“Numbers are the way we make decisions now” said Census Bureau Director Robert Grove in a recent interview with Guy Garcia, multicultural consumerism expert. The two speakers commented on the American census data in a conference at the ARF, an open forum for discussions on marketing and advertising. The outcome was an interesting new vision of the American social construct.
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If we are still thinking of Americans as loud, open and boastful people, perhaps it is time to reconsider our stereotypes. The census results are significant because they show major shifts in the cultural make-up of American citizens, from their age to their ethnical background. The record 14.6% of marriages between people of different ethnicities or race is just one example of how the population is changing a rapid pace.
The workplace is a mirror of such demographic change and will experience different approaches to meetings, negotiating, building trust and closing sales as a result, all of which will impact the success of doing business and selling across cultures. The ever changing lifestyle trends of an average American means that marketing and advertising initiatives also need to change. For instance, if Americans are increasingly marrying later in life, having pictures of a young couple advertising a home insurance policy might feel out of place.
International organisations are slowly beginning to recognise that a multicultural population like that of the US has a strong impact on marketing and business. A more diverse cultural background means that consumers’ preferences and habits are more varied and marketing campaigns must pay a lot of attention to the new social expectations and attitudes. However many organisations don’t realise that increasing immigration and the inevitable transformation of society means that cultural differences are present not only abroad but at home so they often fail to adapt their marketing campaigns accordingly.
Increased awareness of your potential clients’ requirements and expectations across cultures is the new way forward when doing business both abroad and at home. Adapting your sales and marketing techniques effectively to a multicultural consumer base requires a unique set of cultural skills and understanding.
Being culturally inclusive and aware is more than choosing a set of images that include a range of ethnically diverse people. Cultural awareness for marketing means being able to identify consumers’ unique cultural values, attitudes and preferences and being able to adapt the product or advert accordingly. Cross cultural awareness training courses such as Selling across Cultures will help you develop the cultural skills required for an effective marketing campaign aimed at a multicultural population.
The US is not the only country seeing such changes to the cultural composition of their population and workforce. Migration on a global scale affects most nations. Some countries such as the UK have a long history of dealing with multicultural differences with many waves of different nationalities migrating to the country over the years. Others, such as Italy, are new to the diverse and bulky flux of migrants and are facing new challenges in industries like clothing retail which is struggling against a strong Chinese competition.
These cultural differences can easily lead to miscommunication and tensions, ultimately causing loss of time, money and revenue to an organisation. An intercultural training course such as Developing Global Competencecan help you to reduce the dangers and pitfalls that a multicultural working environment presents. A global economy requires marketing initiatives to be informed by cultural awareness the world over. Ultimately, capitalism is driven by diversity so successful business will be led by the ability to effectively adapt to such changes and cultures.
© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010
© admin for Communicaid Blog | Cross Cultural Training and International Communication Skills, 2010. |
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Post tags: American, Courses - Cultural Training, Cross cultural awareness training, cultural, Developing intercultural Competence, diverse, intercultural communication, intercultural training, multicultural, Selling across Cultures, US culture
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