Minister Announces Winners of 2008 National Multicultural Marketing Awards

23.11.08

The advertising campaign for the 2007 Federal election was tonight named Grand Winner of the 2008 National Multicultural Marketing Awards by NSW Minister for Citizenship, Virginia Judge.

Ms Judge said democracy was the winner in the campaign by two Sydney-based marketing companies, Cultural Perspectives and BMF.

"Each finalist has effectively targeted diverse audiences, ensuring that all Australians can make informed choices based on accessible, appropriate and practical advice and information," Ms Judge said.

"I can't think of a more fitting winner than a marketing campaign which increased democratic participation across all ethnic communities; boosted enrolments and turn-out, lowered the informal vote and stimulated debate in the ethnic media."

Ms Judge said the 2008 finalists and winners had created some of the most inventive and successful multicultural marketing campaigns seen in the 19 year history of the Awards, organised by the Community Relations Commission of NSW.

Community Relations Commission Chair, Dr Stepan Kerkyasharian, praised the winning entry, which targeted speakers of 26 different languages through a variety of media, including community newspapers and radio stations, pay TV, direct mail and SBS outside broadcasts at multicultural festivals.

"Well done Cultural Perspectives and BMF, and congratulations to the Australian Electoral Commission for its clear perception of a culturally diverse society," Dr Kerkyasharian said.

Ms Judge said that targeting multicultural audiences in Australia would strengthen Australia's position in the global economy.

"Research by social commentator, Bernard Salt, reveals that consumer preferences and marketing messages must shift to reflect Sydney's new demographic reality," she said.

"Over the last five years China, India, South Korea, Iraq and South Africa have become the fastest-growing place of birth of migrants settling in Sydney."

"In acknowledging migrant Australians for their contribution to the economic and social wellbeing of Australia at last week's 2008 Ethnic Business Awards, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made an excellent observation," she said.

"In choosing Australia as their home, starting businesses and raising families here, migrant Australians build bridges to the world networks that money cannot buy."

 

Other category winners were:

Big Business Category:The international money transfer giant, Western Union, has won the Big Business prize for spectacular results in a Mothers Day promotion targetting Asia Pacific communities in Australia earlier this year.

Community Category: The Arab film festival held in western Sydney in April this year which was a runaway success on a tiny budget but with incredibly clever marketing through the Arabic and mainstream media.

Export Category: The Asia Pacific Screen Awards, known as APSA, promotes the excellence of film in the Asia Pacific Region and honours filmmakers across a region covering four billion people, one third of the Earth's surface and half the world's film output.

Government Category: A 30-minute film made by South Strathfield High School, in which the students tackle racism, prejudice and difference amongst their peers including fellow students from Windsor High School in Sydneys north west.

Small Business Category:A music festival that attracted 47 thousand people to watch 800 artists from 23 nationalities in nearly a hundred performance events has won the small business award The festival organised by Multicultural Arts Victoria was billed as Mix It Up and celebrated Victorias cultural diversity.

Information Technology Award: An internet solution, devised by most of Australia's major libraries, to meet the exploding demand for multilingual information, won a national technology award.