During the past couple years, as the economy and marketing budgets in the U.S. went into a tailspin, global brands have depended on growth in the so-called BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries to help prop up their bottom line. And although long-term growth for any global brand will no doubt have to be infused by a strong BRIC strategy, I'd like to remind marketers not to forget about the markets at home that have the potential to become new weapons for domestic growth.

Last week I tuned into the debut of Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s new PBS series, Faces of America that traces the roots of a dozen Americans in an effort to answer the questions: What made America? What makes us? I have always been a fan of his work, but frankly I was blown away by the way the show! Not only because it highlights the importance of immigration in America without falling into typical clichés but also because it brings to the forefront of our consciousness the real conversation that we all need to have about race in this country.