Today's emerging ethnic consumers represent the largest which is the most overlooked market in America. According to the 2000 U. S. Census, by 2050, people of color will represent 55 percent of the population. Ethnic Americans have economic clout and their spending power has grown tremendously doubled in the past decade and is now almost $3 trillion. There has been a fair amount of research describing the portrayal of racial minorities in advertising.
For some time advertisers have attempted to communicate the look and feel of their messages in accordance with the makeup of their targeted audience. For example African Americans have been shown to display a more positive attitude toward the advertisement and the product itself when black models are portrayed. In general (non-ethnic) audiences have shown to react positively to the increased incidence of African Americans in advertisements. By the same token, studies have shown that the white audience reaction to black characters range from neutral to negative, depending on elements of their demographic profiles. The lack of effective communication can make or break a company, a product, or a diversity initiative.
Currently I am working for an organization that is more the 95% Indian; I find their very heavy accent is a daily challenge for me. By now I am use to being the minority (being