Marketing Cultural Diversity Is Good For Business

25 May 2010

The Attorney General and Minister for Citizenship, John Hatzistergos, at the launch of the 2010 National Multicultural Marketing Awards with Stepan Kerkyasharian, Chair Community Relations Commission of NSW

NSW Minister for Citizenship, John Hatzistergos, today officially opened nominations for the National Multicultural Marketing Awards 2010.

The Community Relations Commission of NSW National Multicultural Marketing Awards competition is marking 21 years of unearthing winners from across multinational business, government and community sectors.

“These Awards aim to encourage and reward businesses that focus on the cultural diversity of Australia as part of their marketing strategies,” Mr Hatzistergos said at the launch of the annual awards competition at the Westin Hotel in Sydney.

“They serve as an important reminder and incentive to businesses to promote an equitable representation of our diversity as a nation through appropriate marketing campaigns.

”The Chair of the Commission, Stepan Kerkyasharian, said successful businesses and Government Agencies realise the potential of innovative multicultural marketing techniques in mass media.

“Successful marketers understand that cultural diversity is good business,” he said.

“They have also realised that success in this field doesn’t just fall into your lap. You have to study the market, target customers in their own language if necessary, and offer products relevant to cultural, religious and culinary practices.

“Last year’s winner, Polyglot, is a human resource company that identified Australia’s rich resource of knowledge in languages, culture and foreign business practices.

”The categories for this year’s awards are: Commercial Big Business, Commercial Small Business, Government, Advertising and Communication, Community, Export and Technical.   The Technical Award is a new category introduced this year to cover new marketing activities online and on mobile phones.

“The Advertising and Communication Award will also spread its net further to include online advertising”, Mr Kerkyasharian said.

The major sponsors of National Multicultural Marketing Awards 2010 include  Qantas, the Commonwealth Bank, The Australian newspaper, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the AFL and Casella Wines.

Businesses or individuals can nominate for the Awards if they have completed or conducted marketing initiatives over the past 18 months.  Applications close on August 31 and the winners will be announced at the Gala Dinner on the November 1.

Entry forms will be available on the CRC’s website at www.crc.nsw.gov.au