Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month: Insights from AAPI Leaders in Advertising (VIDEO)

Those who have watched or tuned in to our past roundtables know we always kick off these conversations by discussing the importance of representation in media the impact it had on our panelists in their formative early years as well as recent breakthroughs and milestones in AAPI representation in entertainment media and advertising Standouts among the group include The Joy Luck Club Crazy Rich Asians and the Oscarwinning epic Everything Everywhere All At OnceRonald Ng and Shreya Kushari also touched on what it felt like to be completely surrounded by people who look like them in places where they were not a minority as they grew up in Malaysia and India respectively quotI grew up watching movies from Hong Kong so I was very wellrepresented there Seeing Michelle Yeoh a Malaysian win an Oscar was not something I could have imagined growing upquot Ng sharedSimilarly Kushari mentioned watching many foreign films and quotassimilating to the global network and not harping on about the past or thinking about where your roots are but looking forward We are not a monolith but there is a red thread that connects us allquotMcCann39s Michelle Tang touched on the importance of unity while also rejecting the idea of being perceived as a monolith emphasizing that there are many shared values and nuances among the AAPI community that are important to highlight in advertising and in the workplace quotThose values of leaning into the community and shared identity very much resonates with me There is both this thread between us all but there39s also fracturing from a monolithic perceptionquot Shah chimed in quotThe more people that we bring into the industry from young to senior ranks and reflect more of this shared worldview the more will come into lightquotThe dialogue then turned to the complexities of representing multicultural communities in advertising with the leaders underscoring the necessity for genuine and inclusive representation in ad campaigns They emphasized that authentic representation not only serves as a moral imperative but also enhances brand credibility and audience connectionIt39s no secret that Diversity Equity and Inclusion DEampampI initiatives have come under heavy scrutiny in the last year with companies and brands cutting funding or dissolving DEIB departments altogether quotThis is a topic that has a lot of negative headlines but when you think reflectively on the last couple of years there was a lot of great work that has been done and great progress around the efforts of DEampampI integration as opposed to it being standalonequot Butler said quotThe headlines saying 39are we there yet why haven39t we gotten it done39 are very misleading The human experience is never going to be done and we39re always going to champion what39s right Fifty years ago did we ask 39why isn39t Brand Planning done yet39 The capabilities within our industry continue to evolve There39s a lot of space for innovation and creativity to do better to use data and technology in a way to advance the practice of the work that we39re in so why can39t we have that conversation around the human experiencequotquotWe need to have a focus on DEIB and for leaders to be held accountable The generation that39s coming into the workforce by default is very diversequot said Tang quotThe ultimate goal is to not need a DEampampI department It39s to have all of the leaders think in this broad way but we aren39t there yet If you39re not reminded of it constantly it gets deprioritized with everything else we do in our businessquotquotI39m hoping that at least in our industry which is a very progressive one there seems to be a shift from the insular meditation of DEampampI to a more active practice of the way we project and makequot Shah added quotI feel that precision and vision for how we39re projecting and how media is projecting is a very useful next step A few years ago it was a lot of selfreflection which is still valid but it has to be more than this 101 I hope we39re graduating toward how that mindset is engineered for outcomesquotThis candid and comprehensive discussion focused on the importance of diversity and inclusion in the advertising industry shedding light on both the challenges and opportunities for progress in this area The dialogue underscored a collective commitment to fostering a more inclusive and representative industry where diverse voices are not only heard but celebratedThis celebration of AAPI Heritage Month through the lens of advertising leaders serves as a powerful reminder of the ongoing journey towards equity and inclusion As the industry continues to evolve embracing diverse leadership and prioritizing DEampampI initiatives will be crucial in creating a more equitable and dynamic futureClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageorgMyersBizNet

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Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month: Insights from AAPI Leaders in Advertising (VIDEO)

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Juan Ayala

"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

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Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month: Insights from AAPI Leaders in Advertising (VIDEO)

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