Marketing Mirror

The AMA Roundtable on the Emerging Ethnic Markets in Canada

Fazal Siddiqi — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:16:54 +0000

It was good to see a full-house in the AMA round-table discussion on The Emerging Ethnic Markets in Canada: The Pioneers of Multicultural Marketing held in Toronto last week. It highlighted the interest in the multicultural and new-Canadians markets.

The panellists for the discussion were from the CPG, Market Research, Telecommunications and Banking sectors. Panellists shared their multicultural marketing approach that differed from each other based on the industry / category they represent. Rubicon Foods primarily focuses on other drivers than ethnicity to expand in Canadian market. Rogers caters to all major ethnic segments with cable TV as TV watching differs across cultures. The RBC engages new-Canadians and also promotes multiculturalism within for continued customer satisfaction and engagement.

There was also discussion on how marketers are still trying to get the multicultural marketing on the map. I think “multicultural marketing not on the map” is an effect and feel that it would be useful discussing the cause to this effect. Why the multicultural marketing has not received the recognition yet? Is it because,

Canadian marketplace is generally slow to adapt
Ethnic segmentation is not relevant for all categories.
Unstable global economy is affecting due allocation of budgets to emerging segments.
There is a lack of credible performance & achievements in multicultural market segments.
Success in multicultural marketplace is not being measured, documented and showcased well.

Deliberations on the above and other such causes will lead to identification of challenges to multicultural marketing, which then can be worked on independently or collectively for coming up with solutions. This is how I believe we can contribute in bringing the multicultural marketing on the map in Canada.

It would be nice to get your viewpoint on this. Please let us know what you think by commenting here.

My Popular Marketing & Business Articles

Fazal Siddiqi — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:04:15 +0000

So far I have written more than 80 articles and posts on this and the CMA blog. A visitor to this blog asked which ones were the most visited / viewed. Following are the top five articles by number of visits. Click on the titles to read and do let me know what do you think about the ideas discussed in these articles by providing your comments here.

Putting Multicultural Marketing On The Fast Track
Highly Effective Communication Model
SACHIN- A market to grow with
Workplace Dynamics
Designing Better Ads

Happy Reading and cheers,

Thank You & Happy New Year

Fazal Siddiqi — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:23:29 +0000

Thank you for visiting and re-visiting this blog.

Happy New Year

The number of visits were much more last year compared to 2010, though due to my preoccupation with a new business venture, I wrote fewer articles and posts in 2011. I will recap with the top five posts on this blog next. So stay tuned.

Thanks, once again, and do keep coming back and provide with your viewpoint on the topics discussed here by commenting on the posts.

Wishing you and your loved ones the best of health, happiness and prosperity in 2012.

Stay Simple, Stay Focused

Fazal Siddiqi — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 04:10:56 +0000

Taking a leaf out of Steve Job’s commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005, I have a marketing mantra, Stay Simple, Stay Focused.

It is easier to lose focus, get tactical and into a trial and error mode amid the changed marketing landscape with fragmented media, tight marketing budgets, increasingly empowered consumers and treadmill-economies. Advertisers are concentrating on quick sales, reducing costs per se, keeping up with the Joneses (competitors) and then firefighting. I think these short-term approaches wouldn’t cut it. Instead, starting with a well thought-out, step by step annual marketing plan to reach end-objectives and then sticking to it keeps it simple and focused, with the eyes on the prize.

The key to success is to research your market, segment it, present differentiated and relevant products / services, take a calculated (not necessarily the shortest) route to market and communicate your offer solves the problems or adds value better than the competitors’. Market segmentation is imperative because consumers are closer (like a tribe) and more opinionated than before, thanks to the social media. Moreover, marketing implementation has to be step by step, like building a high-rise. As you can’t sow the seeds until you plow the field, similarly you can’t sell until you develop brand awareness, recall, trial and loyalty.

We call the above Smart Marketing model and have been successfully using it, keeping marketing uncluttered, simple, focused and fun, for achieving the marketing objectives. Try it for yourself.

Fourth Anniversary of Marketing Mirror

Fazal Siddiqi — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:48:10 +0000

Last month marked completion of four years for the Marketing Mirror. It also marked four years of self-expression and my two-cents’ worth on an area that I like to add value via big ideas and better practices. During this period I wrote 72 posts and articles for this blog (contributed few for the CMA blog and other publications as well) and received 122 comments. Several readers subscribed to Marketing Mirror during last few months.

Hats off to you, who visit this blog and provide comments on my articles. Imagine if you wouldn’t have provided comments and feedback, would I still be writing? Perhaps I would be , but surely I would not be one happy camper. And Kudos to the Web 2.0 and WordPress for providing a platform for self-expression. What a difference it has made in creating dialogues, two-way communication and empowering the stakeholders. I think it changed the face of marketing (the core remains the same) by offering cost-effective ways to reach out, abundance of information to pick from, the transparency and reducing time-to-feedback.

Stay tuned for more. Please keep visiting and providing your feedback. Together, we can make a difference.

Cheers.

Media Habits & Attitude Study Among South Asian-Canadians

Fazal Siddiqi — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:37:24 +0000

Are You Effectively Reaching & Connecting With Your Customers?

Find out by knowing recent insights on Media-consumption Habits & Attitude Among South Asian-Canadians:

The Media South Asian-Canadians most-often engage with
Popular TV and Radio Programs, Publications and Websites
Best Times to Advertise and Print Sections to be in
Media Ratings
Media consumption by sub-segments; Age, Gender, Income, City, Ethnicity & Time in Canada

The study was conducted in August 2011 and includes men and women of South Asian origin, 18 years and older, residing in the GTA and the GVA. This research helps in market and media segmentation for effectively targeting, reaching and connecting with your market. It will facilitate in achieving higher ROMI and satisfied customers / clients.

Please click here to visit us or contact at fazal@opalmarketing.ca if you are interested. We will be glad to provide details and answer your questions.

Hyper-segmentation – a Caveat

Fazal Siddiqi — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 03:23:53 +0000

We know from Marketing 101 that Marketing and market segmentation go hand-in-hand. Marketers start by segmenting the market to reach and connect with the customers with relevant products, communication, messages and media mix. However, if the market segment is too broad, you lose the focus and relevance of the brand. If you cut it too tight, you lose the opportunity, economies of scale and profitability. Thus market segments should be balanced to be relevant and profitable.

Market segmentation is of jugular importance in multicultural marketing and there are 101 ways to segment multicultural markets. Few of these are: culture, language, religion, ethnicity, time in country, country of origin and more, and then sub-segmentation on the basis of age, gender, income, family size and education so on and so forth. This at times lends to hyper-segmentation, which I believe is expensive, time-consuming, prone to pitfalls and ineffective.

Marketers are translating ads in different South Asian languages within the South Asian market segment of 1.25 m to 1.50 m people. I see ads translated in Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and few other South Asian languages that I don’t know. Isn’t it cutting it too fine? It is challenging to adapt an ad in another language and keep the nuances intact. Let alone, translating and adapting in several languages and not diluting the message in the process. I believe hyper-segmentation strategy wouldn’t cut it because of the following:

Sub-segmentation of an estimated 1.50 m market into 3-4 segments on the basis of language makes it too small to be profitable.
The skill set (good copy writing & marketing inclination) required to translate and adapt ads is hard to find resulting in not-so-great adaptation.
The cost of ad development increases many folds due to translation and adaptation. Given the size of multicultural marketing budgets, it is prudent to invest this amount in buying media frequency.
Immigrants pass English test to qualify for immigration to Canada. Thus most immigrants, specially from South Asia, are at least comfortable in reading English.
Using Minglish in ads is a happy medium, which I see adept marketers using often.

Do you agree or disagree with my point of view? Please comment below and let me know.

Most South Asian-Canadians Shop at No Frills

Fazal Siddiqi — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 06:16:00 +0000

We conducted a market research in May 2011 on Grocery Shopping Habits of South Asian-Canadians. It was done through an online survey for a CPG brand. Composition of the target groups mirrored 2006 Census data on key demographics; gender, ethnicity and place of residence. Target respondents were Canadians of South Asian origin, age 21 and older, principal grocery shoppers, living in the GTA. 289 responses were collected.

I share few non-proprietary top-line findings and insights below.

Grocery Shopping: 57% South Asians usually buy groceries at No Frills and 36% at Food Basics, based on the responses we received for this survey. Wal-Mart is a close third at 33% and Freshco fourth at 24%. Wal-Mart improved its ranking, as only 27% respondents mentioned that they shop for groceries at Wal-Mart in a similar survey done earlier. Please see the table for data on other grocery stores in the GTA.

Principal Grocery Shopper (PGS): Overall, 35% responded that they are the PGS, while 60% respondents share the grocery shopping responsibility with someone else in their household. Anecdotally, many South Asian women are housewives and / or do not drive. They depend on their family members for taking them for shopping. Thus more respondents mentioned that they share grocery shopping responsibility with other family members.

Family Size: 40% have four family members and 36% have more than four family members in their households. Overall, about 75% respondents had 4 or more people in their households. As per 2006 Census, the average family size for South Asian households is 3.4 people per household. The result of this survey showed more people per household in the GTA. This could be because of increase in multiple-family households, estimated at 9% of South Asian households. (Source: Region of Peel Immigration Discussion Paper, S.K Agrawal)

Household Income: 56% respondents reported less than $48,000 annual household income, which is below Ontario’s $59,700 average annual household income. These findings reflect the prevailing unemployment and under-employment among new immigrants and South Asian Canadians. Moreover, lower household income result in price elasticity of demand in this market segment. Most South Asian-Canadian shoppers look for price discounts and bargain prices.

Relationship with Canada: 57% respondents were first-generation Canadians and 34% were new to Canada, immigrated less than five years ago. Being new to Canada, most South Asians have preferences, wants and brand loyalties that they bring along with them from their country of origin. Thus in-depth understanding of the target market segment is critical for success in this market. Moreover, most immigrants go through the grind in getting settled in their new homeland, that is, facing challenges in assimilation, being under-paid and more, which explains further why their reported annual income is below average.

Take a short survey – You may win a $100 Gift Card.

Fazal Siddiqi — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 04:49:18 +0000

We are conducting an online survey on media preferences and usage by South Asian-Canadians. If you are a Canadian of South Asian origin, 18 years or older, living in the GTA or the GVA, please click at the link below to take part in the survey. Your opinion will help in bringing relevant product and service information to you.

http://opal.checkboxonline.com/SA%20media%20monitor.aspx

Enter code # 608.

All completed responses will be entered in a draw for $100 gift cards. Also, we would share top line findings with you, upon request.

This Survey has ended!

Canadian Muslims – Another market segment to grow with (via Marketing Mirror)

Fazal Siddiqi — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 05:42:12 +0000

Market segmentation is the foundation for developing sound marketing strategies and successfully implementing marketing programs. It is especially vital for marketing in Canada that thrives on diversity, mosaic and multiculturalism. Anecdotally, immigrant groups in Canada retain their identity and likes & dislikes longer than in other countries, like the USA and Australia. South Asians, East Asians and Afro-Canadians are some of the discrete … Read More

via Marketing Mirror