Multicultural marketing needs more than a tokenistic approach
On UN International Migrants Day, Sheba Nandkeolyar, co-founder and CEO of MultiConnexions, questions if multicultural marketing is simply a blip on the radar, or something more permanent.
It’s the end of the year, and I have worked really hard. It’s time to reward myself with a little gift – a Google Home from Kogan.
I head to the mall to buy my Christmas presents for my family and friends. Chatswood Westfield has an amazing range of shops to choose my gifts from, and it’s packed. It’s almost lunchtime, and I meet a couple of friends. One of them suggests a quick lunch at Oporto. After more shopping, we decide to meet a friend for dinner that evening at his swanky Meriton apartment.
Very true.
My mechanic is from England. The bloke playing guitar and singing in the pub is originally from Ireland.
How bloody multicultural can you get!
Hi JOHN
I am glad you read my opinion piece and shared your observations.
Um, seriously,
Again, no robust support except anecdotal evidence that migrants (people born overseas) have been successful in Australia.
ABS data is publicly available so it would be nice to hear some sophistication and science from experts…or maybe people just don’t know where to look.
Each of those business successes represent hard stats / facts of profits and employment generated for Australia. Nothing anecdotal about these successes.
It is an interesting article but I would contend that the other areas marketers are ignoring altogether is the disability community especially in the areas of leisure and travel. The ageing population is fuelling enormous growth in accessible tourism and accessible leisure but it is ignored altogether in the marketing community. Given that in some areas it represents more than 20% of the total spend it is an opportunity lost.
Agree these are all Niche segments representing immense potential. Infact the older generation have the maximum spend segment but unfortunately the ads and marketing strategy are not created by an age group that reflect this audience.
Sheba,
Sorry, gonna be a long comment; as I have been researching into opportunities in this segment at a personal level. Only cos I’m an immigrant and I believe there is stro g opportunity in this demographic.
I do have some question, as an Asian immigrant (not migrant, clear distinction here, and very different definitions despite incorrect conventional usage).
I am keen to know the sources in quantifying this 100B economy. It’s very hard to find reliable data to put a number on their economic output; considering the vast cash economy that exists (not just from a business PoV, but also individual incomes etc). Also, considering that large parts of this economy would arguably be of little value to Aussie brands, what would be a reasonably adjusted figure? (Ie. Chinese businesses set up to cater for Chinese specific needs, with Goods sourced from China, and consumers paying for this from Chinese derived income; think Chinese international students for example).
Now, I do agree that the potential number here would be substantial nonetheless considering the large immigrant population. Although the question remains. Why should brands carve up more of their budgets to invest in channels that provide sub-standard quality metrics on basic figures like audience, UB’s, PVs, circulation amongst others? (Outright fake in some instances I’ve seen)
My guess is that brands could want to invest more in this space if the multicultural channels come up to speed on at least the basics. Currently I would say that the risks out-weigh the opportunity cost hence being a barrier to investment? I think brands definitely see opportunity here, but the lack of data etc are putting brakes on quantifying the opportunity value.
Perhaps the multicultural vendors should be demanded a minimum level of industry standard transparency with their reporting if they want to play with the big fish? Should they not up their game first if they want a bigger slice of the pie? What sort of developments are happening in this space?
I agree with your views, there is a lot to be done in this area. As a thought leader in this space our agency has been pushing the boundaries. The spend figures are easily calculated based on consumption basket patterns of these audiences. Be it housing, education, groceries, travel, Health etc. family size including longstay visitors VFR all add to these numbers. Infact my calculatio s exceed the $ quoted. These do not include Daigou Marketing Billings.
On another note my company has been pushing Media to get themselves accredited if they want business from us. ROI calculations are getting smarter with more sophisticated independent software usage as a double check on all figures provided by our industry partners.
As I say Multicultural Marketing is an art as you need detailed insights about these audiences but is also a science. And we should never lose sight of this. Very heartening to read your observations.
With 50 percent of Australia being of a multicultural background, do they question what percentage of their marketing budget is targeted to multicultural Australians?
A basic question that should be but is not asked at the beginning of any strategy.A glaring example are the Ads we see/hear on Australian TV and Radio channels. you could could the number of migrant models/faces you see(if any). A poor reflection of your market out there not only in metros but regional ares too.
Good piece.
Well said!