Best depiction yet of Asian American family in TVC

By Dennis Clemente

If you’re Asian watching this, you’ll exclaim, how thoughtful can this ad be?! There are nice, endearing touches to the piece that makes Subaru’s “Sweet Tomorrow” TV commercial probably the best depiction yet of an Asian American family.

In one vignette after another, you see the Asian American family depicted just like everybody else, except they’re the main characters, not the extras or obligatory ethnic inclusion for the client to hit all its demographic target.

It’s admirable how the ad manages to avoid tropes and stereotypes, as resorted to at times by some ad agencies with a vague understanding of Asian culture. Just for your reference, this is a Chinese American family you’re watching.

The ad ultimately won me over when we we’re shown the guy shielding his wife and her pregnant tummy from cyclers passing by. In the scene,  you’ll see the wife on the safe side of the road, the curb–a common practice by Asian men toward Asian women, and passed on to second-generation Asian Americans.

Clearly, Subaru has taken the slice-of-life scenario to a whole new level. It paints a  picture of America as we know it–peopled also by other cultures embracing American culture. The logo appears: Subaru.

Job well done, Subaru and your “Sweet Tomorrow” commercial.

What you should know before marketing to Asians

What do non-Asian marketers need to be sensitive about when targeting the Asian American market? Here’s how one video breaks it down for you.

Your social media ad gets Asian Americans’ attention the most–Nielsen study

Social media ads are tied to your ethnicity, after all.

Asian American consumers are the most receptive to social media ads, according to Nielsen’s Social Media Report 2012. Asian Americans’ response resulted in typical social activities–shares, likes and even purchases based on their response to an ad. Conversely, the study reports that whites were the least interested in social media and social ads.

What the report doesn’t say is how Asian Americans in general are recognized early adopters of technology–and that includes gadget ownership where they can be eyeing a product on a smartphone or a tablet computer.

Companies always ask, Where are Asian Americans? They’re engaged online, so to speak.

Source: Nielsen Social Media Report 2012

‘Rise’ of Asian Americans study simply confirms other substantiated studies

For those already immersed in so many studies (eg. Selig Center, American Community Survey, eMarketer, IAB Interactive) about Asians and Asian Americans through the years, the latest Pew Research nationwide survey is just one more affirmation why advertising to Asian Americans is crucial for companies like  McDonald’s, which has been at it early and longer, counting more than a decade without adding chopsticks to its utensils.

The Pew Research states, “Asian Americans are the highest-income, best-educated and fastest-growing racial group in the United States. They are more satisfied than the general public with their lives, finances and the direction of the country, and they place more value than other Americans do on marriage, parenthood, hard work and career success.”

A telling part in the survey that I haven’t heard as much is this data: “Nearly three-quarters (74%) of Asian-American adults were born abroad; of these, about half say they speak English very well and half say they don’t.”

I am one of those born abroad, writing in English as a second language that makes potential employers wonder if I am a  “good corporate fit.” not realizing I grew up chided for “being more of an American than an American.” Not good.

For more on the study, click here: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/06/19/the-rise-of-asian-americans/

Does New York need a stronger ad campaign to curb Asian smoking?

A report by the NY Times, “For Many Asian New Yorkers, Smoking Is Still a Way of Life,” intrigued us. It states that the city’s Asian population has been stubbornly resistant to the successful efforts by the Bloomberg administration to curb smoking among New Yorkers. Smoking among the city’s Asian communities has not budged since 2002 — most notably among Asian men, despite decreases in the habit among almost every other demographic, according to data from the city’s health department.

The department reportedly introduced graphic ads in Chinese for its annual campaign to distribute nicotine patches and gum, and offering Chinese speakers for those who call 311 to enroll in the program. Also, it will bombard the ethnic news media with translated versions of its antismoking campaign called “Pain,” which depicts excruciating smoking-related cancers.

The focus on Asians stems from the fact that smoking has gone down for most ethnic segments from 2002 to 2010. Among blacks, for example, the rate fell to 12.5 percent from 20.8 percent and among whites, it dropped to 15.6 percent from 23.8 percent, according to the report.

It is common knowledge that smoking in Asia is still high and many who come here stick to the habit. For Mayor Bloomberg to be more successful in this, he needs a stronger ad campaign from Asian American ad agencies.

Read more here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/nyregion/asian-new-yorkers-resist-anti-smoking-efforts.html?_r=0

Hennessy gets Pacquiao for $1M

Hennessy has a new product endorser in boxing great Manny Pacquiao whose first mainstream ad for HP last year didn’t go well as anticipated. HP Touchpad was discontinued.

For Filipinos living in the States, the Hennessy endorsement is right on the money. Filipinos love their spirits and beer. The Philippines is number 1 in beer consumption in Southeast Asia and is close on the heels of Korea in chugging hard liquor as well.

Hennessy is targeting the mainstream market directly, but what the liquor brand may not know is that it wouldn’t cost as much to target 3 million Filipinos in the US, too.

The campaign is being launched on March 26, 2012. Visit neverstopneversettle.com

For more on the story, click here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/922508-manny-pacquiao-pac-mans1-million-deal-with-henne…

Japanese gum commercial is addictive

It’s an “adorkable” gum commercial that has many people abusing the replay button. Don’t say we didn’t warn you?!

It’d be interesting to have one made in the States — or one made into a pop song for it to go viral..

About 62% percent of Asian Americans now live in the ‘burbs

With more Asian Americans leaving urban cities for the suburbs, are the Chinatowns and Koreatowns going to be merely functional tourist spaces or will it just be replaced by a new influx of immigrants?

The Washington Post article titled “As Asian-Americans move to suburbs in record numbers, signs of decline in historic Chinatowns” probes the important questions, as more middle-class Asian Americans move to the suburbs.

Nationwide, about 62 percent of Asian-Americans in the nation’s large metropolitan areas reportedly live in the suburbs, up from 54 percent in 1990 and the highest ever.

To quote the study, it says, “Urban Chinatowns continue to serve a role for newly arrived immigrants with less education or lower skills who seek entry-level work, as well as for elderly residents with poor English skills who can’t drive. But middle-class families are almost nowhere to be found, and in many cities, rising downtown property costs and urban gentrification threaten their traditional existence.”

The 2010 Census points us to this new reality: New York’s Chinatown, one of the nation’s oldest, has lost its status as home to the city’s largest Chinese population. Click here to read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/as-asian-americans-move-to-suburbs-in-record-number…

‘2 Broke Girls’ searching for ‘hot’ Asian guy

If there is a show that makes Asian guys look even more of a stereotype, watch CBS’ “2 Broke Girls.”

We heard that they’re looking to cast against type, for a change. They’re seeking a hot Asian guy to play a web designer in the show, ultimately catching the eye of one of the two female leads.

If we go by stereotypes, “hot” and “Asian” and “guy” are words that don’t exactly belong together, but we heard they’re doing this to counter the negative feedback, notably one piece from the erudite New Yorker, about its depiction of ethnic stereotypes.

You want to audition to prove Asians are not all dorky and geeky? Click below for more information. http://blog.angryasianman.com/2012/01/2-broke-girls-casting-call-seeks-hot.html

What commercial art in China can do for Asian advertising in the States

The New York Times last Sunday published an interesting feature, “In China, Art is Making a Commercial Statement.” It is about China’s so-called youth whisperers from Harbin in the north to Guangzhou in the south. These youth whisperers are young artists, musicians and designers tapped to make companies’ brands cool. Leading it is NeochaEdge, touted as the first and only creative agency of its type in China.

For information on the agency, visit http://edge.neocha.com/

And if anyone out there can share us the video (not the making of) of its Absolut project, please let us know.