The Death of Niche Marketing
There is a great article in today's Boston Globe Ideas section about the shift from targeted demographic market segmentation to one that in more post-racial, "United Nations" style and more all-inclusive in its approach. It's along the lines of the bi-racial, melting pot society that America has become.
There seems to be a shift away from marketers developing separate strategies and separate creative executions for each individual demographic group. Many marketers are creating commercials where the ethnic make up is indeterminate allowing the viewer to fill in the blanks with their own ethnic projections.
According to the 2000 Census, 6.8 million Americans belong to two at least two racial groups. With 43% of this group under the age of 18 and other studies pointing towards the increase in inter-racial marriage, the racial blurring on America is truly happening.
As Warren Beatty put it in the movie, Bulworth, "If we all fucked each other, we'd eventually end up the same color". Whether a country where all people are the same color is better off then a country that is multi-color is open for debate but that is what is happening demographically.
Marketers have realized this and are experimenting with an "anti-niche" approach to marketing. Is this the sure fire way to go? You decide. Read the article as it offers viewpoints on both the niche and anti-niche approach. It's thought provoking.