Multicultural Marketing and Communications in 2021

With the Black Lives Matter movement gaining momentum in 2020 and with the UK having left the European Union on the 1st January this year opening up wider trade opportunities with the rest of the world, multicultural marketing is a key theme for 2021.

Whether promoting diversity and inclusivity at home or taking your products and services international, multicultural understanding is vital.

The UK is, and always has been, a diverse melting pot of cultures, nationalities, religions, and ethnicities. From the Roman, Viking, and Norman invasions of history, to international trade and our open borders with Europe. Partly even due to our colonial past, modern Britain is multicultural.

After the Census in 2011, it was estimated that 13% of the UK population was from a BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic) heritage and recent immigration figures show that net migration from Europe and beyond continues to add to the diversity of our country and its people.

What is multicultural marketing and why is it so important?

So what is multicultural marketing and why is it so important today? The Wikipedia definition of multicultural marketing is “the practice of marketing to one or more audiences of a specific ethnicity – typically an ethnicity outside of a country's majority culture, which is sometimes called the general market.”

Request a printed copy of our Multicultural Marketing Calendar and Planner for 2021

With multicultural audiences making up a significant, and indeed growing, proportion of the UK population, there are many compelling reasons to take a multicultural approach to your marketing. Given recent events and the growing Black Lives Matter movement, many would now also argue that companies and brands have a responsibility to reflect, encourage, and support cultural diversity and inclusion in their communications.

1. Commercial opportunity

Multicultural communities represent a sizeable audience. Globalisation and the international nature of business today means an understanding of these cultures and engaging with these communities in the UK, and abroad, creates opportunities for domestic and international growth.  

From an economic and commercial point of view, BAME communities are a large part of the UK’s working population and have substantial buying power.

For example, Islam is one of the fastest-growing religious groups in the UK with 2.7m people identifying as Muslim. A report published by the Muslim Council of Britain estimated Muslim’s spending power at £20.5 billion in 2013, but they have often been ignored by brands as a consumer audience.  

2. Diversity and inclusion

Studies have shown that diversity and inclusion in all its forms (cultural, age, gender, sexual orientation, or disability) benefits companies and organisations in multiple ways. This includes attracting the best talent, increasing market competitiveness, and innovation, as well as improving corporate reputation.  

A recent Forbes report into fostering innovation through diversity concluded that 'a diverse and inclusive workforce is necessary to drive innovation, foster creativity, and guide business strategies. Multiple voices lead to new ideas, new services, new products and encourage out-of-the-box thinking.' 

3. Social responsibility

Racial tensions continue to run high globally and in the UK. The last two decades have seen an increase in Islamophobia and currently racial inequality and discrimination issues are at the fore with the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Socially responsible brands recognise the need for cultural diversity and inclusion in all aspects of their management, operations and communications and are prepared to take action to improve the current situation.   

Multicultural communications in practice

So if you aren’t yet actively engaging with multicultural audiences, hopefully you can see that there are a multitude of commercial, economic, and social reasons why you should be.

But where to begin?

All marketing and communications needs to be based on a genuine understanding of your audience or consumer, regardless of culture, race or religion. However, this is particularly true of multicultural communications to avoid potentially offensive stereotypes or mistakes.  

Multicultural Marketing Calendar

Evolve Creative is a multicultural branding, design, and communications specialist and we have created an interactive Multicultural Calendar and Planner to support your marketing and planning.

Each cultural community or group has its own celebrations, festivals, religious observances, and holidays. These events often have a significant impact on people’s behaviour and buying habits and offer a great opportunity to engage with multicultural audiences.

Dates of these events change year-on-year, so this interactive calendar highlights key dates and events for the second half of 2020 to help you plan your communications, content, and campaigns. It also offers insight into each event and how it is celebrated.

For support with your branding, marketing, and multicultural design needs, drop us a line on welcome@evolvecreative.london or contact Jo on 07769 708940.