--In a recent interview, AOL CEO, Jonathan F. Miller, said, "We've taken our first successful step towards better race relations at America Online." With struggling sales figures the past two years, the company has experienced a rebound of late thanks primarily to an aggressive marketing campaigned designed to attract "newer, hipper, darker audiences." AOL Time Warner, despite being the world's leading media and entertainment company, has always been stereotyped as "the white person's media." Ealrier data indicated that only 3% of AOL Time Warner customers were black, and all other non-Asian minorities represented only 2% of customers.
"This has always been our biggest concern," said CEO Miller. "Minorities just never were interested in AOL. African Americans preferred suppliers such as 'Black Hookup' and 'Cable Up in Da Houze.' Hispanics stuck to their own 'EZ Cable Homes.' But all that has changed now."
The company's campaign has been nothing short of brilliant. Sales to minorities have doubled in the last year, and the campaign is nowhere near being done.
AOL Time Warner plans on introducing even more new characters within the next few months targeted at other minority groups such as "Speed-E-Rodriguez the Hispanic Circle" and "Muhkmid, our Online Muslim Friend." Company expectations are deservedly high, and a new age in multicultural media and communication has been born.