The Toronto office of public relations firm Hill & Knowlton has launched a new multicultural communications group that will provide expertise on the Chinese-Canadian population and is expected to grow to encompass other ethnic groups.
“The Chinese community in Toronto has been growing steadily over the last 10 years or more in terms of size and influence,” said Jeff Smith, senior vice-president and general manager of Hill & Knowlton Toronto. “It’s not the only group that we see great opportunity in, but this is where we’re starting because we found two very talented people to launch this practice for us.”
Joining Hill & Knowlton’s new multicultural communications practice are Alda Lo and Emma Huang.
Prior to joining Hill & Knowlton, Lo ran her own PR consultancy, Per Sway Public Relations, which catered to clients in the fashion, IT, health and wellness, sustainability and sports sectors.
Huang was formerly a journalist and editor at China’s Hangzhou Daily Newspaper, before moving to Canada and earning a PR certificate from Ryerson University. Since then, she has conducted Chinese media relations for clients including Scotiabank, Tourism Toronto and the Toronto International Film Festival.
The two will provide strategic counsel, media relations, stakeholder relations, public affairs, training and digital and social media communications across Hill & Knowlton’s eight Canadian offices.
According to a report from Statistics Canada, the Chinese population in Canada grew “substantially” between 2001 and 2006, and is expected to reach 1.8 million by 2017. Toronto alone will be home to more than 735,000 Chinese Canadians, while Vancouver’s Chinese population is projected to reach 591,000.
While there are already some multicultural-specific PR firms operating in the Greater Toronto Area. Smith called it an “expanding market” and said that WPP-owned Hill & Knowlton brings expertise, resources and considerable reach to the practice.
“Not only are [clients] getting cultural sensitivity and understanding of communities, but they’re getting Hill & Knowlton’s best practices and experience,” he said.
Smith said there is an increased emphasis by marketers and agencies on targeting what he described as “micro-communities,” and he predicted that the multicultural group will emerge as a key component of the agency’s business.
