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Canada is one of the most digitally engaged nations in the world, and it’s also one of the most diverse. So it’s time for Canadian digital marketers and retailers to reach out to Canada’s ethnic communities, argues UBC communications manager Tracy Bains.

Canadians are the most engaged online users in the world. The average Canadian logs 43.5 hours on the web per month – almost twice the worldwide average of 23.1 hours, according to research firm comScore.

Moreover, 71 percent of Canadian internet users visit YouTube every month, more than any other country in the world. We’re also the top nation on Facebook with 83.1 percent of Canadians visiting the social network compared to only 71.5 percent of U.S. internet users.

But marketers, advertisers and retailers frequently overlook Canada’s most active internet users – immigrants and visible minorities.

In fact, a recent poll of marketers found that more than 37 percent of respondents aren’t creating any campaigns aimed at ethnic Canadians. Another 34 percent estimated that less than 10 percent of their work includes multicultural messaging.

The oversight is glaring given, for example, that Chinese Canadians averaged 2.4 hours a day on the internet even in 2006 – well above the market benchmark of 1.7 hours.

When you marry ethnic consumers’ avid use of the internet with the fact that, on average, one immigrant joins Canada every minute and 55 seconds, it’s crucial that we dedicate time and resources to effectively engaging these communities online.
The opportunity

When asked by Canadian consumer insight firm Solutions Research Group, more than half of ethnic consumers agreed with the statement, “I rarely see advertising messages intended for me.”

Consider the lack of targeted, multicultural messaging in light of the fact that 29 to 32 percent of our population may belong to a visible minority group by 2031. This unmet need represents a significant opportunity for Canadian brands that move quickly to reach this audience.

To successfully tailor a digital campaign to Canada’s ethnic groups, we have to study the unique ways in which newcomers use the internet compared with Canadian-born users. For example, according to Statistics Canada:

26.8% of immigrants who arrived in or after 1997 made telephone calls over the internet compared with 6.4% of Canadian-born users
34.1% of immigrants who arrived in or after 1997 downloaded or watched TV or movies on the internet compared with 19.1% of Canadian-born users
62% of immigrants who arrived in or after 1997 used instant messaging compared with 50.4% of Canadian-born users
75% of immigrants who arrived in or after 1997 viewed news or sports information online compared with 62.1% of Canadian-born users

We also need to be mindful that a significantly higher percentage of immigrants and visible minorities are creating social media content than the national average of 20 percent:

Source: Delvinia and Environics Analytics, Infographic by Sparksheet

In other words, one-size-fits-all digital campaigns fail to acknowledge the real differences in how immigrants and visible minorities use the internet and social media. To engage this key and growing market, we have to be willing to customize our approach to marketing.
Industry examples

The Canadian advertising industry’s Marketing Awards, which have existed for nearly 90 years, included a category for Multicultural Awards only in 2011.

This year’s inaugural Integrated Gold Award in Multicultural Marketing went to Air Canada for the “Go Far” campaign created by its agency, Hamazaki Wong.

Creative Director Sonny Wong told the Dx3 Digest that the agency works with Air Canada “to optimize their reach in Asian markets through print, TV, radio and internet. We’ve created messaging that both resonates with the market from a cultural point of view and communicates the benefits of travelling with Air Canada.”

A more recent seat sale that combined print and media buys on select newspaper and ethnic websites earned Air Canada six times the return on their investment online, according to Wong.

Directing traffic to aircanada.com, the campaign resulted in 3.6 million impressions and 16,000 click-throughs over six days.

Wong adds, “the future belongs to those cultural navigators who are able to speak authoritatively and authentically to the changing marketplace.”

Likewise, Kraft Canada launched Kraft Ka Khana last year, a microsite for new Canadians from South Asia, helping new arrivals incorporate shortcuts into their traditional cooking while also introducing them to national favourites like Kraft Dinner and Oreos. Well-known food writer Smita Chandra also developed South Asian-inspired recipes as part of the campaign.

Kraft recently expanded the campaign with the launch of kraftchinesecooking.com, which instructs Chinese families across Canada and those who prepare Chinese-influenced meals at home how to incorporate Kraft products into their cooking.

“Clearly, it’s a strategy that gave client satisfaction and consumer gratification, helping Kraft Canada demonstrate that it understands consumers’ challenges,” Gautam Nath, Partner at Monsoon Communications, Kraft Canada’s former multicultural and communications agency, told the Digest.

As our country changes and becomes more diverse, Canadian brands need to engage multicultural consumers. But to successfully reach this audience, we first need to better understand the needs of individual ethnic groups and what they’re looking for in the digital space.

Tracy Bains is a writer and marketing strategist. She currently serves as Manager, Communications at the University of British Columbia, and sits on the Executive Team for CoopCulture, a volunteer-run platform for enriching Canada’s dialogue on cultural diversity through storytelling and community engagement. Follow her on Twitter at @tbains or on her blog.

Seems like yesterday, but it was 2006 when Judge Cohen from Ontario decreed that the Christmas tree must be removed from the courthouse because it represented a religion. I always thought that the tree was not just a symbol of faith, but a coming together of families to spend much deserved time together after a year of hard work. It represented to me good spirit, joy and giving. As a Muslim, these are not alien thoughts to my religion and are not certainly the prerogative of one faith! Many people believe that the origins of the decorated tree likely dates to pre-Christian pagan cultures in Europe.

Cut to 2011 and the announcement from Service Canada in Quebec that decorations should not be displayed in places that the public would see or have access to. So I guess fireworks on Canada Day and Flags are next?

Read the online comments and it would seem like Canadians feel all immigrants object to having the holidays called Christmas or even celebrating it!

Here’s a correction: NOT TRUE! I know many immigrant families across Canada and I know that the shopping at Christmas and New Year is not the only thing we like about this time of year. It is how our cities are magically transformed into a spectacle of lights and good cheer. We love how Canadians invite us to share this holiday with them.

I lived in Mumbai, India, Muscat, Oman, Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and now in Vancouver, Canada. I cannot remember a time growing up without a Christmas celebration. In fact in the last two residencies, both of which were Islamic countries, there were no restrictions on celebrating religious holidays, be they Holi and Diwali from India, Christmas or Easter or Eid. Yes, the official holidays were Eid and were celebrated with great gusto by all faiths.

The person at Service Canada responsible for this decision made the entire non-Christian population of Canada responsible for this act. And unfortunately fingers are being pointed at immigrants! We immigrants bring in traditions to this country and encourage our newly found friends to celebrate these religions along with us. In one fell swoop, we have now been made the “grinches” who stole Christmas cheer!

In its march towards embracing diversity, Canadians takes pleasure in joining immigrants in celebrating Chinese New Year, Baisakhi, Caribbean days and many more such festivals. So why can’t we join in on the Christmas celebrations that are so intrinsic to Canada’s history and culture?

Canada it seems struggles at times with its political correctness, sometimes it does trip and fall. And then it seems we take four steps back for every two steps forward.

My next step is to pull that tree out of the shed and inspect lights – yes, it is time for family and celebrations!