Stu Rutherford, Managing Director at The Agency 88, offers straightforward tips for brands wanting to connect with Asian communities.
NZ Marketing: Tell us a little about The Agency 88 and the work you’re doing.
Stu Rutherford: The Agency 88 is a local specialist marketing and communications agency helping brands connect with growing Asian communities in both New Zealand and Australia. We deliver a range of services including campaign work, social content for the likes of WeChat, translation services, plus we also carry out Asian community research projects.
NZM: Are we seeing more marketers recognising the growing Asian audiences in New Zealand?
SR: The short answer is yes. However, diversified marketing efforts in this space remain relatively underdeveloped and there is plenty of work still to do. That said, it does feel like we are reaching some kind of tipping point. I do think – as more businesses examine our ethnic make-up and consider where their future growth is going to come from – that a greater focus on multicultural marketing will emerge.
By 2028, our Asian community will easily surpass 1 million, representing 20% of the total population. The opportunity is amplified further in Auckland of course where Asian communities represent 30% of the population. Interestingly, 50% of Aucklanders currently identify as European, the other 50% don’t.
So, we are dealing with a rapidly growing Asian community and I would argue the marketing and business communities have been somewhat slow to adapt. I think marketers largely get it – and yet it’s hard to make changes overnight. Arguably, it really needs to start in boardrooms where a diversified migrant business strategy can be established, from which marketers can be properly supported.

NZM: What are common mistakes brands can make when looking to connect with the local Asian community?
SR: The easiest mistake, or misconception, is in thinking that the Asian community has a sound understanding and awareness of your brand. Don’t think your brand health metrics are reflected in equal measure across ethnicities – they aren’t.
We tell clients, ‘This is a marathon, not a sprint’ – and it’s so true. Most need to adapt brand comms that not only grow basic awareness and consideration, but talk in a way that builds trust, understanding and reassurance. Asian migrants don’t always know your brand’s legacy or business credentials, often they are sceptical and need further assurance. This is where employing and, importantly, promoting your Asian language-speaking staff can be the difference in brand choice.
The other easy misconception is around media usage, and the thought that “surely they are seeing our ads”. This issue is particularly true for the Chinese community. We recently carried out a local Chinese community study and it showcased the alarming lack of connection the Chinese have with local media brands. Unsurprisingly, Chinese people use Chinese media.
NZM: What should local brands focus on to make better connections?
SR:Four areas: celebrate festivals, be social first, promote your Asian language-speaking staff and adopt an always-on approach.
“Win the hearts of the Asian communities” is a lesson I learnt early on. Authentic involvement with cultural festivals and celebrations is a great fast-track to building trust and appreciation.
It’s no surprise that social platforms dominate within Asian communities. Given their population sizes, China and India are home to the largest numbers of social users on the planet with 1 billion and 755 million users respectively. Understanding platform capabilities locally and user behaviour across apps such as WeChat and Little Red Book is important.
At a practical level, employ and promote your Asian language-speaking support or sale staff, whether they speak Mandarin, Hindi or the Filipino language Tagalog. Ensure you have translated landing pages, online content, and are of course translating external campaigns appropriately.
This was first published in our June/July 2024 issue