Linguistic market segmentation and audience valuation by U.S. television advertisers

In a web survey of advertisers (N=1150), valuation of cultural traits and language were found to be significant positive predictors of advertiser investment in foreign language television audiences in the United States. Household income level was a negatively significant predictor. In other words, the more advertisers value household income, they less likely they are to be a foreign language advertiser. Other audience traits became important to this group of foreign language advertisers only after the decision to invest in foreign language audiences had been made. Of the foreign language advertisers surveyed, 80 percent reported the practice as being effective. Ninety percent of the foreign language advertisers also reported that advertising on English language networks would never be an acceptable substitute for reaching their target audience on foreign language networks. The study suggests that advertisers find language and cultural traits to be valuable audience attributes because of the naturally isolating effects they provide. Further, the researcher suggests that this audience isolation factor is sought by any advertiser seeking shelter in a competitive marketplace and can be effectively used as a segmentation strategy. The Audience Investment by Isolation Model is offered which incorporates the audience isolation strategy into the advertisers decision making process.