The New Canadian Experience

The Royal Bank published a research report on aspiration and experiences of new Canadians. This research was conducted by Ipsos Reid in 2007. A representative randomly selected sample of 1,000 new Canadians was interviewed on the telephone. New immigrants who landed in Canada after the age of 18 years and have been in Canada for less than 10 years were classified as new Canadians for this survey. The partial findings of the research, as published by the RBC, provide good insights for organizations and marketers interested in the new Canadians market segment. I have highlighted and interpreted significant findings of the survey from a marketing perspective, primarily focusing on new Canadians from South Asian countries.

The study revealed that the majority of new Canadians of South Asian origin are young and well educated. 73% new Canadians were between 25 and 49 years of age compared to 46% Canadians overall. Based on estimated 265,000 new immigrants in 2007, about 70,000 new Canadians emigrating from South Asians countries were between 25 and 49 years. Moreover, 62% new Canadians have some university education and 51% came to Canada in “skilled workers” classification. Being young, educated and skilled, the new Canadians could be early adopters for many Canadian brands new to them. This presents highly promising profile for businesses and particularly for the marketing world. If the marketers can understand and cater for the needs of new Canadians and win their hearts and minds, they can acquire loyal customers and retain them for long. These potential customers come with adequate funds (estimated to be more than $20,000 per family of four, as mandated by the immigration policy) and have various urgent economic needs. For example, buying house, cars, home electronics, education savings plans, long distance calls, opening bank accounts and last but not the least securing employment. New Canadians, being young with children, will possibly be interested in outdoor activities, sports and fun and could enhance the demand for products and services related to these activities.