GETTING TO KNOW PLANET EARTH'S NEW URBAN MAJORITY - (Written and illustrated by a bunch of economic migrants)
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GETTING TO KNOW PLANET EARTH’S NEW URBAN MAJORITY (Written and illustrated by a bunch of economic migrants)
FYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
Just a few months ago, the world
went from majority rural to majority
urban. Migrants are flooding into cities
around the world. For many of them,
this new urban life is a springboard
into prosperity. They become different
people, with new aspirations, new
visions of their place in the world, and
new demands from goods and services.
We believe that getting to know them
is becoming the defining challenge for
21st century global marketeers.
2-3
Foreword
century more than anything else except perhaps the much larger markets close at hand in their new
tightly-packed urban settings. People who, be they
shift of human populations out of rural, agricultural moving to a Mumbai slum or a Singapore HDB,
life and into cities.” So says Doug Saunders in his have a hope of achieving more.
compelling book, Arrival City, which delivers a vivid
picture of some of the human stories behind these Humanity has always been on the move, but never
shifts and their important implications. We think more so than now. In this edition of FYI - written
that it’s one of the biggest global issues - if not the and illustrated by Flamingo’s own resident migrants,
biggest today. we take a whistlestop global tour taking in African
diaspora TV, the life of a new migrant to Jakarta,
Increasingly, global marketeers will be selling their photo essays from the front line in New York,
products and services to people with a new view Shanghai and London, and a visit to some residents
of their place in the world. As we explore in this of Mumbai’s biggest slum - we hope that our
issue of FYI, what we sometimes lazily refer to as readers will gain some inspiring food for thought
consumers will be people who have broken out of about their brands and the new kinds of people they
the restrictions of their village setting. People who are selling to.
are shedding the bonds of caste and creating their
own visions of themselves. People with village,
family ties, but also dynamic and complex city ties.
LONDON · SINGAPORE · TOKYO · NEW YORK · SHANGHAI
FYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
Contents
Defying Destiny 5
Akshay Mathur (Singapore)
The White Holes of India: Dispatches from a sub-continent on the move 9
Animesh Narain (Singapore)
Living the Dream 13
Sidi Lemine (London)
Small Perspectives, Big Durian 17
Andy Connor (Tokyo)
Let’s hear it for [insert city here] 19
Sam Hornsby (New York)
More ish than Jew: the new modern Diaspora identity 23
Annie Auerbach (London)
Migrant Media 27
Sidi Lemine (London)
Wiping away the tiers of modern China 31
Jackson Lo (Shanghai)
Marketing to earth’s new Urban Majority 35
James Parsons (Asia)
About Flamingo 38
AND ON THE DISC IN THE BACK POCKET
Petticoat Lane, London.
A study of a market’s transformation in pictures.
By George Byrne, Jeannie Foulsham, Emily Kelly, Amanda Powell
(Flamingo London)
Brand Mules.
What Chinese migrants take back to the village,
a journey of images.
By Yan Keyue (Flamingo Shanghai)
A picture poem of a modern New York barber’s shop.
By Dee de Lara (Flamingo New York)
4-5 DEFYING DESTINY WORDS: Akshay Mathur (Flamingo Singapore)
FYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
South Asian religion on destiny
Hinduism believes in karma and the law of cause
and effect by which each individual creates his
own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds.
And through the course of reincarnation, carries
this destiny from one life to the next. And it’s one’s
duty to keep at the karmic cycle in the hope of
attaining Moksha.
How many of you recognise this gentleman? The interesting thing about destiny is that it’s
bound by so many tenets; thus being born human
He might not be as famous as a Steve Jobs or Mark is destiny, and one has to live with it. A Shudhra -
Zuckerberg, but in India he is probably more famous born on the lowest rung in the caste ladder - would
than the Taj Mahal! The late Dhirubhai Ambani was remain a lower caste worker all this life and possibly
the Chairman of Reliance Industries, one of the
largest conglomerates in the world. His sons (Anil
and Mukesh Ambani), who inherited the company “All living beings have actions (Karma) as their
from him feature prominently on the Forbes top 50. own, their inheritance, their congenital cause, their
kinsman, their refuge. It is Karma that differentiates
Born to a schoolteacher in rural Gujarat, he was beings into low and high states.” (Gautam Buddha)
follow his father’s footsteps, but he had his own In a society where there is an undisputed and clear
dreams to follow and realize. The oil boom of the correlation between caste rank and income, we are
70’s was a big opportunity for skilled Indian workers told that that’s just the way it is, and that’s the way
to leave India and get a chance to earn money. it should be.
He did precisely that.
South Asians have traditionally lived in a fatalistic
He is the example par excellence of how hard work, world whose only escape hatch is death ….till
enterprise and migration can change an individual’s now. Education and migration are arguably two of
fate… re-write his destiny. And all the more the most powerful tools for arguing back against
compelling is his story when one considers how one’s destiny. The very act of migration forces the
fundamentally counter-cultural the idea of rewriting individual to ponder: what is the skill I have to sell,
your destiny is, in India. and where will that take me?
“All living beings have actions (Karma) as their own, their inheritance, their
congenital cause, their kinsman, their refuge. It is Karma that differentiates
beings into low and high states.” (Gautam Buddha)
6-7 The very act of migration forces the individual to ponder: “what is the skill I have to sell, and where will that take me?” Moving out, moving up There is enough and more evidence of lower caste Indians, Pakistanis and other South Asian communities moving to the West. Of the top 10 countries in the world for emigration, three are from South Asia. These people, in moving, in enriching themselves, are by necessity having an argument with the destiny imposed on them at birth. This is why Dhirubhai Ambani’s odyssey from petrol pump attendant to head of the 2nd richest family in the world has such resonance. But there are other, stories being played out all over the world; migratory workers leaving their homeland, arguing back against their caste, armed with the ultimate social equalizer - money and its various avatars. In my current home, Singapore, every day I pass Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and mainland Chinese For countries like Bangladesh, where foreign labourers hard at work on construction projects; remittances form a major chunk of GDP, immigrants multi-billion dollar resorts and new homes for a are not only affecting their family or village but population that the government plans to grow by also literally changing the destiny of the country. 1.5 million. They get paid peanuts, but they’re highly Since 1976, over 3 million workers have gone valuable peanuts. For the truth of the matter is, that abroad and have remitted close to $21 billion. making a minimum dollar wage is a still a multiple Worker remittances are currently higher than of what they would earn in their native land. foreign aid and foreign direct investment.
FYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
From village to town and back
And this is why if you go into the house, back
home in the village, of a migrant in rural India
unexpected consumer goods, from the high-end
Japanese cosmetics for wives and cousins
to the electronic blood glucose monitor for a
diabetic grandparent. What we see in these new
relationships being formed with branded goods and
services, is a subtle but pervasive shift in the way
individuals see their place in the world. Above all,
they see an ability to change, to become someone
that about karma differentiating beings into low
and high states?
Akshay Mathur is an Indian
emigré to Singapore.
8-9 DISPATCHES FROM A SUB-CONTINENT ON THE MOVE WORDS AND PICTURES: Animesh Narain (Flamingo Singapore)
FYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
The White Holes of India In the shadows of the established sections of every
Indian city lurks a shantytown underbelly. Eyesores
Ram Avtar sets his grimy satchel down as his eyes to the urban aesthete but organic to the cityscape,
scour the length of the railway platform at Mumbai they provide essential services to commercial and
Central for a glimpse of his big city brother. A fresh residential areas alike. Slums afford sanctuary to
arrival from the impoverished hilly village of Rabang
in Madhya Pradesh in central India, he represents the
faceless thousands that stream into cities everyday in the like), domestic helps, construction workers,
search of livelihood. carpenters, plumbers, electricians, drivers, tailors,
artists, craftsmen, factory workers and sundry semi-
‘Ae Ramu, idhar!’ (Ramu, here!), comes a shout from skilled or unskilled labourers. In the brave new world
the Wheeler magazine stall. Before Ram Avtar aka of the slum city, amidst all the squalor, opportunities
Ramu can even register this discovery, his satchel abound, narratives of gain and transformation are
has been hoisted and he is being dragged by the arm scripted and identities are recast.
of his shirt into a sea of early morning commuters.
The city, a safe haven of anonymity, allows for
India is briskly urbanizing. According to the McKinsey a jettisoning of identity baggage like caste (the
Global Institute, by 2030, cities will account for dominant vehicle of oppression in rural India) and
590 million or 40 percent of the country’s total allows the worker to realize his role as provider.
population. While work performed directly determines the
money earned anywhere, demand for work here,
An hour-long train ride later, the brothers arrive at unlike in the village, is not dependent on weather
Cheetah Camp, a bustling slum settlement off the cycles and income generation avenues abound.
suburb of Chembur and Ramu’s would-be address.
A home that will, hopefully, launch him into some Even physical survival is more of a certainty with
vocation and earn him enough to feed himself whilst the city offering a superior array of medical options
supporting his family of three back in the village. and services, in contrast with the village where they
are often at the mercy of quacks and inaccessible or
Asia’s largest slum Dharavi, home to at least half ill-equipped facilities.
of Mumbai’s population, also houses an estimated
5,000 businesses and 15,000 single-room factories. Over time, workers create a niche and role for
As the big cities loosen their girth to accommodate themselves and generate some amount of security
these burgeoning additions to their denizenry, new as far their earnings go. But while the acquired city
peripheries come into being. Peripheries that are identity is empowering and liberating at many levels
for the migrant, the source identity remains a big
they become production hubs for the near totality of part of who they are. Proud of their entirely self-
created new and successful identity, they become
role models for their village brethren to look up to.10 - 11
Big opportunities for engagement await for
and sometimes do assume a powerful role. They brand able to take on roles as stewards of
lend the migrant a new, non-discriminatory and the new communities that are springing up.
equal urban identity, but can also acknowledge and While conventional CSR initiatives can include
celebrate his roots. The transition made by the rehabilitation and resettlement support, education
migrant from the village to the city is as epic as the
hero’s journey and, as such, brands that accompany to corporates, if the same migrant populations
him on that journey will always have a key role are recruited as potential marketing channels for
in his life. Telecom services like mobile banking, FMCGs back to rural markets.
through which people remit money to the village in
the absence of formal banking channels are already As the son of the soil drops anchor in the city, new
doing so. dilemmas and anxieties come into being. The key
to brands and marketers unlocking his mind and
establishing a deeper connection with him lies in
understanding his diasporic avatar.FYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
Driven to penury as small self-employed kabadiwalas. The basti has a distinct
maize farmers in Chhipra hierarchy: residents collect plastic bottles, bags, and
village, Bihar, Manju and other kinds of waste, and sell this to the mahajan
her husband Babulal moved (trader) through a thekedar (middleman).
to New Delhi four years For Babulal, an undercaste who has seen much
ago. Babulal is a recycled exploitation in the village owing to his position
goods buyer while Manju is in the social caste hierarchy, the move to Delhi
and his mobile have proved to be blessings in
Delhi suburb. They live in disguise. Here, he is not just one of his caste
the ‘kabadi basti’ (junk recycling hamlet), an ugly but Babulal Kabadiwala (junk collector) mobile
appendage to the suburb they work in. number 9818*****. His Airtel number is not just
his identity, it is the platform through which he has
Most of the women in the basti are employed been able to transform from a junk collector to a
as domestic help in neighbourhoods nearby and
commute to work on foot; the men are mainly shop, with his clients contacting him through it.
Pakkeya, 31, a construction worker and father of sources labour from his native village.
two, hails from Tasgaon in southern Maharashtra Pakkeya joined hands with other residents on the
where though his family owned 2.5 acres of land, site some time ago to build proper slum housing in a
repeated crop failure compelled him to make his shanty area close by. Recognising his mettle, Asian
way to Mumbai along Paints, a partner in his
with his wife and kids. current construction
project, came forward to
Pakkeya works and lives fund the initiative. Work
at a construction site in has already kicked off
the Andheri suburb of and Pakkeya supervises
Mumbai. His tiny shack construction every
is part of the compound weekend when he is
of a building under off work. He came to
construction. He is the big city to earn a
today a master worker livelihood and has earned
who supervises the himself respect in both
work of others and the city and his village.
Animesh Narain is a migrant many times over.
From India to Libya, back to various places in
India, and most recently to Singapore.12 - 13
LIVING THE DREAM
WORDS:
IN NEW
Sidi Lemine (Flamingo London)
AFRICAFYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
Today’s world is quite fond of self-description. We No time to sit around in Africa
have an ever-increasing number of expressions with To many of us, the combination of the words ‘Africa’
which to describe ourselves; we describe whole and ‘migration’ conjures up one of two ideas:
eras in nebulous terms like ‘post-modern’, we divide necessity on the one hand, dreams of unparalleled
our populations into generations, styles, classes,
ethnicities, industries, and all the other divisions famine and strife, or waves of dreamers, rushing to
that our media love to remind us of. a glittering el dorado. But there is another version
of this story, a vision that is steadily emerging in the
So we resist these descriptions, but here in the great cities and countrysides alike.
developed world, there is one descriptor that we
are more likely to accept for ourselves, even if it “I came to Nairobi when I was a child. I go back
has acquired some increasingly negative home sometimes but there is so much potential
connotations. I am talking about the word here that I have to try to make it.” Omondi
‘sedentary’. It is easy to accept because it feels Omafwemi, 24, works as a freelance graphic
like the accomplishment of a process. Like it’s the designer and is involved with several leadership
natural conclusion of our evolution. development programs aimed at training and
supporting young entrepreneurs like himself. “I
There has been lots of talk in the last few years don’t know what the future holds or where I’ll be in
in Western media criticizing ‘sedentary lifestyles’. 10 years. But for now I need to make the most of
The term speaks not about the lack of physical every moment and this is where I am”.
activity, alone; it has become a description of life in
a broader sense: a life that is stable, comfortable,
simple and positive – if possibly without much
challenge. Look to Africa and we see that lives are
far from sedentary.14 - 15
Doing your own thing The optimism of New Africa
All their great models of success are fundamentally Bim Adewumni tells it like it is in an article about
adventures: all include risk and determination, and Nigeria’s ranking as the most optimistic country
are rooted in a journey. “Look at Jay-Jay Okocha, on earth earlier this year. “There’s a spirit of
says Carol Nganga, 22, student. When he started he entrepreneurship – people seem bewildered if
played in the street of Enugu with a tin can. Later you admit a lack of ambition. Nigerians want to
he moved up, and he went international, became a go places and believe – rightly or wrongly – that
legend, and now he’s back home, he keeps going. they can. That drive and ambition fuels their
But the whole time he was living the dream. Not optimism; they’re working towards happiness,
just in that sense that he was successful: more, he so they’re happy.”
was living the dream because he wanted to play
football; he wanted the right stage for his unique P-Square are another example of a rags-to-riches
talent. It’s the same for us. We all want to make it story intimately tied to a journey. Starting up in Jos,
big, but really what we want is to be able to do our the twins Peter and Paul Okoye moved to Lagos
own thing”. in 2001 after winning a local talent contest and a
sponsorship from Benson & Hedges. Today they
To an outsider, so much positivity can seem are considered legitimate international superstars,
surprising. Africa has not been spared the topping the charts from the Westernmost point in
consequences of the 2008 economic crisis. Dakar, to the Eastern shores of Mombasa. But here
Conditions are still hard, and for a young person again, the story is not about coming or going but
with limited capital, starting a business on about moving.
the continent requires a remarkable degree of
enthusiasm and optimism. Increased political Gabriel, a fan from Douala, Cameroon, argues it’s
stability and steady economic growth have created neither the humble, local origins or the current
international recognition that really make them
it seems highly possible to achieve some degree meaningful to him, but the combination of both.
of success with only a good idea, solid skills and “They have grown before our very eyes, they have
hard work. evolved, they came up with new stuff and took on
what we like about hip hop and American music,
And now enthusiasm and optimism abound here but they never forgot about where they came from,
more than anywhere else. they kept the music of Africa at the centre of what
they do”.FYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
Music and sports are easy to conceive as requiring Brands capturing the spirit
extensive travel, transformation and optimism. But Major brands have started capitalizing on this
these two areas are just salient points in a much attitude and adapting their language to align with
bigger trend that really reveals itself in the business their consumers’ attitude. Guinness’s “Greatness”
attitude of young entrepreneurs. “I have just created campaign, has delivered uplifting executions with
the line “There’s a drop of Greatness in every
see it listed on NASDAQ” says Chibuzo, 26, working
as an accountant in Lagos. “Nowadays there is no knows how to say yes”, going beyond the obvious
reason not to dream big. Everything is happening solutions-providing message to a point where
right here in Nigeria”. This is now the prevailing “yes means no more worries”. The Johnny Walker
attitude when starting off in Lagos. A mere decade “Walking With Giants” campaign found a natural
ago, uncertainty prevailed in just about any area of environment in which to thrive, with characters
life. Today stability is opening countless new doors, like Haile Gebrselassie or Manu Dibango who both
and lets dreamers and darers project themselves came from rural areas and achieved worldwide fame
increasingly far – without the need to separate of the highest level before pursuing their journey in
themselves from their birthplace.
the destination, always enjoying the ride.
Giving back has always been a mainstay of
success all over Africa – you don’t become great by Beyond local communication strategies, perhaps
accumulating for yourself alone. Typically, building there is a lesson here for brands trying to address
one or several wells back in the village while new environments, be it adapting to new markets,
enjoying the well-deserved comfort of the city was or a changing consumer culture. The lesson is
the thing to do. But where giving back was at one simple: life is a journey. And perhaps more than just
point considered as the sign of having arrived, this adapting in a confusing world, more than just being
moment is now seen as one part of the journey. competitive, it’s about keeping an eye on the ever
“I have just invested in some land near my village. changing horizon.
I will go back now to see that it is put to good use.
I think there is a lot of money to make with the right
crops if you know the markets, not just Nigerian
but international”, says Esther, a 42-year-old event
manager from Lagos.
Sidi Lemine is the descendent of Mauritanian,
Irish, South African and Russian migrants.16 - 17 SMALL PERSPECTIVES, BIG DURIAN AN OPEN LETTER FROM JAKARTA TO ALL YOU BULE WORDS: Andy Connor (Flamingo Tokyo)
FYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
Dear Bule
I wish someone would tell all you bule
This place is called the ‘Big Durian’ for a reason. It’s large and spiky and smelly on the surface – and sends most new
arrivals running right back to Soekarno-Hatta airport. But crack it open, give it time, and you’ll come to understand just
how complex & delicious this place really is. The smell, well, you’ll just have to live with that.
outspoken Batak man from North Sumatra, married to a soft & sweet East Javanese girl (her family win very few
he spends on a private chef from Sulawesi who whips up some spicy Manadonese cuisine. My ‘local’ Betawi friends
are a mix of Sundanese, Balinese, Javanese, Chinese, Malay and even Arab & Dutch descendents (no wonder they’re
confused about being the locals). Bet you hadn’t even heard of some of those ethnicities.
We’ve all been coming to Jakarta for opportunities for decades and decades. Given how fast things are progressing
though, the numbers are just going to rise & rise. What it means to be a ‘Jakartan’ is being constantly reinvented, as
we all bring our regional and ethnic mindsets into the melting pot.
Our national motto is “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika”, or ‘Unity in Diversity’. And where there’s diversity, there are stories to
be told, nuances to appreciate, differences to debate, fusions of new ideas to explore. It can be easier to digest the
‘united’ story, the big picture, the notion of ‘one Indonesia’, but it doesn’t do this place justice. It’s amazing how open
bule are now to appreciating diversity in places like China & India, yet the sleeping giant Indonesia slips quietly by.
‘Rediscovering our archipelago’ is the new trend here, especially in Jakarta – you’re more than welcome to get involved.
So next time the bule ask why their advert is loved in Medan but bombs in Surabaya, point him to our regional
differences. When they ask why we’ve got more Facebook users than the population of Canada, and as many Twitter
users as the population of Singapore, consider – what joy there is in communicating with friends from across the
archipelago for free. And when they complain of a sore head and ask do they need to travel all around this place to
understand our country…
…Tell them, well, preferably yes! However, next time they come to Jakarta, take some time to appreciate the smaller
details. It’s all here to be seen. Broaden those perspectives and who knows – they may not just come to understand
the Big Durian better, but also Indonesia itself.
Regards,
Disgruntled native, Jakarta
Andy Connor is the descendent of 19th Century Irish migrants
to Liverpool; he recently emigrated to Tokyo from Singapore.18 - 19 LET’S HEAR IT FOR [ INSERT CITY HERE ] ! WORDS: Sam Hornsby (Flamingo New York)
FYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
What is ‘The City’?
of Lewis Mumford, “like a cave, a run of mackerel,
and foremost “thoroughly physical places” as in
the writing of Jane Jacobs in ‘The Death and Life
of Great American Cities’, or something else? The
range of interpretations would suggest The City
is as much concept as material construct. And as
a concept, an idea, The City is ever evolving and –
perhaps by association – growing.
The dominant narrative around the global city is
about growth, expansion. In 2007 we passed a
major demographic milestone, migrating headlong
into the ‘Urban Millennium’ when the earth’s
population became more urban than rural. In China
every man, woman and child in the country; ghost
that is considered inevitable. In Mumbai, demand
has pushed downtown apartments to $1,400 per
square foot and in Saudi Arabia, a series of brand
new cities are rising, mirage-like, from the sand.
The whole world wants to live in The City.
The Detroit Electronic Music Festival, 201120 - 21
The seemingly unfair and uncontrollable mechanisms of global commerce can
take down an entire city brick-by-brick and leave it for cows to graze on.
Motor City competition, the markets, outsourcing – and above
But looking beyond this dominant narrative all it is China, investing the plentiful fruits of its
of growth and expansion and of progress, is low wage manufacturing economy in America’s
especially important when we consider one of ‘out of control’ debt . So what if Al Qaeda can take
the most powerful ‘Idea Cities’ in contemporary down two sky-scrapers? The seemingly unfair and
America; Detroit, Michigan – The Motor City. uncontrollable mechanisms of global commerce can
Detroit occupies a central place in the American take down an entire city brick-by-brick and leave it
national psyche precisely for its counter-narrative for cows to graze on.
about what the City is. While the cities of Asia and
developing markets burst at the seams, Detroit is Detroit is the postcard for reverse migration,
the epitome of urban abandonment and reverse but it’s not the only city emblematic of this
migration. Home to around 2 million people in counter-narrative. Eight out of ten of the largest
the 1950’s, Detroit is now less than half that cities in the U.S in the 1950’s have lost at least a
size and authorities are embarking on systematic
downsizing, knocking down whole neighbourhoods Detroit the only mono-industry hub in the country
and returning them to pasture.
water yet, the question, “whose city will be next?”
In physical terms Detroit is small compared to is a very urgent one. And so it is that American
other American cities, but its idea is monumental. cities and their renewal is a galvanizing, collective
For a while now, and even more so since the and emotional rallying cry – a fundamental matter
assassination of Osama Bin Laden, Terrorism has of National Insecurity.
been the ‘old fear’ in America. Today it is global
American cities and their renewal is a
galvanizing, collective and emotional rallying cry
– a fundamental matter of National Insecurity.FYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
City brands
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the context, urban
renewal has a more introspective air than in a voice - and they are. In telling this story there is
previous eras. Foreign immigration is politically opportunity to participate in the local, the personal.
unpopular and rarely seen as the solution to the In this story, small is big. Nearly one-and-a-half
rejuvenation of cities now, though many would do times as many Americans live in smaller cities as
well to remember President Lincoln’s Homestead in larger cities, and while Detroit is now only home
Act and its role in driving U.S. prosperity. Urban to 700,000 people, every American lives the idea
renewal tends to have more the air of an Arts of Detroit. Which other cities are there, and what
movement – a creative enterprise as much as the will their story be in the hands of artful brand
deployment of cranes. When houses in Detroit managers? How will these stories contrast with
could be bought for a dollar, artists, musicians, their realities? Will they do little more than manage
entrepreneurs and the otherwise ingenious these cities’ decline, or will they catalyse their
took boards off windows and moved in. And at return to former glories? An extraordinarily powerful
the Detroit Electronic Music Festival a crowd of commercial by Detroit-based Chrysler played
temporary migrants, House and Electro fans, feel earlier this year to a Superbowl TV audience of 111
million Americans - “…It’s probably not the story
they dance. And perhaps they are. The Fedde Le you’ve been reading in the papers...the one being
Grant song lyric, “Put your hands up for Detroit…our written by folks who’ve never even been here...
lovely city” never carried so much meaning. To love who don’t know what we’re capable of”. It shows
what seems broken takes more courage, and has that if nothing else, (and for some it may well
more cachet. be nothing else) America’s cities are capable of
a powerful, alternative response to the question
‘what is The City?’
Sam Hornsby was born in California,
migrated to Scotland as a child and is
now an Englishman in New York.22 - 23 MORE ISH THAN JEW: THE NEW MODERN DIASPORA IDENTITY WORDS: Annie Auerbach (Flamingo London)
FYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
Migrants the world over are adapting to the new Old and new Jewish identities
Jewish identity used to be based on a mixture
themselves. And the success of Jews in diaspora of Zionism, the memories and narratives of the
cities across the world may tell us something about Holocaust, and of course by religious adherence.
how new migrant communities will adapt, some of But Jews are no less touched by the general global
the challenges they will face and the dynamics that decline of trust in institutions. And in turn, young
will emerge. Jews are starting to question the big economic,
political and - most importantly, religious narratives.
Diaspora Jews are trying to retain their identity To young Jews, the vision of the world that those
while playing a full part in society. However, their
success in assimilating seems to threaten their
survival as a distinct culture.
Living digitally-fuelled lives, adept at developing
In Britain, on the surface, the story appears to be ‘multiple faces’ via their social networking sites,
one of a dwindling community. In 1990, there were they look for an alternative model of Jewishness
estimated to be about 340,000 Jews in Britain,
270,000 by 1996. According to the 1996 Jewish But what they don’t want is simply to assimilate;
Policy Review, nearly one in two were marrying they don’t want to fade into the broader spectrum
people who did not share their faith. Synagogue of British cultural life. Many feel that there needs
membership in the UK has been in steady decline to be a strong but inclusive alternative identity: one
over the last 30 years (from around 110,000 in 1983 based on hybridity; the repurposing of narratives;
to around 80,000 last year.) irony; inclusion; and community.
All of this points to a drop in ‘institutional
religiosity’: people aren’t allying themselves with
synagogues or taking the steps usually required
for a Jewish lifestyle (including, notably, marrying
fellow Jews). One explanation for this is that the
model of Diaspora Jewish identity has simply
become less relevant to a new generation of
modern Jews.24 - 25
More ish than Jew Another sign of this new Judaism is a revolutionary
Thus an identity emerges that is more ‘ish’ than new synagogue in Notting Hill whose USP is to
Jewish. Dr. Anthony Bale of Birkbeck, University embrace gay, lesbian and patrilineal Jews. “The
of London, describes it as “being interested least look around the Jewish communities of the
world will tell you that we are a very diverse people,
identities young modern Jews have; celebrating and that our diversity takes many forms. It is time
what is shared in Jewish culture, but recognising the Jewish community again recognized its true
that Jewish people don’t have just one shared diversity, as it once did,” said Rabbi Sheila Shulman
experience and don’t speak with just one voice.” of Beit Klal Yisrael.
Jews are also embracing their religion in a non-
templar context. Jewdas is an East London
are recognising that strict adherence is not the way collective who call themselves ‘an alternative
to protect and grow the Jewish community. Rabbi diaspora’. Their Half a Shekel events offer rabbinical
Julia Neuberger, Senior Rabbi at the West London lap dances, a bespoke Jewish tattooing service
Synagogue, wants to embrace a group that in and DJ sets featuring Yiddish tracks, yidcore and
the past would typically have been excluded. She Barbara Streisand.
argues that people who have ‘married out’ often
retain a residual sense of their Jewish heritage, This spirit exists in America too. In New York,
which grows as they approach starting a family. documentary maker Jesse Zook Mann celebrates
“A lot of people are looking for some sense of roots, those who express Jewish culture and religion in
belonging and community. They have fond vestigial unconventional forms, from the author of Cannabis
memories, particularly of Passover, and they want Chassidus to a grandmother who teaches Yiddish
to bring up their children with something to believe yoga. His series is called ‘Punk Jews’ and Mann
in.” The trigger of having children often encourages describes it as: “people owning their heritage, being
nostalgia which is a route back into the fold. creative with it, having fun with it and doing so at
any cost.”
Jewdas is an East London collective who call themselves ‘an alternative
diaspora’. Their Half a Shekel events offer rabbinical lap dances, a
bespoke Jewish tattooing service and DJ sets featuring Yiddish tracks,
yidcore and Barbara Streisand.FYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
The amphibious Jew All of this amounts to an identity which places
Dr Alex Gordon, Semiotician and long-time friend more emphasis on the ish than the Jew. Jonathan
of Flamingo, agrees that this shift is taking place. Margolis, in a recent article in the London Guardian,
has a less kosher approach which embraces Jewish
organizations, whereby grassroots spirituality has humour and allows him to be “an amphibious Jew,
come to replace institutional doctrine. half in and half out of the water”.
Gordon points to the rise of non-synagogue-based Rabbi Sheila Shulman can empathise with the rising
worship in the form of pop-up prayer services in tide of ishness. She says: “People want to express a
being a people however fractured and attenuated.”
spiritual renewal within the framework of identity In the past the only route into Judaism was a
exploration.” Wandering Jews is an example of this religious one, and the great thing about ishness is
kind of informal, spontaneous and semi-organised that this is no longer the case.
form of worship. As they put it: “A little bit Fight
Club, a little bit minyan, almost 100% good.” How other migrant peoples around this new
Gordon argues that this is not about a decline urbanising world will navigate the tricky course
in religion as such, but more about a decline in between assimilation and preservation of their
institutional religion. cultural identity and indeed whether they will
even try, remains to be seen, though what we
can be sure of is that they will never be quite the
same again.
“People want to express a sense of
affinity even if they are secular;
a sense of being a people however
fractured and attenuated.”
Annie Auerbach is the descendent of
Austrian Jewish emigrés to London.26 - 27
MIGRANT MEDIA
WORDS: Sidi Lemine (Flamingo London)
?FYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
Proportional Interest-Availability Decrease (PIAD) A different type of TV
is a phenomenon well known to TV audiences: The Accessing your country’s “back-home” channels,
more channels you have, the less you care what’s specially the major ones, is nothing new. Western
on. This has nothing to do with the often discussed countries have been broadcasting globally for
phenomenon of information overload: half the decades. Satellite TV has added another layer of
channels have a good chance of showing Friends possibility: in the last ten years it has become
re-runs at any given time anyway. increasingly common to hear and see exotic
languages on the screen when entering a Turkish,
No, this particular problem has more to do with Chinese, Greek or other restaurant or shop. But
we’re talking about a different type of television,
near-endless possibilities make expectations one that actually addresses its audience in a
one channel is easy – everyone does it, and as cultural and ethnic groups, but addressing them in
you’re part of everyone, you do it as well. But
which programme to pick from a hundred? From
a thousand? And suddenly the more channels you Today, a slew of TV channels around the world are
have, the less relevant they are to you. offering information, entertainment and educational
communities around the world. In 2008, the
foreign country, with a different culture, a different Minnesota Ethnic and Community Media Directory
language, peculiar customs and a whole array of counted 16 such channels, with 12 dedicated to
(probably hilarious) references and in-jokes you can’t African communities alone.
becomes a pretty daunting task – no need to have The number of African channels comes as no
watched late-night Korean TV to understand that. surprise. The communitarian attitude of Africans
For millions of migrants around the world, things (at home or abroad) is well-known, and always
are changing rapidly. expresses itself in many forms. For years the
digital technologies have opened a new window to
targeted broadcasting.
Today, a slew of TV channels around the world are offering information,
entertainment and educational programmes conceived specifically for
migrant communities around the world. ...these pioneering communities
are likely to be the first ones with adults above 40 years old making the
transition, offering a fascinating first test of robustness for a format that
until recently has only really been embraced by teenagers and young adults.28 - 29
In 2002, Ghanaian-born Nana Kwaku Agyeman Know your roots for better integration
was a young innovative entrepreneur in Toronto,
with a strong sense for both social understanding
and investment. Looking at his own family and
those around him, he realised that parents and
communities always want to transmit their most
important values to the following generation. In
his own words, “It takes a whole village to raise
a child”; projecting a comprehensive identity to
The second responded to a growing feeling that a
distinctive, publicly accessible personality is the best
parents and occasional neighbour.
way forward to dispel misconceptions and become
With that in mind, he went ahead and founded the
really integrated. According to Dr. S.K. Addah, family
African Entertainment Television (AETV), a channel
physician, “There is so much information now that
dedicated to the African community of the Greater
we miss the trees from the forest. AETV should let
Toronto Area. When doing so he had three main
us see the African trees from the Canadian forest.
objectives.
be seeing Africa in positive light. Only Africans can
project Africa positively.”
roots, and reclaim a positive vision of their heritage.
“The granting of the television license shows that
The third and last objective was perhaps the most
the African community is growing in Canada. The
obvious: to serve as a news outlet for and produced
negative should give way to the positive. If Africans
by the community. Albert Boamah, a local factory
have anything to support now, it is AETV.” says Nana
worker, said he believes AETV can bring the African
Juantuah, 62, a Toronto heavy-duty mechanic.
community together. “If it succeeds it’s good for
the African community. A lot of things happen in
our community we don’t know. Also AETV will help
build Africa’s new generation here in Canada.”
Taking a step further in this direction, local
associations such as N’Zete, the UK Congolese
community, are seeing their websites crossing
from simple message boards and discussion
forums to full-blown multimedia broadcasters.
It is increasingly normal for any website with a
user-, self-, or externally generated. What makes
this phenomenon particularly worthy of mention is
that this is happening right at the moment when
Internet usage is outgrowing television viewing
across the Western world.FYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
Multimedia for diaspora But even more than that, these pioneering
Increasingly, the traditional TV model of a
adults above 40 years old making the transition,
advertisement breaks is being replaced in younger
generations by a pick’n’mix format where relevance a format that until recently has only really been
embraced by teenagers and young adults.
expectation. In a world of YouTube clips of one
anything unless they actually care about it. On the
other hand, the levels of sustained engagement
means most if not all are perfectly happy to see a
targeted advert or a relevant banner ad for each clip
they view.
This is of particular interest for anyone with a strong
desire to reach particular audiences around the
world, for two reasons. First, these communities,
themselves at the forefront of a movement that
is likely to sweep through the mainstream in the
coming years. Communities of interest will be of
greater importance than national institutions and
media targeting these diaspora communities look
set to adapt accordingly.
Sidi Lemine is the descendent of Mauritanian,
Irish, South African and Russian migrants.30 - 31
WIPING AWAY THE TIERS
OF MODERN CHINA
WORDS: Jackson Lo (Flamingo Shanghai)
1
2
3FYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
Anyone who has ever been involved in marketing Migration reversals
in China will be familiar with the city tier system. Today, things have become a little more
A typical research brief might well state ‘include complicated. Shenzhen, a city long regarded as Tier
both Tier 1 and 2 in sampling and consider also Tier 2 or even an honorary Tier 1, has stopped growing.
3’ or some such. We are going to argue that this As Doug Saunders points out in Arrival City, the city
is no longer terribly helpful. That it is a restrictive administration cracked down on the establishment
frame of reference, and obscures the dynamism and of slum settlements, so housing costs are high and
increasing importance of the lower-tiered cities. It in turn wage demands are going up. In turn, labour
promotes a sense of Tier 1 as ahead, fashionable, is in short supply and expensive. Businesses are
advanced, Western even, and Tier 2 and 3 as miles going elsewhere.
behind, provincial country cousins.
The cities that are still growing are those that are
In a China where patterns of migration are shaping
the very fabric of the nation, we need a more the cities that are allowing them to establish a
nuanced understanding. Using the tier model to foothold on the edge of town, the Chongqings, the
understand differences in consumer behaviour and Chengdus and the Wuhans and any number of other
attitudes worked well in the past. Back when it all burgeoning cities in the hinterland.
started in the early 90s, the great coastal cities of
Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing spearheaded
rapid economic growth. Migrants came in their readiest markets, where they can actually afford to
millions, spurred on by Deng Xiao Ping’s exhortation live, the white collar follows. Last year, China Daily
to ‘enrich yourselves’. A spill over effect saw reported that nearly 60% of white-collar workers
development in surrounding cities – Xiamen,
Dongguan and Hangzhou in the South and East; and Western China among their top choices. As
Shenyang and Tianjin in the North. This formed well they might be... Foxconn is looking beyond
the foundation of the city tier system familiar to Shenzhen to expand and they plan new factories in
marketeers today. Chengdu, Wuhan and Zhengzhou. HP and Intel are
also making plans for production facilities inland.
The government has also stepped up efforts to
develop infrastructure in inland cities.
Last year, China Daily reported that nearly 60% of white-collar workers
planned to leave first-tier cities, with cities in Central and Western
China among their top choices.32 - 33
Shenzhen, a city whose population went from making. The city is in a state of renovation but it’s
25,000 to 14 million in 30 years, taught us that a easy to catch a glimpse of what’s to come in the
Chinese city can be transformed in the blink of an next one year. Already, there are wide roads, new
eye. Some of the cities now glibly referred to as Tier residential buildings and latterly, the emergence
2 and Tier 3 are undergoing similar changes as we of hypermarkets. Mianyang in Sichuan province is
speak. We would do well to keep tabs on them.
millions of RMB of state investment in electronics
Whilst some persist in the belief that it’s the big Tier industries it’s misleading to think of it as one of a
1 cities where consumers are most sophisticated kind with all Tier 3 cities.
and cultural trends hatch out, there is all sorts
of growth happening elsewhere. One well-known And when places like Langfang and Mianyang are
Swiss watch manufacturer reports that the vast attracting not only cheap labour but highly skilled
majority of their growth is coming from these labour too, to think of them as culturally behind the
newly developing “Tier 2” cities. Calling them Tier great coastal cities does not quite paint a true picture.
2 perhaps leads us in the wrong direction. Luxury,
fashion and automotive brands are making their Last year, McKinsey predicted the growth of 8
presence felt in these central cities. And with the supercities by 2025 (with a population of more
boom in online shopping, there is very little that than 10 million) – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou,
these new cities are not able to offer. Shenzhen, Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan and Tianjin.
What’s interesting is that they believe that satellite
As cities develop, some more rapidly than others, cites will surround each of these. How these
there is a need for a more nuanced understanding satellite cities will turn out is anyone’s guess, but it
of things. is hypothesised that they would have a prominent
function or feature - an industry base, an education
speciality, or even an arts focus.
around the city shows a Tier 1 infrastructure in theFYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
Implications for Marketing and Research
Here again, the approach to research and
marketing based on ‘let’s include a bit of Tier 3 in
the sample’ won’t quite cut it. It has often been said
that China is more than just a country with different
cities. Different regions differ in their cultural
background and their taste buds. With population
movement, it is worth understanding each region
and its cities. If a frame of reference is required,
tagging cities according to pace of development
pace may put marketeers in a better place to
understand the market.
Jackson Lo is the descendent of Fujian emigrés to Singapore;
he is himself a Singaporean emigré to Shanghai)34 - 35 MARKETING TO EARTH’S NEW URBAN MAJORITY WORDS: James Parsons (Asia)
FYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
On a honking hot and dusty road in a sprawling On yer bike
Indian city a scruffy kid on a bike draws up alongside If there’s one thing a new migrant to the city
wants it’s to be able to get around town easily.
do they all come from” the plutocratic Merc driver To take advantage of his or her particular skills
tuts as he winds up his window, as if to shut out and take them to markets where they’re needed.
the smell; and sneering at this guttersnipe he self- If you’re in Mexico City, home to a third of the
country’s economy and strung out over 1500 square
Blanc in his top pocket. Suddenly inspired, boy on kilometres, then a motorbike comes in very handy.
bike whips out a tie from his threadbare satchel, All the handier if it only costs $675 and can save
smooths down his shirt and tucks it in. To top off you time waiting for buses and lifts that never
his dapper look, he jauntily plunges a biro into his come. This is the genius of the Italika. It’s not just
top pocket. With a look of evident pride, he looks that it takes advantage of cheaper Chinese parts,
askance at the driver and tells him “It’s just a matter whilst having them assembled in Mexico to avoid
of two more wheels; I’ll get them.” import tariffs.
When your ambition shines so much, why should
your clothes be any different? Presenting New Rin.
It’s the fact that the whole
A shining clean shirt goes a long way
sales model is geared towards
A fanciful story, perhaps. And a story which
deploys a little bit of poetic license - the struggles
making it readily available to the
to get ahead in India are, for sure, not always quite
as clean-cut. But it’s a story that has caught the
new urbanites.
imagination of Indian TV audiences up and down They have plans and aspirations and a desire to
the country and achieved tracking scores for laundry put the individual talents God gave them to work,
detergent Rin that many brand managers can only but they’re not cash rich. It makes sense therefore
dream of. to create easy credit terms for the bike – weekly
payments can be spread over two years. And,
“It’s just a matter of two here’s the really clever part, if you want to get the
credit but you don’t have proof of income (which
more wheels; I’ll get them.” you won’t if you’re in the informal sector) the
deal. The nearest competitor – the Indian Bajaj – is
said by some to be a better product, but it’s far
ahead, and just as he is literally and metaphorically
going places on his bike, millions who have come
sold in Mexico, and expansion into Argentina, Peru
to the city are seeing possibilities that their rural
and Central America already underway, Brazil is the
existence never gave them. This story is a great
next prize.
example of a brand that has tapped into the new
urban Zeitgeist and, by creating a highly resonant
If this looks like impressive growth, then how about
imagery world, persuaded its target of its absolute
a category whose worth has gone from $10 billion
contemporary relevance.
to $88 billion in the space of 12 years?
Elsewhere, we see brands getting it right with this
new aspiring urban target in other ingenious ways...36 - 37
For a whole new cohort of people who are anxious
to have something to leave to their children, and
protection for their family against their own death,
these products, whilst not high performing, are
massively welcome. In a country where state
social insurance is nowhere near as all-embracing
as it once was, this means a huge new emerging
market. Some are predicting growth of 20% a year.
Getting into these communities and selling face to
face, building relationships of trust may be where
brands are doing best.
These are just three examples from three corners
of the world, of the staggering opportunities
Making the sale connecting with these people. Connecting by
Many here in the West imagine that China’s building imagery that taps into their needs and
emerging middle classes are all happily playing the aspirations. Connecting by providing products that
housing and stock markets and getting fat on it.
Certainly some are, but there are many many more
who, new to the advanced urban life and decidedly circumstances.
working class only a generation or so ago, are only
May the journey continue.
these people, insurance products – which in China
provide a small guaranteed return of a maximum
of 2.5% - are attractive, even if banks can offer far
attractive are they if they are sold by armies of
neighbourhood salespeople who develop face to
face relationships of trust with customers and their
families and the referrals that follow. Zhongguo
Renshou Baoguan (China Life) is reckoned to have
700,000 such agents countrywide.
If this looks like impressive growth,
then how about a category whose
worth has gone from $10 billion to
$88 billion in the space of 12 years?
James Parsons is a recent migrant to Singapore.FYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
About Flamingo
Flamingo are a global qualitative research and brand
Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo.
Our success has been built on the talents of our
people; people from all over the world, most of
them migrants themselves; people whose individual
and highly diverse experiences, skills and talents
make us the company we are.
We look to partner with our clients to provide
expertise in People, Culture and Brands. The
stories of the People to whom those Brands are
being proposed, the Cultures they live in and the
dynamics informing their lives and their aspirations.38 - 39
Visit our websites: London
1st Floor, 1, Riverside
Manbre Road
London W6 9WA
+44 (0) 207 348 4950
Follow us on Twitter:
Contact:
New York
New York, NY
+1 212 886 8300
Contact:
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Singapore 089602
+65 6325 1330
Contact:
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Shanghai 200041
+86 (21) 3533 2910
Contact:
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1-40-6 Kitazawa
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155-0031 Tokyo
+81 (0) 3 4550 2910
Contact:FYI / Getting To Know Planet Earth’s New Urban Majority
CONTRIBUTORS
Authors
Annie Auerbach (London)
George Byrne (London)
Andy Connor (Tokyo)
Dee de Lara (New York)
Jeannie Foulsham (London)
Sam Hornsby (New York)
Emily Kelly (London)
Sidi Lemine (London)
Jackson Lo (Shanghai)
Akshay Mathur (Singapore)
Animesh Narain (Singapore)
Amanda Powell (London)
Yan Keyue (Shanghai)
Editorial team
James Parsons (Asia)
Adam Chmielowski (London)
Johanna Funnell (London)
Alex Pollock (London )
Dave Kaye (London)
Art Direction and Design
Delivery of Thought
The information and images contained in this publication may not be reproduced, duplicated, stored or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise without our written
permission. Where source material has bee reproduced, the copyright remains the property of the copyright owner
and may not be sold or disposed of by trade in any form.
©Flamingo 2011
LONDON · SINGAPORE · TOKYO · NEW YORK · SHANGHAITHREE PHOTO ESSAYS
ABOUT THE PHOTO ESSAY AUTHORS
Dee de Lara Yan KeYue is Jeannie Foulsham George Byrne is Emily Kelly is Amanda Powell
is a Philippina a Singaporean has migrated all the descendent the descendent is a rural to
migrant to New migrant to her life – from of 19th Century of 20th Century urban migrant
York via Canada. Shanghai, the Brunei, to Lagos Irish migrants Irish migrants. from Norfolk to
descendent of to Europe to London
20th Century Canada and next
Cantonese to the USA.
migrants to
Singapore.
Petticoat Lane, London.
A study of a market’s transformation in pictures.
By George Bryne, Jeannie Foulsham, Emily Kelly,
Amanda Powell (Flamingo London)
Brand Mules.
What Chinese migrants take back to the village,
a journey of images. By Yan KeYue (Flamingo Shanghai)
A picture poem of a modern New York barber’s shop.
By Dee de Lara (Flamingo New York)You can also read
