Cultur8 to focus on connecting brands and consumers through cultural passions
Omnicom agencies Dieste Inc. and The Marketing Arm have joined forces to form Cultur8, a next-generation multicultural agency that connects brands and consumers through cultural passions. The new independent agency, that began operating on January 1st 2013, brings together Dieste’s promotions department (strategy + creative groups) and Wave, TMA’s multicultural group.
According to the Nielsen Institute, multicultural consumers are rapidly becoming the majority in the United States, and their buying power is significant. The vast majority (92%) of U.S. population growth today is from Hispanic, African American, and Asian American populations, and they are wielding increasing amounts of buying power and watching large amounts of media content. Within the next five years, for example, multicultural consumers will drive 86% of the total growth on spending in retail.
“We know that the marketing spending directed at the multicultural audience is not aligned with the opportunity these consumers represent,” says Greg Knipp, CEO of Dieste. “The opportunity is here, and we created an agency that can help clients to move forward from “opportunity” to “growth” by reaching each segment of multicultural consumers (Hispanic, African American, and Asian American)Â in a more relevant and engaging way. That’s what cultural passion is about.”
The “8” in Cultur8 represents the agency’s core capabilities which include brand and shopper marketing, event activation, strategic consulting, digital/mobile, sponsorship consulting, social engagement and influencer, sports and entertainment, and cause marketing.
“Cultur8 is about combining everything that The Marketing Arm is with everything Dieste is,” says Dan Belmont, president of The Marketing Arm. “It’s the ‘dream team’ for multicultural marketers: One of the most recognized names in multicultural marketing and what Promo magazine has called the most creative agency in America. We’ve created the first multicultural shop that not only deve