Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone​ else." Margaret Mead Multicultural diversity creates simultaneous opportunities and complexities for marketers seeking to serve attractive markets. This reality is compelling innovative research focused on understanding the role of race in the marketplace. Especially promising is the work of an international community of scholars who form a Race in the Marketplace​ (RIM) research network to advance knowledge on consumer marketplace equity and inclusion. Understanding the impact of historical sociocultural context offers tremendous value to key stakeholders who are committed to advancing the personal and collective benefits of living in a multicultural society. What does it mean to place race at the center of marketplace​ research? To address this​question, my colleagues and I have been involved in research focused on the meaning and measurement of race as it relates to the Hispanic demographic. Race has always been a separate question in the U.S. Census and the race of Hispanics has been identified in multiple ways. The Hispanic​ pan-ethnic label was invented as a result of social pressure from three significant groups in U.S.​society, government, civil rights​ activists, and marketing media executives. This label was chosen because it was found to be the most acceptable to identify a heterogeneous population who were assumed to share certain commonalities in culture. Marketers often make extensive use of U. S. Census data as an essential part of the marketing management process.​ Additionally, U.S. Census categories are routinely included in consumer behavior studies based on the assumption they are indeed accurate demographic classifications. In this​ way, race is firmly embedded in the practice of marketing.​Yet, the U.S. Census Bureau has historically struggled to identify and categorize ethnic minorities on the basis of race. In our research we argue that while multicultural markets represent unprecedented​ opportunities, the ambiguity involved in defining​race, particularly with respect to​ Hispanics, presents a myriad of vexing challenges. We reject the idea that race can be objectively measured.​ Instead, we consider race as a social construct with associated measurement​ inconsistencies, and inaccuracies. Due to its​ size, growth​ potential, spending power and consumption​patterns, the aggregate U.S. Hispanic consumer market ranks high among the top attractive consumer market contenders. Accurate and meaningful identification is crucial for organizations that choose to serve this market.​ Interestingly, our research shows that the misclassification of race has occurred whether done by observation or​ self-identification. For​ example, historically,​Mexican-Americans were legally defined as​ white, however in practice were treated as​ non-white based on their appearance. With the U.S. Census Bureau implementation of​ self-identification in 1980 a new set of issues emerged.​ Today, the​ self-identification of race for Hispanics is much more complex than previously thought. With increasing U.S. cultural diversity a growing number of people find the current race and ethnic categories confusing. In​ fact, a significant number of​ self-identified Hispanics do not report belonging to any federally recognized race group and choose instead​ "some other​ race". To this​ day, the disentanglement of​definitional, conceptual and methodological issues of race has yet to be adequately resolved. Part 2 For effective​ segmentation, targeting and positioning​ (STP) an organization must also decide which specific multicultural consumer segments it should target for its​ offerings, create a sustainable offering positioning​strategy, and orchestrate an integrated marketing communication plan. How would you segment a heterogeneous market to build an effective marketing strategy based on race and​ethnicity?