ETHNIC MARKETING- Where from here?
Canada and its 30 million inhabitants reflect a cultural, ethnic and linguistic makeup that is probably the most diverse in the world; and a strikingly beautiful aspect of this diversity is that, not only is it a fundamental characteristic of Canada’s constitution but also that Canadians truly believe in the virtues of accommodation and mutual respect. This cultural pluralism is now being widely recognized by businesses and employers; many are actually using it to promote innovation, stimulate teamwork or even expand their market for their goods & services.
Over 200 ethnic origins were reported in the 2006 Census by Statistics Canada leading to nearly 19% of the Canadian population whose first language was neither English nor French. That amounts to nearly 6 million people speaking a language other than the two official languages. From 2001 to 2006, Canada’s visible minority population increased by 27.2% which was five times faster than the 5.4% growth rate of the total population.
It is anticipated that between 2006 & 2017, the country’s population is expected to grow by 10%. However, more than 80% of that growth will come from visible minority groups like the Chinese, South Asian, Black, Filipino and Arabs to name a few. Studies forecast a 40% increase in the Chinese, 50% increase in the South Asian and a 60% increase in the Arab population which further implies that ten years from now, the visible minority will no more be a visible minority!
As a foresighted Management Executive, are you prepared to handle this shift in the market?
Toronto based Solutions Research Group revealed that 52% of the ethnic groups surveyed agree with the statement: “I rarely see advertising messages intended for me.” It recently concluded that most of the ethnic communities prefer “their language ethnic media”. Only 50 % of the Chinese Canadians & 57% of the South Asian Canadians read the regular English language newspapers. Their survey also says that 75% of Chinese Canadians & South Asian Canadians 15+ have used at least one ethnic radio, TV Station or ethnic newspaper in the last seven days.
Probably that is one reason why ethnic media has grown so rapidly in the past decade. Most of the businesses have realized this and they are working towards a marketing strategy that targets not just the mainstream English- speaking Canadians but also the different multi-ethnic groups. However, it is not easy to identify and measure identities; let alone, to create communication and marketing strategies geared towards this complex and dynamic part of our market.
Although every company would like to reach out to as many people as possible and not hesitate to produce multilingual marketing campaigns, this is easier said than done. The whole process, in itself, poses a number of challenges to Managers who are already flooded with all sorts of campaigns and strategies to work on. Not all of them understand these languages, cultures and varying ethnic nuances. Successful Ethnic marketing requires in-depth research and understanding of each group that has a pre defined set of values and attitudes. And this is what every major company’s marketing management needs to plan strategically for. Advertisers must not forget that different ethnic communities present “the new consumers” who have a clean slate in front of them and are at a critical decision-making stage about products and services in their new home country.
To conclude: as the marketplace becomes more heterogeneous, ethnic groups increase in numbers & their purchasing power increases manifold; it is time for the market savvy manager to make a conscious decision to expand his vision about advertising and marketing. It is time to build new relationships. It is time to go multicultural!
