Marketers attempting to please a large part of the population in order to gain more customers, already have a demanding job. However, things get even more complicated when the population consists of a variety of cultures, such as in Sweden. With the aim to appeal to people belonging to different cultures, more and more campaigns of transcultural and multicultural content are created. Those campaigns, being controversial, do not go unnoticed and generate a division in views. We have therefore decided to investigate: “How do consumers perceive trans-cultural and multicultural marketing campaigns?” ​and “What are the dimensions of these types of campaigns on buyer behaviour?”. This study will attempt to answer the research questions by exploring the themes of culture and ethics alongside. This is done to clarify the reasons behind the differences among customers’ perceptions on the campaigns chosen. In order to explain the difference between transcultural and multicultural campaigns, two campaigns, one by Åhléns and one by H&M, were used. A qualitative research was conducted by interviewing twelve people, six for each campaign. Based on our results, all of the interviewees stated that culture is directly correlated with ethics. The different perspectives on the campaigns were due to matters of ethicality. Half supported the campaigns due to their inclusiveness while the other half deemed them unethical for different reasons. While everyone associated the campaigns with ethicality, the majority does not take ethics into consideration while shopping. Furthermore, corporate social responsibility proved to have a smaller impact on buyer behaviour than a company’s involvement in an unethical activity that weighs more in consumers’ eyes. Last but not least, even though the customer perceptions on these types of campaigns are divided, there is no direct effect on buyer behaviour, but more towards brand loyalty.

The population in the United States is expected to increase an estimated 42% by the year 2042; ethnic minorities will become the majority group. Marketing executives must understand the environment in which consumers from diverse cultures respond to marketing stimuli. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies senior marketing executives use to implement successful multicultural marketing campaigns. The target population consisted of senior marketing executives from 3 profitable companies in the state of Michigan with experience in the implementation of successful multicultural marketing campaigns. The conceptual framework was the critical multicultural marketing theory. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and organizational documents. Data were analyzed using Yin's 5 stages of analysis: compiled and organized, disassembled into fragments, reassembled into a sequence of groups, interpreted for meaning, and conclusions were drawn. Methodological triangulation and member checking were used to validate the trustworthiness of data interpretations. The findings showed 3 emerging themes: marketing using diversity and inclusion strategies; segmentation, target marketing, and positioning strategies; and cultural competence strategies. The information gathered in this study is valuable to current and future marketing managers with an interest in marketing to multicultural consumers. The implications for positive social change include creating and sustaining an environment of inclusion that proactively and strategically engages underrepresented populations of consumers.