In 1971, Canada became the first government in the world to implement multiculturalism as official state policy during the tenure of the late Pierre Elliot Trudeau, the father of current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. However, embracing diversity and multiculturalism in advertising has been a struggle in Canada, just as it has in the rest of North America. For decades companies pushed marketing collateral that often reflected a homogenous view of the population, neglecting to include marginalized and diverse voices and communities. Today, however, there are some positive signs of change.
The Need for Diversity in Advertising
Today, the tide is changing and more advertising firms are creating commercials and materials that are inclusive. After all, it pays to reflect the most broad audience possible in your marketing. According to a new study by Deloitte-owned agency Heat, the benefits to increasing diversity are clear. Brands with the highest diversity scores showed an 83% higher consumer preference and those with the most representative ads saw higher than average stock market gains. And, many of these ads have a tendency to go “viral” meaning the earned media multiplies the reach of the advertising material, increasing the return to the company. But, in spite of all of these benefits, multicultural media spending still comprises only 5.2% of total ad and marketing spends — offering tremendous opportunity for those companies willing to take the plunge into uncharted waters.
Proceeding with Sensitivity
So, you’re interested in incorporating more diversity into your advertising. It’s very important to be inclusive in advertising in the right way. This isn’t about checking off a box indicating you’ve included a woman, a person of colour, or member of the LGBTQ community in your ads. It’s also not enough to just translate your English ads verbatim into other languages and presume that they will be well-received by people from other cultures; they need to be localized to prevent against embarrassing cultural gaffes. Having a multilingual partner can be an enormous help in this regard.
Whether you are needing multilingual Google Pay Per Click ads, a targeted media buy or wish to run a multilingual social media campaign, we can help. Our team understands both marketing and translation, and can help you develop strategic messaging and advertising that properly reflects your brand, while covering off multicultural marketing best practices. Contact us today to set up a non-obligation meeting.
