Edward Curtis: Navajo Medicine Man, Princess Angeline, Hopi Mother

These faces from another time in the work of Edward Curtis are an act of photographic conscience.
Multicultural advertising has traditionally been the domain of smaller agencies. But over time, the category has become important to the long-term success - and the survival - of brands in the Canadian marketplace.
Sensing opportunity, a few big mainstream agencies have muscled into the space and begun stealing everyone else's lunch. This is unsurprising. And, the truth is it could be a shot in the arm for the category, if it grows awareness and intelligence and adds to the discipline overall.
But the question is, does Goliath get it? Do these shops truly know what they are doing? Do they have the experience, skills and sensitivity to counsel clients with integrity and courage around the thornier issues? Can they keep their giant feet out of their giant mouths? Or are they bulls in the proverbial (multicultural) china shop?
Like any David, I want to know what I'm up against and regularly go walkabout on the wild woolly web in search of giant scat. Precisely such a journey, led me to visit the website of one major Canadian mainstream agency, wherein I found this pithy phrase: Our dedicated team of multicultural Asian and South Asian market specialists can effectively grow your business within Canada’s wealth of diverse communities. Fluent in the languages and cultures we target (including Asian and South Asian), we blend research-based insights with personal experience to create work... (etc etc)
I'd like to tell them what's wrong with this, but where to begin. And which language I should use? Asian or South Asian? (Clearly English isn't their strong suit - my most generous analysis tells me this could be a Case of The Dangling Modifier but surely Big Mainstream knows English). No, I think I've understood the point. So here goes.
Dear Big Mainstream,
Your little blurb raises some important questions.
#1: Who speaks Asian? And where do they speak it?
#2: Who speaks South Asian? And where do they speak it?
#3: How can I become "fluent in cultures"?
#4: What exactly is a "multicultural Asian"?
#5. Did you just tell me you're an expert in the polka-dotted and pin-striped market because a bunch of polka-dotted and pin-striped people work for you? Because I think that's what you're saying. You know, the "personal experience" bit.
Oh dear. Slingshot empty. Time to find another Goliath.
------
Gavin Barrett is Ideawallah at Barrett and Welsh, a Toronto agency that specializes in the new Canada.

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About the ideawallah

Gavin Barrett is Owner/Founding Partner + Chief Creative Officer, of award-winning Toronto multicultural advertising agency Barrett and Welsh. In pursuit of big ideas he has: nibbled on pigs' ears (not on a live pig at the time); gone elephant-back in the Thai jungle (no elephants were hurt); gambled in a Macau casino (was utterly destroyed). His ads: have run in 35 countries, helped elect prime ministers, attracted the ire of the lawyers for Dolly the clone sheep, drawn an angry crowd in Lagos, have been studied in business texts in Canada and India and received derisive mention in a John Irving novel. His poems: can be found in Penguin’s anthology of 14 contemporary Indian poets, Reasons for Belonging.

He cannot: sing.

Barrett and Welsh

Barrett and Welsh
We're not in the ad business. We're in the moving business. We move product. Perceptions. Behaviour. Market share. But most of all, we move people. We are the only mainstream-multicultural agency in Canada, capable of handling mainstream or multicultural advertising needs with equal ease, in global and North American markets. We have provided multicultural advertising services to clients in every category including Bell Canada, Brampton Transit, Burlington Transit, CBC, Centennial College, City of Brampton, Diageo, Niagara Region, Procter & Gamble, Rogers, Shaw Cable, Sobeys, TD Bank, Unilever, VivaNext, Walmart and York Region Transit.

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Non-stop to New Delhi

Non-stop to New Delhi
An ad for United Airlines created by Gavin Barrett to advertise the launch of a new non-stop United Airlines Hong Kong-New Delhi flight. From the Barrett and Welsh archives.

DISHUM! THE BARRETT AND WELSH GEARSTORE

DISHUM! THE BARRETT AND WELSH GEARSTORE
Cool swag from an ad shop which does multicultural work with real impact. Like this In a Mumbai Minute clock.

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