Amazing speaker lineup at 3AF 2024 Asian Marketing Summit, May 29 to 30 | What to expect at 3AF 2024 Asian Marketing Summit | Nielsen: AAPI consumers seek better brand representation
May 14, 2024
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Don't miss the once-in-a-year chance to attend the largest national conference focusing on the power of the Asian American consumer. The Asian Marketing Summit features experts on tapping into the fastest-growing consumer segment, with a projected spending power of $1.6T this year. Meet like-minded people who are advancing advertising and media for Asian Americans. Discover new friends, build your professional network, cultivate business relationships and get strategies on building your business. Register today.
A majority of Asian American and Pacific Islander consumers are watching how they are portrayed by brands and 64% would consider not buying from brands that devalue them, per a recent Nielsen report. Patricia Ratulangi of Nielsen says baby boomers and younger people are joining a "rallying cry in our community."
Marketers should prioritize Asian American and Pacific Islander consumers, whose collective buying power increased by 314% between 2000 and 2019, per Nielsen, and who have embraced digital technology and have a strong influence on US pop culture, writes 3AF Executive Directory Genny Hom-Franzen. "Asian Americans take notice when brands support us and connect with us in authentic and genuine ways," Hom-Franzen writes.
Details from Beth Fujiura's family home created an "authentic and human" background for a YouTube TV ad in 2021 while representing a "normal American family" that includes Asian heritage and traditions. Fujiura, Translation's creative director, praises how the agency asks people from diverse backgrounds to include their whole perspectives in everyday work.
Maria Alonso, co-founder of Fortune 206, offers ways for marketers to reach Black, indigenous and people of color through authentic campaigns based on understanding and appreciation. Cultural intelligence, community engagement and fresh messaging and a commitment to education can elevate campaigns and help to create a more equitable industry, Alonso writes.
A study from SiriusXM Media found audio connects multicultural groups to their roots through music or stories. "Connecting to multicultural audiences through audio can help advertisers tap into positive feelings and associations," the study says, adding, "And supporting multicultural creators fosters brand awareness and affinity with AAPI, Black, and Hispanic communities."
The term "multicultural marketing" is evolving as demographics change and not all marketers agree on what should follow. IW Group President and CEO Nita Song says influence should matter more than size: "What I'm committed to is getting marketers and the advertising industry to value the art and science of marketing to specific cultural segments, using specific cultural insights and getting the budgets to align with the power of these consumer segments."
Fair360 offers an infographic spotlighting the Asian American and Pacific Islander population in the US, workforce facts and events tied to AAPI Heritage Month. There are about 24 million Asians in the US and 1.4 million Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders.
Director and producer Quentin Lee has released "Kit DeZolt Story" in time for AAPI Heritage Month. The short film celebrates the Los Angeles-based dancer and actor and examines DeZolt's life and art.
"Escape," created by IW Group for Lexus (Lexus/YouTube)
IW Group and Lexus teamed up for two spots -- "Cards" and "Escape" -- as part of a wider push to show how the GX can "Live Up To It." "Cards" features an East Asian dad making his family's dreams come true, while "Escape" shows Asian Indian friends using their GX's technology to beat an escape room. As part of the campaign, Hyundai worked with Walton Isaacson to focus on Black and Hispanic audiences and with Team One for a general market push.
AI is showing up in new-business pitches in different ways, either low-key with minimal mention or a clear part of agency abilities, used in their workflow. While the approach to AI differs, agency executives do agree that AI is not an emphasis, with Kevin Mulroy of Mischief USA saying, "The tech itself should fade into the background in favor of the idea or the experience."
VML's JJ Schmuckler adds, "I don't think clients will ever ask for the core, the soul of their brand platform to be bespokely created by AI."
Google Ads' Demand Gen now lets advertisers create images by prompting generative AI and use their existing assets to spawn similar visual content. The company promises that all images the engine creates will be unique.
The Asian American Advertising Federation (3AF) is the leading resource in Asian advertising and Asian marketing. Through our national summit, programs, research and our vast network of Asian marketing experts, we are dedicated to helping brands understand the business case for and how best to reach the critical Asian American consumer segment.