Insights

As a multicultural nation, Australia’s advertising and marketing should be too.

A nation of diversity

There are 278 cultural and ethnic groups in Australia. 21% of Australians speak a language other than English at home. We are, indisputably, a nation of diversity. Yet, this isn’t represented in the advertising and marketing that we see.

 

A one-size-fits-all approach does not work

As you’ll know if you watched Gruen last week, the challenge of being such a brilliantly diverse nation was brought to the fore during COVID-19 when public health messages weren’t reaching everyone who needed them. Given that we are a multicultural society, our marketing and advertising should be too. Australia is made up of distinct audiences, from different national and cultural backgrounds, with differing levels of English.  We can’t expect to put one TV ad out and hope that it will speak to every one of our audiences – this is a really outdated and ineffective approach.

 

A multicultural approach to communications should be the norm

But it’s not just public health messaging that necessitates planning your campaign through a multicultural lens: it applies to brands, the public sector, not-for-profits…any organisation with an audience. For Australian marketers, a multicultural approach should be their modus operandi, not an afterthought.

 

“I think it highlights how marketers are really behind the 8 Ball. That (taking a multicultural approach) is how we should always be communicating…understanding that we have really fragmented audiences. That’s part of diversity in Australia – knowing that we have lots of different people from lots of different backgrounds with different English levels and who are into different things.” Karen Ferry, Creative Director, speaking on Gruen.

 

How do you know where to start?

It can be a scary prospect, we get it. After all, how do you know what will resonate with an audience you know nothing about? We can’t all be experts on over 270 different cultures and you don’t want to be the one that confuses Slovakian with Slovenian or uses Cantonese instead of Mandarin.

 

The LOTE Agency is here to help

That’s where we come in. The LOTE Agency has been helping clients from all sectors, and for many different applications, to identify their audiences through expert research and engage them in an effective, culturally sensitive way. This ensures that the message is remembered and acted upon. 

So whether you need research to confirm how much of the market your business might be missing out on, or would like professionally accredited translators to help your message be understood, partner with us to get the results your campaign deserves.

Click here to book an appointment with one of our consultants or give us a call on 1300 752 108.

 

Image copyright: ABC

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