RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards
Filipino Canadian Woman Nominated for RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards
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AV Communications (AVC) CEO Joycelyn David joins the ranks of visible minority women who are making their mark in Canada. A Filipino-Canadian, she has been recently nominated at the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards. The prestigious national awards program celebrates the achievements of the most accomplished and impactful women in the country.
Over the last 29 years, the program has honoured over 190 women for demonstrating excellence across multiple sectors. And this year, David is making history by becoming one of only a handful of Filipino women who have landed a place in this coveted spotlight.
Born in Canada, Raised Filipino
Proud of her Filipino roots, David was the first of her family to be born in Canada after her parents emigrated from the Philippines in the 1970s. She grew up between Winnipeg and Edmonton, learning about her culture through the stories shared by her relatives. But learning the culture was not enough. David yearned to see another Filipino face right here in her home.
“I can still remember the first time I saw a Filipino in a TV commercial here in Canada,” David recalled. “It was a student recruitment spot, and they were inviting internationally trained students to enroll. I distinctly remember the ad and the feeling that ‘Ah… I can see myself, my sister, and my culture represented on TV. I was 25 years old at the time. Why has it taken so long for me to see myself reflected in the media this way?”
This question on her mind motivated David to champion the representation of black, indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) in mainstream media. Especially for the Filipino ethnic group that’s the third-largest in Canada. The Filipino population is expected to reach 1M by 2021, representing a 150% growth rate. They’re also the number one source of immigrants to Canada.
Rising to the Challenge
With the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, and call for representation for BIPOC, consumers are demanding diversity and authenticity. Multiculturalism is mainstream. This has been David’s battle cry since taking the reins at AVC in 2019. Aside from keeping its Filipino heritage alive, David is taking the 17-year-old agency to greater heights.
Today, the award-winning multicultural agency has expanded its business globally. Growing international brands and reaching multicultural audiences south of the border (USA), even as far as the Philippines and Mexico.
AVC is also expanding through partnerships and research and development with the launch of its insights platform ETHNIHUBTM in October 2020. This project landed David a coveted spot in the Microsoft-backed Women in Cloud Accelerator.
Lead with Diversity. Invest in Multicultural.
David aims to push brands to revisit their brand and marketing campaigns and account for visible minorities in their communications. And though she has shattered Filipino stereotypes through her latest achievement, David knows her work has only just begun.
“It’s time for companies to walk the talk. If they truly embrace diversity and inclusion (D&I) it will be reflected in all aspects of their business, including marketing. When I began in this industry nearly 20 years ago, multicultural marketing budgets were often less than 5% of a campaign budget. It’s now 2021, and unfortunately, we haven’t moved the needle enough. I look forward to the day when a campaign brief LEADS with diversity and puts the right investment into multicultural audiences as well.”
If you would like to talk to Joycelyn about some of her current endeavors, future passion projects or how she can help you boost your brand in the multicultural space, drop her a message at linkedin.com/in/joycelyndavid/
2021 Multicultural Strategy Tip #5
2021 Multicultural Strategy Tip #5
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How do you tap the 10M multicultural market this year? In this blog series, we give you five strategies that you can use as a guide when you formulate your marketing plans for the multicultural audience in 2021.
Food brand? Say hello to the halal market.
THE FACTS: Canadian Muslim population, who consume halal food, is projected to reach 2.7M by 2030 (6.6 % of total population). The halal market size is over 1B in Canada and is growing at a rapid rate of 10% over the last few years.
KFC, Popeyes, Mary Browns, Nando’s and many more mainstream brands have added halal options to their menus to increase their market share.
Loblaws and Maple Leaf Foods have their own halal product range (Sufra and Mina respectively) to meet the growing demand of halal audience.
Walmart and FreshCo have dedicated “halal” food sections at various locations.
Why do you need to consider this audience for your brand?
OUR TAKE: Halal product awareness and consumption is increasing at a rapid pace and majority of consumers have the financial power to spend. According to the Canadian Halal Meat Market Study funded by the Alberta Agriculture, Food & Rural Development (AAFRD) and Farming For The Future Farm Demo Project (FFF), the average Canadian Muslim household spends $1,623 on halal meat per year and consumes 5.6 meat servings per day. This trend will only grow from here so why wait?
To learn more about our multicultural strategies contact Shaharyar Irfan and Gideon Lin.
2021 Multicultural Strategy Tip #4
2021 Multicultural Strategy Tip #4
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How do you tap the 10M multicultural market this year? In this blog series, we give you five strategies that you can use as a guide when you formulate your marketing plans for the multicultural audience in 2021.
Get people talking. Tap Emerging Ethnic Micro-influencers.
THE FACTS: Word of mouth is stronger among immigrants versus the mainstream audience.
50% of Chinese consumers use social platforms to gain product information while 40% do impulsive buying online after being influenced by KOLs.
Ethnic groups such as South Asians and Filipinos are hugely influenced by the opinions of trusted people in their community, especially when buying a high value item.
How can your brand be present in these online conversations?
OUR TAKE: Leverage the strong network of influencers to promote your brand among different ethnic audiences.
To learn more about our multicultural strategies, see tip #5 and contact Shaharyar Irfan and Gideon Lin.
2021 Multicultural Strategy Tip #3
2021 Multicultural Strategy Tip #3
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How do you tap the 10M multicultural market this year? In this blog series, we give you five strategies that you can use as a guide when you formulate your marketing plans for the multicultural audience in 2021.
Mabuhay! Add Filipino Canadians to Your Acquisition Brief.
THE FACTS: The Filipino population is one of the fastest growing Asian populations in the country. By 2021, the Filipino population is expected to reach 1M, representing a 150% growth rate. They are the #1 source of immigrants to Canada.
How can your brand grow your customer base?
OUR TAKE: Consider adding Filipinos to your consumer acquisition strategy. This ethnic group has a significant spending power (average net worth is $446k higher than the general population $442k).
Filipino Canadians also have the lowest unemployment rate (5.9%) amongst newcomer segments and 60% of them have a college or university degree.
To learn more about our multicultural strategies, see tip #4 and contact Shaharyar Irfan and Gideon Lin.
2021 Multicultural Strategy Tip #2
2021 Multicultural Strategy Tip #2
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How do you tap the 10M multicultural market this year? In this blog series, we give you five strategies that you can use as a guide when you formulate your marketing plans for the multicultural audience in 2021.
Get on WeChat and Weibo. Seriously.
THE FACTS: With over 1.6M Chinese Canadians, this audience is young (average age 38), affluent (23.2% of Chinese Canadians earn up to $150k in gross income per year versus 16.1% of all Canadians) and growing as the #2 source of new immigration and international students to Canada.
How can your brand connect to this audience?
OUR TAKE: Get your brand on WeChat and Weibo. Chinese audiences have strong preference to consume media in their native language, so brands need to step up and meet them on the app of their choice – WeChat and Weibo.
There are over 1M users on WeChat and over 0.6M monthly active users on Weibo in Canada. This group is socially very active and spends an average of 35+ hours a week on WeChat alone.
To learn more about our multicultural strategies, see tip #3 and contact Shaharyar Irfan and Gideon Lin.
2021 Multicultural Strategy Tip #1
2021 Multicultural Strategy Tip #1
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How do you tap the 10M multicultural market this year? In this blog series, we give you five strategies that you can use as a guide when you formulate your marketing plans for the multicultural audience in 2021.
Be inclusive. Develop a Multicultural Marketing Model.
THE FACTS: Consumers are demanding diversity with the rise of Black Lives Matter movement and call for representation for black, indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC).
How can your brand be more inclusive?
OUR TAKE: Start by building a multicultural marketing model. Connect to customers through a cultural lens – authentically. Language is part of this, but not entirely as many multicultural audiences are of mixed heritage or speak multiple languages. Look beyond the ethnic background and identify the right passion points and hotspots for your audience.
To learn more about our multicultural strategies, see tip #2 and contact Shaharyar Irfan and Gideon Lin.
AVC CEO Joycelyn David tells Narcity why multiculturalism is key to growing your Canadian business in 2021
AVC CEO Joycelyn David tells NARCITY why multiculturalism is key to growing your Canadian business 2021
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From 2021 to 2023, Canada aims to bring 1.2 million immigrants to compensate for the shortfall in 2020, the year hit by a global pandemic.
With over a million new people entering Canada from different parts of the world, Canadian businesses need to start thinking about turning this diverse audience into new customers.
"The future is bright because the market has awoken to something we’ve known for 20 years, diversity is good for business."
— AVC CEO Joycelyn David shares in her interview with Narcity.
These newcomers are not the only source of growth. So are the diverse Canadians who are now living in the country. That is why multiculturalism is a key factor to consider when marketers formulate their growth strategy for 2021.
David reveals five ways on how Canadian businesses can successfully tap into the multicultural market. Read the full article, click here.
For Canadian brands who would like to dip their feet into multicultural marketing, start by chatting with the experts. Contact Shaharyar Irfan, or Gideon Lin.
ETHNIHUBTM Study Reveals Ethnic Shoppers Prefer Familiar Food Brands from Back Home
ETHNIHUBTM Study Reveals Ethnic Shoppers Prefer Familiar Food Brands from Back Home
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A recent ETHNIHUB study by AV Communications reveals that over 80% of ethnic shoppers spend more than $100 on groceries during each store visit. Spending big dollars on food does not come as a surprise. Immigrants from Chinese, South Asian, and Filipino backgrounds live with extended family members.
When they arrive in Canada, they also bring with them their culture and traditions. Their style of cooking, their unique taste, and yes, their favourite food brands. The same study confirms 75% of ethnic shoppers prefer food brands they’re familiar with from back home.
This is the reason why food marketers have been paying more attention to ethnic shoppers in recent years.
According to Canadian Grocer, some $12 billion in additional grocery store sales will be attributed to immigrants. It’s a figure Canadian food retailers simply can’t ignore, and they’ve taken great strides to cater to ethnic foodies.
Loblaws acquired T&T Supermarket, Canada’s largest Asian food retailer, and has launched a halal food brand called Sufra in 2017 to cater to the Muslim community. Sobeys, the second-largest food retailer in Canada, launched Chalo! FreshCo store in Brampton, Ontario in 2015. The first store in Canada for South Asians. It was meant to attract South Asian shoppers with the widest variety of South Asian brands under one roof.
The Canadian food landscape is more diverse than ever. Proof that multiculturalism has become mainstream, especially when it comes to food. AV Communications Owner and CEO Joycelyn David explains, “A great example is Grace Foods. As a brand with roots serving the Caribbean diaspora and community, they now appeal to many diverse shoppers, including my Filipino-Canadian household, where coconut milk and corned beef are beloved food items!”
Birthday and a New Tattoo: The (Her)story Behind AVC's Rebirth
Birthday and a New Tattoo: The (Her)story Behind AVC's Rebirth
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It has been a little over a year since Owner and CEO Joycelyn David took the helm of AV Communications in 2019. Learn More
It really is a rebirth of sorts for the 17-year-old multicultural agency as it went head-to-head with COVID-19, closed its doors temporarily at Spadina Ave. to work-from-home, and helped brands keep its head above water during a global pandemic.
All this happened shortly after the agency has undergone a big change itself.
If you’re curious to hear how it all started, then check out Jason Swenk’s interview with David in his Smart Agency Master Class Podcast. It’s the number one podcast where real agency owners share trade secrets for growing their agencies.
Listen to the podcast here: Click here.
And if you want to know how a historic birthday, quitting a successful corporate job, and getting a new tattoo has to do with running an independent agency, contact @Joycelyn David.
Research Game-Changer: AVC CEO Joycelyn David talks to Strategy about its multicultural insight platform, ETHNIHUBTM
Research Game-Changer:
AVC CEO Joycelyn David talks to Strategy about its multicultural insight platform, ETHNIHUBTM
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“My role in the multicultural space is trying to get everyone on a level playing field of understanding.”
AVC CEO Joycelyn David shares this bold vision in a recent interview with Strategy for AV Communications’ proprietary digital research platform, ETHNIHUBTM.
Borne out of a need to get into the minds of multicultural consumers faster and easier than employing traditional market research methods, ETHNIHUBTM aims to be a game-changer for brands who want to understand ethnic consumers, right now. Not later.
David tells Strategy, “Knowledge is power. But not if it takes months to analyze and then act on.”
Launched in October 2020, David says that ETHNIHUBTM is designed to connect marketers with real-time multicultural insights that not only give voice to the consumer but also verify the authenticity of insights.
“Validating insights is so important in multicultural, and if you don’t have consumer-generated feedback, it’s easy to fall into cultural biases,” David further explains.
She ends the interview by stressing the importance of always being on when engaging with diverse communities.
“It’s great you want to do a Diwali or Chinese New Year campaign and you’re recognizing it’s a season to connect with those audiences, but it’s not the only time to connect. You need to be always on, as the market is always on,” David tells Strategy.
To read the full article, click here.
For agencies and brands interested in an ETHNIHUBTM demo, contact @Shaharyar Irfan or @Gideon Lin for more information.
Respondents can sign up for free at www.ethnihub.ca.