Consumers More Borderless Than Multinationals – New Canadian Media – NCM

Fascinating market research and comparison between Canadian and American acculturation models and behaviours by Robin Brown of Environics.

The cliché of the melting pot versus the cultural mosaic appears to still apply, at least for those of Chinese and South Asian origin (two of the largest communities in Canada):

Our recent research compared Chinese and South Asian Americans and Canadians’ level of acculturation using Geoscape and & Environics Analytics CultureCodes see graph. These analytical tools classify the population into five categories of acculturation based on their home language, knowledge of English/French and period of immigration. We found much higher levels of acculturation in the U.S. than in Canada for both groups. This results from a number of factors, including the “melting pot” vs. multicultural culture of each country. Of course, this means that these populations will differ and marketing efforts to reach them must navigate that difference.

But, understanding the diasporas may not be the biggest challenge faced by multinationals. The current reality for many multinationals is that many of their consumers are in some respects more global than they are. There may be good business reasons why an Asian Canadian cannot find Nescafe iced coffee here in Canada, but consumers are not aware or don’t care about the constraints of separate business units, tariffs and supply chain logistics. They are connected globally and informed of products and services that are used by their ethnic diaspora across the world.

Consumers More Borderless Than Multinationals – New Canadian Media – NCM.