If you’ve been paying attention to Canada economics, one of the most important things you should notice is that the economy of Canada is driven by immigration. According to the IRCC, the government department that handles immigration, refugees, and citizenship in Canada, immigration now accounts for 80% of Canada’s population growth, making it one of the most crucial aspects for Canada demographics.

So, it’s clear that Canada is a big hub of all sorts of communities with varying cultural and ethnic roots, and the multicultural mosaic will likely grow in the future. Delving further into this multicultural mosaic, how do the communities interact and think of each other?

The Multicultural Generosity

On September 1st of the year 2020, Imagine Canada published a study titled Multicultural and Newcomer Charitable Giving Study. This study surveyed and interviewed many Canadian visible minority groups, including South Asian, Chinese, Filipino, Black (Afro-Caribbean/African), Arab and Iranian communities. Turns out, the study resulted in a noteworthy and interesting discovery that states: within this multicultural environment, there is a big surge of generosity and care between the various ethnic groups of Canada. 

The study gives us an introspect of the attitudes that the multicultural communities in Canada have between one another. And it seems like a strong sense of generosity and charity can be found amongst the multicultural mosaic. Many of the visible minority communities surveyed for this study showed a willingness and desire to welcome and embrace charity, non-profit support organizations, and other forms of community service in their living spaces. 

Furthermore, the study shows that newcomers to Canada and second-generation citizens are driven to give and help their own and other communities out of a sense of duty. This is primarily motivated by their strong family and religious values, as well as a desire to improve the well-being of communities and society in general.

The Importance of Supporting Each Other

According to the study, about 75% of those surveyed say “giving is the right thing to do”. Meanwhile, around 70% surveyed find it crucial to pass on these values by teaching their children about the importance of charitable giving, generosity, and any form of help. As mentioned before, Canada’s population growth is primarily driven by immigration. This means that newcomers to Canada and second generation citizens are a crucial part of the Canadian demographics, and it would be wrongful to ignore or overlook them. 

And this is why charity raising, nonprofits, and other forms of community service, are on the frontline of providing aid and help when people arrive in this country. 

The study has found that on average, newcomers and second-generation Canadians give $857 per year in donations. 54% surveyed would like to do more for charities by volunteering more of their time. And 59% have a higher regard for businesses that donate to charitable causes compared to those who do not.

What This Means for Brands

The diverse communities in Canada know that staying together and united is a way to solve issues at hand. And because the multicultural population is large and growing more predominant in the country, brands doing business in Canada should be aware of these trends and characteristics if they wish to find success in this market. 

As mentioned before, the visible minority communities feel very favorable towards charity, support, and any kinds of help given to them, and they are more likely to have a positive impression on brands that help and support charitable causes. This doesn’t just include donations, although they certainly win appreciation.

However, this can be as simple as making your products, services and brand image align better with the needs, values, and lifestyle of the visible minorities. And this is why multicultural marketing is not just a gimmick, but a must-have strategy that brands need. 

Multicultural marketing agencies often advise brands to be considerate and inclusive to the multicultural communities in Canada. This includes keeping their needs and desires in mind when designing your marketing and advertising campaigns. Countless multicultural marketing agencies suggest that effective multicultural marketing must be efficient in showing how brands help and support the communities. Such as how a brand can fit in the lives and circumstances of visible minorities, and how the two parties can connect. 

In fact, multicultural marketing agencies very often consist of members from the visible minorities, who hope that their skills and capabilities in marketing and advertising can help bring the voices of visible minorities to the brands, and thereby connect the brands better with the visible minorities in the markets of Canada.  

Brands supporting communities has always been appreciated, but with an environment like Canada’s, where almost everyone knows that generosity and helping each other is the way to go, any support and help from brands is especially favored by the multicultural Canadian markets. Effective multicultural marketing opens a path where both brands and communities get what they want. So why not get a hold on this opportunity for a win-win situation?