Know-How Exchange : Student Questions

It rather depends on what you target a minority with. Targeting with a rifle, bombs, invective, insults or lying propaganda is clearly illegal and wrong under international convention.

Targeting a minority with an offer which appeals to their beliefs (Bibles for Christians, Free Bibles for non-Christians), social ethnic characteristics (Spanish food for Hispanics), racial characteristics (Skin lightener for Michael Jackson or tanning lotions for white fair skinned people) or people with a physical difference (Mobility aids for the disabled) are all legitimate, non offensive ways to direct a product towards its intended market.

It only becomes a problem when the differentiation becomes either intentionally or unintentionally offensive and the differentiation is clearly set out in most national laws and in international law. It is even upheld by that waste of space and club for minority third world dictators, the United Nations. Now there’s a group I wouldn’t mind targeting with some of the things I proscribed in my first paragraph!

Best wishes

Steve Alker
A Minority of One
Unimax Solutions

First I think you need to clarify the terminology. Targeted marketing is very much different than 'targeting minorities'. Also are you referring to an explotative process or just doing business.

If I run a product stall in New York City for example and deal in live animals, I am going to market that service to members of those cultural or religious demographics who prefer to kill and prepare the animal themselves in keeping with a particular tradition. As far as I am concerned, they are a 'majority' because they will make up the majority of my business.

Marketers (good marketers at least) base their decisions on research, experience and customer feedback and who will most likely buy their product.

As another example, malt liquor has been around in the United States for over half a century. It was originally marketed to upper-class caucasians, but over the years market research showed that the people who were buying malt liquor were predominantly urban African Americans. Hence, that is reflected in the marketing today of products like Colt 45 which are advertised heavily in media outlets targeted toward an African American audience.

Propaganda is something entirely different and that is usually always targeted at a minority or majority in the usual sense of the word referring to an ethnic or religious minority or majority.

However in marketing, the term minority really isn't operable. It is all about target markets, who may happen to be an ethnic or religious minority or majority.

Examples of this are too numerous to count. Trucks are marketed to men, cleaning products are aimed at women, many fast foods are targeted toward men etc. etc.

RESEARCH determines TARGET MARKET and DEMOGRAPHICS of the TARGET MARKET determines the MARKETING CHANNEL(S) used to reach that TARGET MARKET. If a minority happens to be part of that market, that is secondary. The one and only concern of the product producer is selling something to that target market.

Is that exploitation? YES! Advertising is inherently exploitative and plays upon our desires and insecurities to get us to buy things that we may not really need but become convinced we must have. However marketers don't see a minority, they only see one color, GREEN (money.)

Regards,

~Jason

I have a counter question for you: Should manufacturers develop products that satisfy the needs of just a minority of people? Shouldn't products be developed so that it satisfies EVERYONE'S needs? Like for instance, why should there be products for vegetarians? I'm not a vegetarian and it leaves me out because I have no need!

The obvious answer is, "Yes, manufacturers should develop products specifically for the needs of minorities." So if products are developed for minorities, wouldn't be a waste to market those products to the population as a whole if they are only useful for minorities? That's not exploitation. It's satisfying the needs of a specific group and informing them that you have a product that satisfies their specific needs.

Further, "targeting minorities" versus the population as a whole for developing products and marketing them is a "niche" market strategy. If their needs are not being met by the competitors and a company can uniquely satisfy these needs, then this makes good business sense.

Besides this, a company that caters to minority needs is doing a valuable service by addressing those needs and improving the minority lives overall. That is not exploitation, but "community service."

I hope this helps.

Wayde