IW Group, which has historically focused on reaching Asian audiences, is expanding to reach broader demographics–with strategies that continue to hit Asian consumers.

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This “bullseye and beyond” approach aims to create campaigns that resonate with Asian communities but also have a simultaneous reach to wider audiences such as Latinx, Black or LGBTQIA+ communities, said Nita Song, Nita Song, chief momentum officer.

The agency does so by focusing on the intersections between cultures, which Chief Connectivity Officer Bill Imada sees as part of a shift from the idea of “multicultural” to “intercultural.” Instead of seeing each demographic as clearly defined and with no overlap, advertising to reach more people has become about “finding those connectivity points,” said Imada, and making content to appeal to growing multiracial populations.

This desire to reach broader audiences began five years ago when the agency was struggling and was forced to lay off a large number of employees; it saw its choices as downsizing and trying to do the best it could or to “rebuild and reinvest,” said Song. “We knew we could take the expertise of niche marketing and apply it elsewhere.” 

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This broadened approach can be seen in the agency’s partnerships with Asian influencers and celebrities such as South Korean boy band BTS, who Song notes has a fan base that spans far beyond Asia. IW Group’s campaign for McDonald's was created by fans of the band within the agency, which allowed for an “organic” approach led by those who knew the band’s audience best, said Song. The campaign also led to McDonald's most-liked and retweeted posts to date.

The agency also created a LGBTQIA+-focused campaign for Jack Daniel's during Pride month.

Part of the strategy to reach wider audiences revolves around how Asian audiences are early adopters of apparently “new” concepts in advertising such as virtual worlds, allowing the agency to get a head start on potential fads that tend to come later to Western markets. When it comes to the metaverse, for example—“Asians and virtual reality, that was years ago,” said Song. 

There is also some reluctance to spend big ad dollars on the Asian market largely because brands “look at it as being complicated,” said Imada, and  lacking measurement tools. As a result, the relatively small budget the agency often gets means it has to innovate, such as taking McDonald's into the metaverse for the first time.

While the agency acknowledges that there are vast differences in the often-generalized “Asian community,” IW Group focuses on identifying commonalities—education, savings and paving the way for the younger generations. It also focuses on helping its clients develop cultural competency in smaller subsections, recognizing that brands “don’t have to be everything for everyone,” said Imada.

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The agency has created a number of national organizations including APIA scholars and a chamber of commerce, National ACE. It is working on building another national group, the National Millenial Community, that aims to highlight AAPI stories. “We’ve always looked at our role as a responsibility to lift and advocate for the Asian community,” said Song. 

In terms of the agency’s own makeup, 86% of its employees identify as BIPOC and all its leaders are part of a minority population, including Asian Americans and one African American leader.