Australia’s multicultural environment is no secret, and marketers cannot afford to ignore the spending power of ‘new audience’ Diasporas.
This Festive Season, connect with ‘new audience’ Diasporas and tap into their enormous marketing potential by tying in with cultural festivities.
As Christmas is widely celebrated among Western cultures, so too is Diwali among Indian and South Asian communities. Lunar New Year (or Chinese New Year) for Asian and Chinese communities is similarly important. These festivals are critical touch-points for brands to connect with these growing consumer bases. However, a brand looking to develop a long-standing relationship and build brand loyalty needs to go the extra mile.
That said, here are 5 top tips to engage new audiences during the festive period, and strengthen relationships:
- The right message for the right time: A festival is a celebration, but each festival is unique in terms of what it stands for to the audience celebrating it. Diwali is the festival of lights, but Holi is the festival of colours – even though they are celebrated by similar audience groups. During Diwali, many prefer purchasing something new for their household to celebrate fresh and new beginnings. Therefore, it is important to match your message and product accordingly. New electronics (like phones or phone plans) or investments (like superannuation) are great products to promote during Diwali in Australia.
- The right price: Price is a tricky concept with most new audience groups. Even though most Chinese and Indian communities are price savvy, when it comes to “gifts” for friends or loved ones or personal purchases for long-term items, price takes the back seat. These audiences don’t want to come across as miserly in their gift-giving and don’t mind spending a few extra dollars as long as they feel that they are receiving good “value” (much more than just price) for what they purchase. Also, most personal purchases are made with a long-term view and products are expected to be durable.
- The right place: Geo-targeting is not just an online targeting tool. It is important to understand and know where your audiences live. There is no point in promoting a product to Indians during Diwali without hitting hotspots like Parramatta in Sydney or Dandenong in Melbourne for maximum impact. Specific ethnic neighbourhoods need to be part of the overall promotional and media planning for maximum cut-through due to the sheer number of brands promoting their products during this time.
- The right mediums: Having an amazing product at a great price with appropriate and engaging messaging and a clearly defined target audience is a great start to a festival campaign, but it needs to reach the audience through the right mediums. This is where it is important to select the right print and online media titles in addition to engaging (if budget permits) with the audience at festival-specific events through engaging activation programs. Media and event presence helps establish brand credibility and connects the brand directly with the consumer.
- The right agency partner: It is important to partner with a knowledgeable multicultural marketing agency to harness the expertise of a team of professionals. MultiConnexions (MCX) knows these new audiences and can provide insight-driven strategies for every brand campaign. MCX can not only help design an effective and relevant campaign for the target audience, but also assist brands to build their relationships through existing influencer networks.
Relationships are built on continuous interactions. Festivals may provide a very strong point-of-entry to start a relationship or to reconnect with audiences, but what a brand does to have regular touch points with these audiences across the year is what builds brand loyalty and sustainable growth.
By Arpita Ray
Arpita Ray is an MCX Sr. Strategy & Communication Manager. She has lived and worked in India, Thailand, U.S. and Australia. Arpita’s in-depth understanding of Indian culture and marketing strategies assists MCX clients to connect with the South Asian diaspora.
Image Source: Kjpargeter