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Resonating Across Cultures
Why radio should play a central role in multicultural campaigns
The constantly evolving makeup of today's American population has made it one of the most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations in the world. From a marketing perspective, multiculturalism is a challenging concept to activate; developing creative and selecting the right mix of media that will achieve relevance across a multicultural spectrum is a difficult feat. For efficiency, many brands will market in a way that either appeals to the cultural nuances of a total market, a specific race, or communities of people who share the brand's values.
A 2023 study by communications agency Zeno titled "The State of Multiculturalism in America Today" points toward the fastest growing and youngest segments in the U.S. who identify as two or more ethnicities and now represent more than 10 percent of the population. This group, titled by Zeno as "Generation Self-Defined," is set to shift traditional multicultural efforts to evolve and better resonate with the diverse beliefs, values, and communities across cultures.
More than ever before, today's consumers demand diverse perspectives and a deep understanding of their cultural identity by brands and organizations. Marketers have learned that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to penetrate America's magnificent cultural melting pot, but an empathic, authentic, and inclusive approach fosters connections that are transformational in scope to unite people and resonate for years to come.
A Medium In Which Audiences Hear Themselves
For any marketer to achieve growth, tapping the collective buying power across multicultural consumers with unique identities is a must. Among the multitude of cultures, identities, and combinations thereof, radio has earned the hearts and minds of a mosaic of listeners who live in local markets from coast to coast.
Radio, across its myriad of formats and genres, uniquely delivers content that reflects the beliefs and values of its listeners while facilitating a sense of belonging. A 2022 Signal Hill study of needs satisfied by radio revealed consumers' top responses were to get information, feel connected, and be entertained. This is reinforced by Jacobs Media "Techsurvey 2024," which found that listeners tune in for local content and information and the emotional benefits of mood enhancement and companionship.
Radio has earned its superpowers — trust, relationships, and companionship — by understanding that every community has its own unique culture, identity, and language. It serves up the content and conversations that nourish unique values, often transcending culture and defining the next frontier. Radio does all of this with scale. In fact, according to Rich Tunkel, head of client services at Nielsen Audio, multicultural radio is widely popular. "A multicultural radio station — either urban, rhythmic, or Spanish language — is among the top five in eight out of 10 major markets," he says, citing Nielsen research.
The brands that adapt their own unique messaging and leverage radio's superpowers can achieve growth.
'The Soundtrack of Their Lives'
Twenty-five years ago, O'Reilly Auto Parts created its catchy "Oh oh oh O'Reilly, …" jingle. Radio has been a critical part of the O'Reilly brand's media efforts due to its broad reach, ability to capture attention in the car, and resonate with consumers. The company consistently experiences a high ROI with the medium, and radio across cultures plays an important role. In an interview at the 2024 Radio Mercury Awards in June, where the brand received the Radio Marketer of the Year Award, Hugo Sanchez, VP of advertising and marketing at O'Reilly, told RAB that the jingle translates well across cultures, in great part because the lyrics are the brand's name.
"As an international company, we try to make sure to leverage the power of our creative and catchy jingle with our brand promises and offers," Sanchez said in the interview. "The jingle provides a great avenue for consumers to sing along, while understanding the product messaging crafted for specific cultural audiences both nationally and locally."
The secret sauce to cross-cultural marketing success is inclusivity. "When a Black or Hispanic person tunes into a format that appeals to them, they hear voices that sound like them and it's comforting," Kevin Jenkins, EVP and multicultural specialist at Service Broadcasting Corp., shared with RAB for its annual multicultural video titled "Radio Connects" released in August. Inclusivity begins with a well-crafted story delivered by voices that listeners among various segments can relate to — a story with narrative that makes it accessible, authentic, aspirational, and relevant to listeners. The art of storytelling can go beyond cultural and linguistic boundaries to connect with listeners on deep, emotional levels. "The stories that are told — the community concerns that the listeners hear on the radio — it is the soundtrack of their lives," Jenkins says in the video.
Knowing Your Sh-t
As Radio Ink reports, research released in late 2023 from the Hispanic Marketing Council (HMC) revealed that non-Hispanic whites between the ages of 13 and 49 are now more influenced by Hispanic, Black, and Asian cultures than ever before. "There is no longer a world where 'whiteness' is the default identity surrounded by multicultural satellites," HMC Research Chair Nancy Tellet tells Radio Ink. "For 13- to 49-year-olds, the walls between the worlds have melted, and that's a wake-up call for many brands. This is evident not only in their lifestyle choices but also in their consumption of audio content, including radio shows, podcasts, and music."
Radio stations are ahead of this curve and can help brands navigate this shift. A radio station that has what traditionally may be considered a fully ethnic audience can also serve listeners of other cultures and languages. For example, in an iHeartMedia proprietary audience analysis using Nielsen 2024 PPM data of 87 urban format stations, the audience composition shows that 27 percent are non-African American, with 11 percent identifying as Hispanic. Radio has a long history of serving content specifically designed for its audiences' needs. These stations know who their listeners are and what makes them tick, and create programming, curate music, and engage in conversations that are in sync with the values and beliefs of their audience.
"Radio is synonymous with storytelling, and nothing connects more with multicultural consumers more than radio's stories," says Tony Coles, president of the Black Information Network and iHeartMedia Multiplatform Group. "Radio ties what connects with listeners most with the culture of their heritage and lifestyles."
The HMC study highlighted that culturally diverse ad campaigns resonate more with gen Z and millennials regardless of language. Those younger consumers, who are more likely to engage with audio content, pay greater attention to the brands that use in-culture advertising strategies, according to the study. Marketers must set out to craft narratives with the brands' values in the forefront, connecting these values to the beliefs of the audience listening on the other end of the radio. When done right, it is never a one-size-fits-all creative strategy; in fact it may be a unique set of messages for every individual format, genre, and market.
Take Beautiful Beast's work for the Colon Cancer Coalition. It digs deep into insights that drive the various priority audiences that it set out to engage. To reach younger Hispanic audiences who are fluent English speakers with a strong cultural connection, the agency created a campaign entitled "Foreign VO," which tackles the nuance of accents among Latinos, celebrating their unique sounds as a superpower rather than a stigma. "Previously seen as a liability, our agency's bilingualism is now an asset that helps brands like the Colon Cancer Coalition resonate with gen Z Hispanics," says Aldo Quevedo, CEO and creative chairman at Beautiful Beast. "The campaign thrived by tapping into deep emotional truths that resonate within the community."
For the total market, the Colon Cancer Coalition's creative spoofed the iconic Bud Light "Real Men of Genius" campaign, focusing on American icons who are full of s-h-i-t. Targeted to millennials, the campaign's main goal was to increase search activity for symptoms of colon cancer by at least 5 percent, and in combination with the earned media attention, the campaign met its goal. "We needed people talking about shit, because talking about shit saves lives," says Flor Leibashchoff, co-founder and chief creative officer of Beautiful Beast.
The Guiding Principles for a Multicultural Brand Strategy
PepsiCo's Cheetos playful brand campaigns are renowned for the memorable experiences they create for various target audiences, and radio plays an important role across the brand's field marketing efforts. Since 2020, PepsiCo and Cheetos have celebrated and empowered Latino changemakers through their Deja Tu Huella purpose-driven platform that inspires Latino students to help them reach their full potential. To successfully engage the young Latino community, the brand turns to radio to spark interest, host parts of the celebration, and keep the energy high with culturally relevant music. "By tailoring messages to specific audiences and leveraging partnerships with radio stations, Cheetos can create powerful, resonant narratives that foster deep connections with their audiences and leave a lasting impact on communities," says Marina Cuesta, group creative director for the Cheetos brand at the Latina creative firm Creyentes.
Multicultural marketing is a key component of business growth as it helps brands reach new markets, increase sales, and boost brand affinity among an increasingly loyal group of audiences. Given the rapidly changing makeup of American consumers, any and every multicultural brand strategy must include the four core guiding principles:
- Be inclusive
- Be authentic
- Tell stories that connect values and beliefs
- Leverage channels (such as radio) that effectively reach, engage, and earn audiences' loyalty and trust
As Sabina Widmann, EVP of Ark Marketing Latino, a division of Ark Marketing and Media Solutions, shared with RAB for its multicultural video, "Radio connects people to home. Radio unites people — they trust radio. It makes them feel included; it makes them feel invited. And if you invite someone to a place like this, they will come."
The RAB is a partner in the ANA Thought Leadership Program.
