When I first included Middle Eastern groups as a growing and diverse multicultural market within the United States, surprised everyone. I had to start with the statistics of the world population that is of the Islāmic faith and how America is experiencing the same growth patterns.
Back then, market development strategies would have never segmented this group. Much less would have new product strategy focused on the special needs of Middle Eastern consumers. A disruptive class on financial shariah* law and how to do business within the Islāmic world got cancelled due to low enrollment. Now, it is happening. According to the Wall Street Journal on May 20, top consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies launched personal care products specifically targeted for Middle Eastern tastes, such as hair products that address lack of ventilation under a scarf.
In the global scene, although slowly, companies are starting to realize that an American brand name is no longer enough to sell to diverse consumers. Sophisticated and empowered consumers want what is important to them, in their terms. Cultural influences, overt or not, shape preferences. Brands market share growth both in the U.S. and abroad is highly dependent on how well brands tap into diversity of tastes, styles, perceptions and behaviors that shape consumer-decision making.
This lesson is not new. African-American women have long wanted hair and skin products that fit her needs. Small entrepreneurs started to fill the void before major CPG companies started to even consider this as a market, in spite of this segment $1B buying power.
Originally woven by Peruvian villagers
Under-the-radar groups are big cultural influencers to the mainstream too. In fashions I remember when my friend and textile preservationist in Peru, Nilda Callañaupa from Centro de Textiles de Cuzco, brought the first embroidered ovary-tip, long-side-tie hat I have seen. (Gifted to our host at the Field Museum of Science and Industry where we were delivering talks about authentic Peruvian art forms and links to anthropological research). Soon enough some entrepreneur must have found the hat style, commercialized it and, after, the hat became fashionable to today.
Last week, at a business communications class after a participant spoke, most audience questions were about the outfit, a beautiful blue, white and black Sari** she purchased at one of the colorful Indian stores on Devon Avenue in Chicago. We all admired her chic look with a slight Indian flair within a quasi-American look. At a graduation party, the mother wore a similar outfit she bought at a boutique in California when travelling on vacations. She had not a clue that her outfit was a take on a sari.
Multiculturalism is about understanding cultural influences, differences and similarities. In business, these influences go beyond the way consumers speak, receive and process information to the very way consumers eat, dress, entertain and live their lives.
Multicultural influences come from multiple angles. From the targeted segment or subgroup, deeper understanding and connections feeds new products ideas and one hand and on the other hand, harnesses long-term relationships. From the mainstream, influences are bidirectional which opens doors for new creations or iterations of products and services as well. Furthermore, understanding trendy, young, multi-cultural individuals helps predict future trends and cultural shifts.
Why hair? It is personal. Is your product and relationship with diverse consumers personal?
References:
*Muslims have a huge advantage in being able to turn to their religious teaching for guidance in their business dealings. Belief in God provides not merely the motivation, but the imperative for adhering to shariah law, which is to be applied in all spheres of life. For Muslims moral conduct in their daily lives is part of their devotion. Revealed teaching provides moral certainty, and a set of standards to which the entire community of believers can adhere.” Islāmic Banking http://www.islamic-banking.com/islamic-business-ethics.aspx
**”long, wrapping garment worn by Hindu women,” 1785, from Hindi sari, from Prakrit sadi, from Skt. sati “garment, petticoat.” Dictionary.com
