Imagine a global village where a single message resonates with every heart, regardless of language or culture.
This is the essence of effective multicultural marketing, which goes beyond translation to weave rich, culturally nuanced narratives that deeply connect with diverse audiences.
DesignRush had the opportunity to speak to Acento CEO Donnie Broxson who emphasizes the importance of understanding cultural differences and immersing brands in their audience's multilingual and multicultural reality to create authentic connections and meaningful engagement.
Who Is Donnie Broxson?
Previously a client of Acento, Donnie Broxson joined the agency 13 years ago and took the helm as CEO in 2020. With a career focus on marketing integration across segments and continents, he mines his corporate and non-profit background to guide Acento’s powerhouse team as it pioneers culture-based advertising.
Acento has deep Hispanic roots and over 40 years of experience in the industry — the company has grown from targeting only Spanish speakers in advertising to a cross-cultural marketing agency, leading initiatives for diverse audiences.
As Donnie explains, this heritage gives Acento deep insight into cultural nuances.
The Hispanic experience reflects a broader human experience. As minority perspectives become mainstream, they help clients integrate cultural understanding into their practices, defeating consumer indifference.
Connecting with non-majority audiences requires sensitivity to cultural insights, enhancing results across all segments. So, they listen to consumers, remove biases, and engage with authentic narratives.
“We pioneered a cross-cultural model that recognizes that cultural segments do not exist in silos. People interact and share spaces and experiences. Impactful messaging taps into these intersections while respecting cultural heritage, linguistic affinity, and life experience.
Diversity is now defining culture in new and dynamic ways, so a holistic strategic approach is necessary to drive relevance and bottom-line impact,” he adds.
Commenting on how important it is for brands to identify relevant cultural differences among consumers in their home market and target multilingual audiences, Donnie suggests that brand relevance requires recognizing cultural differences among consumers.
He adds that in a crowded market, consumers are bombarded with information, leading to message fatigue and indifference.
Marketing is personal, influenced by individual experiences and cultural perspectives. Consumers seek brands that genuinely value them.
Closing this gap involves more than translation; it requires immersing brands in their audience's multilingual and multicultural reality to create authentic connections and meaningful engagement.
Working with expert digital marketing agencies can help business tailor their approach and successfully engage diverse audiences.
Brands Should Avoid the Pitfalls of Universal Marketing
Discussing common mistakes brands face when tackling multicultural audiences, Donnie notes that the biggest flaw is an oversimplification, often resulting from the brands’ desire for efficiency, lack of knowledge, or institutional momentum.
According to him, many brands attempt multicultural marketing with a universal approach, focusing on translation or casting, which is based on several erroneous assumptions:
- Language: Simple translation ignores cultural dynamics and tends to focus on what the brand wants to say rather than what the consumer wants to hear.
- Shared motivations: Decision-making varies greatly by culture, but marketers often impose their own biases on consumers.
- Purchase priorities: The role a product or brand plays in someone’s life is not just practical or economic but also shaped by personal heritage and experience.
- Buying power: The potential of diverse segments is often understated. Minority buying power is enormous and growing faster than that of the Anglo segment.
Additionally, Donnie says that another challenge is identifying the right questions to ask about data and strategy emphasizing that direct comparisons across segments can be misleading. Acento considers cultural nuances and fundamental differences in audience-brand relationships.
“Acento tailors its approach to fit the unique dynamics of each audience. We help brands ask the right questions and develop culturally relevant strategies that resonate with diverse segments, enabling meaningful and impactful connections with their audiences,“ he adds.
Multicultural Consumers Make Up 40% of Total U.S. Population
With audiences being more diverse than ever, I was curious to learn how Acento successfully develops a message that resonates with people belonging to different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
This is Donnie’s input on this matter:
“While 40% of the U.S. population is multicultural, only 5.3% of media spend is allocated to these audiences. The marketplace is increasingly complex, but the numbers are clear: brands are leaving potential on the table. Investing in diverse audiences isn't just a nice thing to do—it's a business imperative.
The 'general market' no longer exists. This diverse market demands an updated philosophy. We must move beyond the general/multicultural paradigm and embrace a multi-segment view where the 'English-language Caucasian' is simply one segment among many.
Acento’s approach addresses audiences with humility and respect. Our cross-cultural methodology digs deep into specific segments while also considering the broader diversity of our audiences. We seek the universal, but not at the expense of the specific, developing a profound understanding of both.
By doing so, we can identify shared values and points of intersection, as well as the unique aspects of each audience. This allows us to craft messages that resonate deeply with specific groups while harmonizing into a cohesive overall voice.”
Leverage 'Radical Collaboration' for Marketing Success
Next, we touched upon “radical collaboration” and how employing it helps Acento build authentic brand connections with diverse audiences.
“A brand can be greater than the sum of its parts when all elements are well-aligned. At Acento, we believe in establishing those connections proactively through what we call "radical collaboration"," Donnie notes.
According to him, this approach starts with internal cross-functional teams and extends to client and agency partners, involving experts across products, segments, and channels. By breaking down silos, they create efficiency, consistent campaigns, and greater impact.
Their goal is to develop authentic brands and cohesive campaigns throughout the consumer journey. They leverage insights from every team member to enhance product delivery, advertising, media, and corporate actions.
“This approach fosters a sense of ownership and accountability among diverse, multi-disciplinary specialists, leading to a shared commitment to results. By integrating diverse perspectives and expertise, we ensure that our work resonates deeply with diverse audiences, building authentic and lasting brand connections,” he adds.
Donnie shares an initiative they led for Wells Fargo where they executed a six-segment strategy that honored each segment's nuances while tapping into the shared experience of overcoming obstacles to achieve dreams.
Acento collaborated with specialist culture agencies, delivering brand lift, audience engagement across segments, and strong bottom-line results. The campaign highlighted the inner strength of individuals and how the brand empowers their success.
Expectations of a Brand Can Differ Across Groups
Embracing authenticity while staying relevant to multicultural audiences is a complex yet essential task.
But how can one manage to balance these aspects effectively?
“Recognizing the role a brand plays in culture and the lives of individuals empowers the creation of meaningful connections between corporate values, products, and audiences,” Donnie explains to me.
He says they help companies find their voice and cultural place by exploring their brand, competition, and the cultural moment.
Connecting this identity to its audience involves analyzing segments based on values, beliefs, socio-linguistic nuances, economic factors, education, and cultural identity.
According to him, it’s important to recognize that the expectations of a brand can differ across groups based on several factors:
- The brand’s role in their lives and community
- How the segment builds trust
- Historical relationship to corporations or authority
- The relationship they desire with a brand or product—whether transactional or deeper
- The role of rational and emotional connectors, which varies greatly by both cultural group and category
“We align brand attributes with the unique experiences and perspectives of each segment. This allows us to build genuine and lasting connections that are both authentic and relevant,” he concludes.
Building Authentic Connections Depends on Proper Audience Targeting
By accurately identifying and understanding your audience, you can tailor your messaging, products, and services to meet their specific needs and preferences, leading to more genuine and lasting relationships.
In view of this, I asked Donnie what tools Acento uses for data layering and validation and how it leverages the data insights to refine audience targeting.
He says that Acento integrates proprietary, syndicated, and client-tracked data to make informed decisions and create robust audience segments. Using anonymized third-party data, they identify responsive audiences and track market trends without privacy concerns.
For multicultural marketing, they use a specialized toolkit that includes proprietary research, syndicated data, social listening, and channel analysis. This data is processed through their cross-cultural model to develop precise, culturally relevant strategies, ensuring greater engagement and impact for our campaigns.
Multicultural Audiences Require Additional KPIs to Track Behaviour
While their efforts across any segment must align with the client's overall business objectives, focusing on driving awareness, changing behavior, or increasing sales, for multicultural audiences, Donnie describes that Acento sets additional KPIs as user experience differs.
For example, in Hispanic households, decision-making is often cross-generational. Spanish-dominant users engage more with content but convert less online, often relying on bilingual household members for transactions. Bilingual users prefer texting, while Spanish-dominant audiences favor call centers.
Donnie says they set primary and secondary KPIs tailored to each audience's preferences, ensuring they meet specific needs while achieving overall client goals.
“Given the nuances within a single cultural group, we establish primary and secondary KPIs that align with each target audience's preferred journey. This ensures we cater to specific preferences while achieving overall client objectives,” he concludes.
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