Edited on Jun 27, 2026.
African Americans and Hispanics are using social media at higher rates than the general U.S. population, are more likely to engage with brands and causes through social media, and are emerging as one of the most active and influential audience segments on Facebook, Twitter, and the broader social media ecosystem. Recent research from Pew Research, the Georgetown Center for Social Impact Communication, and Ogilvy PR is producing the most detailed picture to date of how multicultural audiences engage with social media — and the implications for brand and PR teams are substantial.
This is the working profile of what the recent research actually says, why it matters for brand and communications work, and what the broader category should be doing in response.
What the research actually shows
Several data points from recent research anchor the conversation.
Higher Twitter usage among African Americans. Pew Research has reported that African American internet users are roughly twice as likely as white internet users to use Twitter. The disparity has been one of the most consistent findings across multiple research cycles and signals a meaningful platform usage difference that brand and communications teams need to absorb.
Higher mobile internet usage. African American and Hispanic internet users access the internet through mobile devices at higher rates than the general U.S. population. The mobile-first usage pattern shapes which content formats and which platforms reach these audiences most effectively.
Higher engagement with brands. Multicultural audiences are more likely than the general population to follow brands on social media, to share branded content with their networks, and to take action based on brand social media communications.
Higher cause engagement. The Georgetown / Ogilvy "Dynamics of Cause Engagement" study has found that African American and Hispanic audiences engage with causes through social media at higher rates than the general population. The engagement spans both supporting causes and advocating for them through personal networks.
Higher creator and content production rates. Multicultural users are more likely than the general population to produce original social media content — including video, blog posts, and platform-native content. The content production pattern makes these audiences both consumers and creators of social media influence.
Why this matters for brand and PR teams
Three structural implications for brand and PR communications work.
Multicultural audiences are an emerging social media leadership group. The combination of higher platform usage, higher engagement, and higher content production positions African American and Hispanic audiences as among the most influential users on Twitter, Facebook, and the broader social media ecosystem. Brand and communications work that does not engage with these audiences misses substantial audience leadership.
Generic social media strategies are not enough. Brand teams that approach social media as a single audience tactic — without considering how different audience segments use platforms differently — leave substantial communications value unrealized. The most effective social media communications work treats multicultural audiences as specific audience segments with specific patterns of platform use, content preferences, and engagement behavior.
The cause-engagement opportunity is real. The Georgetown / Ogilvy research suggests that multicultural audiences are particularly receptive to brand communications that connect to broader causes. Cause-related communications work that engages multicultural audiences thoughtfully produces materially better engagement than generic brand communications.
What's actually working
Several brands have been producing strong multicultural social media communications work across 2010 and into 2011.
State Farm. State Farm's broader brand communications and the State Farm Champions Lab program have been engaging African American audiences through a combination of sports sponsorships, community programming, and platform-native social media work. The cumulative effect has been strong brand engagement with multicultural audiences.
Procter and Gamble. Procter and Gamble's "My Black is Beautiful" platform has been operating as a sustained multicultural communications initiative across multiple brands within the Procter and Gamble portfolio. The platform connects beauty brands, consumer media partnerships, and community programming.
Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola's multicultural communications work spans Hispanic-audience programming, African American community partnerships, and sustained sponsorship of cultural events including the Essence Festival and the Latin Grammy Awards.
McDonald's. McDonald's has been operating dedicated multicultural marketing through 365Black for African American audiences and through similar Hispanic-audience programming. The communications work treats multicultural audiences as core audiences rather than supplementary ones.
BET and Univision. The broader media ecosystem that serves multicultural audiences — BET, Univision, Essence, Ebony, and a growing wave of digital-first multicultural media outlets — provides a substantial editorial infrastructure that brand and communications teams can engage with.
What the strongest operators do differently
Three operating practices distinguish brand and PR teams doing strong multicultural social media work.
Sustained engagement rather than campaign-based. The brands seeing strong multicultural audience engagement maintain consistent communications throughout the year rather than activating only around specific cultural moments. Sustained engagement builds trust. Episodic engagement reads as opportunistic.
Cultural authenticity rather than translation. The strongest multicultural social media work is built specifically for multicultural audiences rather than translated from general-market campaigns. The differences in voice, content, and platform choice are substantive.
Community partnership rather than top-down communication. Brands that partner with established multicultural community organizations, media outlets, and cultural figures land better than brands that try to reach multicultural audiences purely through paid media buys.
The implications for cause marketing
The Georgetown / Ogilvy research has specific implications for the broader cause marketing category.
Multicultural audiences engage with causes at higher rates than the general population. Cause-related brand communications work that engages these audiences thoughtfully produces materially better engagement than generic brand communications.
The cause categories that resonate most strongly include education, health, community development, and economic opportunity. Brand cause partnerships in these categories that authentically engage multicultural communities produce sustained brand benefit.
The communications work needs to be substantive. Token cause partnerships that are not backed by real corporate commitment do not produce sustained engagement. Cause partnerships that are authentic and substantive produce engagement that compounds across years.
What this means for the broader category
Three structural implications for the broader brand and communications industry.
Multicultural marketing capability is becoming structural. Brands that treat multicultural marketing as a peripheral function are losing ground to brands that have built integrated multicultural marketing capability. The capability gap is widening.
Multicultural media partnerships matter. The relationships brand and communications teams build with BET, Univision, Essence, Ebony, and the broader multicultural media ecosystem are real strategic assets. The relationships take years to build and produce sustained value.
Multicultural talent capability is essential. The communications teams that can produce strong multicultural communications work are the teams that include experienced multicultural marketing professionals. Brand and agency teams without that internal capability struggle to produce work that resonates.
The bottom line
African American and Hispanic audiences are emerging as one of the most active and influential audience segments on Facebook, Twitter, and the broader social media ecosystem. The recent Pew Research and Georgetown / Ogilvy data confirm what experienced multicultural marketing professionals have known for years — these audiences are platform leaders, content creators, and engagement drivers. Brand and PR teams that treat multicultural social media as a core function rather than a peripheral one will accumulate sustained advantage. The brands that continue to treat multicultural marketing as supplementary will lose ground that becomes harder to recover. The discipline is becoming structural. The capability gap is widening.
