Cultural communities feel left out of Toronto Pan Am Games

Seems like it may be a repeat of the Vancouver Olympics which were put to shame by London’s relentless upbeat and upfront multiculturalism:

But a marketing consultant involved in the outreach efforts said only a few thousand dollars had been earmarked to buy ad space in dozens of small outlets.

Milind Shirke, director of Ethos Communications, which specializes in marketing to diverse communities, said organizers need to find “respectable amounts” of money to spend on advertising in multicultural newspapers and television, because that’s where many immigrants get their news.

“There’s definitely a strong media consumption of their own media versus the mainstream media,” he said.

In order to attend, those communities “would need to be provided some basic information in terms of pricing, venues, options, discounts, because they’re also value-conscious…. That’s where the media comes in.”

Shirke said it’s also important to include other communities, such as the Toronto region’s large south Asian population, whose home countries are not competing in the Games.

Cultural communities feel left out of Pan Am Games.