Dentsu Creative chief strategy officer Rafik Belmesk as a child.
By Rafik Belmesk
Even if you’re still getting all your news from Meta platforms, you probably know by now that Canada is about to welcome more newcomers than ever and at a faster pace than ever.
This has Canadian brands quite excited. Rightly so too, because as a recent piece of research we did for one of our clients showed, newcomers are four times more likely to emotionally engage with brands than the rest of us.
In this context, brands face a unique opportunity and challenge. These new Canadians arrive not just with suitcases and dreams, but with a fresh perspective, unclouded by the familiarity that often breeds indifference in brands. For them, every brand encounter is a first encounter, a moment ripe with the potential for connection and forever affiliation. It’s a journey of firsts where every logo, and every tagline is a first date – thrilling, a little awkward and full of potential.
Take it from someone who’s been there. I landed in Canada 25 years ago from Algeria, a country that at the time was sparse in western or global brands. I was struck by the sheer novelty and excitement of discovering brands that were household names here. I remember the awe, the sense of discovery and the excitement of encountering brands that my Canadian peers had long taken for granted. Everything was a big deal from the apparel brands I wanted to wear to school, to the first bank account I opened with my parents (hi Laurentian Bank) and the first Canadian Tire money I tried to deposit in it.
This is the magic that newcomers bring to the Canadian brand landscape. While a brand might boast 90% awareness among the rest of us, for newcomers, it’s a blank slate. They see the glittering landscapes of consumption through unjaded eyes, with a curiosity and openness that seasoned consumers might have lost. Beyond the need for a bank, mobile phone plan or grocery store, there’s an eagerness and a longing to explore and embrace.
The fresh perspective newcomers bring to the Canadian marketplace is a blessing. It challenges brands to step out of their comfort zones, look at themselves through a different lens and perhaps rediscover their own essence. It’s a call for brands to be genuinely engaging and to create experiences that are not just transactions, but that are also potentially transformative to newcomers’ journeys in our country.
It’s a curious opportunity for global brands that are present in both their home countries and Canada, as well. How do you take a lifetime’s worth of built associations, sometimes with totally different tones, and turn that into a local affinity for your brand, helping newcomers see it in a new light? The answer is very different depending on whether you’re Lexus, Subway or Drumstick, which are three global brands that I have been lucky to work with. All three are serious about creating long-lasting relationships with new Canadians in a way that enriches the journeys of both brand and consumer.
Brands that align themselves with this journey by committing themselves in tangible ways to understanding newcomers’ backgrounds, hopes and aspirations, stand to build lasting relationships and become a meaningful part of someone’s new life chapter. When a brand acknowledges what immigrants go through, warts and all: from their fears that their names and accents will be judged, to the stresses they feel to ensure they can make ends meet and perhaps even send some money back home amid the cost of living crisis, to the wonderful new rituals, tastes, idioms and quirks they’re about to discover, they’re not simple merchants anymore. Brands can become part of the welcoming committee, etching themselves into the once-in-a-lifetime moment of arriving in a new home. We’ve long been obsessed with moments of truth in our line of work and this one is as important as it gets.
As brand stewards, the responsibility that falls upon agencies in this evolving landscape is significant. We hold the unique privilege of guiding newcomers through the maze of new brands and Canadian cultural experiences, making their transition to a new world not only bearable but enriching. Just as a local friend might take you by the hand to explore the hidden gems of a city, we can guide newcomers to those brands that resonate most with their transforming and evolving identities. We become cultural interpreters and connectors, not only contributing to our client’s success but also helping to shape the narrative of a diverse, inclusive and ever-evolving Canada.
This also means it is our responsibility to hire newcomers without making too much fuss about the infamous “Canadian Experience” gap in their resumes. Canadian agencies are already filled with Canadian Experience, it’s the unjaded and informed newcomer gaze that is in short supply when tackling these challenges beyond clichés and “pick-me” CNY/Diwali/Eid social posts.
Having people across our teams who have recently or are currently living the immigrant experience has proven a priceless source of insight about what matters, what connects and what doesn’t, and how to create powerful brand-to-consumer bonds.
Let’s stop looking at the new faces of Canada as just another demographic we can target, and pandering to stereotypes and lowest-common denominators. Let’s embrace this opportunity to be more than conduits for brand messages. We’re not just selling products. We’re building bridges, creating memories and just maybe helping make a few dreams come true.
Rafik Belmesk is the chief strategy officer with Dentsu Creative Canada.
