How to win this year’s all-new NSW Premier’s Multicultural Communications Awards
Long-standing judge Steve D’Alessandro explains why marketers and media professions are missing out if they forget multicultural audiences.
Steve D’Alessandro, a judge at this year’s NSW Premier’s Multicultural Communications Awards, remembers a time when Australia wasn’t a country known for its diversity.
“When I went to school,” he explains, “it was rare to see anyone Asian or non-white in your class. People thought I stood out just being Italian and eating different food.” But today, he continues, things couldn’t be more different. In 2018, Aussies don’t just want multicultural workforces that promote equal opportunities – they expect it.
In fact, figures show Australia is becoming one of the most diverse countries in the world. Nearly half of all Aussies were born overseas or have at least one parent who was. One in three five Sydneysiders speak a language other than English at home. “In NSW alone,” adds Steve, “we have more than 300 ancestries, 150 religions and people speak over 200 languages. There’s a strong Asian background in NSW and probably more of an Indian influence in Victoria. That’s not just good for society, but it’s good for our export-driven economy, too.”
All of which explains why marketers, councils and broadcasters are pumping more and more time and resources into producing material to target these groups. Today, Australians are anything but typical. It’s also one of the reasons why the now-named PMCAs have undergone a major expansion from last year, when they were known as the AMMAs. This year’s iteration recognises journalists, photographers, editors and publishers as well as marketers.
“We found lots of films were being made depicting immigrants from various background but that weren’t technically marketing,” says Steve, “so we thought it was important to have a separate award for those entries. Another problem was that, previously, it was hard for smaller organisations to challenge the big boys because they didn’t have the resources or depth of expertise. But community projects play an important role in harmony and understanding so we’ve added a category to take account.”
By way of example, he cites Auburn City Council’s Ramadan celebrations and Parramatta Park’s Deepavali festival of lights, which have both done much to reinforce cultural traditions and invite mainstream interest on communities that are vibrant and interesting. Another stand-out case study from Auburn is its Refugee Camp in My Neighbourhood campaign. There, former asylum seekers guide participants through an interactive exhibition, full of stories and experiences from local residents. “It was quite controversial, but it talks about the history of Australia and the need for tolerance and inclusion through a very simple mechanism.”
So what do candidates need to do to win? Well last year, Mumbrella spoke to some of the best entrants, who described the thinking behind their campaigns. KWP! For Surf Life Saving Australia, for instance, won The Sport Award for its breathless commercial that displayed a drowning woman who changed genders and races while she struggled to stay afloat.
“I told the director I wanted the camera to be in the water so the viewer felt like they were drowning,” explains the agency’s creative director, Corey Swaffer. “We talked to lifeguards who rescued swimmers and asked them what survivors’ reactions were. They said it’s very claustrophobic, so we cut the sound. There’s no screaming. No yelling. It creates that sense of helplessness and isolation. The first time I watched it I got to the end and took a breath. It feels like you can’t breathe. That was the creative direction.”
The key to victory, though, doesn’t necessarily have to boast that kind of clever cinematography, but it does have to involve the community in the prep. Steve cites the example of ABS and Etcom who won last year for their work on the 2016 Australian Census. By talking to the local Chinese community directly, they discovered the reasons for the previously poor completion rate weren’t immediately obvious.
“Many Asian immigrants live in high-rise apartments,” explains Lou Petrolo, managing partner of Etcom, the agency tasked with the job. “If you’ve got a paper form, it often can’t be delivered under everyone’s door. People just weren’t getting them.” There was also cultural sensitivity around sharing details, a lack of computers from applicants and simply that many lacked English skills good enough to understand the sometimes tricky questions. Etcom’s solution was to ensure its campaign was as wide-ranging as possible. There were face-to-face meetings with workshops and community groups, engagement with ethnic media, direct phone calls as well as a breathless series of promotions on TV, radio, web, social media and old-fashioned print brochures. It all led to the completion rate among multicultural groups soaring to 90% – something that will have a benefit in future to the facilities local government can provide.
“Our state’s diversity is one of our biggest social and economic assets,” says the Hon Ray Williams MP, the Minister for Multiculturalism. “Multicultural marketers and media professionals communicate this diversity to all members of society. The PMCAs recognise outstanding marketing and communications professionals who create visionary campaigns with real impact in our communities and across our state.
“I encourage eligible marketers from agencies, big business, the public service and the community sector to apply.”
People don’t speak over 200 languages, not many at least, there may be more than 200 languages spoken but what use is that information to a marketer in a country where millions speak English?
People are consumers, people are workers, toilers and builders within the framework of life, wherever they happen to be, anywhere in the world.
It is interesting to take note of our cultural diversity (so called) but it is also a cultural unity.
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