The Etcom Advantage
Etcom has 31 years experience in communicating with multicultural Australia, employs 15 full time staff and engages over 1000 consultants from Australia and around the world. Etcom is the only multicultural marketing agency with in-house access to strategic planning and campaign management, media planning and buying, market research, creative and web production, public relations, direct marketing and issues management. It is this unique in-house capability, which enables Etcom to deliver a fully integrated communications program aligned to its clients marketing objectives.
Why multicultural communications?
Australia is incredibly diverse with people from more than 200 countries, speaking over 150 languages. The 2006 ABS Census identified that 22% of Australians speak a language other than English at home - a market larger than the combined population of WA, SA, TAS and the ACT! Importantly for marketers, 29% of Australia's small business is owned and operated by people who were born overseas. Australia also boasts the world’s 5th largest international student population, representing almost 17% of all tertiary students in Australia. These students contributed over $9 billion of export revenue to the Australian economy in 2005. For marketers, such an expanding and diverse multicultural audience in Australia holds incredible potential and opportunity to increase reach and also uplift for brands and campaigns.
Diversity
There is no single factor that will be a major influence in communicating with NESB (Non-English Speaking Background) communities. These communities are not only diverse in language, culture and religion, but also diverse in levels of literacy, business ownership, employment, use of media, dependency on friends and community leaders for information. Etcom's methodology and strategy for campaigns is to meet this diversity with a flexible and diverse approach to communication, based on our extensive experience and knowledge of these communities. This approach includes media and non-media options. While media options build more brand and product awareness in the audience, grass root activities and community involvement connects the brand emotionally to the community.
Cultural and Linguistic Relevance
To successfully target the NESB communities, messages need to be more than just translations of the 'mainstream' messages. Communications need to be developed so that they are culturally and linguistically relevant to each target community.
International Implications
The business of international business and marketing is tied to culture. Multicultural Australia has often been described as the perfect test market for firms with a vision to expand their markets abroad. Etcom’s unique understanding of such cultures and their distinctive sensitivities, has naturally translated into Etcom’s capacity to consult our existing clients as well as new clients in their international endeavours. Etcom’s network of consultants extends beyond the domestic arena into countries of origin, thereby enabling Etcom to draw culturally and linguistically relevant drivers and cues for markets overseas. Existing clients have long understood this know-how and have drawn upon our consulting and strategic planning services for their multicultural programs- both domestic based and those abroad.
Clients
Etcom enjoys a varied client base with relationships extending for many years. Clients include:
- Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS)
- Australia Post
- BigPond
- Ford Australia
- Jetstar
- MBF
- National Australia Bank
- Qantas
- St George
- Telstra (15 years)
- The Salvation Army (10 years)
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute of Australia
Key Executive
Melissa Chaw, General Manager
Phone: (02) 9568 8309
M: 0407 018 028
Etcom
(Ethnic Communications Pty Ltd)
Level 3, 72 Christie Street, NSW, 2065
Phone: (02) 9568 8398
Fax: (02) 9277 1200
Web: www.etcom.com.au
