With more than 30 per cent of Australians born overseas and 22 per cent speaking a language other than English at home, marketers at an event in Melbourne have been told it is essential to keep pace with the country’s growing diversity.
The Ethnolink Summit in Melbourne brought together more than 250 communicators and marketers from the Australian Government, state and local governments, not-for-profits, and creative agencies to explore the challenges around effectively engage migrant and First Nations communities.
A clear message that emerged from the summit was that many marketers are struggling to effectively reach migrant and First Nations audiences due to a lack of cultural awareness and the misconception that simply translating mainstream campaigns is enough.
The summit’s theme, Making Multicultural Communications Mainstream, was introduced by Vivienne Nguyen AM, chairperson of the Victorian Multicultural Commission, who emphasised the importance of ensuring that multicultural communities are always considered in the design of communications.
Costa Vasili, founder and CEO of Ethnolink, echoed this sentiment throughout the day, saying that “With over 30 per cent of Australians born overseas, our communication strategies need to reflect that diversity”.
“Reaching migrant audiences is about more than just translation—it’s about understanding cultures and creating campaigns that truly resonate. Marketers are failing not because they don’t care, but because they just don’t understand.”
Ethnolink, a Melbourne-based multicultural communications agency with 60 full-time staff, organised the summit to tackle these critical challenges facing marketers in Australia. The summit featured an impressive line-up of speakers from prominent organisations including, Brand Asia, Little Rocket, Orygen, the Royal Children’s Hospital, the University of New South Wales, the Victorian Multicultural Commission, the University of Melbourne, the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, Umbrella Multicultural Community Care, Punchy Digital Media, the National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters’ Council, and the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity & Health.
A standout moment came from Sherry Xu of Brand Asia, who highlighted the challenges organisations face when trying to connect with Chinese audiences. Reflecting on her presentation, Vasili remarked, “Sherry’s insights were eye-opening. The growing influence of platforms like Little Red Book in reaching these audiences should not be underestimated, and mainstream agencies are being outpaced by Chinese marketing experts who are delivering real results for their clients.”
Reflecting on the summit, Vasili concluded, “Mainstream marketers risk becoming irrelevant if they don’t adapt to changing times by prioritising cultural understanding and community involvement to create more impactful and inclusive campaigns.”
