Abstract:

African American and Latino urban youth represent a culture that is oppositional to the values, norms and institutions of mainstream culture. They spend time attempting to differentiate themselves from mainstream culture in exchange for identification with and acceptance from their peers. This paper examines the most effective ways to reach and market to urban minority youth by describing the reality of urban youth life, and providing an overview of African American cultural influences, to illustrate how these factors can be used in developing marketing campaigns. Included are some of the approaches used in several of MEE's previous ethnic marketing campaigns.