Ethnic Marketing is Blooming!

The noticeable (and stats proven) rise of minorities in Canada is definitely sparking opportunities for ethnic marketers. Businesses can no longer mass advertise to consumers… they must have different campaigns for specific consumers and in this case, ethnicity is key.

One important point to consider however, marketers cannot just simply stop at ethnicity – there is a further break down within this segmentation process. As Tony Hernandez, director of the Centre for the Study of Commercial Activity at Ryerson University, states:

“A deeper issue with marketers is they fail to understand generational differences call for different ad strategies. The newcomer requires different treatment from the established family or the Canadian-born children of immigrants.”

Each ethnicity will require a different approach, but within these ethnicities, there requires an even more specific approach. With the differences in generations, it is up to expert ethnic marketers to efficiently target these segments.

Gautam Nath, a partner at Monsoon Communications, also states in the article that the South Asian and Chinese markets are stereotyped. What I would like to know is… who are the ones stereotyping these markets? They must not be of either ethnicity… or so I’m hoping. Ultimately, the ones that know most about these cultures are, in most cases, the ones with the same ethnic backgrounds.

With that said, in regards to the Chinese market… this is exactly where Sensu comes in handy.

Reference: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/globe-to/ethnic-marketers-capitalize-on-gtas-shifting-demographics/article2250484/page1/

Goodbye Steve Jobs

Cheers to the one of the most accomplished and successful entrepreneurs of our time - Mr. Steve Jobs.

While it is sad that he has left this world and his "followers" behind - his legacy lives on - as a source of inspiration to all. His legacy is more than just the revolution he brought to the way consumers interacting with technology - his legacy is truly about his attitude and way of living - not conforming, following your heart, trusting in your gut feelings, and believing in your intuition.

Not too long ago, I was facing some challenges as a young entrepreneur myself and undoubtedly, I turned to his (now famous) Stanford commencement speech from 2005 for some enlightenment. His words never fail to ignite that fire within me, his journey and experience since the day he dropped out of college never fails to put a sparkle in my eye as I listen on:

People call me silly when I say that I have strong intuition about what I believe I can achieve. They say I am still young. Steve tells me otherwise - he tells me I have to trust that "the dots will somehow connect in my future" and  "to have the courage to follow my heart and intuition".

People call me naive when I tell them that I gave up a potential career at a leading tech firm to go after my entrepreneurial dreams. They say I am impractical. Steve tells me otherwise - he tells me to "never settle" until we find what we are looking for. 

People call me emotional when I say that my work is driven by my passion and love for my business. They say I am not made for business. Steve tells me otherwise - he tells me that "the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do".


People call me arrogant when I don't listen or follow the advice of others. They say I am too self-conceived. Steve tells me otherwise - he tells me not to "let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice".


People call me aggressive when I tell them my career aspirations and that I will make it to become a top 30 under 30 candidate. They say I am too ambitious. Steve tells me otherwise - he tells me to "stay hungry. stay foolish".




Thank you Steve for all your wise words. May you rest in peace.

Home is where the heart is.

The common question for every recent graduate, who came from China, is “to stay or not to stay in Canada”.

Undoubtedly, China, as an emerging market, has attracted so much attention since late 90’s because of its double digit growth. Foreigners always are amazed by how developed those big cities are (i.e. Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Shenzhen) when they first visit China. When I moved to Toronto from Shanghai in May, 2009, I felt less dynamic in this city. For example, there are three huge LV stores and five Gucci stores in Shanghai. There are a lot more fashion and luxury brands in Shanghai than Toronto. There are more than 12 subway lines in Shanghai alone.

However, as time passes by, I start to appreciate the peaceful life in Toronto. People are so polite and patient and they follow rules and regulations. I would like to stay here as my second home. My Chinese fellows share the same feeling. On one hand, they understand there are more opportunities in China for them; on the other hand, they enjoy the education and health care system here. So where is the balance between career and life? 

Everyone has his own answer. My answer is to enjoy my work and life here and then pursue any opportunity that allows me and Sensu to serve as bridge between China and Canada.

Whatever you choose, remember to chase your dream and follow you heart; because home is where the heart is.

Website Launch!

So it's been quite awhile since we announced the soon-to-be launch of Sensu Communications' website - we know a few have been eagerly waiting for this so here you go folks - www.sensu-communications.com


This is only the first phase of our website and we are actively working on throwing some surprises in there for our fellow agency and client friends - so while this wait is over, another wait has now begun :)

Great big thank you to our creative partner - Orangy & Sweet Design and Communications - for the work over the past months, especially kudos to Wilfred Chung, our faithful web designer!


Enjoy and remember to check back for what we may have in store for you next!

Sensu Adds One More!

It is with pleasure that I officially announce the newest addition to our agency team - Ms. Dolly Shao

Dolly is a Partner Consultant here with us at Sensu Communications and we are very happy and fortunate to have her on board with us. Bringing over 10 years of marketing and strategic planning experience from Shanghai, China, Dolly is a strategic individual with an abundance of both industry AND cultural expertise. Canada is now home to Dolly, having been here for about 2 years, she has successfully completed her MBA program at the Schulich School of Business @ York University.

We are very happy to have Dolly join Sensu and did I mention...SUPERR excited for all the innovative work that we are going to bring to the multicultural marketing space as an agency! Dolly be also be a regular contributor to the Sensu blog, so follow closely to see what she has to say about multicultural marketing!

Future of Multicultural Marketing

The recent hype around Western imitations in China (Apple, Ikea, Subway etc.) have stirred up quite the controversy in China's ability to build global brands.

My POV:

1.) China definitely has the ability to build brands
2.) Western consumers aren't aware of Chinese brands simply because they aren't the target market
3.) In the long run, the Chinese has the ability to not only build brands but INNOVATE brands
4.) China has a high pool of information workers, combined with skilled labour & lower production costs - this will enable them to go to market faster and more effectively than Western firms
5.) It's just a matter of time, the tides are set to change. Perhaps Western brands are reacting because they feel the emerging threat?


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A discussion on LinkedIn has led to this thought provoking article: http://blogs.forbes.com/panosmourdoukoutas/2011/08/03/why-china-imitates-western-brands/

Here is my response, that can be found on LinkedIn as well:

"I would beg to differ from the author of this article, perhaps the words of 'inability of Chinese business to develop their own brands" and "that's why Chinese brands flip" come too strongly and overgeneralized.

1.) Chinese businesses definitely have the ability to develop their own brands, more than you think they do.

Some of the top Chinese brands enjoy the same successes (if not more) than "western brands", i.e.) China Mobile, China Life, China Construction Bank, ICBC, Bank of China, Ping An, China Merchants Bank, TENCENT, MOUTAI, China Pacific, Lenovo, Tsingtao Beer ... and the list goes on. This is according to a brand value study conducted by Interbrand and Forbes China (really should question the degree of research that was placed into the article of our discussion here).

Many leading Chinese brands are not known to Western consumers simply because they choose not to enter the Western markets. To me, that’s smart business strategy – to focus on building domestic market share and penetration before stepping into someone else’s turf. Wait and watch how the tides will change when these Chinese firms finally decide that “the time is right”.


2.)"A supply side approach to entrepreneurship" - my understanding of this statement is that "Western brands are good at conducting consumer research while Chinese are known for supply of labour/finance, and this fundamental difference is the reason why Western brands succeed while Chinese brands fail."

If I understand correctly, then I must say I disagree with the statement. The success of western brands as they translate to ROI and sales revenue is largely related to the balance between production costs vs. advertising expenditures. Taking advantage of low wages and operation costs in China and other APAC countries enable Western brands to reap profits and hence, allocate more advertising budget towards brand building and research. This is not a matter of chicken vs. egg - it is simple, producing a viable product comes before building a brand, for what good is a brand that does not deliver on its core promise? China helps to lower production costs, which ultimately gives rise to advertising budgets and the ability to actually “build a brand”.

Conversely, if Western brands can take advantage of China's low labour costs and resources - then I dare ask: why is China in the midst of such scrutiny for leveraging the brand expertise of Western countries and customizing it to fit the local markets?


3.) To wrap up my comments, I urge everyone to read another article by Shaun Rein – “Chinese Companies Can’t Build Brands? Think Again.” http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jan2010/gb20100126_512186.htm"

Genius Idea!

Have you heard? There’s a female walking around New York City with four ipads attached to her head! How fascinating and genius of a marketing idea this is. You can watch the YouTube video below. What appears as an image of a female’s head attracts the curiousity of passerbys to get a closer look and here, there’s no doubt they have your attention. Then, the most curious who touch the ipad will then get a chance to interactively preview the pages of a trendy magazine. This is great! A unique but still, very effective way to hook, lure, and reel you in. This is especially rare in bustling cities like New York (we in Toronto can relate) where traditional outdoor advertising is often cluttered and dismissed.

Multicultural marketing is stuck in a limbo of traditional advertising and wanting to move forward to encompass more digital media and this type of creativity will definitely help any brand stand out in the marketplace.

Link to the video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLPMLJgGsiA