In this MultiConnexions blog, Account Executive Dennis Nguyen dives into what some of Australia’s most valuable brands for 2018 are doing to better reach the Indian/ South Asian diaspora this Diwali.
For many of us, the new year signifies a time for reflection, significant decision making and new beginnings. For the Indian and wider South Asian community who celebrate it, Diwali represents the start of the new year and is an opportune time to evaluate their financial position as well as make significant purchase decisions. This presents huge opportunities for brands to reach these niche audiences during a time of increased spending.
Since joining MultiConnexions, I have deep-dived into learning more about Diwali and I find the similarities between Diwali and Tet (Vietnamese New Year) really interesting. For myself coming from a Vietnamese background, Tet is a significant time in my family’s calendar for celebration and is also a time when big purchases occur to refresh the home, reward personal success and kick off the new year on a positive note.
Well-known brands across a range of industry sectors in Australia have started to embrace community engagement by celebrating Diwali along with those celebrating. MultiConnexions’ clients, Telstra and AustralianSuper, are two terrific examples of renowned and leading brands that have achieved strong results with targeted marketing strategies during last year’s Diwali period.
I have been fortunate to work on AustralianSuper myself and note the use of first-hand insights to deliver culturally relevant, eye-catching and well-timed creatives, that also aligned with the client’s brand values were all considered. The importance of family during this period was reflected in the creatives pictured below, along with the use of goodwill messaging. Bright colours were a key component, reflecting on the celebration of lights, as also tapping into the insight that family is important especially at this time.
AustralianSuper Integrated Diwali Campaign 2017
Australia Post Happy Diwali Postal Numismatic Cover 2018
Even the postal services sector has capitalised on the cultural event by creating stunning speciality designed postal numismatic covers two years in a row, allowing customers to send items with the choice to use a Diwali themed cover over a standard everyday envelope. The cover features traditional imagery associated with the festival and creates a special experience for the giver and receiver.
Australia Post Happy Diwali Postal Numismatic Cover 2017
Australia Post Happy Diwali Postal Numismatic Cover 2018
There are many ways Australian brands can enhance their positioning through a range of tactical marketing approaches. From the list of Australia’s top 10 most valuable brands for 2018 we can see that the majority of these brands incorporate integrated measures to better communicate with the growing multicultural audience, who are also their customers. They are bringing to light the importance of multicultural Australia as part of their brand vision and realising that the ‘one size fits all’ approach no longer exists in when creating messages to market to their broader audience segments. While most banks tend to connect with multicultural audiences, CBA specifically has gone that extra length to connect with these audiences not merely during Lunar New Year, but also during Diwali.
CBA celebrates Diwali “rangoli-style” with the Indian community
For many major brands, multicultural niche targeting is their best kept secret. If you would like to see your brand brighten up with the right message, right creative and right insights at the right time during this Diwali period, or for any other multicultural occasion, contact MultiConnexions – your multicultural marketing partner.
Happy Diwali everyone!