Although Asian Americans make up just 4 percent of the U.S.
population, they are the nation's fastest-growing ethnic group,
expected to constitute 12 percent by 2020. In 1994, even before
helping to lead the Internet explosion, the U.S. Census Bureau
reports Asian Americans had average household incomes of $52,562,
compared with $45,034 for white Americans. We asked Jeff Yang, 32,
CEO of aMedia Inc. and publisher of aMagazine: Inside Asian
America, which has a circulation of 200,000, about how to tap
into this community.
Give us some insight into the major
Asian American communities.
Chinese and Filipino are the largest groups, followed by [in
order of size] Japanese, South Asian, Korean and Southeast Asian.
Immigrants are more likely to identify with their ethnicities than
with an Asian American identity; individuals born and educated in
the U.S. are more likely to have pan-Asian affiliations. Chinese,
Filipino and Japanese communities are the most established U.S.
populations, while Korean, South Asian and Southeast Asian
communities are mostly immigrant.
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As far as marketers are concerned, Asian Americans have
attractive demographics: higher median household incomes and
education levels, ownership of businesses, and the likelihood of
being employed as managers or professionals. They respond well to
advertising, seeing it as an "invitation to buy," and are
extremely loyal once they've made a brand selection.
And they're the most wired to the
Internet?
According to Forrester Research, 69 percent of us are on the
Web, the greatest percentage of any U.S. ethnic group. That's
7.6 million individuals who buy online, use the Internet for
entertainment and product research, and engage in banking,
brokerage and other financial transactions over the Web, more than
any other group.
Can we use Asian American employees or
business partners as a good way to reach the Asian
market?
They usually have ties to relatives, friends and business
associates in Asia, which has almost three-fifths the earth's
population, so you can see us as the gateway to the world's
largest market.
There's one category where Asian countries have a trade
deficit in relation to the United States: media and information
services...because Americans have exported their culture so
effectively. One interesting aspect is that Asian Americans have
won Oscars in four of the past six Academy Awards, all for works
like short films and documentaries. Well, the very things that make
these kinds of works unsuitable for commercial film distribution
are also things that make them ideal for the Web. Combine that with
the fact that Asian Americans are adopting broadband technologies
faster than anyone else, and you [can see] a real opportunity.
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