Marketers overlook multicultural population

By Sarah Aley | 22 June 2012
 

With almost a quarter of Australians speaking another language at home, brands are potentially ignoring a segment of the market with its one-size fits all approach.

Yesterday, the Australian Bureau of Statistics unveiled the first round 2011 Census figures. It was revealed that Australia is more multi cultural than ever with 24.6% of the population being born overseas.

The industry's peak body, The Communications Council has posited the country's multicultural make-up represent an untapped opportunity for marketers.

The Communication Council's multicultural marketing chair Lou Petrolo wonders if the current advertising landscape need to change its approach to reach this audience.

Petrolo advocates a change in the industry's approach. He said: "Multicultural communications is now a necessity that demands consideration from the highest levels of business strategy development through to the promotion of products and services. It is fundamental to the sustained success of ad growth of Australian organisations moving forward."

While many of those born overseas are from English speaking countries such as the UK and New Zealand, many people born here still speak another language.
 
Since the 2006 census the prevalence of Mandarin being spoken in Australian households has risen 53%, making it the second most common language in the country. Sydney specifically has one third of it residents born overseas and almost 40% speaking another language.

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