Celebrating Canada’s Diversity This Lunar New Year

For the more than two billion people who observe Lunar New Year around the world, this weekend will serve as an opportunity to feast, give generously, and reflect on blessings. 

However, despite the scale of the event making it a prime target for marketing opportunities in countries that celebrate, in Canada specifically, campaigns geared around the event aren’t necessarily common. That’s despite the fact that, according to the 2021 census, the country’s Chinese population alone was marked at 1.7 million people. 

Moreover, with about 30% of this demographic identifying as Christian, to not build off of this in some way would have been a missed opportunity for Christian charity organisation Compassion Canada, which, this year, launched a Lunar New Year campaign for the first time in its history. 

Specifically, the group had a desire to help local partners in El Salvador - aiming to raise $5,000 to provide children with an opportunity for education. And, having recently hired regional relationship manager - Ontario South, Cudie Au, whose focus is serving Chinese Canadian supporters, it seemed the ideal opportunity to remind people of the abundance that often comes with living in Canada, and ask them to give generously for the big occasion. 

“Giving red envelopes, especially to kids, is such a big part of the Chinese tradition, broadly, but also especially around Lunar New Year,” says Alyssa Esparaz, content and public relations manager at Compassion. “However, for most kids here, they’re able to spend their money on toys and stuff that they're excited about, so we thought about expanding that idea and giving red envelopes to those who need it most: children living in poverty.”

So how does one develop a campaign like this? Notably, through a lot of hard work, and starting small before building big. 

“The idea originally sparked when the fundraising team came to us and said, 'Hey, can we send out some emails around Lunar New Year?',” recalls Alyssa. “However, as a marketing team, we were like, 'We don't want to just send emails, let's make this a whole thing! Let's do some organic content, and put some paid media behind it!’ - and that’s a testament to the strong partnership between our frontline fundraising team and our marketing team, which, sadly, seems to be rare for a lot of organisations.”

Despite the value of this, that alone would not be enough to get the job done. Notably, Alyssa adds that a huge point of focus was on striking an authentic tone that would hit the optimal balance, being attention-grabbing, without being overly preachy. 

“We've all seen a marketing campaign executed by an organisation where they were just trying a little too hard, doing a little too much, and it ends up being a little bit cringey,” she continues. “I think that comes from not having the right people in the room. For example, you don’t want a bunch of men trying to do a campaign for women.”

This is especially important. With Canada only growing more diverse – and expectations being that by 2041, half of the country’s population will be made up of immigrants and their Canadian-born children – authentic voices and genuine action have grown all the more imperative. As a result, Alyssa believes if organisations aren’t adjusting their marketing to account for that, they’re doing something very wrong. 

“This campaign is one of the most personal things I've ever worked on, and I think that has ultimately been how we've struck that balance,” she explains. “A lot of us working on this are Chinese, including myself, and we’ve brought the traditions we grew up with and our own experiences to this campaign, which has been really unique and exciting.”

Of course, success can also ride on other factors, such as just putting visually striking and memorable work out into the market. And on an internal level, Alyssa is quick to praise the team’s graphic designer, Krista Dodson, who helped the organisation overcome one of its biggest challenges, partnering brand voice with this new concept. 

“I remember talking to her, and I know that for the graphics, we wanted to have the red of Lunar New Year, but also the signature blue of Compassion, and I had no idea how she was going to put those things together. So, when I saw it, I was like, 'You're just a genius! I love this work!'.”

And, equal credit must be given to the organisation’s partnering agency, FUSE Create, who, according to Alyssa, provided “phenomenal marketing support”, including paid media and public relations. 

“Compassion Canada was the first client I’ve worked with that launched a specific campaign around Lunar New Year,” says Vanessa Francone, the agency’s marketing and PR manager. “With the strong angle we were taking, right from the start, I think it had good pickup and interest from the media. It was a very targeted pitch with a strong message, and I’m excited for the radio interviews we landed – and for people to learn more about the great cause of Compassion.”

Expanding on this, digital media manager Alex Lu adds that adjusting messaging to keep relevant to the event - in this case embracing the themes of celebration, the new year, and the arrival of spring - was paramount to creating effective content. “Much of the celebrations revolve around themes of good health and prosperity, so it made absolute sense to have custom creative in the market and to connect with audiences during these celebratory moments,” he adds. “This way, we could further reinforce positive associations with Compassion!”

Indeed, the proof seems to be in the pudding. As of earlier this week, the charity had raised $1,000, well before the celebrations officially started, and the social media push has received great engagement, both externally, where it has received 275,738 impressions on Meta after just over a week in market, and internally.

“I think what this has really come down to has been staying authentic to who we are as a whole - as an organisation, people, marketers, and creatives, and I'm really proud of what we've put together,” Alyssa finishes. “To me, it represents just how amazing it is when you get to bring your whole self to your marketing role. It's just a real privilege to just be creative, and step out of the comfort zone. And, as it turns out, trying something new can be really, really rewarding.”

To learn more about the campaign, check out the website at compassion.ca/blessing.