Posted by Chia-Yi in Ethnic Marketing | 0 Comments
Immigration: If the trend continues…
If you live in Vancouver or Toronto chances are you’re familiar with Chinese or Hindi accents and Asian cultures and food. If you live in Montreal you are likely to recognize Arab accents and you may even be a huge fan of couscous… If the trend continues, in 20 years three out of ten people will belong to a visible minority group and 96% of new immigrants will live in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Thus, a safe assumption is that multiculturalism will only increase in our society. Multiculturalism refers to the “presence and persistence of diverse racial and ethnic minorities who define themselves as different and who wish to remain so[1]”.
These differences can enrich our lives or puzzle us and even make us feel uneasy. But in everyday life, whether in Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal, our future looks younger as immigrants are lowering the average age of Canada’s population, and most certainly colourful, vibrant, rich in ideas and activities, new writers and artists, entrepreneurs and debates. So, as the writer Khalil Gibran stated, why “dread thirst when your well is full”?
[1] http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/prbpubs/936-f.htm#alemulticulturalisme
Posted by Chia-Yi in Marketing-Communications Hong Kong, Marketing-Communications Taiwan | 0 Comments
Similar Heritage, Different Cultures
East-West cultural differences are not the only things that you need to take into account. Although the Chinese, Taiwanese and Cantonese mostly originate from the same Han roots and many share the same language, religion, ethnic traditions and dynamic culture, there are a number of differences between these groups. For example, the Taiwanese passion for baseball, for which the mainland Chinese people are not very keen, results from the influence of the Japanese colonisation that lasted for half a century.
Chu and Chan (2008) have looked into the differences between Taiwanese, Cantonese and Chinese consumers. Among others, they have discovered that the Taiwanese respond much less to promotions that aren’t based on price, unlike the two other groups. They also noted that the factors that positively influence consumers when faced with the image of a company differed from one group to another. Brand names, product packaging, labelling and how easy the product is to purchase are the factors that the Taiwanese consider the most, while Cantonese put more attention on the availability of the goods and product presentation (display shelves, window displays, etc.).
In a world where few communication barriers remain, culture is more and more subject to various influences. What characterises a nation today may not be the case for future generations.
Sources : CHU, K-M et CHANG, H-C (2008). “Cross-cultural Consumer Behavior of General Merchandise for Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, Taiwan”, The Business Review, Cambridge , Vol. 11 , No. 1
TAO, S-P (2003). “Life Style and Consumers in Taiwan and the United States; A cross cultural comparison of Activities, Interests and Opinions (AIOs)”, Thesis, University of Minnesota.
Posted by Chia-Yi in Marketing-Communications Asia, Marketing-Communications Vietnam | 0 Comments
Focus on Vietnam: Introduction
Composed of more than 54 official ethnic groups, the country takes its name from the majority group, the Viet. The official language, Vietnamese, is their mother tongue. Until the 18th Century, the writing system used Chinese characters. The system was romanised following the arrival of Western missionaries and is still used today. Although Vietnam is part of the French-speaking world, French is only spoken as a second language by about 100,000 people and one very small French community. English dominates over French in terms of languages learnt.
Source:http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/Asie/vietnam.htm
Posted by Chia-Yi in Marketing-Communications Asia, Marketing-Communications India | 0 Comments
Focus on India: Introduction
The world’s largest democracy
With its 1.15 billion inhabitants, the Republic of India is the second most populated country in the world after China. Hindi, the official language, is spoken by approximately 40% of the population*. In addition, the Constitution officially recognises 22 other languages, and it has been estimated that 844 dialects are used all over the country. English is the business language and is used in varying degrees by 40% of the population, which is composed of around 2,000 different ethnic groups. India established a democratic system of government following its declaration of independence in 1947, which survives paradoxically with the economic and social disparities. The federalist system consolidates this cultural plurality and makes India “unified in its diversity”.
* The various dialects are included.
Posted by Chia-Yi in Ethnic Marketing | 0 Comments
The effects on marketing
According to a study conducted by Ipsos Reid, advertisements in the mother tongue of the target consumer would be more effective at capturing Chinese and South Asian audiences. Moreover, 63% of the Chinese people who participated in the study said they would be more inclined to promote companies that are involved in their local community.
But simply translating an advertisement that is targeted at a different audience is not enough, especially when trying to capture newcomers. A significant portion of them do not identify with the advertisements. The language and presence of actors from various cultural backgrounds is not sufficient to reach the different communities. Publicity needs to be designed or adapted to reflect the reality of your audience.
Prasad Rao, a specialist in ethnic marketing provides a concrete example of the ethnocultural impact on marketing: the concept of a hassle-free mortgage initiated by certain large banks is undoubtedly attractive for the average Canadian, but for South-Asians and the Chinese, for whom haggling to obtain the best price is part of their culture, this practice was not well received.
Source: http://jimmintz.wordpress.com/2008/05/20/marketing-to-canadians-of-south-asian-and-chinese-origin-a-hot-trend/ , http://www.marketingmag.ca/english/news/marketer/article.jsp?content=20070129_68441_68441 and http://www.consumerology.ca/Consumerology_Release_Mar2.pdf
Posted by Chia-Yi in Ethnic Marketing | 0 Comments
Different media to attract different segments
Ethnic communities don’t only differ in their ways and customs, they also have different media-related habits. A study conducted by the Bensimon Byrne agency has revealed that first and second generation (male) immigrants read more newspapers than the rest of the population. In fact, the vast majority of them read newspapers in their mother tongue, a trend that is more pronounced in new arrivals and second generation immigrants.
Internet use is also more intensive among certain large ethnic groups (notably Chinese, South-Asian, westernised Asians and Hispanic communities). A survey conducted by Solutions Research Group revealed that the penetration rate of computers in Chinese and South-Asian households has reached 88% (compared to 83% of Canadian households). The internet is particularly popular among Chinese Canadians who use it for an average 2.4 hours per day (compared to an overall average of 1.7 hours) and 80% of those have access at home (the national average being 68%).
Sources: http://www.consumerology.ca et
http://www.srgnet.com/pdf/New%20Canadians%20Hooked%20on%20Internet%20Press%20Release%20(April%2024,%202008).pdf