Lee Fifoot, Acting Director of Media Sales, SBS
Next year, 2026, will be a Census year, which, in due course, will see us get a new snapshot of how contemporary Australia has changed. But we already know many of the deep trendlines, which show that diversity is now a mainstream attribute in this country.
The 2021 Census found that more than half of Australians (51%) were either born overseas or have a parent who was, while 22% speak a language other than English at home. If that trendline continues, it’s likely that only around two-thirds of Australians will speak English as their first language by the 2030s, down from 80% in 2001. That shift has profound implications for how brands communicate.
For a long time, perhaps too long, marketers have spoken to an imagined “mainstream”. One that frankly no longer exists. The Australia of today is multilingual, multi-faith, and multi-ethnic, and its diversity is only deepening. Earlier this year, SBS launched new research – the What Australia Means to Me report, in collaboration with the University of Western Sydney – which surveyed more than 6000 people and looked not just at who we are but how we feel.
Our research showed there’s a powerful cultural evolution underway. Seventy-eight per cent of Australians now believe it’s good for society to be made up of different cultures – up from 58% just a few years ago – while concerns about “assimilation” have sharply declined.
That’s a figure you don’t often see in the media amid what are sometimes high-profile calls to halt or restrict the current levels of migration.
Migrants themselves are also navigating this balance confidently. Nearly eight in ten overseas-born Australians say they feel Australian, while also wanting to maintain their cultural heritage.
The challenge for marketers
Despite this rich complexity, many Australians don’t feel seen in advertising.
According to our research, only 32% of overseas-born Australians and 26% of Australian-born respondents feel represented in advertising.
This isn’t just about who appears on screen and billboards. It’s about what kinds of stories are told. Australians want to see stories that acknowledge where people come from.
This means embedding cultural understanding at every stage of your marketing, from planning and creative development through to media placement and community engagement.
It’s also an invitation to collaborate with diverse and First Nations creatives to find new ways to express your brand’s messages.
Marketers who do, and who partner with people who understand the space, will find themselves speaking to growth audiences – culturally diverse Australians, younger cohorts, and those who define identity by values rather than birthplace.
They are the new mainstream, and they are hungry for authenticity. In an era where migrants contribute 1.5% of Australia’s annual retail growth and around 500,000 new arrivals settle here every year, cultural inclusion is not just a moral imperative – it’s a commercial one.
Yet too many marketing campaigns still treat diversity as an afterthought: a translated tagline here, or a diverse casting choice there.
An opportunity: growth through inclusion
The economic case for more diverse communications is compelling.
There is a sizable audience of more than 10 million Australians whose needs and cultural nuances have been consistently underserved.
Brands that listen, collaborate with diverse and First Nations creatives and media partners, and elevate these stories are helping to shape an Australia that is more representative, more inclusive – and ultimately more connected.
When brands engage meaningfully with these expectations and represent communities – not only translating their message but adapting it to cultural contexts – the results speak for themselves. Loyal customers, stronger brand affinity, and long-term growth follow.
This is the difference between simply showing up and truly belonging. Importantly, these marketers are also doing what makes the most business sense and will drive results for their brand.
Australia of 2026 will only be more vibrant, multilingual, and multifaceted. It’s an Australia that expects more from the stories it sees and the brands it supports.
Brands that embrace this reality will not only grow their share of market, but their share of meaning. Because when you speak to the full richness of Australia, its languages, its cultures, its values, you’re not just marketing.
You’re helping write the next chapter of the Australian story.