Should a brand create an ad focusing on different cultures? If they can do it in a sensitive and respectful way as Tim Horton does on this ad, then surely yes.
When Tim Hortons creates ads that are focusing on other cultures rather than the Canadian one, the company is attesting its understanding of how consumer’s behavior is always affected by the impact of social forces: from culture to group forces.
Immigrant people are target by their level of acculturation, which is the process knows as the adoption of other country’s culture. So as more adapted they are to the new country’s culture, the less they are open to campaigns that focus on ethnicity. Therefore, ads that focus on people’s culture need to understand first how acculturate is the audience they are trying to reach.
If the target profile shows a low level of acculturation, then it’s important to have the accommodation theory in mind: in that case, the spokesperson in a commercial directed to an ethnic group should be an actual member of that group. So, when Tim Hortons decides to show real stories from Philippines families, it takes the accommodation theory to a new and more effective place.
