Multicultural Marketing Communication
ADV4411
Mode of Instruction: Online
School of Communication
Florida State University
Fall 2012
INSTRUCTOR: Sully Moreno, M.A.
EMAIL: smm07d@my.fsu.edu
PHONE: (860) 631-7784
OFFICE HOURS: Phone by appointment
Teaching Assistants:
Antonieta Reyes(ar07@my.fsu.edu)
Young Hwang (young.hwang23@gmail.com)
Welcome to multicultural marketing communication! We live in an ever more diverse environment,
which means that the consumer landscape in the US is changing. This course is ideal for students who
are interested in learning about cultural diversity in the US and crafting marketing and communication
strategies for these audiences.
Why multicultural marketing?
Simply put, because we live in a multicultural environment. According to the 2010 Census, Hispanics,
African Americans, and Asian Americans make up over a third of the US population. The purchasing
power of these consumers cannot be ignored, so marketing and communication strategies need to take
these audiences into account.
All marketing relies on consumer insights, and multicultural marketing creates communication strategies
that rely on cultural insights. The purpose of this course is not to teach students a set of facts about
different cultural groups, but rather to enable students to find cultural insights.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
By the end of the semester, students should:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Understand and articulate why multicultural marketing is necessary.
Develop awareness and sensitivity of our cultural diverse environment.
Understand the importance of cultural insights.
Be able to find cultural insights through research and apply these insights to marketing strategy.
Produce an effective multicultural marketing strategy.
FORMAT: This course is designed for active participation, with a combination of discussion board posts
and assignments. Each student is expected to make meaningful contributions to the discussion board
throughout the semester that show both understanding of assigned materials and critical thinking that
goes beyond the readings.
TEXTS:
Each week, we will read chapters from this text that will inform your assignment or discussion board
post. The texts are REQUIRED:
1. Communicating with the Multicultural Consumer, Barbara Mueller. Published by Peter Lang
(2008).
2. Multicultural Intelligence: Eight Make-or-Break Rules for Marketing to Race, Ethnicity, and
Sexual Orientation, David R. Morse. Published by Paramount Market Publishing (2009).
The first chapter of each book is posted in the course library. Additional resources and readings are
posted in the course library and in the assignments tab.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Each week, check the assignments tab in Blackboard for the week’s readings, learning objectives, and
assignment.
WEEK
Week 1
TOPIC
Introduction to the course
Discussion board post: This discussion board posts will serve as first day
attendance. Post an introduction by Tuesday, August 28 at midnight ET to
avoid being dropped from the course. Mention your name, major, and why
you are interested in multicultural marketing.
Assignment: Read the syllabus carefully and answer the following three
questions:
 By what time should students submit their discussion board posts?
By what time should they respond to a classmate?
 By what time should students submit assignments?
 What is the late penalty?
Week 2
Overview of the multicultural marketing
Reading: Mueller Ch. 1 & Morse Ch. 1
Discussion board posts: Respond to both questions by Thursday at
midnight ET. Respond to at least one classmate’s post by Sunday at
midnight ET.
 What is the difference between a melting pot and a mosaic
approach to multiculturalism? What are the implications of each
approach from a marketing perspective?
 Which factors make multicultural segments attractive to
marketers?
Week 3
Tailoring the marketing mix
Reading: Mueller Ch. 2
Assignment: Choose a marketing campaign that targets a cultural segment
and explain how product, place, price, and promotion are being used and
whether you think it each element is being used effectively. If you feel that
an element is not being used, explain why you think it has been left out.
The format may be either a 2-3 page paper or a 10-slide Powerpoint
presentation (not including name slide or citations).
Week 4
The concept of culture, and how culture affects communication
Reading: Mueller Ch. 3
Discussion board posts: Respond to both questions by Thursday at
midnight ET. Respond to at least one classmate’s post by Sunday at
midnight ET.
 What is culture? How does culture affect communication?
 What is the difference between assimilation and acculturation?
Why is this distinction important?
Week 5
Hispanic Consumers
Reading: Mueller Ch. 4 & Morse Ch. 2
Assignment: Create a profile of Hispanic consumers using information
from your texts and from online resources such as the Pew Hispanic
Center, American Fact Finder, Selig Center, etc. At a minimum, include:
 Population
 Geographic dispersion
 Purchasing power
 Household size & income
 Levels of acculturation
 Important differences within the segment
 Implications to marketers for each characteristic and overall
The assignment may be completed as either a 3-4 page paper or a 10-slide
Powerpoint presentation (not including name slide or citations).
Week 6
African-American consumers
Reading: Mueller Ch. 5 & Morse Ch. 3
Discussion board posts: Respond to both questions by Thursday at
Week 7
midnight ET. Respond to at least one classmate’s post by Sunday at
midnight ET.
 Browse through the segments of African American consumers
posted on Blackboard and choose a segment. Explain what makes
this segment unique and how marketers can target this segment.
 From a marketing perspective, how do you feel about grouping
African and Caribbean immigrants with native-born AfricanAmericans? Can the same message resonate with all groups? Use
research to back up your position.
Final Paper Proposal
Reading: None
Week 8
Assignment: Your final project is creating a marketing strategy for a
product or service to target a cultural segment. Your proposal must include
the product or service, the target segment, an explanation of why you
chose the target segment, and at least 5 sources that you plan to use for
the project. The format must be a 1-2 page paper.
Asian American consumers
Reading: Mueller Ch. 6 & Morse Ch. 4
Discussion board posts: Respond to both questions by Thursday at
midnight ET. Respond to at least one classmate’s post by Sunday at
midnight ET.
 The label Asian-American encompasses many nationalities and
languages. What commonalities unify Asian-Americans and how
can marketers use these insights to reach this segment?
 When would you recommend targeting Asian-American
nationalities separately? Use research to back up your position.
Week 9
Beyond race and ethnicity
Reading: Morse Ch. 5 & 6
Assignment: We tend to think of culture in terms of race and ethnicity,
when in reality people can share a common identity based on other types
of group membership. For example, Morse treats the LGBT community as a
culture. Write a 2-3 page paper about another group that can be treated as
a cultural segment from a marketing perspective. Give an overview of the
group’s characteristics, explain why you feel this group can be targeted as
a culture and why they are an attractive segment to target, and provide
suggestions for how marketers can reach out to this group.
Week 10
Ethics and multicultural marketing
Reading: Mueller Ch. 7
Week 11
Discussion board posts: Respond to the question by Thursday at midnight
ET. Respond to at least one classmate’s post by Sunday at midnight ET.
 In your opinion, should companies be held accountable for their
consumers’ well-being?
 How can brands show respect for their consumers’ culture and
well-being? Give an example of a campaign that does.
Final paper draft
Assignment: Submit a draft of the first two sections of your final paper.
Week 12
Guidelines for multicultural marketing
Reading: Morse Part II
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15
Assignment: Choose two of Morse’s “make or break rules” and find a
current or recent advertising campaign that follows the rule. Explain in a 23 page paper how each campaign embodies the rule and why it is
successful at reaching its target audience. Do not draw examples from the
textbooks; you must search for your own example.
Work week for final projects
Work week for final projects
Final projects due by Friday, December 7 at midnight ET
Assignments: All assignments are due by Sunday at midnight ET. Assignments should be submitted via
the appropriate link on Blackboard, NOT via email. Assignments are graded on a 10-point scale.
Each assignment specifies whether the format is essay, Powerpoint presentation, or either one.
Your assignments will be mainly evaluated on the following criteria:
 Your assignment answers all the questions or addresses all the areas specified in the assignment
guidelines.
 Your assignment is in the appropriate format and is of the appropriate length. Your assignment
is written in correct grammar and uses vocabulary appropriate for a university-level course.
 Your assignment shows thoughtful reflection beyond the week’s assigned readings. Assignments
ARE NOT a summary of weekly readings. Always include implications to marketers and examples
aside from the book. A good question to ask yourself to make sure your assignment meets this
criterion is: what can marketers do with this information?
 You cite all of your sources in APA style or a similar citation style. All assignments require
additional research.
Discussion board posts: Discussion board posts consist of two parts: posting your own thread and
replying to a classmate’s thread. You must post your own thread by Thursday at midnight ET and reply
to a classmate’s post by Sunday at midnight ET. Discussion board posts are graded on a 10-point scale.
Always be respectful in your responses. The purpose of discussion board posts is to share ideas, not to
win arguments.
Your discussion board posts will be mainly evaluated on the following criteria:
 You have answered all the questions specified by the discussion board post.
 You have replied to a classmate’s post.
 Your post is at a minimum 150 words and your response is at a minimum 100 words. Your posts
are written in correct grammar and use vocabulary appropriate for a university-level course.
 Your post shows thoughtful reflection beyond the week’s reading. Posts ARE NOT a summary of
the week’s readings. Always include implications to marketers and examples aside from the
book. A good question to ask yourself to make sure your assignment meets this criterion is:
what can marketers do with this information?
 Your response shows you have considered your classmate’s point of view and you would like to
add to the discussion. You can express agreement or disagreement, but always include why you
either agree or disagree. Or if the post made you think or made you ask yourself a question,
explain why it did.
 You include additional sources when the assignment so requires it and you cite your sources in
APA or similar style.
Late penalties: Assignments turned in after midnight ET on Sundays will incur a 2 point late penalty per
day. This means that assignments that have not been turned in at least 4 days after their due date will
receive a 0.
Discussion board posts submitted after midnight ET on Thursday will incur a 2 point late penalty per day.
This means that discussion board posts that are not submitted at least four days after their due date will
receive a 0. If you have posted a response but you did not create your own thread, 6 points will be
deducted from your grade. If you do not post a response, 3 points will be deducted from your grade. No
late responses will be accepted.
Final Project: Your final project is a communication strategy used to market a specific product, service,
or idea to a specific culturally-based target audience (Hispanics, Asian-Americans, or African-Americans;
if you have another idea for a culturally-based target audience, please clear it with your TA before
proceeding).
The paper will include:
 Introduction: explain why you see a need to market your chosen product, service, or idea to
your chosen culturally-based audience. Here you will define the marketing problem and
opportunity and describe the competitive environment. (2 pages)
 Statement of marketing objectives: specify what you hope to achieve through marketing.
Remember that marketing objectives must be measurable. (1 page)
 Target segment and its justification: define exactly who you will be targeting and why. Your
target segment needs to be more specific than just “Hispanics.” What type of Hispanic are you
targeting? For example, what age, what level of acculturation, etc. Your justification needs to be
supported by research. (1-2 pages)
 Positioning and message strategy based on consumer insights: explain how you will position
the brand and list the consumer insights that led you to your ideas. Your consumer insights must
be derived at least in part from primary research. Conduct personal interviews, focus groups,




and/or surveys to find out pertinent information about your target audience (i.e. how they feel
about the product, service, or idea & their behaviors relating to it). Your insights may also be
based in part on secondary research. (2-3 pages)
Identification of media resources and strategy: specify which media outlets you will use, how
you will use them, and why you have chosen this approach. (2-3 pages)
Test of message and media approaches: run your positioning and media strategy by members
of your target audience and report their feedback. Explain how you tested the strategy. Again,
you may use personal interviews, focus groups, and surveys. (2-3 pages)
Guidelines for implementation: all the special considerations that must be made when
implementing your strategy as well as any constraints. (1-2 pages)
Suggestions for the evaluation of effectiveness: the measurements that should be conducted
to determine if the strategy has been effective. (1-2 pages)
Each of these sections is worth 10 points. The main criteria for grading the assignment will be:
 You included all of the information specified in the guidelines for each section and each section
is of the appropriate length.
 The strategy clearly articulates why it is necessary to market your chosen brand to your chosen
target audience, what you hope to achieve through marketing, what message you want to send
through marketing, and what cultural insights led you to this message.
 Your strategy shows the required research. Each section should reflect that you have researched
your chosen brand and target audience and that you have thoughtfully implemented your
research throughout the strategy.
 Your strategy is written in proper grammar (10 points). Proofread carefully, even the best ideas
can be lost in a sea of typos.
 You cite all of your primary and secondary sources in footnotes and in a reference list at the end
of the strategy (10 points).
The final assignment is worth a total of 100 points. The late penalty is of 20 points per day late. Final
projects over 4 days late will not be accepted.
Formatting for all assignments:
 Assignments should be types in 12 point font, double-spaced, and have one-inch margins
 Assignments should specify the project’s name and the student’s name on the first page
 Sections should have a title/subtitle to identify them
 References must be properly cited both within the text or in footnotes and in a references page,
preferably in APA style. Not citing your sources amounts to plagiarism.
Overall grade
Assignments
Discussion board
Final project
35%
35%
30%
I hope you will enjoy learning about multicultural marketing. If it is an area that interests you, you can
learn more about it at the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication
(http://hmcfsu.wordpress.com/about/). If any issues arise over the course of the semester, please
contact your TA first. I trust their judgment completely, and they will refer the issue to me if they find
it necessary. Now for the required sections of the syllabus:
The grading scale is as follows:
A
AB+
B
94-100
90-93
87-89
83-86
BC+
C
C-
80-82
77-79
73-76
70-72
D+
D
DF
67-69
60-66
60-62
<59
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GRADE INFLATION
The Department of Communication is committed to reducing grade inflation in its courses. To that end,
a department-wide grading standard has been adopted to insure that an "A" is reserved for outstanding
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register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center; and(2) bring a letter
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first week of class.
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"Except for changes that substantially affect implementation of the evaluation (grading) statement, this
syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advance notice.”