3AF Key Initiatives of 2021

Challenges from the Coronavirus pandemic continued into 2021, but that didn’t stop the 3AF from continuing its mission “to advance the Asian American marketing and advertising industry for Asian American consumers through education, advocacy, promotion, and increased collaboration of all industry stakeholders including but not limited to marketers, agencies, research partners and media. Additionally, 3AF seeks to promote and encourage high standards of conduct and ethics among our members and our industry.” We were able to build upon our existing relationships with key industry organizations and forge new connections. We were contacted by many new companies/individuals who sought our expertise in the Asian marketing and advertising industry. Here are some of our accomplishments in 2021:

2021Accomplishment

Industry

  1. Collaborated with Ad Age on a virtual webinar on “Giving a Voice to the Asian and AAPI Experience” on January 21.
  2. Launched 3AF’s Next Gen Leaders program, to support up and coming Asian and Pacific Islander American professionals in marketing and advertising. We had a significant response, many from mainstream agencies. In our inaugural co-hort class, we paired 100 people (50 mentors with 50 mentees) and had six monthly program sessions on various topics.
  3. Recommended young Asian American professionals for Ad Age’s pilot initiative, called Generation Next, which was established to nurture, develop, and promote a diverse group of rising stars in advertising, media and/or marketing and help them get to the next level and beyond.
  4. Organized two Asian- focused sessions highlighting the power of the Asian American segment at Advertising Week 2021 in New York City.
  5. Expanded the number of Asian American judges providing counsel and expertise to the Association of National Advertisers’ (ANA) Multicultural Marketing awards.
  6. Rejoined the Alliance for Inclusive Multicultural Marketing (AIMM).
  7. In May, organized Magna Global’s first Asian Equity Upfront, introducing Magna Global executives and clients to Asian American media to show how they are a conduit to reaching the Asian American consumer segment.
  8. 3AF Treasurer, Sandra Lee, was a featured speaker at AdAge Next’s Multicultural Marketing (virtual) webinar on June 29.
  9. 3AF May 2021 Virtual Summit – highest attendance ever with more than 300 participants from India, China, the United States, Canada, and the Philippines. The summit featured more than 19 sessions on topics including Using Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Insights to Accelerate Change, Four Asian Voices on Influencer Marketing, Quantum Marketing – Mastering the New Marketing Mindset for Tomorrow’s Consumers, and Brands Being A Force For Good– Insights from Marc Pritchard at Procter & Gamble. Session recordings are available on the 3AF Insights page: http://www.3af.org/3af-insights/2021-summit/.
  10. 3AF Fall 2021 Virtual Summit was held on November 17, featuring nine sessions and more than 140 participants. In addition to partner showcases highlighting our member agencies, the agenda included a deep dive into Asian-specific 2020 U.S. Census data; Asian marketing in the recovery and beyond; disrupting aging; the popularity of cricket in reaching Asian Indian consumers; a behind the scenes look at the 3AF and Ad Council’s vaccine education collaboration; the model minority myth; the future of video advertising; and AAPI Leadership: an industry ERG. 3AF Insights page: http://www.3af.org/3af-insights/2021-summit/.
  11. Welcomed many new 3AF members including Ethnicity Matters; On Demand Korea Media Inc.; Pinkvilla; iQiyi; Little Saigon TV; and Roundel.

 

Community

  1. Hosted our first-ever virtual screening of the movie “Minari,” thanks to our friends at Gold House and A24 Films. The movie was nominated for six Academy Awards.
  2. Partnered with Facebook on a virtual town hall in March addressing the rise in anti-Asian hate and systemic racism. Topic was entitled, “Forward Together, Addressing Anti-Asian Hate.”
  3. Collaborated with Ad Council on a vaccine education campaign providing Asian Americans with the information and resources they need to make informed decisions about getting vaccinated. 3AF media members participated and campaigns were created in Hindi, Tagalog, Cantonese, Mandarin, Hmong, Korean and Vietnamese. Creative campaigns are posted here http://www.3af.org/resources/vaccine/.
  4. Served as a community partner of Gold House Co’s Future Challenge Grant initiative. Amplified and shared information on a new grant opportunity, an exciting new online grant competition to benefit Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations in the United States. A departure from traditional philanthropy, the challenge invited experts on the ground (community leaders) to submit their innovative proposals that will help AAPI individuals and communities be Seen, Heard, Empowered and United. https://goldfutureschallenge.org/partners/
  5. Showcased phenomenal Asian-created and Asian-founded products on 3AF’s social media channels from Gold House’s Founders Network, a community of the most promising API (Asian and Pacific Islander) small business entrepreneurs. Championing these innovative brands and inspiring entrepreneurs is more important than ever.