Domain Marketing Touting Anglo, Jewish, Asian Ideal Sparks Outcry

NORTH AUSTIN, TX — A marketing brochure related to upscale shopping center The Domain Northside has emerged — and subsequently making the rounds on the Internet — touting what its property managers view as their ideal shopper: A woman identifying as Anglo, Jewish or Asian, while excluding women of color as being among their optimal demographic.

Austin Justice Coalition members are among those taking offense at the marketing document. On their website, ACJ's mission is "...to provide the tools for people of color and people who are marginalized to improve their lives by being the driving force behind their own liberation."

The 50-page brochure reportedly was produced by officials of Domain Northside, a mixed-use project owned by Austin-based Endeavor Real Estate Group. The adjoining The Domain, another mixed-use project, is owned by Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group. Some on social media have noted that the shopping mall's roughly 70 retail tenants, whose customers were rhapsodized in the marketing materials, were not involved in the brochure's creation.

Dennis Griffith, a spokesman for The Domain, concurred in an email to Patch: "Any reference to this marketing brochure being from The Domain is inaccurate, as it was produced by Domain Northside. For reference The Domain and Domain Northside are two separate and independently-owned entities, so saying these materials came from The Domain is inaccurate. Also, the image you used in your article is incorrect, as it has my client’s name on it instead of the actual document from Domain Northside."

Austin Justice Coalition members posted a copy of the marketing material on their website, encouraging its followers to spark a conversation into its cultural inferences. The marketing sheet palpably touts its affluent female consumer prototype in aggressive references to class, income and upward mobility — a woman likely to carry a Louis Vitton, Givenchy or Celine handbag, for starters — before settling on the idealized cultures officials infer are their favored patrons.

"The quintessential Domain shopper?" officials ask rhetorically on the marketing item. "She's a classy, trendy, well-heeled woman between 30 and 60 years old," officials added ahead of detailing the profile of their "quintessential" Anglo, Jewish or Asian ideal customer.

Griffith also took issue with the image posted from within the 50-page brochure, noting it refers generally to "The Domain shopper," inferring the marketing materials came from his client rather than the separate entity with the same name but with the added "Northside" descriptor. Another image of the brochure, below, is more accurate as to its origins, he said.

Notwithstanding such corporate distinctions, the omission of touted black, Latino and other women of color as customers in a city as culturally diverse as Austin didn't go unnoticed by ACJ officials and others taking umbrage. Detailed demographic descriptions on the profile of the "quintessential" shopper is the portion of the brochure that has sparked the outrage. Accompanying the text is a photo illustrating the ideal customer: A woman with flowing dark hair sporting a leather jacket matched with a stylish plaid skirt. She clutches a coffee in a to-go cup, suggesting the efficient zeal of her shopping method.

It's believed the document was intended for prospective tenants rather than for distribution to potential customers.

"We found pages 16-17 to very stereotypical of who they believe is wealthy and successful, who they wanted in their stores, and also excluded women of color in any form," Austin Justice Coalition officials wrote in their Facebook post.

By late Tuesday, company officials issued a statement apologizing for the offending, multi-page brochure: "At Domain NORTHSIDE, we are proud to serve the residents of the Austin community and sincerely apologize for the insensitive and inappropriate language used in a document, which has since been removed from circulation and is no longer in use. These words do not reflect our values, and we remain dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion. We will ensure that future efforts reflect the values of the community in which we live and work."

In quickly gentrifying Austin, where new commercial development continues to encroach into established neighborhoods, such paeans to the affluent influx of new residents — many lured by lucrative paying high-tech jobs — is problematic for many long-established residents. As they see their neighborhoods gradually disappear with new home and commercial construction in their midst to accommodate the newcomers, residents are attuned to nuance of language in a way that marketing professional don't always grasp.

Given gentrification's more corrosive after-effects related to residential displacement amid escalating property taxes fueled by new construction, marketers' messaging can sometimes come off as culturally tone deaf at best and offensive at worst. In late 2014, a pair of upstart marketers in Austin learned that lesson the hard way after launching Strange Fruit PR even while aware of the Billie Holiday song about lynching bearing the same name. One of the owners later explained he didn't think the theme of the 1939 song would still be resonant in the 21st century.

But back to The Domain's messaging touting its affluent customer base. According to its now-pulled marketing brochure: "The Domain serves a diverse group of new class consumers from across the region, including the thousands who live in its luxury apartments stay in its boutique hotels and work in its high-tech office buildings."

Then, more details outlining characteristics on the "quintessential" Domain shopper are touted (text taken verbatim):

• "Cares about how she looks and feels, and spends generously on the upkeep of herself and her family."
• "Is understated, but wants to be noticed, and wears brands that earn positive attention from others."
• "Carries a Louis Vuitton, Celine or Givenchy handbag."
• "Wears rag & bone skinny jeans and Frye boots during the day, and changes into an LBD and Jimmy Choo heels at night."
• "Drives a BMW 6 Series to go out with her girlfriends at night, and by day she drives a Range Rover Sport."
• "Wears a David Yurman ring, an Alexis Bittar bracelet and Kendra Scott earrings."
• "Is most likely to describe her ethnicity as Jewish, Anglo or Asian."
• "Is married, but also highly successful in her own career."

Austin resident Theo Andrews, an African-American woman who frequently shops at The Domain, commented on a thread related to the topic of the brochure. The moderator of the mall's Facebook page replied in reiterating the distinction between the two Domain-named entities in distancing themselves from the offending brochure.

"Understandably so, there has been some confusion over the last day between The Domain (our mall which spans from Dillard's to Neiman-Marcus) and the adjacent property at Domain Northside, which is a separately owned and independent entity from us. The leading brochure you reference is not a piece created by or associated in any way with The Domain."

Moreover, mall operators wrote Andrews they strive to cater to a diverse public despite the implications made in the brochure to the contrary: "We always strive to create an enjoyable and welcoming place in Austin where all of our residents and visitors alike can shop, dine, live and work in an inclusive environment. We hope to see you at The Domain soon."

The prospect of that happening might now be in question. In a separate message to Patch, Andrew said she has perceived being treated differently by some staff members at the site.

"So yeah, am very pissed but it does explain some stuff though," she wrote to Patch. "Some waiters in certain establishments are very rude toward POC [people of color]. It's like you are invisible." She added she recently saw black men being refused entry into a club there because they wore short and hats, but saw Anglo guests allowed access.

The offending portions of the brochure appear on pages 16 and 17. To leaf through the entire booklet virtually, click here.

Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.

>>> Image via Shutterstock