I am writing in response to Eddie Yoon’s post in the Harvard Business Review in which he describes the diverse tastes of consumers and how you cannot just appeal to one ethnic group.

I found it very interesting, but not surprising, that President Obama won the election with most of his votes coming from minorities. The United States is such a diverse country that appealing to only one group of people–even if they are the majority–will not win any elections.

As an Asian American, I fully understand the diverse amount of people companies need to appeal to. Being of two very different cultures, I balance both rather than throw one away completely. As a result, I love hamburgers, but I also love sashimi and other Asian cuisines.

Thus, a marketing team can’t look to the white demographic anymore for a full understanding of their market. One point of difference in the company may appeal to one group of people, but an equally large group could hate it.

Now, with society becoming more and more diverse, a new problem in marketing will arise. With so many different people, how can companies appeal to not just one group, but many and maximize profits?