We recently published the new Nielsen Annual Auto Marketing Report: Drive Connections with Multicultural Consumers. This year’s report highlights the dynamic preferences of multicultural consumers across generations, empowering marketers to create car research and buying experiences that meet the unique needs, questions and desires of U.S. multicultural consumers.

“This is a pivotal moment, both for brands and our country. Across the nation, U.S. multicultural communities are standing up, speaking out and demanding to be heard. Racial justice is top of mind for these consumers, who are holding marketers accountable. It’s past time that brands pay attention,” says Stacie de Armas, VP Strategic Community Alliance and Consumer Engagement, Nielsen.

At Nielsen, our role is to arm brands and marketers with the resources they need to better understand their consumers’ behaviors, especially as these behaviors are continuously and rapidly re-shaped by the pandemic and racial injustice protests. It is also important to us that we use our voice to be advocates and allies to those who are underrepresented, specifically Black, Hispanic and Asian Americans.

“The Black Lives Matter movement has lifted the veil on everyday areas where Blacks and other people of color face discrimination or are otherwise invisible,” says de Armas.

Through more inclusive advertising and marketing strategies, we can begin to chip away at long-ingrained biases and celebrate the richness that multicultural consumers bring to both our culture and our economy.

STACIE DE ARMAS
VP STRATEGIC COMMUNITY ALLIANCE AND CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT, NIELSEN

While Black, Hispanic and Asian American consumers have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and racial injustices, their purchasing power has never been stronger. By connecting to these consumers now, brands can build long-lasting relationships with a community that wields $4.25 trillion—and is growing faster than the national average. 

The report identifies an opening for auto marketers: multicultural consumers are less entrenched in their car preferences and are aware of 10-20% fewer car brands than the general population. During the car buying process, Hispanic and Black consumers add more brands than anyone else, making them more receptive to advertising efforts even for brands that aren’t top-of-mind at the beginning.

In today’s current environment, however, stakes are high when it comes to advertising. Consumers are taking a microscope to every message and are holding marketers accountable. While some marketers may feel more secure defaulting to broader messaging, especially where ad budgets are tight, being more precise offers more value and efficiency. 

“Now is not the time for brands to sit on the sidelines,” de Armas said. “Avoiding the topic, sticking to general messaging, and keeping your marketing strategy unchanged perpetuates the myth that all our experiences are equal. This is not only less effective, but is a contributing factor to the discrimination that infiltrates the buying experiences of multicultural consumers. Instead, we must understand and acknowledge the differences that exist in the process and address them. This report aims to uncover those.”

From social to radio listening, Nielsen’s research highlights the differences and specific strategies to enable marketers to make meaningful connections and avoid missteps with Black, Hispanic and Asian American consumers. 

This report is part of Nielsen’s commitment to redouble our efforts to provide the general public, press and the business community with more information on the economic power and the impact of the Black community and other people of color in media, sports and culture.