Sean Zhu, Identity Communication’s business analyst shines a spotlight on a potential audience that’s worth $32b.
If you’re a marketer, I can recommend a group in Australia that is over 626,000 in size and contributes $32 billion to the Australian economy. They’re easy to reach as they’re concentrated in major cities. They’re young, most are between 18-26 years of age, are tech savvy, enjoy entertainment and travelling and embrace new experiences. They should be a marketer’s dream. But this group maintains a strong connection with the homeland and homeland media channels, so your ‘mainstream’ media may not get through to this large and lucrative group.
You’ve probably guessed, they’re International Students, a potential multicultural marketing segment for Australian brands.
The numbers are up….
International Student enrolment includes those studying in the Higher Education, VET, Secondary Schooling, English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS).
In 2017, there were 796,529 enrolments. This represents a 12% increase on 2016 and compares with an average annual enrolments growth rate of 4% per year over the preceding ten years.
Higher education a greater contributor
44% of international enrolments in 2017 are in higher education and 27% in vocational education (VET) out of the total number, with China and India being the two largest contributing countries.
VET: The VET sector accounted for 27.2% of total enrolments, India contributed the largest share of in the sector. China was the next largest source country followed by the Republic of Korea and Thailand.3
ELICOS: The English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) sector accounted for 19.4% of total enrollments in 2017. China was the largest ELICOS market followed by Brazil, Colombia and Thailand.
Higher education: The higher education sector had the largest share in 2017. China and India accounted for 53% of enrolment. The larger proportion of Higher education means two things: – Longer time spent in Australia which brings more opportunities for brands – But they maintain their home networks including social channels, knowing they will return
Tuition Fees International Students are not eligible for most of the scholarships or student loans and need to pay each semester in advance. Typically, the costs are:
ELICOS: $250 – $350 per week, 10-60 weeks
VET: $1,000- $20,000 depends on the degree and institution
Higher education: The average tuition fee for undergraduate students is around $29,000 per year; Master’s degree ranges from $20,000 to $37,000. For example, an International Student studying a Bachelor degree of Marketing and Media (3 years full time) in Macquarie University, the estimated annual fee is $36,450. These fees tend to increase each year.
Geographically concentrated on NSW & VIC
NSW and VIC is home to nearly 70% of international students. And in NSW and VIC, International Students make up one in three students at many universities.
Opportunities:
This is a young group of consumers, perfect for entertainment, travel, banking, FMCG, food & beverage and beauty brands
Reach these audiences via their preferred channels, such as WeChat, Weibo, YouKu, to name a few
IDENTITY Communications might be the intelligent multicultural marketing agency, but our team also has heart. As Hong Kong’s neon lights fade, Brenda Leung, IDENTITY’s Insights Manager reflects on her childhood memories of the Pearl of the Orient.
One of my most vivid childhood memories is of evenings at Victoria Peak, Hong Kong Island with my family. Hong Kong at night is breathtaking. Looking down to Victoria Harbour, all my attention was captured by the vibrant, warm and inviting hue of Hong Kong’s iconic neon lights – glowing and blinking on skyscrapers that reflected on the harbour. It is this view that leaves a lasting impression for the 27m overnight tourists who visit Hong Kong every year. It is this view that gives Hong Kong its nickname of the “Pearl of the Orient”.
Walking through the city of Hong Kong, the city’s lights are spectacular. Neon’s brilliant blaze has always been used by businesses to attract customers. Big neon light boards are found on the façade of commercial buildings, department stores, shopping centres, restaurants, clubs, with those colourful lights shining, sparkling and twinkling into people’s eyes. It is a city that embraces neon. I have no idea who made those neon lights and how they are made, but they are definitely the representative of the dynamic, bustling, fast pacing and never stopping lifestyle of Hong Kong. There is so much ambient light that you can even read a book at 2am if you sit by the window of an apartment in Mongkok, Tsimshatsui or Wanchai.
The neon lights in Hong Kong also mark the beginning of the fun of its exciting nightlife, where retailers open until midnight and restaurants until the early hours of the morning. Other than the nickname of “Pearl of the Orient”, Hong Kong is also known as “Shoppers’ Paradise” because the shops stay open until late, with the purpose of entertaining the residents and tourists alike. When you have finished a movie at 1am, you can still make your way to a nice eatery where you can stuff your belly to recharge for the next day. Hong Kong is truly a city that never gets dark or comes to a stop.
Light is an important part in celebrations in Hong Kong. Occasions or festivals like Chinese New Year, Hong Kong Establishment Day and Chinese National Day are times to celebrate with fireworks. Breathtaking fireworks glow over the Harbour with crowds of people lining the harbour on both sides to witness the spectacular display.
I read that recently, Hong Kong has shifted from neon lights to LED for cost effectiveness, safety and other technical reasons (watch the video above for the full explanation). That’s a shame, neon lights can be handcrafted to create different shapes and unique characters. When compared with LED, neons are brighter, glow with a larger variety of colours to help sign boards stand out.
Whatever happens to the lights of Hong Kong, in my heart nothing will stop the vitality of the city I love. In my heart, Hong Kong will still always be a city of energy and intense lights, and its sparkle is eternally vibrant.
Audience size and English language proficiency are often the two most critical selection criteria for multicultural marketing campaigns. IDENTITY Communications, the intelligent multicultural marketing agency agrees, and disagrees. Here’s why…
The audience selection for multicultural campaigns can be a little formulaic. Pick the largest language population for a particular demographic (age, gender etc), then consider their English proficiency as a way of further ranking them. For example, if the campaign targets all people 18yo+ then multicultural marketers might pick the largest 20 language groups in Australia, then they’d rank them by the proportion with low English language proficiency (those who claimed to speak English “poorly” or “not at all” when they answered the 2016 Census).
Use the table below to rank/sort languages by the respective columns – currently it’s ranked by groups with the lowest ratio of English proficiency. On top that is Marra, an Australian Aboriginal language spoken in the Northern Territory around the Roper, Towns and Limmen Bight Rivers. Of eight people who speak Marra at home, 75% claimed to have low English language proficiency. Rounding out the top 3 are Zomi and Rohingya, mainly spoken by migrants from Myanmar.
Language
Total
% Low Eng
Marra
8
75%
Zomi
1,105
60%
Rohingya
2,245
56%
Warramiri
18
56%
Chin Haka
4,806
52%
Karen
10,271
51%
Ritharrngu
25
40%
Wagiman
19
37%
Hazaraghi
22,270
37%
Mongolian
2,144
34%
Mon
282
34%
Khmer
35,428
33%
Gooniyandi
138
33%
Korean
108,999
32%
Ngarinyman
232
31%
Hmong
2,451
31%
Vietnamese
277,405
31%
Murrinh Patha
1,971
31%
Wu
3,383
31%
Chaldean Neo-Aramaic
17,170
31%
Tibetan
1,474
30%
Dari
30,437
28%
Pintupi
147
28%
Uygur
1,023
27%
Lao
9,981
26%
Mandarin
596,713
26%
Burmese
16,320
26%
Timorese
499
26%
Uzbek
524
26%
Wergaia
12
25%
Cantonese
280,947
25%
Hakka
8,986
25%
Kirundi (Rundi)
3,098
25%
Acehnese
106
25%
Georgian
197
24%
Javanese
74
24%
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
28,349
23%
Auslan
10,114
23%
Pashto
9,232
23%
Tatar
110
23%
Kurdish
6,202
22%
Anuak
240
22%
Kinyarwanda (Rwanda)
879
21%
Galpu
90
21%
Thai
55,446
21%
Luritja
956
21%
Mandinka
579
20%
Ngaliwurru
25
20%
Ngaanyatjarra
1,113
20%
Tigre
171
20%
Lingala
300
20%
Tigrinya
4,578
19%
Oromo
3,045
19%
Loma (Lorma)
74
19%
Min Nan
17,907
18%
Turkish
58,354
18%
Persian (excluding Dari)
58,315
18%
Somali
14,176
18%
Dinka
12,700
17%
Djambarrpuyngu
4,286
17%
Belorussian
188
17%
Moro (Nuba Moro)
194
17%
Bosnian
15,830
17%
Serbian
53,802
17%
Kpelle
18
17%
Dhanggatti
37
16%
Arabic
321,723
16%
Albanian
9,177
16%
Pitjantjatjara
3,127
16%
Macedonian
66,020
16%
Greek
237,586
16%
Romany
165
16%
Mann
90
16%
Japanese
55,969
15%
Lardil
65
15%
Ewe
542
15%
Russian
50,318
15%
Nuer
2,154
14%
Tetum
1,105
14%
Kaytetye
120
14%
Turkmen
332
14%
Madi
934
14%
Balochi
255
14%
Fulfulde
528
14%
Warlpiri
2,305
14%
Alyawarr
1,548
14%
Serbo-Croatian/Yugoslavian, so described
6,066
13%
Cypriot, so described
247
13%
Nyamal
30
13%
Wagilak
23
13%
Gupapuyngu
147
13%
Ndjebbana (Gunavidji)
178
13%
Italian
271,598
13%
Croatian
56,888
13%
Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole)
6,172
13%
Yankunytjatjara
419
13%
Portuguese
48,853
13%
Liyagalawumirr
48
13%
Kune
178
12%
Na-kara
57
12%
Mandaean (Mandaic)
163
12%
Nunggubuyu
278
12%
Rembarrnga
41
12%
Bilinarra
41
12%
Acholi
1,091
12%
Swahili
11,465
12%
American Languages
118
12%
Amharic
6,811
12%
Bari
854
12%
Harari
575
11%
Shilluk
232
11%
Aromunian (Macedo-Romanian)
45
11%
Daatiwuy
36
11%
Yinhawangka
36
11%
Azeri
442
11%
Spanish
140,818
11%
Dan (Gio-Dan)
220
11%
Armenian
10,193
11%
Kiwai
37
11%
Latin
307
11%
Walmajarri
280
11%
Nepali
62,004
11%
Polish
48,080
11%
Hausa
200
11%
Kunwinjku
1,711
10%
Ukrainian
7,680
10%
Punjabi
132,490
10%
Kriol
7,153
10%
Balinese
196
10%
Bassa
79
10%
Basque
70
10%
Finnish
5,967
10%
Kalaw Kawaw Ya/Kalaw Lagaw Ya
956
10%
Western Arrarnta
439
10%
Romanian
12,951
10%
Hungarian
19,895
9%
Gujarati
52,889
9%
Eastern Arrernte
389
9%
Tamil
73,162
9%
Gurindji
400
9%
Burarra
996
9%
Tokelauan
954
9%
Tongan
17,694
9%
Indonesian
67,894
9%
Urdu
69,300
9%
Dhuwaya
336
9%
Czechoslovakian, so described
163
9%
Mayali
145
8%
Sindhi
1,593
8%
Yawuru
61
8%
Liberian (Liberian English)
249
8%
Manyjilyjarra
313
8%
Samoan
44,869
8%
Malayalam
53,206
8%
Ngarinyin
38
8%
Oriya
723
8%
Meriam Mir
219
8%
Bulgarian
2,680
8%
Bengali
54,565
8%
Krahn
67
7%
Slovak
5,435
7%
Themne
68
7%
Kuninjku
55
7%
Warumungu
317
7%
Mangala
69
7%
Telugu
34,433
7%
Maltese
31,987
7%
Malay
17,942
7%
Nyangumarta
214
7%
Paakantyi
43
7%
Yiddish
1,499
7%
Wangurri
59
7%
Iban
61
7%
Dhalwangu
61
7%
Nyikina
61
7%
Krio
2,529
6%
Anindilyakwa
1,485
6%
Slovene
4,088
6%
Kukatja
130
6%
Czech
7,931
6%
Bikol
118
6%
Bardi
321
6%
Martu Wangka
727
6%
Gilbertese
389
6%
Djapu
85
6%
Maori (Cook Island)
5,109
6%
Estonian
1,848
5%
Mauritian Creole
4,200
5%
Sinhalese
64,606
5%
Ganalbingu
59
5%
Catalan
440
5%
Kannada
9,706
5%
Marathi
13,056
5%
Lithuanian
2,003
5%
Maung
375
5%
Hindi
159,653
5%
Kashmiri
213
5%
Bisaya
4,063
5%
Tiwi
2,043
5%
Luo
134
4%
Mudburra
90
4%
Akan
3,094
4%
Pampangan
250
4%
Konkani
2,416
4%
Gumatj
116
4%
French
70,872
4%
Wajarri
146
4%
Dhivehi
544
4%
Rotuman
360
4%
Wik Mungkan
446
4%
Cebuano
2,821
4%
Tulu
586
4%
Seychelles Creole
522
4%
Igbo
2,033
4%
Tok Pisin (Neomelanesian)
3,743
4%
Latvian
2,951
4%
Hebrew
10,343
4%
Icelandic
285
4%
Fijian Hindustani
2,708
4%
Nauruan
315
3%
Ga
231
3%
Luganda
493
3%
Yindjibarndi
377
3%
Fijian
8,143
3%
Swedish
8,955
3%
Nyanja (Chichewa)
419
3%
Tagalog/Filipino
182,498
3%
Norwegian
2,902
3%
IIokano
562
3%
Guugu Yimidhirr
773
3%
Nyungar
477
3%
Gamilaraay
103
3%
Aboriginal English, so described
654
3%
Ilonggo (Hiligaynon)
697
3%
German
79,357
3%
Ngarrindjeri
317
3%
Tuvaluan
248
3%
Jaru
219
3%
Gaelic (Scotland)
1,007
3%
Niue
788
3%
Maori (New Zealand)
11,751
3%
Kuku Yalanji
324
2%
Motu (HiriMotu)
691
2%
Assamese
374
2%
Dutch
33,836
2%
Garrwa
131
2%
Tswana
447
2%
Danish
5,780
2%
Irish
1,946
2%
Swiss, so described
709
2%
Zulu
667
2%
Kuuk Thayorre
206
2%
Norf'k-Pitcairn
1,033
2%
Wangkatha
224
2%
Shona
11,040
2%
Wiradjuri
457
2%
Afrikaans
43,748
2%
Ndebele
1,366
1%
Yoruba
2,462
1%
Welsh
1,689
1%
Bemba
784
1%
Solomon Islands Pijin
294
1%
Bislama
261
0%
Kija
164
0%
Xhosa
158
0%
Miriwoong
153
0%
Adnymathanha
141
0%
Kikuyu
138
0%
Iwaidja
124
0%
Bandjalang
115
0%
Banyjima
106
0%
Gumbaynggir
90
0%
Gudanji
85
0%
Wambaya
60
0%
Yorta Yorta
60
0%
Gun-nartpa
55
0%
Frisian
53
0%
Kaurna
51
0%
Wardaman
50
0%
Djabugay
49
0%
Letzeburgish
47
0%
Gurr-goni
46
0%
Girramay
46
0%
Gundjeihmi
45
0%
Karajarri
43
0%
Bunuba
38
0%
Yanyuwa
37
0%
Ngarluma
37
0%
Dharawal
29
0%
Ngan'gikurunggurr
27
0%
Narungga
27
0%
Warlmanpa
26
0%
Jingulu
24
0%
Yidiny
22
0%
Bidjara
22
0%
Yugambeh
22
0%
Batjala
21
0%
Waanyi
20
0%
Rirratjingu
19
0%
Kartujarra
19
0%
Kariyarra
19
0%
Wubulkarra
17
0%
Kukatha
17
0%
Muruwari
16
0%
Marrithiyel
15
0%
Yulparija
15
0%
Larrakiya
14
0%
Yapese
14
0%
Wurlaki
13
0%
Liyagawumirr
12
0%
Wangkajunga
12
0%
Arabana
12
0%
Madarrpa
11
0%
Malak Malak
10
0%
Koko-Bera
10
0%
Tjupany
10
0%
Kayardild
10
0%
Jawoyn
9
0%
Worrorra
9
0%
Wunambal
9
0%
Dyirbal
8
0%
Githabul
8
0%
Maringarr
7
0%
Kuuku-Ya'u
7
0%
Palyku/Nyiyaparli
7
0%
Keerray-Woorroong
7
0%
Marrangu
6
0%
Kanai
6
0%
Malngin
5
0%
Alawa
4
0%
Manyjalpingu
4
0%
Gudjal
4
0%
Wangkangurru
4
0%
Guyamirrilili
3
0%
Gurindji Kriol
3
0%
Ngardi
3
0%
Eastern Anmatyerr
3
0%
When English proficiency is used, language groups such as Hindi, Punjabi and Tagalog/Filipino are often excluded. This makes sense for mass awareness campaigns because these groups are able to access information via ‘mainstream’ comms. In Australia, cultural media are relatively limited compared to mainstream options, so these groups are more likely to be exposed to campaign messaging via mainstream channels.
But what if we wanted to go beyond driving awareness? What if we wanted to drive consideration and action?
Even groups with very high English language proficiency, advertising in-language, in either ethnic media or mainstream media, has a positive effect in terms of awareness, trust and likelihood to buy, according to a new US study by the Cultural Marketing Council (CMC). Their report, Digital Lives 2018: A World of Digital “Everything” Through a Cultural Lense found “ads placed on platforms with cultural content have more power across ages and languages… Spanish-language ads – even in mainstream sites – create more engagement with Hispanics. The CMC conducted an online quantitative study of 3,500 total 13 to 49-year-old respondents with equal representation of non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic African-Americans (NHAA) and Hispanics (HISP), as well as in-home qualitative among 15 respondents.
As can be seen in the image above, placing Spanish-language advertising on sites with content for the Hispanic community will lead to this audience paying more attention to the product, trust that brand more and ultimately more likely to buy that product. The results were similar regardless of whether the language on that site was in Spanish or English. Similarly, placing advertising on a site with African-Americans content, although the site is in English, dramatically increases the likelihood of purchase.
What does this all means? Well, if it’s a simple information campaign which doesn’t involve consideration and behaviour change, and you’re spending a decent budget on ‘mainstream’ channels, then translated advertising placed in cultural media may not be essential for groups with high English language proficiency such as those born in India and the Philippines.
But… if you are a car brand who want to stand out in a competitive market, it makes a lot of sense (and dollars) to use cultural media to build awareness, trust and consideration for your brand.
And that’s why our media planners used Indian media for the Sonata campaign for client, Hyundai.
Agree or disagree? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section.
Have questions? Send us an email, we’d love to hear from you.
IDENTITY Communications, the intelligent multicultural marketing agency takes a quick look at the cultural diversity in these electorates.
July 28 is when voters in five federal electorates go to the polls in what’s being billed as “Super Saturday”. We’re staying away from the politics, but we can give you an idea of the cultural diversity of these seats that are in play.
Actually, in terms of cultural diversity at least, they’re not that diverse. This is particularly true for Mayo and Braddon where 91% of residents speak English at home, followed by Longman (88%), Fremantle (74%) and Perth (67%).
Italian speakers are shaping up as the largest cultural group in particularly in the West; Fremantle and Perth. Mandarin is second when you combine all five electorates, followed by Vietnamese.
Go for it, play with our table below and sort and search to your heart’s content!
If this story resonates with you, I think you have a career with Identity Communications – the intelligent multicultural marketing agency. Read on and you’ll see what I mean…
Sure these songs are ultra pop with incredible talent, dancing and over the top production value. If you’ve watched Big Bang’s Fantastic Baby music video (images above and video below) you’ll be impressed by the big budget, epic production.
The naysayers had their doubts:
There just wasn’t enough Korean teenagers for a feasible audience.
WRONG. While there were a few thousand Korean teenagers in Australia back in 2011, Korean Pop (Kpop) was a phenomenon that was spreading across Asia, particularly South East Asia, China and Japan. The Kpop wave was infectious. So the potential audience in Australia includes local Koreans, Asian-Australian teenagers and also local teens.
It’s in Korean limiting the audience base.
The doubters warned that local teens wouldn’t get Kpop because the lyrics are in Korean. When I asked a local youth in Phnom Penh why Kpop was so popular in Cambodia when the songs are Korean, he shrugged and said “we don’t understand that much English and we like American pop. Kpop shows that Asians can be cool and sexy too”. A quick scan of SBS PopAsia’s facebook page today shows the diversity of the show’s fan base.
These clips were available free on YouTube so why would this audience tune into a TV show?
On the surface, this objection made a lot of sense. I was confident the show would work because SBS PopAsia wasn’t just a two-hour TV show, it was a community. The avid fans of Kpop at the time thought they were the only ones in Australia who loved Big Bang, 2NE1, 2PM, Girl’s Generation and other Kpop groups. They were watching it on their own, on their laptop in the isolation of their bedroom. SBS PopAsia was the first Asian pop music show on free to air TV. It wasn’t a secret. To build engagement, for the first 6 weeks of the show, I managed the twitter account while other members of the team managed the Facebook page. Our purpose was to engage with the fans and encourage them to engage with each other, to build a thriving, exciting community. They also had a chance to interact with the show with selected viewer tweets and Facebook comments appearing on TV.
The other reason the fans told us they loved tuning in was that they could watch their favourite show on the big TV screen, in glorious hi-definition and pump the music loud through the lounge room audio system.
SBS doesn’t have a budget to pay for these music videos.
At the time, Australia was the #3 country in terms of illegal Kpop music downloading. In negotiation with the Korean music labels, we argued that SBS could build the Kpop market further via our TV show and they could commercialise it by setting up Australian iTunes stores. I had no real negotiation experience, but the logic was compelling enough for these music labels to agree to supply SBS with their music clips.
What’s the moral of this story?
At a superficial level, some may see challenges and it’s easy to find reasons to say ‘no’. Others can’t see past the surface. At Identity, we’re about insights not anecdotes. We believe a multicultural marketing agency shouldn’t speak in shallow cliches. Our team looks beyond to understand the real reasons that motivates our audience. Our recommendations come from considered strategy that have been built on available data and insights.
Join Us
Due to a string of new business wins, we’re looking for a strategy/channel planner. Starting a pop music TV show isn’t a prerequisite, but a wide-eye curiosity and desire to understand “why” is a great start.
Our core behaviours, the ones we encourage you to employ daily, are also the ones you will be rewarded for. We’d love you to be:
Open-minded
Collaborative
Positive
Knowledgeable
Good
If this is of interest, call a taxi, Mr Taxi (watch the clip below) and submit your application here. It’s a great role and one that doesn’t come along everyday!
