Ethnic marketing: the good, the bad and the unknown

Abstract

The representation and targeting of ethnic minority consumers in marketing has sparked debate recently. Global brands have been criticized for using stereotyping or exoticizing portrayals of race and ethnicity in marketing communications that misrepresent or exclude certain consumer segments and are accused of racially profiling or mistreating ethnic minority consumers in retail settings. A review of the ethnic marketing literature shows a paucity of research aimed at understanding whether ethnic marketing, as a targeting strategy, is effective not only for financial gains, but for ethnic consumers' wellbeing and positive integration in the host society. Drawing on seminal theories such as the common in-group identity model (Gaertner et al., 1993), the intergroup contact theory (Allport, 1954) and more recent work on inclusive marketing in multicultural marketplaces (Demangeot et al., 2019; Licsandru & Cui, 2018), this chapter aims to delve into the underlying processes that motivate consumers' response to portrayals of ethnicity in marketing communications and, more broadly, other ethnic marketing efforts (e.g. product and service design, race-based segmentation).