Ethnicity is characterized by the ability to identify or evoke a cultural community sharing linguistic and cultural traits within a society. According to Jean-Claude Usunier, once a product’s ethnic identity is established in various national contexts, it becomes crucial in international marketing to define brands in relation to this identity, including the language used, cultural associations, and visual elements of packaging. The study of ethnicity in marketing requires a cautious and responsible approach from researchers, particularly regarding the issue of assimilation.

Nil Ozçaglar-Toulouse and his colleagues raise the question of preserving subcultures in the face of the dominant culture. Maintaining original cultural specificities is sometimes perceived as a refusal to integrate. While the ideology of assimilation was predominant in North America until the 1970s, where the United States was considered a melting pot in which different ethnicities coexisted and blended harmoniously into the majority culture, the emergence of social movements, particularly the Black movement, led researchers to reconsider this concept. This reflection highlighted the processes of subcultural integration and the relationships between minorities and the dominant culture, thus giving rise to studies on acculturation.