Ethnic minorities like Native Americans are often underrepresented in the media and the marketing ads of luxurious brands. This paper focuses on the strategies that Dolce & Gabbana can use to become a more inclusive brand. It is recommended to consider recruiting celebrities of Indian American descent and opening the company’s stores in the U.S. reservations. The methods that should be used for creating advertising are videos and images that can be posted on popular web platforms, fashion magazines, and social media.
Selected Subculture or Ethnic/Underrepresented Group
Native Americans, the indigenous population of the North, South, or Central America, are the ethnic group that is severely underrepresented in media. They are represented by various tribes with their own languages, religions, and traditions, but many have been converted to Christianity, and most speak English nowadays (Fixico, 2021). The identity of Native Americans is defined by their tribal connections and family relationships (Geboe, 2021). Still, all of them remember the tragic history of their ancestors who were brutally tortured by European settlers, forced into reservations, and denied American citizenship and rights (Fixico, 2021). Since many still live in reservations, they are undercounted and underrepresented since censuses often miss over 1-5% of the indigenous people and other ethnic minorities (Alfonseca, 2022). Therefore, famous, respected brands should consider raising awareness of this problem by including Indians in their marketing campaigns.
It does not seem that Native Americans actively fight to be on the media and advertise luxurious items, but doing so will mark Dolce & Gabbana (D&G) as an inclusive brand. Furthermore, it will help reclaim the brand from the 2019 failure in the Chinese market (Danziger, 2019). Specifically, D&G released a short video about how people in China try to eat Italian food with chopsticks (Danziger, 2019). Although the company expected the target audience to perceive it as humorous, this commercial was labeled racist and had to be removed from the web (Danziger, 2019). Another situation that caused the creation of a racist image of this brand was the fact that Domenico Dolce, one of the designers and owners, said that after the death of the two founders, he did not want “a Japanese designer to start designing Dolce & Gabbana” (Holt, 2018, para. 3). These incidents occurred several years ago, but it seems that D&G needs a new campaign that will remove the mark of a discriminator.
Market Analysis
Since Native Americans have long been excluded from participation in social life in the U.S. and internationally, they do not seem to be interested in being featured by famous brands. Nevertheless, it is still possible to make them interested in D&G sandals and wedges and convince them to be part of its marketing campaign. However, thorough marketing analysis is required in this population group to create effective marketing. According to Licsandru and Cui (2019), “the effectiveness of ethnic embedded marketing communications is subject to each viewer’s interpretation, the cultural codes used, and their level of involvement in the meaning-making process” (p. 263). Indeed, an advertisement ad should convey the emotional connection of an offered product to ethnic identity.
It is incorrect to assume that since the average representative of this population group has a low income, one will not be interested in purchasing luxurious items. In fact, it was found that Indian households spend $35 more on beauty products than other Americans (NielsenIQ, 2022, para. 1). It indicates that appearance is essential among these people; hence, their interests can be implemented for marketing. It will not only add a new subgroup of customers but will help the company acquire the title of inclusive and nondiscriminatory brand.
Historically, Native American fashion was distinct and unique since their apparel and shoes were made from feathers, fur, leather, and other natural materials. Notably, sandals were an essential component of indigenous women’s wardrobe (Fashinza, 2022). Although traditional clothing is not as popular as it was previously among Indian Americans, some elements of their clothing can be targeted to elicit their interest in D&G products. Overall, it is expected that including more underrepresented groups will help the company raise its sales and surpass rivals that may still be considered racist due to the mistakes in marketing ads.
Selected Product Category
The selected D&G product categories are sandals and wedges with high, medium, and flat platforms. The market analysis showed that Native Americans are highly interested in beauty products and hence appearance (NielsenIQ, 2022). Furthermore, sandals have always been a distinct attribute of these people’s clothing; therefore, this brand’s footwear may be interesting for the indigenous population of the United States. The specific products that may be shown in an advertising ad are polished calfskin platform sandals, patent leather thong sandals, satin sandals with rhinestones, and Nappa leather thong sandals (Dolce & Gabbana, 2022). Furthermore, such items as rope-soled wedges in printed brocade fabric and embroidered canvas wedges can also be added to the campaign (Dolce & Gabbana, 2022). Overall, the selected products should reflect the multifaceted nature of Native American culture and imply that they are involved and perfectly built to become active participants in the modern market.
Strategic Recommendations
The two strategies that can help D&G in this campaign are recruiting Native American celebrities for promotional ads and opening the brand’s outlets in reservations. The former should demonstrate the respect and recognition the company has for the indigenous people. The latter will allow the brand to broaden its market. In fact, both strategies can help D&G be recognized as an inclusive and ethnically-unbiased brand.
Recommendations
The first recommendation is to recruit celebrities of Indian American descent and make them brand ambassadors. The potential candidates are Irena Bedard, Joy Harjo, Tori Amos, Sacheen Littlefeather, Louise Erdrich, and Alyssa Wapanatâhk (Rindner, 2020). Harjo and Bedard are famous authors, and Amos is a popular musician of Cherokee descent (Rindner, 2020). Bedard, Wapanatâhk, and Littlefeather are actresses of various age ranges, which can be viewed as an advantage because it will show that D&G values its customers of all generations (Rindner, 2020). These women embody the strong spirit of Indian heritage and continue to be role models for other Native Americans (Rindner, 2020). The company should try to reach out to all of them and convince to participate in the D&G marketing campaign dedicated to the indigenous people of North America.
The second recommendation is to open D&G outlets in the reservations. This strategy is crucial because having online stores and shipping options is insufficient since not all people in the reservations may have access to the Internet. Therefore, placing physical stores in Native American neighborhoods will broaden the market. This measure may improve the brand’s reputation, resulting in a rise in sales in other underrepresented ethnicities and subculture groups. However, to avoid past failures, it is essential to recruit Native American professionals for the marketing research and creation of the video ad. It will prevent inappropriate statements and actions in this advertisement that may offend this population group’s feelings and sense of ethnic identity.
Media Mix
The three primary media that will be utilized in the new D&G marketing campaign are web, news, and social media. Firstly, the web media, particularly the ones that allow streaming promotional videos, will be used because it combines audio and video features to convey the intended message more efficiently. Secondly, print and digital fashion magazines remain popular among the general population; thus, pictures from the campaign and promotional titles should catch the reader’s attention. Lastly, since social media has become a powerful influencing tool, the brand will place its ads on various channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr.
Media that Would Not be Used
The two news media types that will not be used are radio methods and newspapers. Firstly, this marketing campaign’s main objective is demonstrating the beauty of indigenous Americans wearing D&G sandals and wedges. Since radio or podcasts lack the visualization properties and tools, they cannot be utilized. Secondly, newspapers are mostly bought or visited by people who are interested in reading the news. Thus, placing this ad that may interfere with reading or viewing the page can result in a negative reaction from the audience.
Conclusion
Dolce & Gabbana is a luxurious brand, which requires new advertising ads that will target subcultures or ethnic minorities. This paper proposes including Native Americans in a new marketing campaign. It will help D&G broaden its market and clear from accusations of being racist, which appeared after an unsuccessful video ad in China. The two recommended strategies are recruiting Indian celebrities and opening outlets in the reservations. Finally, the media mix will include web video platforms, fashion magazines, and social media.
References
Alfonseca, K. (2022). Latino, Black, and Native American communities underrepresented in 2020 census. ABC News. Web.
Dolce & Gabbana. (2022). Sandals and wedges. Web.
Fashinza. (2022). Native American clothes: History and latest fashion trends. Web.
Fixico, D. L. (2021). When Native Americans were slaughtered in the name of ‘civilization.’ History. Web.
Geboe, B. (2021). Native American identity complex and authentic. Thirteen. Web.
Holt, B. (2018). Why the Dolce and Gabbana brand will die with its designers. Luxury Travel Advisor. Web.
Licsandru, T. C., & Cui, C. C. (2019). Ethnic marketing to the global millennial consumers: Challenges and opportunities. Journal of Business Research, 103, 261–274. Web.
NielsenIQ. (2022). Understanding Native American beauty consumers. Web.
Rindner, G. (2020). 16 famous Native American actors, politicians, and artists today. Oprah Daily. Web.