A Multicultural wake up call while shopping.

Last Friday afternoon, I went on my weekly shopping trip to the local grocery super-center. There, I began my multi-hour adventure, mulling over a two-page list of items to pickup, that I received from my girlfriend. While scanning over the list, I began to rethink a book I had just read for Dr. Korzenny’s Multicultural Marketing class. Guy Garcia’s The New Mainstream: How the Multicultural Consumer Is Transforming American Business, is a book that explores 21st century America, and how important and prevalent muliticulturism is within our society. I begin to think about my first reactions to one of Garcia’s (2004) opening statements, that only 50 percent of the population will be made up on non-Hispanic whites by 2050-that this multiculturalism is reaching “critical mass”-that America is becoming the first real multicultural society.

As I think this over, I grab some items from my list, off the shelves. These include: a rice bowl, an enchilada dish, sushi, mangos, mixed nuts, apples, plantain chips, dried fruit, potato pancake mix, rice, Goya black beans, taco shells, quesadilla wraps, Kool-Aid, tomatoes, Mexican cheese, sour cream, rice noodles, egg drop soup mix, water chestnuts, wonton wraps, tofu, bean curd and more.

I continue on my journey and enter “cosmetics” to pick up an item for my girlfriend. While searching for Jenny’s favorite face powder I continue to think about some of Garcia’s (2004) claims. Is the “mainstream” really going “multicultural?” I remember from Korzenny & Korzenny’s (2005) book, Hispanic Marketing: A Cultural Perspective, that the 2004 U.S. Hispanic market alone had a purchasing power of 700 billion dollars and was beginning to garner the attention of mainstream America. But is this true across the board? It was my perception that much of multicultural marketing was still a niche enterprise.
I bend down to look for this well-hidden powder. There seems to be thousands of powders, all different shapes, colors and sizes. I pick up one, hoping that this is it. The back of the powder reads, “so naturally creamy, it will blend into any one of the following dark skin tones.” My girlfriend is ghost white, I put this one down. The next powder I pick up is “specifically engineered to match olive or Hispanic skin.” I give up and call home for help.

Exiting the world of makeup, I begin to stroll to my next destination, however my head is still stuck in Garcia’s (2004) world. His discussion of “in-culture” marketing intrigued me. I wonder how many companies actually go to through the trouble of “reaching out to social organizations and civic leaders” to make sure that their marketing campaigns or editorials are n’sync with the ethnic or cultural group whom they are trying to market too. What fascinated me about this section of the book was Garcia’s vivid description that although it is important for marketers to review messages for language idiosyncrasies, it is also vital that marketers review the customs, beliefs, habits, etc. of each market that they are targeting. It is at this point that I recall Garcia’s (2004) discussion about AOLA and AOL Latino, and how AOL did everything in its power to understand both the Latin American market, as well as the U.S. Hispanic market before marketing their products.

Along my path, I remember Garcia (2004) discussing ethnic dolls and toys. I decide to swing by the toy isle to take a look. And to my astonishment, there were more than just a few ethnic toys available. Like the expected 2010 population, at least half of all toys represented ethnic diversity. I pick up a tiny ceramic Asian doll for my girlfriend, and move on.

At this point my curiosity continues to grow. I remember Garcia (2004) discussing a plethora of races and ethnicities grace the covers of books, movies, magazines, etc. In fact when I reach that section of the store, I realize that there are many magazines dedicated to a particular race or ethnicity. Of course People en Español was there, but there was also magazines for African Americans, Asians, elderly and Homosexuals. I sit down in the middle of the isle and start to breeze through a few “multicultural magazines.”

While reading Jet magazine, I begin to think about my daily life. From breezing past Univision on my television set, to reading about Jennifer Lopez, Spike Lee and even Will Smith, in popular magazines, and seeing them in movies, I realize that I am living in a multicultural world-the very same world Guy Garcia depicts in his book, The New Mainstream.
After Browsing a few magazines, I head for the check out line where I run into Ben, an old friend of mine from undergrad. Ben’s father is Chinese and his mother is Nigerian. As we get to talking I suddenly find myself asking, “What are you?” Ben glares. I apologize, and explain that I have just read this book about multiculturalism within America, and reword my question: “What I mean Ben, is what’s your race, ethnicity and culture? How do you identify yourself?” Ben smiles and answers, “I’m Black-Chinese, American, and kind of feel that I am a mix of ethnicities. I eat authentic Chinese food as well as my mother’s African cooking. I eat hotdogs and hamburgers, and even sushi. I am a Christian, though my parents aren’t. I listen to classical music and blues and my favorite sport is Hockey.”

Listening to Ben, I can agree with Garcia’s (2004) claim that in the New Mainstream, there will be a gradual blurring between races and ethnicities into a more homogenized population. Garcia (2004) belief that “Panethnicity” will eventually be the norm makes sense to me. I look into my basket. From food items to ethnic cooking products I had picked up along the way, I myself am a multicultural citizen. I share in the ability choose my own culture from the vast array of choices being offered nowadays. I can usurp many different aspects of other cultures and, like Ben, make them my own. Being raised an average American I have absolutely no ties to an ethnic or cultural past. In some respects, I feel that I am searching some groundwork so I can pass something onto my children. I don’t even know where my relatives are from.
Reading this book, I feel blessed to be apprised to all of this great information, while there are still many marketers who are not. Although “The Great Awakening” will come one day soon, when it will be essential for all marketers and companies to have a multicultural perspective, nowadays we are still living in a world in transition. For those of us lucky enough to study multicultural marketing, and akin courses, we have a better grasp on the future of marketing, and what exactly needs to be done.

Note: This is a reaction paper assignment to Guy Garcia’s The New Mainstream: How the Multicultural Consumer is Transforming American Business.

By Jack Tyndall

Multicultural Marketing Communication
Student
Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication
Florida State University