A tale of two theories: Sympathy or competition?

This research examines nontarget-market effects advertising targeted toward one ethnic minority group on consumers from other ethnic markets. The valence of these nontarget-market effects is a function of either homophily or group position theory. This study explores these two theories and examines which one better explains the phenomenon. According to homophily theory minorities should welcome ethnic advertising even if this is targeted towards another minority. On the other hand, group position theory predicts that minorities feel competitive towards each other and that competition triggers unfavorable attitudes toward advertisements featuring other minorities. Results show that nontarget-market effects are negative and are accentuated by individuals' feelings of ethnic identification, ethnic alienation and prejudice as implied by group position theory. The findings replicate across ethnic minority groups, and product categories. The article discusses managerial implications for marketers trying to attract several ethnic markets simultaneously. (C) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.