IPA Survey scotches common misconceptions of ethnic minorities
An IPA survey of Britain’s multicultural landscape has scotched common misconceptions about ethnic minorities; principally that they don’t spend, behave the same as whites and are hard to target.
Compiling academic and third party research from the past five years, as well as the ONS census, it found that the growing influence of the black and Indian communities sees them now account for 12% of the total population.
The ‘2012 Multicultural Britain’ report found that this gives them purchasing power of £300bn whilst the average British Indian male is now richer than his white counterpart.
Other key findings include the fact that mixed race Britons are now the fastest growing ethnic category with South Asian and African Carribean populations representing the largest ethnic groups.
The report also found that ethnic minorities are more likely to be early adopters of new technology whilst spending proportionately more on gadgetry but that only one in twenty ads made in 2011 featured ethnic minority actors.
Saad Saraf, chairman of the IPA Ethnic Diversity Forum and IPA Council, said: ‘We want this report to highlight what makes ethnic minority consumers such an interesting market. We are gradually seeing a cultural change in terms of recruitment and portrayal which I find encouraging, as is the IPA programme to monitor ethnic representation in the industry and attract talent from people regardless of their ethnic or educational background.
“However this is still much more to be done and this report helps to make a strong case for marketers to take ethnic minority consumers more seriously.”