إدريس التمسماني

By Driss R. Temsamani
President of The 361 Degrees Institute

The 361 Degrees Institute is the first Moroccan American think-tank for Demographic Research & Development based in the United States. The mission of the institute is to provides high quality, independent research on a wide variety of population and social economical topics affecting United States and Morocco.

As the fastest growing minority group in the United States, the Arab American market is capturing the attention of advertisers.

After the events of September 11, the increasing political, cultural and economic influence of this population has captured the attention of businesses, lobbyists and policymakers. Money spent on advertising directed at Arabs in the USA increased by 27% in 2009. Yet, American businesses are far from fully harnessing the potential of this segment of the population.

Using the past Census data as a proxy and a statistical model, I estimate that there are 8.3 million Arab Americans currently in the United States, making them the fastest growing population since 1990 after Hispanics.  I also project that by the year 2030, Arab Americans will exceed 20 million and will account for over $300 billion in consumer spending.

As a result of this trend, the Arab market will become even more important in the advertising mix over the next 10 years. There will be increasing specialized publications, Radio and TV Networks offering exclusive content to the first and second generation of Moroccans, Syrians, Lebanese, Palestinians, and other Arab Americans. To effectively capture this new population’s share of mind, businesses should consider culture as the center of their advertising strategy.

While Arab Americans share language and in most cases religion, companies should develop culturally relevant campaigns to increase their Arab customer base. Programs during special Arab holidays can create a positive brand effect within this community. In addition to Arabic based programming and cultural events sponsorships, businesses should start educating and training their personnel on how to communicate and understand the lifestyle of this community in order to achieve awareness.

In summary the Arab advertising US market is growing and will get larger with the youngest population of the community. This segment will be the driving force of influence on American culture in the years to come. If this new generation will assimilate or retain their culture, that remains to be seen.