On the importance of social integration for minority targeting effectiveness

Research into the influence of model ethnicity on advertising effectiveness usually compares a dominant or mainstream group with a single, ethnically distinctive minority group. Such two-group studies implicitly assume that all minorities react similarly to distinctive and non-distinctive models portrayed in ads. However, minorities differ in their level of integration into the dominant societal group, which likely influences their responses. This research studies target/non-target market effects for minorities whose levels of integration into the host society vary. In contrast with relatively less integrated minorities, minority groups better integrated into the dominant society exhibit target/non-target market effects unlike those previously reported. This study also contrasts two mediation routes for the observed effects of ethnic models: ad model–self-perceived similarity and perceived ad model credibility. The results show that the two routes are confounded for less integrated minorities but dissociated for better integrated minorities. The findings offer clear applications for the advertising industry.