Award-winning agency Marketing Minds has been getting the message through to Chinese and Indian migrants since 2017.
Marketing to New Zealand’s growing Chinese and Indian migrant population demands a deeper understanding than just language and channel selection, according to Marketing Minds, an award-winning marketing agency specialising in this space.
“Indian migrants aren’t simply ‘Indian,’ and Chinese migrants aren’t just ‘Chinese’. The longer they reside in New Zealand, the more their identities evolve into uniquely ‘migrant Indian’ and ‘migrant Chinese’,” says Anne Casey, Marketing Minds founder.
Many New Zealand companies mistakenly see these migrant groups as homogenous, but the reality is far more nuanced. Even within their home countries, these populations encompass a vast spectrum of cultures and social structures. Migrants can originate from diverse regions within China and India, have varying levels of wealth, and be at different stages in life. While they all share the decision to come here, their experiences and preferences diverge significantly.
Casey emphasises the importance of recognising these distinctions: “Imagine considering all New Zealanders to be one target audience and trying to market to them with a single strategy. It simply wouldn’t be effective.
“Furthermore, reaching these new migrant groups effectively goes beyond simply translating messages,” says Casey. “Their identities become a blend of their heritage and their adopted Kiwi culture, shaping their values, tastes, and perspectives.”
This cultural subtlety is particularly important in areas like humour.
“Kiwi humour is usually lost in translation for new migrants, who have a more direct sense of humour when they first arrive. This can isolate them,” Casey says. “However, the longer they reside here, they become more ‘Kiwi’ and start understanding the humour.”
This careful understanding is a key differentiator for Marketing Minds, which has been successfully connecting businesses with migrant audiences in New Zealand since 2017. The agency goes beyond basic translation, crafting targeted campaigns that resonate with the specific culture of each community.
THE CHINESE MARKET
Marketing to New Zealand’s Chinese migrant community requires a dynamic approach that recognises evolving media consumption habits.
“While WeChat remains the primary communication platform for Chinese migrants, we’re witnessing a significant shift towards platforms like Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) and Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok),” says Casey.
This trend underscores the importance of a holistic marketing strategy that considers the entire Chinese migrant media landscape.
“A channel-by-channel approach is no longer sufficient. We’re seeing a constant decline in the reach and effectiveness of brand WeChat Official Accounts, both in China and here in New Zealand, post-Covid.”
THE INDIAN AUDIENCE
Casey says the Indian market in New Zealand is even more fragmented, but not impenetrable.
Aotearoa’s Indian community comes from a country with an estimated 780 spoken languages, including 22 official ones. Even though Hindi is predominant, it is not universally spoken or accepted.
Indian migrants typically use English language channels such as Meta platforms and Google, however, in New Zealand, there are already more than 20 dedicated Indian channels. This highlights the diversity of the Indian migrants and a need for sharply targeted communication. At customer service level, the availability of their go-to app – WhatsApp – is important.
Casey says: “Brands should establish communication with new migrants before they arrive. Their journey starts with online research even before they set foot in Aotearoa. To ensure businesses aren’t trying to play catch-up, we design marketing approaches that provide a competitive advantage as we build authentic trust and engagement with the target markets at the right time, right place and in the right way.”
Navigating the maze with Marketing Minds: With a focus on NZ migrants since 2017, Marketing Minds boasts a team with firsthand knowledge and experienced marketers. Using a blend of lived experience and data-driven insights, they’ve honed their understanding and strategies to help companies penetrate this dynamic market.
For more info, visit marketingminds.co.nz
This was first published in our June/July 2024 issue
