A network theory approach to ethnic marketing

In rejecting frameworks for ethnic marketing that focus on conceptualising individual ethnicity as a basis for identifying market segments, this paper argues that network theory provides an alternative that can guide identification of ethnic consumer markets in advanced economies. Ethnic markets exist separate from mainstream markets because of a social and economic construction that links individuals with their common group values to common consumption behaviours. Network theory is well-placed to show the links between ethnic consumers, as actors in the marketplace, to their group identity, helping to establish the group’s marketing importance