Happy Chanukah for those who celebrate!
Some of you may be aware Chanukah, the Jewish festival of rededication or the festival of lights, started this week. It is observed by the kindling of the lights in a unique candelabra, the nine-branched menorah or chanukiah, where one additional candle is lit on each night of the holiday up until the final night. This year, Chanukah begun on the evening of 6th December and will end on the evening of 14th December.
So, why is this important to advertisers?
The Jewish community is one of the most affluent communities in the UK and there are many well-known successful businessmen/women. While gifting is a key tradition for Chanukah (kids often get one gift each night across the 8 days!), it’s also an important time to engage the audience to ensure your brand stays front of mind – in general and when it comes to other key occasions like Bat/Bar Mitzvah gifts or other holidays including Rosh Hashanah, Passover, etc. Multicultural marketing is about engaging different communities around the key moments/topics that matter to them, so you don’t have to be a Kosher brand to talk to this community. As with all other ethnic and religious groups, people appreciate being understood…
How can brands reach the audience?
Depending on which groups within the Jewish community we want to reach, there are several Jewish press titles in the UK that we can use – Some more liberal, some rather traditional and there is even one dedicated title for Israelis in the UK specifically. Contextual digital targeting can be a good way to reach the audience as well. Furthermore, there are several key neighbourhoods for the Jewish communities in North West London, Manchester, etc. This means that OOH and leaflets would be among the options for brands as well.
Similar to planning communications to communities of other ethnicities or religions, it’s important to understand the nuances and to be culturally relevant. While mainstream creatives can often still be relevant, brand messages may be more effective if they are customised depending on the media environments. This could mean developing bespoke content on Jewish media, or creating a more inclusive message if non self-selecting media are used.
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