Changing The Ratio: “Understand The Insights & Avoid The Cliches”

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MAY 28:  The CMO's Panel discussion, 'Leveraging the opportunities of multicultural Australia' during B&T Changing The Ratio 2018 at Belvoir Street Theatre on May 28, 2018 in Sydney, Australia.  (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images for B&T)

Prior to lunch Yesterday the Changing The Ratio crowd was treated to a lively panel discussion on leveraging the opportunities of multicultural Australia.

In the driver’s seat moderating was Kirsty Muddle; owner/founder, of Cummins&Partners. Along for the chat were Tamara Howe, marketing director Kelloggs ANZ; Willie Pang, CEO of MediaCom ANZ; Michaela Chan, CMO of oOh!media; and Andrew Howie, head of advertising at Westpac Group.

Muddle opened by stating that today 30 per cent of Australians speak another language at home and over a third were born overseas.

“So the question is how do we reflect that in our advertising,” she asked.

Howie said that one of the more successful campaigns he’d been involved in put diversity at its centre. “The idea was that lamb tastes good in any language, and that was really effective. Another successful strategy was to create messaging in languages relevant to the customer and not simply translate from English. And you have to do that now – if you’re the only ones communicating in English in a suburb like Chatswood, you stand out.”

And how do we ensure we really hear the minorities, Muddle followed up.

“A good place to start is just creating an environment in business that gives them a voice,” Pang said.

Willie Pang speaking at Changing the Ratio

“We need more people in the majority, the white males, to take a lead,” Howie added.

Muddle then touched on the sometimes controversial idea of quotas in the workplace.

Pang said he was a fan of hard targets. “I’m a fan because as a society the muscle memory isn’t there.”

“As an Asian female,” Chan said, “working at Chevron in America years ago, if it wasn’t for a quota system I wouldn’t have likely got the same opportunities.”

Howie, however, had a slightly different view. “As long as we set out quotas, I’m not sure the intent is totally pure. If we simply go through the process, we’re not going to be genuinely curious about including people.”

Next, Muddle inquired as to how you draw the line between mimicry and mockery.

“Neither are ok,” was Howie’s view. “You should try to get to universal human truth. At at core we have a fairly common set of values. They shouldn’t mimic or mock.”

“It’s hard to please all the people all of the time. We always strive to get the balance right. You need to have the right people at the table to navigate that. The work we did on Special K was always better when we had female creatives at the table,” Howe said.

Pang related an anecdotal experience. “15 years ago some of my young female Asian mates dated white guys, and amongst us it established it a bit more as a social norm. Nowadays on TV we often see the token multi-racial family. But for middle Australia it also starts to make it more of a social norm, which in turn helps people accept it as normal over time.”

And the rolled gold best advice for harnessing multicultural Australia?

“Understand the insights and avoid the obvious cliches – in the US in my past experience I saw things like including a piñata in Hispanic advertising, for example,” Chan said.

“If you’re looking at the Chinese consumer, ask your social teams for data on WeChat. You will gain an understanding you almost certainly wouldn’t have had before,” Pang said.

“At our best we influence people to think, feel and do something. If we mobilise our agencies, brands and peer networks and don’t make it just a box to tick, then we’ll start to genuinely explore the opportunities,” Howie summed up.

CTR sponsor block

 




Please login with linkedin to comment

B&T Changing the Ratio 2018 Multiculturalism

Latest News

North Face Choppers In Jacket To Furious Hiker In Possible Marketing Save Of 2023
  • Marketing

North Face Choppers In Jacket To Furious Hiker In Possible Marketing Save Of 2023

Outdoor clothing brand The North Face is being hailed for one of the marketing stunts of 2023 that has since gone on to rack up a staggering 16 million views online. It all kicked off when American tourist Jennifer Jensen was hiking in New Zealand’s Queenstown region for her 30th birthday and proceeded to get […]

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
oOh!media Unveils 51 New Large Format Sites This Year
  • Advertising

oOh!media Unveils 51 New Large Format Sites This Year

oOh!media continues to rapidly expand its large format digital network, launching seven new sites at premium locations across major arterials in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The latest large format digitals include another premium site in the exclusive Sydney suburb of Mosman. Positioned at the gateway of the lower north shore on Military Road, the high-impact […]

Bear Meets Eagle On Fire Unveils ‘Until Then’ Mark II On Behalf Of NRMA
  • Campaigns

Bear Meets Eagle On Fire Unveils ‘Until Then’ Mark II On Behalf Of NRMA

NRMA Insurance has launched the second instalment of the ‘Until Then’ campaign with Bear Meets Eagle On Fire (BMEOF). The integrated campaign – spanning TV, cinema, radio, social and OOH – builds off the brand platform launched last year and continues to add fresh meaning and resonance to ‘HELP’ by defining it as a promise […]

Seven Uses Gen AI to Push Tech Boundaries With Ignite
  • Media

Seven Uses Gen AI to Push Tech Boundaries With Ignite

The Seven Network revealed the results of the second round of its flagship innovation initiative – Ignite – which saw seven employee-led generative AI concepts selected for prototype development. An inspiring three-week event, Ignite brings together internal cross-functional teams of engineers, data scientists, product managers and staff from across the business to collaborate and develop […]

Creative Tensions Boil Over In Witty New Work From Apple
  • Campaigns

Creative Tensions Boil Over In Witty New Work From Apple

The campaigns keep rolling in from Apple. Hot on the heels of its Christmas work that just dropped (get teary again watching it HERE) came another directed by none other than Taika Waititi. Now everyone’s favourite tech firm is back spruiking the merits of the new iPhone 15’s camera with its Portrait Mode and how […]

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
Nollsy Records Aussie-Rock Twist On Christmas Classic For Jetstar Campaign
  • Campaigns

Nollsy Records Aussie-Rock Twist On Christmas Classic For Jetstar Campaign

Aussie music icon Shannon Noll has teamed up with Jetstar to launch a new campaign from Jetstar. The campaign, which features a pub-rock twist on the classic 12 Days Of Christmas carol, teases $100,000 worth of free flights to Jetstar’s favourite destinations. The cover of the Christmas classic will be unveiled in 12 parts starting from […]

Rolling Stone AU/NZ Unveils Its 50 Living Icons Edition
  • Media

Rolling Stone AU/NZ Unveils Its 50 Living Icons Edition

Rolling Stone AU/NZ publisher The Brag Media has  revealed its next annual collector’s edition, celebrating 50 of the most Iconic stars from Australia and Aotearoa, for the magazine’s December-February ‘Icons Issue’ which arrives on newsstands and at Coles from Monday 4, December. What makes a celebrity an Icon? It’s not just talent; it’s a magnetic […]

Australia’s Greatest Ever Ad – The Finalists!
  • Advertising

Australia’s Greatest Ever Ad – The Finalists!

It’s the final stretch! After hundreds of votes, an appearance on Channel 7 and the help of Jonathon Moran, entertainment editor and columnist at The Daily Telegraph, we’ve narrowed 100 ads down to 10. Here are the views and opinions of Moran, plus links to all the vids. You’ll be able to vote at the […]

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
CHEP Delivers A Horror Movie For Queensland Health’s Sun Safety Campaign
  • Campaigns

CHEP Delivers A Horror Movie For Queensland Health’s Sun Safety Campaign

Queensland Health and CHEP Network Brisbane have today launched a new sun safety campaign in a bid to reduce the risk of skin cancer across the state. The campaign has been crafted to resemble a horror film starring Queensland’s sneakiest killer – the sun. A series of trailers and promotional posters tell the story of […]

Australian Agency Engaging.io Slam Dunks With Texas NBA Team
  • Marketing

Australian Agency Engaging.io Slam Dunks With Texas NBA Team

Australian tech consultancy Engaging.io has scored a major business win with the appointment by a leading Texas-based US National Basketball Association (NBA) team to revolutionise its marketing and communication strategies. The powerhouse NBA franchise turned to Sydney-headquartered Engaging to spearhead a major HubSpot implementation, driving greater efficiencies, personalisation and a more seamless experience for fans. […]

Monkeys’ Tara Ford Appointed CCO Of Accenture Song’s APAC & Latin Growth Markets
  • Marketing

Monkeys’ Tara Ford Appointed CCO Of Accenture Song’s APAC & Latin Growth Markets

Tara Ford has taken on the role of chief creative officer of Accenture Song for Growth Markets, effective immediately. Retaining her position as chief creative officer of The Monkeys Sydney, Ford is now also responsible for overseeing all creative output from the Asia Pacific and Latin America regions (the ‘Growth Markets’). The regional role will […]

SMI Data: Outdoor’s October Bookings Up Almost 20% YOY
  • Media

SMI Data: Outdoor’s October Bookings Up Almost 20% YOY

Australia’s outdoor media has finally moved on from the disastrous COVID era with its October total at a record level – well beyond its pre-COVID total – with October bookings up 19.3 per cnet year-on- year in a market back 3.2 per cent. However, the lower total market ad spend compares to a record October […]

Dentsu QLD Partners With DeadlyScience & UnLtd To Drive STEM Programs With First Nations Youth
  • Media

Dentsu QLD Partners With DeadlyScience & UnLtd To Drive STEM Programs With First Nations Youth

Dentsu Queensland has formed a strategic partnership with DeadlyScience, an organisation that provides science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) resources to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander students across Australia. The partnership is in collaboration with UnLtd, which helps connect the media and marketing industries with charities helping children and young people at risk. This is […]

Gen Z Drives Growth At Vogue Australia
  • Media

Gen Z Drives Growth At Vogue Australia

Gen Z has helped drive cross-platform audience growth of 30.2 per cent year-on-year at Vogue Australia, Australia’s leading fashion media brand, according to the latest Roy Morgan readership numbers. Vogue Australia is the number one fashion media brand in the country with a cross-platform audience of 878,000, more than three times the audience of Harper’s […]

Revolution360 Parent Venetian Media Group Acquires Digital Native
  • Technology

Revolution360 Parent Venetian Media Group Acquires Digital Native

Victoria-based Venetian Media Group (VMG) has acquired web and digital strategy shop Digital Native. Lead image L-R: VMG CEO, Michael Fishwick; Digital Native big chief, Matt Gardan.  Digital Native specialises in digital strategy, branding, UX and web design it has deep experience in renewables, emerging technology and not-for-profit. Its web design process and collaborative approach […]

Murmur Group Launches High-Octane Campaign For Rare Spares Rockynats
  • Campaigns

Murmur Group Launches High-Octane Campaign For Rare Spares Rockynats

One of Australia’s biggest off-street car and motorbike festivals, Rare Spares Rockynats, is returning to Rockhampton for Easter 2024 and has kicked off its promotional calendar with a high-octane media campaign. The two-phase campaign, via award-winning marketing agency Murmur-Group, will launch across large format out-of-home and retail placements and will be supported by local radio, […]

Think HQ & Cancer Council Victoria Engage Multicultural Audiences To Increase Bowel Screening Numbers
  • Campaigns

Think HQ & Cancer Council Victoria Engage Multicultural Audiences To Increase Bowel Screening Numbers

Working with multicultural community groups in Victoria, Think HQ has created a campaign for bowel screening for Cancer Council Victoria. The campaign specifically targets Victorian Punjabi, Hindi, and Vietnamese-speaking groups to encourage the use of bowel screening tests. Australians aged 50-74 receive a free home bowel screening test kit in the mail every two years […]

Drink Driving Myths Busted In New Campaign From TAC Via Clems
  • Campaigns

Drink Driving Myths Busted In New Campaign From TAC Via Clems

Forget the tricks you think will help you stay under the 0.05 Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limit or suffer the consequences. This is the message in a myth-busting campaign via Clemenger BBDO for Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission (TAC). TAC’s new “Drink Driving: Stop Kidding Yourself” campaign challenges drivers’ belief in myths associated with drink driving, […]

It’s Friday Quiz Time Again!
  • Media

It’s Friday Quiz Time Again!

Take B&T's trivia quiz for your chance to win a $100 booze voucher and possible cirrhosis of a major internal organ.

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
Big data technology and data science illustration. Data flow concept. Querying, analysing, visualizing complex information. Neural network for artificial intelligence. Data mining. Business analytics.
  • Marketing

SenateSHJ Launches New Trans-Tasman Practices

SenateSHJ has launched a new digital, data and insights capability designed to help clients tackle the growing complexity of communication challenges. SenateSHJ Digital, Data and Insights (DDI) will combine the firm’s existing Digital and Insights functions to create a Trans-Tasman capability focused on digital communication, and the generation and use of data to improve communication. […]

New BrandStory Format From Bonzai Allows 3x More Ad Space on Mobile
  • Media

New BrandStory Format From Bonzai Allows 3x More Ad Space on Mobile

Creative technology platform Bonzai has announced the launch of BrandStory – a new premium mobile ad format. BrandStory offers triple the ad space and 2.8 times greater time in view than single scroll ad formats, addressing the surging demand from brands worldwide for more real estate to drive real results by seamlessly intertwining awareness, exploration […]