Marketing is a complex process that takes into consideration several factors. A company would always exploit the characteristics of a subculture that can increase the sales of its product. However, several facts must be considered for this process to be successful. A company must take precautionary measures when dealing with a subculture that is stereotyped or considered a minority. This is because the strategy can backfire and lead to serious losses to the firm.
When a firm takes advantage of the characteristics of a stereotyped group to advertise its product, the message will be received differently. For instance, when a firm uses blacks to advertise cigarettes, the move would be interpreted to mean discrimination. In the US and Canada, blacks are people who have always suffered from racial discrimination
The targeted group will believe that the move was meant to stereotype them further in society. It would be very difficult for the firm to convince the target market that the move was based on the special characteristics that make them distinct from other groups. This is what took place when R.J Reynold decided to advertise cigarettes using black consumers. Consumers considered this move discriminative.
They could not understand why this firm associated such a harmful product with blacks. It did not only lose the trust of blacks but the society in general. Sympathizers of blacks would avoid the firm and its product as a show of rage on the discriminatory action.
Other members of society who consider blacks as inferior to them would not buy the product because they will have already associated blacks with the commodity. There would be no alternative but to quit the market. A firm should therefore consider using the largest group of societal members to increase the sale of a harmful product, such as a cigarette.
Different markets have different tastes and are therefore satisfied with different products. A firm will have the responsibility of designing products that would best meet the needs of the preselected market. This move can be very challenging if the preselected market is stereotyped and the product is harmful. There is a popular saying among marketers that, ‘a marketer will have to do what has to be done when it comes to promoting a product to the target audience.’ When the target audience is the minority and consumes the product in question, then a marketer will have to promote the product to them, but in a way that will not stereotype them further. It would be illogical to promote a brand of beer that is popular among Indians using Native Americans in an American market.
It will not make sense because the market will associate the product with Native Americans. Given the cultural difference between the two societies, the Indians will consider the product inappropriate. In this case, the firm will have succeeded in driving away customers in the market instead of attracting them. The Native Americans will not buy the product because it is not popular with them. The Indians will not buy the product because they would associate it with the Native Americans. To avoid such a scenario, marketers must take a clear approach to attract customers from the preselect segment using people in groups. This is what marketing is all about.