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Public opinion research demonstrated that while Canadians tend to see the value of immigration nationally, they are less likely to understand how it benefits them personally, in their communities. As a result, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) launched the Immigration Matters initiative in November 2018, to demonstrate the benefits of immigration at the local level, dispel common myths about immigration and promote positive engagement between newcomers and Canadians. Please see Immigration Matters website.
The initiative relies on compelling storytelling to appeal to Canadians on an emotional level. Stories show the ‘human side’ of immigration, while pointing out in realistic ways how immigrants contribute to the economy and society as a whole. The stories are posted online and promoted via social media, along with simple, straightforward facts about how Canada’s immigration system works, and economic data showing the impact of immigration on a community’s labour force and economic prosperity. IRCC also supports guided conversations in communities across the country. Community conversations engage the community in a conversation about the challenges and benefits of immigration at the local level, helping to ensure immigration works for the community in the context of Canada’s immigration plan. The initiative has a partnership strategy to help amplify content and encourage organizations to develop their own content. This helps build credibility and reach a wider audience beyond those who normally visit the IRCC website.
In 2020, IRCC became a member of Welcoming International, a coalition of initiatives advancing inclusion and belonging in localities worldwide. One of the benefits of our Welcoming International membership is being a part of the annual global Welcoming Week celebrations in September. Through our Welcoming Week toolkit, we engage partners and stakeholders at the local level and encourage them to celebrate the people, places and values that help everyone feel welcome and give them a sense of belonging in their community, no matter where they come from.
Since 2021, the marketing campaign has expanded to include advertising (public service announcements) to Canadians about the importance of inclusive communities.
The advertising campaign promotes awareness of the benefits of successful integration: the more welcoming communities are, the more newcomers feel at home and contribute locally. The advertisements lead Canadians to the Give a warm welcome webpage.
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Benefit and Impact
The initiative also successfully pitched the PSA to several film festivals, who did feature it in their programming.
Part of the partnership strategy was to ask Canadian airports to air the video story featuring the community located closest to them geographically. Since May 2019, more than 10 airports have aired the video stories in their domestic waiting lounges. This was a great opportunity to play the videos for a captive target audience.
Welcoming Week is celebrated throughout the country, with many localities declaring an official Welcoming Week in their community. Year over year, social media mentions, as well as traditional media mentions about Welcoming Week have continued to rise.
The 2023-24 advertising campaign garnered 200K visits to the Give a warm welcome webpage (see link above).
Key Lessons
- Make sure supporting facts are clear and concise. Research showed that the target audience views statistics with skepticism. While some statistics are important, the initiative strived to use them sparingly and in association with the stories that put a human face on the issue. They were also carefully vetted to avoid misinterpretation. Consider plain language and infographics so the audience can easily grasp and retain the information.
- Reaching audiences in smaller, more rural communities requires specific and targeted outreach. Engaging local organizations and media is critical to these efforts.
- Emphasize the importance of listening and engage local leaders as trusted sources.
- Public opinion does not change overnight. It can take years for efforts to bear fruit.
- According to established communications rules, IRCC had to dial back promotion during federal election periods, two of which occurred since the initiative launched in 2018.
Recommendations(if the practice is to be replicated)
- Examine from partners perspective – what’s in it for them and how is the content meaningful for their audiences. Suggest providing your partners with appropriate tools: Immigration Matters designed a partner toolkit offering tips on developing and sharing their own stories.
Innovation
- During the global pandemic, the initiative pivoted to show how immigrants are making a difference in Canada’s COVID-19 response, whether as front line or essential workers, philanthropists or simply caring community members lending a helping hand.
- Through the Immigration Matters initiative, IRCC is communicating to Canadians themselves, rather than migrants or prospective migrants to Canada. The Canadian audience is a relatively new audience for the department. This introduced new partnership opportunities. The initiative proactively worked with partners in the transportation, hospitality and sports sectors, among many others, which have offered new and innovative ways to communicate with Canadians.
- For example, IRCC hosted 5 Immigration Matters-themed citizenship ceremonies with national sports teams (the Canadian Football League, the National Hockey League’s Ottawa Senators, and Canada Soccer), highlighting the importance of immigration to sport in Canada and featuring team players who are immigrants.
- These collaborations offered a massive opportunity for increased exposure and are the perfect vehicle to engage our target audience – tapping into our shared pride in citizenship.
- The initiative recognizes that getting messaging from the government is not the only, or the most effective, way to communicate to audiences who may have lower levels of trust in this institution.
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