Hispanic Agencies Leading Total Market Work [INSIGHT]

By Bill Duggan, Group EVP, ANA

The “call for entries” just closed for the ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards. New this year is a category for “Total Market” (replacing the more generic “General Market” category).

Total Market is defined as: “A marketing approach followed by corporations with their trusted internal and external partners which proactively integrates diverse segment considerations. This is done from inception through the entire strategic process and execution, with the goal of enhancing value and growth effectiveness. In marketing communi­cations, this could lead to either one fully integrated cross-cultural approach, individual segment approaches, or both in many cases, but always aligned under one overarching strategy.”

Interestingly, the number of submissions to the Total Market category was very robust – twenty-five (25) – double the number of entries that the General Market category received last year. So clients and agencies have clearly grasped the concept of Total Market.

Even more insightful is the fact that 60 percent of the submission in the Total Market category were from Hispanic agencies (using the Ad Age list of “50 largest U.S. Hispanic agencies” in their Hispanic Fact Pack 2014).  The fact that Hispanic agencies are taking the lead here should come as no surprise as AHAA (Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies) has been an active proponent of Total Market work and education. AHAA helped lead a consortium of marketing trade associations (including ANA) and other industry leaders to define Total Market, per the above. This group has also offered guidance which outlines what Total Market is and is not. For example, total market must be supported and shepherded at the highest level of the organization and is characterized by a collaborative dynamic, from the outset, between the marketer and agency partners. Meanwhile, total market is not a one-size-fits-all cost-reduction plan and is not a translation or adaptation of a general market campaign without diverse consumer insights from the beginning of the process.

ANA looks forward to the judging of the ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards in mid-September as well as the 16th annual ANA Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Conference in November where the award winners will be announced and the topic of Total Market will most definitely be covered.


Bill Duggan
Group Executive Vice President
ANA – Association of National Advertisers

Skip to content