What does it mean to be Chinese in Canada?

Started my morning off with my usual routine, scanning Marketing Mag, Adage and Strategy Online (and if I have the occasional extra time, the Globe & Mail). Came across a column article by Pepper Miller, who founded an agency focused on the African-American market "To Know Market Segments, Know the Many Shades of Black Identity". I really enjoyed this article for its blunt, candid, grassroots and yet professional perspective of what it means to be black in America.

It prodded me to validate Sensu's reason of existence in the Canadian market. (I often like to tell others that we "sell people...Chinese people to be exact". Quite frankly, that's exactly what it is - we are selling an audience and along with it, their lifestyles, habits, attitudes, values and behaviours.)

You can easily apply Pepper Miller's article into the context of being Chinese in Canada. I think that our "shades" become much more complex: we have the fobs, the cbc's, the hongkongers, the mainlanders and even amongst the mainlanders, it breaks down further by region - GZ group is different than those from Shanghai and then different from those in Beijing. Fujian is another story altogether. Infuse the Canadian layer on top of all that...boy must I tell you, mainstream marketers have a LOT to learn and understand about Chinese consumers in Canada.

But I absolutely love the beauty of this complexity, because that is what gives Sensu our real value proposition, that is how we help our clients best. Pepper mentions that "Improving one's African-American cultural IQ is critical to understanding the differences among segments." In parallel, improving one's Chinese-Canadian cultural IQ is critical to understand not only the differences but also similarities, among Chinese segments. Trick is, you cannot really articulate a culture unless you are IN it. Culture is dynamic in nature, it is an experience not a theory, not a rationale.
 
Many clients hold back from committing to multicultural marketing, most of them mention issues with scalability and market size - it's about the bottomline. But they seem to be missing the key point - the nucleus of multicultural marketing that drives cultural activity and growth - is to pay attention to all the subtle differences between and within ethnic segments. To impact the bottomline is to not only recognize that there are subtle differences but also to show your customers that you care and you want to make a connection - an authentic one.

Scalability should not be a barrier to strategy nor creativity. Neither should it come at the sacrifice of authenticity. 

Have you jumped on the Chinese market bandwagon?

...You do not want to get left behind!

As Toronto takes the prize for having the most Chinese-Canadians, Vancouver is not too far behind. With that being said, there is no surprise that media companies are tapping into the Chinese communities of Vancouver.

From the article, “Western Canadian media firms plan Chinese-language editions", Susan Krashinsky reports that both Shaw Communications and Postmedia Network Canada Corp. will be making these strategic moves. Shaw Communications plans to unveil a Mandarin edition of the Global News evening newscast and Postmedia Network Canada Corp. plans to start a website that will translate the Vancouver Sun into “both traditional and simplified Chinese script.”

In the article, Loretta Lam, who is the president of the Chinese Canadian Advertising, Marketing & Media Association, also adds her insights about Chinese-language media editions and I agree with many of her thoughts. The most important point she mentions is that for these media firms to succeed, they will not only have translated versions of Canadian news, but will need to incorporate news from China as well. I believe this point to be very true and quite a “smart” move. Simply adding a Chinese news portion would definitely create a sense of connection to the homeland of Chinese-Canadians. This sense of connection would be seen amongst first generation Chinese-Canadians and especially for newcomers into the country. The addition of Chinese news allows target viewers to be up-to-date with current affairs back home, which is extremely relevant if they have family or friends there and in most cases, they probably do.

From such steps businesses are taking, it is clear to see that many companies are beginning to specifically target the growing Chinese market.

…So, what are you waiting for? Sensu can help you get on the right, strategic path :)

Reference: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/western-canadian-media-firms-plan-chinese-language-editions/article2262411/