Mr. Spock Goes to the ANA

Introducing Logic into the Quest for a Total Market Approach Definition

Cantinflas and Mr. Spock walk into a bar. That’s how I wanted to start this note, but it wasn’t working, Cantinflas is too distracting. So I’ll leave him for now and hang out with Mr. Spock of Star Trek fame, a staunch purveyor of unadulterated logic.

Mr. Spock wants to check out the bar at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, where it so happens the ANA Annual Multicultural conference is taking place. He strikes up friendly conversation with some industry folks, everyone’s getting along. So far, so good. But you know those Vulcans, they just can’t let it go – he just had to show off his superior cognitive abilities, injecting himself into the pressing conversation of our time. Like a true Vulcan, Mr. Spock wants to bring logic to the quest some seem hell-bent on: defining a Total Market Approach – and have some mojitos, of course…it’s Miami.
The bar quickly fills up with a multicultural hodgepodge of marketing stalwarts that seem right out of a United Colors of Benetton 30-year class reunion (Caucasians included) engaging in what seems to be an existential discussion.

“…the fact is the Hispanic market is growing faster than any other,” says one self-righteous Hispanic marketer. To which, una Americana account planner mutters under her breath, “They’re almost at 20 percent and closing in fast. If we have to start splitting the pie with these folks, how am I going to pay for my Esperanza?” “You know the Catholic Church ended that whole pay for hope and redemption thing years ago, don’t you?” questions the Latino dude. La Americana clarifies, “Esperanza’s our nanny… why, she’s practically part of the family really.” (I wonder if she’s paid as such.)
Hearing this, Mr. Spock arches an eyebrow in that loveable Vulcan way, and interjects. “Excuse me, but the issue seems to be of how to properly allocate resources.  We at Starfleet Command keep intergalactic peace by using a method called Shifting Resource Allocation, or SRA as we call it. It’s logical.” Intrigued, one of the account types asks, “How does it work, this SRA?”  “Simple logic,” says Mr. Spock.  “20 percent of the population is a sizeable opportunity and would require more resources than if they were only 5 percent of the population – something closer to say, 20 percent, I would suspect is appropriate. We just reallocate the resources as the situation changes, it’s only logical,” Mr. Spock clarifies.

“Sounds simple enough, but that won’t work here,” a now defensive proponent of the status quo proceeds to rant. “This isn’t easy stuff…it’s a very complicated business, full of Venn diagrams, flow charts and the like, all needed to arrive at the maximum quotient of optimization. To begin with, a lot of those Latino guys are just like us, they even love football… real American football.  Pretty soon, they’ll all forget whatever that whole being Latino thing is all about. I say that we are on the right track, no need to shift anything anywhere. Clients want their money in safe hands, hands they know.” “The premise sounds logical,” chimes in Mr. Spock. “However, that same reasoning has proved false. If my Vulcan memory doesn’t fail me, I recall that argument being used some 25 or 30 years ago by all sorts of bright minds. By the auto industry, who as a whole believed they (Latinos) would never be able to afford a new car, and steered them toward used cars instead. By realtors who, after taking one look at a newlywed couple of color, assumed they couldn’t afford the property.”

And it would be logical to keep things as they are, if things were as they should be. If store clerks at high-end fashion stores wouldn’t follow African American shoppers out of suspicion, but rather to make sure they can be of service to them, as with any other shopper. Or if, in this politically-charged season (or any time in recent memory for that matter), we wouldn’t repeatedly hear go back to where you came from, either in code language or straight up.

And while things aren’t where they logically need to be, facts have changed, so it makes sense to look for a better way. Infusing multicultural insights into mainstream communications is indispensable – not doing so should be considered malpractice. For marketers today to seek applause for doing something so basic, is just sad.

So finally someone just comes out and asks Mr. Spock how he would define a Total Market Approach. To which he answered, “I find no logical explanation as to why a Total Market Approach needs to be defined. As you humans always remind me, one size doesn’t fit all.”  Mr. Spock continues, “Reason would dictate that those who have the best solutions for the issues at hand should be the ones empowered to solve them. That’s the only constant we can logically formulate in this discussion, everything else should remain fluid.  Market segmentation and audience targeting is a cornerstone of marketing. It would also appear that this Total Market Approach definition you seek is the opposite of segmentation and targeting, and therefore, illogical. The argument then becomes one of shifting the resources from where they have traditionally been to where they need to go. When the situation shifts again, we can recalibrate once more always using reason and logic as our guide. Until then, for the resources to stay in a state of inertia when the opportunity has shifted also seems illogical.” (Where’s Cantinflas when you need him!)

The bar quiets as people ponder Mr. Spock’s words, while the Latino utters for all to hear, “From your mouth to the Almighty’s ear…and may you live long and prosper baby!” As for me, I’m at the bar at the Fontainebleau Hotel, waiting for the seismic shift to occur, or more likely, last call.

BY Pedro de Cordoba / Eventus