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GOING FOR GROWTH: TARGETING TODAY’S DIVERSE CONSUMER 29

have credible internal research sources and tracking methodologies that can be tailored
to capture segment-specifi c data. Additionally, there are specialized researchers and data
suppliers who have a handle on how to effectively measure and monitor marketing programs
at all stages of the process.

Working hand-in-hand with segment specialists, brands can collaborate on the kind of
culture-driven research that modern marketing requires. As an example, AIMM is developing
CIIM™ (Cultural Insights Impact Measure), a new metric that identifi es the impact and
effectiveness of cultural insights in ads and programming and how these have the potential
to affect sales lift. Created in partnership with NBCUniversal and AIMM member companies,
AIMM’s CIIM evaluates advertising creative in various categories. Scores by Multicultural,
Inclusive, and General Population segment attributed to creative and programming tested will
be based on a 100 index, with the intent to gauge the extent in which culture may lift brand
growth against an overall industry norm.

VIII. CONCLUSION

By bringing culturally relevant targeting forward at the earliest stages of business planning,
marketers are able to identify growth opportunities and ensure they have the right teams
and structures in place to capitalize upon them. Multicultural and Inclusive marketers are
trained, not born, so no matter your personal history, it is your professional responsibility as
a marketer to identify growth opportunities by tapping into segments with which you may or
may not be familiar. As you build your own cultural fl uency, the expertise of specialists who
combine cultural depth with disciplined marketing experience related to your brand’s category
of business is essential to the journey.

The good news is that there are countless examples of marketers who have gone from “Where
do we start?” to “What more can we be doing?” and fi nally to “How much more can we grow?”