How do you tap the 10M multicultural market this year? In this blog series, we give you five strategies that you can use as a guide when you formulate your marketing plans for the multicultural audience in 2021.

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Food brand? Say hello to the halal market.

THE FACTS: Canadian Muslim population, who consume halal food, is projected to reach 2.7M by 2030 (6.6 % of total population). The halal market size is over 1B in Canada and is growing at a rapid rate of 10% over the last few years.

KFC, Popeyes, Mary Browns, Nando’s and many more mainstream brands have added halal options to their menus to increase their market share.

Loblaws and Maple Leaf Foods have their own halal product range (Sufra and Mina respectively) to meet the growing demand of halal audience.

Walmart and FreshCo have dedicated “halal” food sections at various locations.

Why do you need to consider this audience for your brand?

OUR TAKE: Halal product awareness and consumption is increasing at a rapid pace and majority of consumers have the financial power to spend. According to the Canadian Halal Meat Market Study funded by the Alberta Agriculture, Food & Rural Development (AAFRD) and Farming For The Future Farm Demo Project (FFF), the average Canadian Muslim household spends $1,623 on halal meat per year and consumes 5.6 meat servings per day. This trend will only grow from here so why wait?

To learn more about our multicultural strategies contact Shaharyar Irfan and Gideon Lin.

How do you tap the 10M multicultural market this year? In this blog series, we give you five strategies that you can use as a guide when you formulate your marketing plans for the multicultural audience in 2021.

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Get people talking. Tap Emerging Ethnic Micro-influencers.

THE FACTS: Word of mouth is stronger among immigrants versus the mainstream audience.

50% of Chinese consumers use social platforms to gain product information while 40% do impulsive buying online after being influenced by KOLs.

Ethnic groups such as South Asians and Filipinos are hugely influenced by the opinions of trusted people in their community, especially when buying a high value item.

How can your brand be present in these online conversations?

OUR TAKE: Leverage the strong network of influencers to promote your brand among different ethnic audiences.

To learn more about our multicultural strategies, see tip #5 and contact Shaharyar Irfan and Gideon Lin.

How do you tap the 10M multicultural market this year? In this blog series, we give you five strategies that you can use as a guide when you formulate your marketing plans for the multicultural audience in 2021.

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Mabuhay! Add Filipino Canadians to Your Acquisition Brief.

THE FACTS: The Filipino population is one of the fastest growing Asian populations in the country. By 2021, the Filipino population is expected to reach 1M, representing a 150% growth rate. They are the #1 source of immigrants to Canada.

How can your brand grow your customer base?

OUR TAKE: Consider adding Filipinos to your consumer acquisition strategy. This ethnic group has a significant spending power (average net worth is $446k higher than the general population $442k).

Filipino Canadians also have the lowest unemployment rate (5.9%) amongst newcomer segments and 60% of them have a college or university degree.

To learn more about our multicultural strategies, see tip #4 and contact Shaharyar Irfan and Gideon Lin.

How do you tap the 10M multicultural market this year? In this blog series, we give you five strategies that you can use as a guide when you formulate your marketing plans for the multicultural audience in 2021.

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Get on WeChat and Weibo. Seriously.

THE FACTS: With over 1.6M Chinese Canadians, this audience is young (average age 38), affluent (23.2% of Chinese Canadians earn up to $150k in gross income per year versus 16.1% of all Canadians) and growing as the #2 source of new immigration and international students to Canada.

How can your brand connect to this audience?

OUR TAKE: Get your brand on WeChat and Weibo. Chinese audiences have strong preference to consume media in their native language, so brands need to step up and meet them on the app of their choice – WeChat and Weibo.

There are over 1M users on WeChat and over 0.6M monthly active users on Weibo in Canada. This group is socially very active and spends an average of 35+ hours a week on WeChat alone.

To learn more about our multicultural strategies, see tip #3 and contact Shaharyar Irfan and Gideon Lin.

How do you tap the 10M multicultural market this year? In this blog series, we give you five strategies that you can use as a guide when you formulate your marketing plans for the multicultural audience in 2021.

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Be inclusive. Develop a Multicultural Marketing Model.

THE FACTS: Consumers are demanding diversity with the rise of Black Lives Matter movement and call for representation for black, indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC).

How can your brand be more inclusive?

OUR TAKE: Start by building a multicultural marketing model. Connect to customers through a cultural lens – authentically. Language is part of this, but not entirely as many multicultural audiences are of mixed heritage or speak multiple languages. Look beyond the ethnic background and identify the right passion points and hotspots for your audience.

To learn more about our multicultural strategies, see tip #2 and contact Shaharyar Irfan and Gideon Lin.

From 2021 to 2023, Canada aims to bring 1.2 million immigrants to compensate for the shortfall in 2020, the year hit by a global pandemic.

With over a million new people entering Canada from different parts of the world, Canadian businesses need to start thinking about turning this diverse audience into new customers.

— AVC CEO Joycelyn David shares in her interview with Narcity.

These newcomers are not the only source of growth. So are the diverse Canadians who are now living in the country. That is why multiculturalism is a key factor to consider when marketers formulate their growth strategy for 2021.

David reveals five ways on how Canadian businesses can successfully tap into the multicultural market. Read the full article, click here.

For Canadian brands who would like to dip their feet into multicultural marketing, start by chatting with the experts. Contact Shaharyar Irfan, or Gideon Lin.

A recent ETHNIHUB study by AV Communications reveals that over 80% of ethnic shoppers spend more than $100 on groceries during each store visit. Spending big dollars on food does not come as a surprise. Immigrants from Chinese, South Asian, and Filipino backgrounds live with extended family members.

When they arrive in Canada, they also bring with them their culture and traditions. Their style of cooking, their unique taste, and yes, their favourite food brands. The same study confirms 75% of ethnic shoppers prefer food brands they’re familiar with from back home.

This is the reason why food marketers have been paying more attention to ethnic shoppers in recent years.

According to Canadian Grocer, some $12 billion in additional grocery store sales will be attributed to immigrants. It’s a figure Canadian food retailers simply can’t ignore, and they’ve taken great strides to cater to ethnic foodies.

Loblaws acquired T&T Supermarket, Canada’s largest Asian food retailer, and has launched a halal food brand called Sufra in 2017 to cater to the Muslim community. Sobeys, the second-largest food retailer in Canada, launched Chalo! FreshCo store in Brampton, Ontario in 2015. The first store in Canada for South Asians. It was meant to attract South Asian shoppers with the widest variety of South Asian brands under one roof.

The Canadian food landscape is more diverse than ever. Proof that multiculturalism has become mainstream, especially when it comes to food. AV Communications Owner and CEO Joycelyn David explains, “A great example is Grace Foods. As a brand with roots serving the Caribbean diaspora and community, they now appeal to many diverse shoppers, including my Filipino-Canadian household, where coconut milk and corned beef are beloved food items!”