Experts taking part in Marketing’s annual multicultural marketing conference shared some of their insights on how brands can better connect with Canada’s rapidly growing ethnic populations in the upcoming issue of Marketing, out next week.
What is the most common mistake marketers still make when it comes to multicultural marketing?
“Ethnic markets are too small and therefore it does not justify to address them. The point is that the growth of the Canadian population in the next 30 years is going to be generated by immigration mostly. So, the sooner we get used to this idea and realize where the growth is going to come from the better we will benefit.” — Nissim Avraham, ethnic marketing specialist, Dairy Farmers of Canada
“Not going to the experts and relying instead on the one or two Canadian-born “multicultural” in-house resources, who are often far removed from the real newcomer psyche. These resources are usually far more Canadian than actual Canadians, but just because their parents came from China or India, they are seen as in-house “free advice” experts on multiculturalism.” — Gautam Nath, founder, Multicultural Marketing Society of Canada
“Marketers often assume that just using the same strategy and translating their marketing communication in another language will be adequate. The true value of multicultural marketing presents itself when you look at using the company strengths and benefits to build a unique strategy and communication for each ethnicity. There may be some commonalities that will work across, but there are differences that need to be addressed.” — Finhas Jhaveri, manager, digital and cultural marketing, Allstate Insurance Company of Canada
“On many occasions, I’ve seen ads where marketers have used translators to translate the ad rather than doing original in-language copywriting—without understanding the campaign’s overall business objectives, marketing objectives and key messages.” — Sharifa Khan, president and CEO, Balmoral Marketing
Which recent “multicultural” campaign or ad has most impressed you and what specifically made it so good?
“Frankly, I feel that marketers have lost sight of the ball. There were some great campaigns a few years ago, but lately everything has reflected a lacklustre interest in this area. I feel that marketers have been saying more than actually doing anything about it.” — Nath
“Lysol very effectively targeted the South Asian community, communicating that it is the same product as Dettol (made by the same company), and managed to leverage the strong brand value that Dettol has in South Asia.” — Jhaveri
“Budweiser’s Chinese New Year ad that was run on LEDs in Time Square from Feb. 9 to 16 was very powerful. It was well executed with cultural elements reflected through the use of colours, Hong Bao (the red pocket), fireworks, dragon dancers, etc.” — Khan
Do you agree with Marketing’s panel of experts? Share your thoughts below. And click here to purchase tickets to the Multicultural Marketing Conference 2013 in Toronto (March26) and Vancouver (March 28).
