Black Canadians, No Longer an Ethnic Market

And as I make that statement, I must also say that from a market segmentation standpoint in this country, one could argue that black Canadians have never been seen as a viable target.   With ethnic marketing only now gaining any real traction in the industry, it may be that the time for targeting the black community has passed, as 3rd and 4th generations of Caribbean’s are now assimilating into the Canadian landscape.

When you consider some of the key tenants used in identifying an ethnic market (or multi-cultural if you prefer), including language and culture, black Canadians have always satisfied the requirements, including having their own media outlets. However, for whatever the reason, this group seems to be playing a considerable second fiddle to rapidly growing South Asian and Chinese communities.

At the 2010 Multi-Cultural marketing conference in Toronto, it was a sad reality to see that in attendance there were no African-Canadian media or associations.  Is it that these groups no longer see themselves as an ethnic market or are they simply ignored by the industry as a whole?  Don’t misunderstand my commentary to suggest that there is no support of black community events like the recent and annual Caribana parade in Toronto (the largest of its kind in North America), but one-off promotions and events tied to Cinco de Mayo, Kwanza or Chinese New Year can’t be and aren’t considered a serious approach to ethnic marketing any longer.

To be successful, ethnically oriented marketing should be part of a year-round campaign and must be sensitive to the diversity of target cultures. I believe that there are few if any Canadian companies beyond those whose products are clearly geared towards that market who have taken a holistic approach to reaching this market.

To be fair, it certainly doesn’t help that there exists so very little usable research data on the afro-Caribbean community in Canada, a reality that we should all be rather ashamed of.

Did you know that;

• 70% of all population growth in Canada comes from immigration.
• Today African Canadians, Asians, Hispanics and Italians represent 12% of the population
• According to the 2006 census, Canada is on track to becoming 100% dependent on immigration for growth.
• The country’s fertility rate is just 1.5 children per woman, far below the 2.1 needed to replace the dying population (baby boomers). However, with an overall population growth of 5.4 per cent, Canada had the highest growth rate among G8 nations.

It is not entirely clear whether the community itself has given up on the advertising industry in Canada or if, in the eyes of the industry, the black community simply is not worth the investment, but from my standpoint, it would appear that the maturing nature of the black community and slow immigration from the Caribbean has stalled its ability to command the attention of this country’s marketing community. Giving me reason to say that, black Canadians are no longer an ethnic market, but simply part of the mix.

Dean Lloyd is Principal of Verb Marketing & Creative in Toronto, Canada, and is also co-founder of Cornucopia (The Association of Ethnically Diverse Marketing & Communications Professionals) and can be reached at dean@verbiage.ca.