Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Business Administration

Advisor

Matthew Knight

Abstract

The population in the United States is expected to increase an estimated 42% by the year 2042; ethnic minorities will become the majority group. Marketing executives must understand the environment in which consumers from diverse cultures respond to marketing stimuli. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies senior marketing executives use to implement successful multicultural marketing campaigns. The target population consisted of senior marketing executives from 3 profitable companies in the state of Michigan with experience in the implementation of successful multicultural marketing campaigns. The conceptual framework was the critical multicultural marketing theory. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and organizational documents. Data were analyzed using Yin's 5 stages of analysis: compiled and organized, disassembled into fragments, reassembled into a sequence of groups, interpreted for meaning, and conclusions were drawn. Methodological triangulation and member checking were used to validate the trustworthiness of data interpretations. The findings showed 3 emerging themes: marketing using diversity and inclusion strategies; segmentation, target marketing, and positioning strategies; and cultural competence strategies. The information gathered in this study is valuable to current and future marketing managers with an interest in marketing to multicultural consumers. The implications for positive social change include creating and sustaining an environment of inclusion that proactively and strategically engages underrepresented populations of consumers.

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