Top tips and insight by 79pr.co.uk
OK. So what is it? Is it language? Is it culture? Is it religion?
All key questions that marketeers ask themselves when trying to understand how to market to the UK's diverse ethnic population. (I focus on UK for this blog, but the same lessons and tips can be used in the US).
The truth of the matter lies in all of them. Read on.
79PR has helped a number of business make the crossover to help them market to the brown pound. In fact, we have helped launched two major brands directly marketing to the ethnic crowd. Both very different businesses, both used different tactics. But, before I carry on let me talk to you about working with ethnic businesses on their PR and Marketing campaigns. In fact, I won't. Because I'll blog about in detail as my next post.
Anyway, getting back to the subject at hand. For this blog I will be looking at the brown consumer. So anyone in the UK that we term British Asian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Asian). India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh etc etc.
Before I begin, many marketeers may ask themselves why they need to understand this market? Well, unless you have been walking with a bag over your head on the streets of UK today, the answer is pretty obvious. Just as ignoring digital media is to your peril, the same is true of the ethnic market. Put very simply - it's a very lucrative market. To be a completely rounded marketer you have to be able to sit and tell your clients about the make-up of every different consumer in the UK that is available. If you don't, you're not doing yourself or your client justice. Did you know that British Asians contribute to 6% of the UK's GDP? Still think they are insignificant?? Thought not.
Anyway some stats and background to set the scene:
According to the UK census of 2001, there were around 2.3 million British Asians in the UK.(4% of the population) I say were because nearly 1o years on, I estimate this total to be two/three times this amount. I really do. British Asians also made up 50.3% of the non-European population in 2001. And finally, the Indian origin dominates followed closely by Pakistani and then Bangladeshi to complete this demographic trivia.
So, loaded with all this information, what can you do with and what do you need to understand before marketing to this audience?
Ok, so we know which part of the world they originate from , so what defines them? How do they think? Work? Live? What do they eat? ..and what shapes that social habits. Our extensive research of the market has shown the below traits. These are the topics any marketeer should make sure they understand and considered even before trying to put together any proposals. And what you will see from the below is how it all links together.
1)Religion is a start. Hindu, Muslim and Sikh are the main religions. So, make sure you understand the difference between them. For example, a campaign to PR a Shariah-compliant insurance product will be largely wasted on Hindu and Sikh regardless of its ethical stance.
2) Family - Big on family for all religions. For example a typical wedding attracts 600 people on average. Word of mouth therefore naturally proves a very strong marketing tool. Also, many tend to live in one household. So the chance of catching three generations in one go via a concerted direct mail or PR campaign is highly probable.
3) Social class- The attitude today is: "... if my neighbours/uncle/friend/guy from street has got it, I want bigger and better." So they tend to spend big on luxury items. BMW and Mercedes have done particularly well. Big homes in affluent postcodes are a norm. However, even those who live in less desirable areas will be driving a top-of-the-range Range Rover. How? (See point 4.)
4) Disposable income - Lots of it. The nature of living with parents whose houses are largely mortgage free coupled with the income generated from business (see point 6) means a larger disposable income than the average Joe( no pun intended). Living with parents means no rent to pay freeing up plenty of spare cash (see point 5) . Also, work-mentality-at-an-early-age has been taught by the parents at an early age so many are used to earning. What this means is that salary earners are a plenty from an early age. If six are earning £20k + every year, you do the maths!
5) Lifestyle - As mentioned having the best cars and homes feature heavily. But so do having the latest gadgets. Latest mobiles? Check. Designer clothing? Check. LCD/Plasma TV? Check. See point 4.
6) Entrepreneur - famed for their business skills. British Asians mainly started working in factories when they came to the UK. A few came with business ideas and started little enterprises serving their own community such as butchers and grocers. After a few years, once they became more confident they branched out - mostly in garment manufacturing. Today, they have businesses in every sector possible. Being a businessman/woman is a given. B2B marketeers? A chance to connect?
7) Education - Very keen on education. Doctors, Dentists and Pharmacists, Lawyers and Accountants a preferred choice. But similar to above, the ethnic minority have branched out into almost every profession.
8) Holidays - Whereas going to India and Pakistan was a treat 10, 15 years ago, today's reality is different. For this generation, anywhere in the world is fair game. Dubai is the popular destination.
9)Culture - Bollywood is...Hollywood. Bollywood is big news here. As is Indian food and clothing. Visit Southall, Birmingham, Bradford for an example.
10) Media - Heavy influences from Bollywood mean media outlets such as B4U, Zee, Sunrise Radio, BBC Asian network, Eastern Eye are good places to start for a targeted campaign. Include in this the high number of religious outlets such as Islamic Channel etc etc and you have a good portfolio of contacts to push your campaign to. However, remember than only target these for a specific campaign. See below.
11) Charity - A major part of their life. They are big charity donors driven by religion and culture. Connection via charity is a good PR opp.
TOP TIPS:- Research your core consumer audience. Understand them. Before you begin, take a walk in the communities you are trying to attract.
- Religion - No doubt, among the biggest factors to understand. 79PR was recently a consultant for an agency pitching for a huge account catering towards the Muslim market. One senior member of the team advised we use Bollywood as a tactical platform to launch the brand. It was a nice idea. Only one flaw though - Music is banned in Islam. Make sure you understand these little details.
- Look at key religious dates in the calendar. Ramadhan, Eid, Diwali, Vaisakhi etc etc. And no, they don't always fall on the same date every year.
- Language - a big thing? Not any more. English is now the most common language. In fact mother tongue is now quickly disappearing. If you catering towards the older audience then Urdu should come first, followed by Gujurati.
- Media - An audit of media outlets should throw up usual suspects of newspapers/radio/TV. But believe you me when I say that many British Asians now read and consume media as an average person from the street. I advise only using ethnic media when it is a specific campaign. ie community radio stations during Ramadhan. Look at the plethora of Bollywood-induced channels for other marketing opps. B4U, Zee TV to name a few.
- Online - Facebook has now become a very active and good medium to engage with ethnic minorities. Trawl through Facebook to find groups you can connect with. It's natural that you are friends with people who share the same culture and beliefs with you.
- Engage - Communities play a big role. Could you engage with religious/community/business leaders? For a former client we lobbied a religious leader who's endorsement proved an unrivalled success for the business.
Sorry for the long post. But it's an important topic and the above is a complete top-line overview.
79PR has commissioned a comprehensive study of the lifestyle and habits of the British Asian consumer and no doubt, we will be sharing its results with you soon. We envisage the study to be completed, analysed and commented by the end of March. But, we will keep you posted.
If you would liked this post, found it helpful and wanted more information then get in touch with us. We can take you through our experiences and offer the insight you may need. info@seventyninepr.co.uk
http://www.79pr.co.uk/ - a PR agency based in Leicester dedicated to good communication.
Best,
The 79PR team.
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