Latinos, 44% of whom identified themselves as Caucasian and 34% of whom identified themselves as Other Race/Heritage. About 16% identified themselves as multi-racial. Rather than simply taking race into account for targeting purposes, the survey suggests that marketers also take income and age into account.

That is because these factor indicate the mobility of Hispanics within the realm of targeting factors. For example, the Hispanics who identified themselves as Caucasian are more likely older and with a higher income than Hispanics who identified themselves as another race. So using a younger theme in a campaign would not reach these consumers; instead, the ads should be targeted for an older age group.