TransCity

Brent in north west London is the most ethnically diverse area in England and Wales, reveals pioneering new research published today. Easington in the north east of England is the least ethnically diverse area, while Harrow in north west London is the most religiously diverse area.

In Brent, the likelihood that two randomly selected people are from different ethnic groups is 85 per cent, while in Easington it is just two per cent. Brent’s predominant ethnic groups were white British (29 per cent), Indian (18 per cent), black Caribbean (10 per cent), other white (nine per cent), and black African (eight per cent). In Harrow, there is a nearly two-in-three chance (62 per cent) that two people will be from different religious groups, with the dominant groups being Christian (47 per cent), Hindu (20 per cent), Muslim (seven per cent) and Jewish (six per cent).

Few areas had high ethnic or religious diversity, with less than one-in-10 local authorities having a high level of ethnic diversity, and just three per cent with a high religious diversity. Across England and Wales, 87 per cent of the population were white British and 72 per cent were Christian.

Black African Muslims are the most likely to be unemployed with almost one-in-three adults out of work. Unemployment rates among UK born people from black, Bangladeshi and Pakistani groups were more than twice as high as among white British. In contrast, unemployment rates among Indian Muslims were lower at 11 per cent.

Workless households with dependent children are prevalent among Bangladeshi and black African groups, with more than a third of households with dependent children workless, compared with 16 per cent of white British households. Muslim households are the most likely to be workless, with 33 per cent with dependent children out of work, compared with just 15 per cent of Christian households.

The report by the Office for National Statistics looked at changes in the census between 1991 and 2001. Between 1991 and 2001 home ownership rates fell most among Indian households (from 82 per cent to 76 per cent), Pakistani households (from 76 per cent to 67 per cent) and Bangladeshi households (from 44 per cent to 37 per cent). Home ownership only increased among white households, from 66 per cent to 69 per cent.

The average household size fell between 1991 and 2001, to 3.3 among Indian households, 4.1 among Pakistani households, 4.5 among Bangladeshi households, and 2.3 among white households. And in 2001, 44 per cent of Bangladeshi and 42 per cent of Black African households were overcrowded, seven times the rate of overcrowding among white British households (six per cent).

Some ethnic groups were found to be more religiously diverse than others. Indians are the most religiously diverse ethnic group, with 45 per cent Hindu, 29 per cent Sikh, 13 per cent Muslim and five per cent Christian. Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are the least religiously diverse, with nine-out-of-10 Muslim. And Muslims are the most ethnically diverse religious group, with 43 per cent Pakistani, eight per cent Indian, seven per cent other white and four per cent white British. Christians and Sikhs are the least ethnically diverse religions, as more than 90 per cent of people from these religions belong to the same ethnic groups.

Tom Linch, a spokesperson for the Office for National Statistics, said: “This is the first time that we’ve done this research, so there’s nothing to compare it to, to say ‘this is really surprising.’”

Copyright © 2006 UK National News

At the end of November, two conferences on Diversity Marketing will be held. On November 28 ‘Marketing in demografisch Nieuw Nederland’ will take place in Congress Center ‘t Spant in Bussum, the Netherlands. On November 29, the Ethnic Media Conference 2006 will take place at the London Stock Exchange in the United Kingdom. At both conferences, TransCity will give a presentation.

In the Netherlands, TransCity’s presentation will focus on the different strategies that can be pursued to target ethnic minorities in marketing and communications. The differences between Diversity Marketing, Ethnic Marketing and Urban Marketing will be explained. In the United Kingdom TransCity will focus on the way major brands are introducing new concepts among the culturally diverse city youth with the final objective of targeting the mainstream youth.

The conference in the Netherlands will not only focus on ethnic minorities, but also on Senior Marketing, Marketing to Women and Youth Marketing. Other presenters include Edgar Keehnen (Senior Marketing), Diana Jaffé (Marketing to Women), Ab Kuijer (Youth Marketing) and Adjiedj Bakas.

The conference in London will focus on the way the media landscape is transformed as a result of the growing ethnic cultural diversity in the United Kingdom and how this transformation impacts on major brands. There are keynote addresses by David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party and Dawn Airy of Sky Networks, as well as presentations by Michiel Bakker of MTV UK & Ireland and Jonathan Mildenhall, Strategic Director at Mother Agency, London.

Check here for all details of the London Conference.

On 4th October 2006, the first anniversary of the 8th October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan will be commemorated in the Netherlands.

In this regard an event is organized at the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam which is dedicated not only to the courage of the survivors of the earthquake alone, but also to the humble efforts of those in the Netherlands who helped Pakistan in this difficult time. In disaster management assistance, women are often left behind internationally. In Pakistan where this disaster is already having a great impact on country’s efforts in the areas of poverty reduction, economic development and the regional conflict prevention in general, the earthquake is having a greater impact on the position of women.

Thus this opportunity is seized to get informed about Pakistan, its culture, commerce and cuisine and also by debating and analyzing the humanitarian assistance through Dutch donor organizations and the development cooperation.

The event is organised by Gender Concerns International and the Pakistani community in the Netherlands and is supported by NCDO. TransCity has supported Gender Concerns International throughout the years. The event starts at 1 PM and will last until 8 PM and includes debates, music and a fashion show. You can check the Gender Concerns International website for more information.

Ten Years ago today, on September 13, 1996, Tupac Shakur died in a Las Vegas hospital after he was gunned down six days earlier. Some argue to have lost someone of the magnitude of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X - they claim Tupac Shakur would have metamorphosed into one of the most powerful black men to ever walk the face of the earth.

Whatever would have happened to Tupac had he still been alive, with over 70 million albums sold worldwide he is the most successful rap star ever. Would Eminem, Ja Rule, The Game and 50 Cent have become as big as they are today without the groundbreaking work of Tupac? Unlikely so. Their mythology of transgression, anger and running with the law would not have been possible without Tupac’s example.

Tupac was the embodiment of black rebellion against a hostile consumer society, a figurehead of gangsta rap, a poet, an artist, an actor, a political agitator and a hellraiser. Many of his fans still refuse to believe that he is really dead. The impact of Tupac on the urban youth worldwide bears resemblance to that of Bob Marley, an icon for different generations. The music of Tupac Shakur is as popular with 12 year old urban youth as it is with the 40-plus generation. He sold more albums after his death, than before. Five of his eight number one records in the U.S. were posthumous. His 1996 song ‘Hit ‘Em Up’ was recently listened as one of the top 10 songs that U.S. soldiers listen to in Iraq.

In recent years Tupac has attracted the attention of academics and cultural critics, who see in him a symbol of his times and a phenomenon who revolutionised popular culture, for both black and white young people, and straddled the boundary of gangsta fantasy and real-life crime in startling and unforgettable ways.

The influence of Tupac Shakur on today’s urban culture is huge, making his legacy extremely relevant for all those in the marketing and communications busines who wish to pursue Urban Marketing strategies.

Sources: various, including Andrew Gumber (The Independent)

Tupac Shakur, October 25, 1994:

Migration is big business. In the United Kingdom, more than 420,000 workers from eight east European countries were approved to work in Britain in the past two years, official data showed last month. Many of those came from Poland. Over 260,000 workers from non-EU countries have also obtained work permits in the past two years, while an estimated 180,000 east Europeans have become self-employed in the UK.

According to Reuters News Agency, Britain’s biggest bank HSBC Holdings plans to ramp up its commercial banking business in Poland at the same time as attracting Polish immigrants in its home market with specially tailored accounts.

Alan Keir, HSBC’s global co-head of commercial banking, said Poland will be at the heart of expansion in central Europe and it plans to have business banking centres in eight Polish cities, from just one centre in Warsaw at present. The bank will target big regional Polish cities in the next 18 months, including centres in Wroclaw, Katowice and Poznan.

HSBC’s commercial banking provides credit, cash management and other services to companies ranging from a one-person start-up to a mid-cap sized firm. It operates in 16 European countries. It is keen to ease the process for companies to open more cross-border bank accounts so that they can pay in euros and dollars as easily as pounds.

The business is strongest in the UK, France and Turkey, and Keir told Reuters he saw good opportunities to tap into accelerating economic growth in Czech Republic, Slovakia and Russia in addition to Poland.

Expansion in Poland could also leverage moves by HSBC and other banks to attract the influx of Polish immigrants in Britain by making it easier for them to open accounts and transfer money.

HSBC have recently introduced the Passport account, aimed at immigrants coming to the UK. The Passport account offers basic bank products and discounts on international money transfers, but no overdraft facility and a small monthly fee. The account can be opened online before arriving and the bank said it had signed 2,500 customers. Although eastern Europeans are a major target group, the Passport account is targeting all recent immigrants in the UK, both from within and outside the EU.

Other banks are also targeting east European immigrants. Barclays said it had hired Polish speakers for some branches, mainly in west London, and held education events on UK banking products and how to buy a house.

Main source: Reuters