The 85% Niche: The Power of Women of All Colors, Latina, Black, and Asian

Women of color generate nearly $1 trillion in consumer spending and another $230 billion as entrepreneurs. Yet most companies market to women as a monolithic group, aiming primarily at White women.

With groundbreaking proprietary research, Miriam Muley explores how cultural and ethnic differences shape the way women respond to life experiences. She encourages companies to embrace the cultural and ethnic identity of women of all colors with the same tenacity, commitment to grow, and deployment of economic resources that are given to other consumer audiences.

The result is a concise and practical guide to what drives women of diverse backgrounds to consider brands for future purchase decisions. Muley takes this discussion to a new level, delving deeply into the who of the women's market. She provides practical insights on what it means to be a Latina, a Black woman, or an Asian woman and effectively translates these insights into compelling marketing best practices that business leaders can quickly integrate into planning efforts.

Top takeaways from The 85% Niche:

• Supported correctly with the right business strategies, women of color will re-invigorate your business for years to come with brand loyalty and positive word-of-mouth endorsement.
• Women of color are a vital source of employment and entrepreneurial energy.
• Marketing to women of color requires expert understanding of gender marketing, diversity marketing, and the bridge between the two disciplines.
• Unleashing the power of women and diversity in your organization is the fastest track to sales growth, share dominance, and profit improvement.

The women-of-color opportunity will succeed only if it is measured and tracked and carries the executive sanction and consistent attention of top-level management.

About the Author

MIRIAM MULÉY maintains a vibrant entrepreneurial business as strategic marketing consultant, diversity expert, and business writer/speaker. She is CEO of The 85% Niche, a marketing consultancy firm dedicated to helping companies increase market share among women—a group that controls 85% or more of all purchase decisions. Her goal is to dispel the perception that women are a niche, monolithic audience. She does so through gender and diversity-sawy marketing strategies that connect brands with women of all ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds—Caucasian, Latina, Black, Asian, Middle Eastern, and more. Her clients have included: Coca Cola, Morgan Stanley, Comerica Bank, Avon Products, Ford Motor Company, Merck and others.

Ms. Muléy, Puerto Rican by ancestry, holds an M.B.A. in Marketing from Columbia University's Graduate School of Business and a BA. in Psychology from Marymount Manhattan College. She has 25 years of executive marketing and sales experience in Fortune 100 companies. She was most recently Executive Director of the Women's and Diversity Markets at General Motors Corporation where she was responsible for marketing and selling to women, Hispanics, African Americans, Asians, Youth, and Gay and Lesbian markets. Earlier in her career she was EVP, Marketing at Carson Products, a division of L'Oréal, and General Manager at Avon Products, Inc. Her colleagues and clients have described her as, "an inspiring combination of smarts, savvy and creative thinking."