American Multiculturalism in the Advertisements Targeted to Foreign Markets

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English 105
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American Multiculturalism in the Advertisements targeted to Foreign Markets
Introduction
The value the American people share defines their national identity which makes it better than any other country. One major value America has shared is multiculturalism. People from various ethnic backgrounds come together to form the American society at large. Multiculturalism is the reality of America's globalization; something the country is proud of. The Americans are proud of their culture. Most marketing strategies have always incorporated this culture in adverts that mostly target foreign market for various reasons. This paper discusses how American marketers incorporate the culture of multiculturalism in the ads targeting foreign market. It also discusses the manner in which advertisers communicate the theme of multiculturalism and why the ideas are important.
The advertisers have taken to involving symbols, mores, and ideas which depict American multiculturalism. The scenes and images of the ads also depict the American values and for this matter multiculturalism. Some of the strategies employed by the advertisers to show multiculturalism are as follows:
Imitating Life
The significance of the difference in America's ethnic groups cannot be overlooked. Including the minorities in the adverts has made the advertisers to target the cultural cues of that particular ethnic group. Advertisements that serve as mirrors of the culture of the consumers have increased the affinity of the products in the international market. Thus, the advertisers have sold their products in the market by presenting to a particular group the item familiar to them and communicated to them in their native language (Gonyea).
Most of the times, the marketers use characters of the target audience (Douglous & Craig ). For instance, if it is an advert targeting Hispanic market, the character in the ad will be a Hispania. The logic behind it is that the Hispanics will be familiar to this character and knowing that one of their own in the US is using the product will give birth to the affinity of the product by the Hispanics. At other times, the symbols in the advert depict the cultural background of the target audience. The target audience will be amazed by the fact that the ‘super’ country (USA) recognizes their cultural heritage and they will, therefore, develop the affinity for the product.
Empowerment
Besides including all races, ages, gender and language among others; the American marketers make their international advertisements such that they provide a sense of empowerment to their target audience. This kind of advert usually offers something beyond the brand. It emboldens the brand and recognizes the target group’s strength thus making them proud of the products of that particular American Company. One good example is the advert of the Nike's Black History Month which said; "Be Bold. Be True." This was accompanied by people’s images being ‘bold’ which works as a source of empowerment.
Taking into account cultural intricacies
The advertisers have worked to save their face, resources and time by identifying the changes in their variety o...