More Asians in TV Spots? It's About Time

Might Not Seem Like Much, But People Notice

Posted by Bill Imada on 11.23.09 @ 11:01 AM


Bill Imada

Have you noticed that there are more Asians in television ads these days than just a few short years ago? It's true.

Although I don't watch as much TV as I did when I was in college, I have noticed that more marketers are using Asian actors in their spots than ever before.

AT&T, Priceline, Walt Disney and IKEA are just a handful of the many marketers who have included Asians in their commercials. And unlike the past, these Asian actors have roles that don't perpetuate or accentuate some of the tired stereotypes that have plagued Asians and Asian Americans for decades.

In the Priceline spot with actor William Shatner, an Asian couple could be any American husband and wife team. No forced Asian accents, high-pitched voices or even kung fu moves; just a typical, married couple searching for place to vacation online.

AT&T, who seems to always find ways to promote diversity in its spots, has a re-occurring character of Asian heritage in its TV ads. This Asian actor offers a voice of reason for his zany sidekick who lacks the wherewithal to select the best media solution for his lifestyle. What I like about this Asian character is the fact that he isn't an Asian techno geek. Instead, he is just a sensible, somewhat cynical guy who happens to be Asian. Nothing more, nothing less.

AT&T has another TV spot with the same two guys that include yet another Asian actor. In this particular spot, the same two actors from other AT&T commercials reappear: one Asian, one white. As the scene unfolds, you see a young Asian girl re-enacting a scene from a TV soap opera for the white character who doesn't have the multimedia capabilities he needs to pre-record or download the show for viewing later. The young Asian girl is joined by two of her non-Asian friends and leads the reenactment.

While this may not seem like that big a deal, the fact that the young Asian girl is leading the scene wasn't lost on me. It is nice to see that Asians can lead in a TV spot when we oftentimes aren't portrayed in leading roles on TV, on stage or on the Big Screen.

I also applaud the work being done by advertising agencies and their clients for portraying Asians and Asian Americans in a more favorable light. The American public really doesn't need to see more advertisements with Asians and Asian Americans engaged in karate fights, portrayed as laundrymen or kung fu masters, typecast as Chinese restaurant owners, or computer eggheads. Instead, Asians and Asian Americans want to see themselves (in TV, theater and movies) as being a part of the fabric that makes America one of the most richly diverse countries in the world.

I think I'll start watching a lot more TV.

9 Comments

By JackJones | Chicago, IL November 23, 2009 01:49:12 pm:

It's good news for this guy: http://tinyurl.com/yd7g9pl

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By gilasakawa | Denver, CO November 23, 2009 02:41:44 pm:

Great examples, Bill, and I agree, it's so refreshing to see more and more Asian faces in TV commercials who AREN'T cast for their "otherness" or exoticism, but just as representative American consumers.

That Priceline ad with William Shatner stars Kenny Choi, an actor who's getting a lot of exposure on TV shows these days. And is the Asian dude in the AT&T commercials Tim Kang, who plays the wonderfully deadpan cop Kimball Cho in "The Mentalist"?

Here are a few more that I love to watch:

Shaqulle O'Neal is in a new commercial with an Asian American dad and son. This one's especially notable because back in 2002, Shaq was pretty unapologetic about making "ching-chong" comments towards then-rookie player Yao Ming on a radio interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfhZajm0Mos

Anything with the adorable Kylie pitching Windows and PCs, including this latest for Sony Vaio (with Windows 7, of course):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XG_omEyKmg

And this cool Target spot with an Asian American mom:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFiMXtT-3eU

Thanks for noting this uptick in AAPI visibility, Bill!

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By janepak | Santa Monica, CA November 23, 2009 06:03:29 pm:

Bill - I completely agree - its so great to see APIs being portrayed in a more mainstream light.

Also - did you notice how Pixar showcased their first API kid character in UP! Lovable, sweet, funny and could have easily been a "white" kid...

Onward and Upward I say...squirrel!

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By Derek Walker | Grand Prairie, TX November 24, 2009 10:48:53 am:

Bill,

I was really impressed with the CBS show, Cold Case, on this weekend. It was about two murdered youth in ChinaTown, instead of glossing over the differences, they talked about the differences between Chinese from China and those from Vietnam, and how the community and family structure works. It wasn't a deep thing but it showed an understanding of how people of a community view things differently from the mainstream. It showed a glimpse into the complexity of the issue.

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By babamoto | Sherman Oaks, CA November 24, 2009 04:55:00 pm:

The noticeable presence of Asians in non-stereotypical TV spots seemed to come overnight. Had to be the corporate bean counters crunching the demographic data and thus attaining their current state of crass enlightenment.

Even as recently as the '80s, the Asian face would conjure up images of trade imbalances, "Buy America" and savage whaling, so you seldom saw an Asian in, say, a Honda spot.

Let's watch and see what the continuing emergence of the Chinese economy has on the perception of Asian Americans at the ad shops.

Post-racial America is not here yet, and I hope this trending isn't an anomaly.

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By egfuru | Rosemead, CA November 24, 2009 07:06:58 pm:

Bill,

Your assessment is absolutely correct. Within the past year I have seen more and more Asian American actors used in mainstream commercials. This is very encouraging as we such diversity incorporated in messages that reflect a "typical household."

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By ALTRA | New York City, NY November 25, 2009 04:46:16 am:

Indeed Bill! I'm really glad to see more Asian American actors in TV and films, and not being mocked for their heritage (except on Chelsea Handler, but that's another topic in itself.) However, there seems to be more Asian male than female actors on air, did you notice that? Just take a look at shows like CSI, Three Rivers and Community, why aren't the beautiful and talented Asian American female actors being casted for important roles on those shows like their male Asian counterparts? Is it because there aren't enough of them out there, or they're just beautiful, but not talented?

That'll be a good blog topic.

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By jerseyboy88 | Bedminster, NJ November 28, 2009 05:39:17 pm:

Thank you,Bill, for sharing your observations. I have to admit that I have not watched much TV lately, so it's good to read about this positive trend. Let's capitalize on this momentum and keep making progress.

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By Michaelhong | New York, NY December 1, 2009 12:46:33 pm:

While I applaud and welcome that many marketers are moving away from stereo typical Asian images, I caution that it may also miss represents multiculturalism or the diversity that we want to promote. Some of these commercials are clearly depicting the idea of "Melting Pot" where every race and culture is all blended into a stereo typical American Life Style. Some of the Asian characters are so well blended into typical American lifestyle; I forget that I am seeing Asian-Americans in the commercial.

While the ad serves a feel good moments for those Asian-Americans who want to be accepted into the fabric of stereo typical American life style, most Asian Americans who maintain cultural heritage may not see it the same way. Certainly no race or culture should become an object of mockery but neither marketer should ignore the rich heritage that Asians are proud to share with mainstream Americans.

If marketers want to show respect to Asian community by showing Asian faces in their general market commercial, they need to first recognize the Asian community by making marketing investment into the community.

Michael Hong
EVP
AdAsia Communications
http://asianamericansegment.blogspot.com/

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