Boost from the Base Level

Organic growth in the evolving US multicultural landscape demands grassroots marketing, panelists said Mon at NAMIC. "We have had to think not so much in terms of millions [in marketing reach], but in the thousands and hundreds," said TBS vp, multicultural market development Sandra Weber. "In this day and age, you really have to think almost to the zip code." The lack of immediate results in the multi-racial market, however, requires "a leap of faith because results will not be in the next quarterly statement, but maybe in 5-10 years," said Comcast senior dir, multicultural marketing Mauro Panzera. Said Nusrat Durrani, gm, MTV World: "For us it’s all about creating icons for Asian Americans and using our platforms for these personalities… Diversity is not just the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do."