Lunar New Year 2022 Advertising and Announcements
Year of the Tiger Roars In on New Stamp
As the Lunar New Year approaches, the U.S. Postal Service issued a new Forever stamp honoring the Year of the Tiger during a dedication ceremony at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City. The stamps are now on sale at Post Office locations nationwide and online at usps.com/stamps. News of the stamps is being shared with the hashtag #LunarNewYearStamp. The Year of the Tiger begins Feb. 1, 2022 and ends Jan. 21, 2023. The tiger is the third of the 12 zodiac animal signs associated with the Chinese lunar calendar. Many ancient fables and legends explain the origin of the zodiac signs. The most common story tells of the animals racing across a river to determine their order in the cycle. The rat crossed by riding on the back of the ox, jumping ahead at the last minute to win the race. Next came the ox, then the tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster and dog, followed by the boar in last place. As with other zodiac signs, personality traits and other attributes are often associated with people born in the year of a particular animal. Those born during the Year of the Tiger may be seen as brave, confident and well-liked by others. Blue, orange and gray are lucky colors for tigers, and yellow lilies and cineraria may also bring good luck. Other predictions about important milestones in life are often made based on a person’s zodiac animal sign, including romantic compatibility, career trajectory and health prospects. Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays of the year for many Asian communities around the world, including in the United States, China, Vietnam, South Korea and Singapore. Across these varied cultures, many traditions exist for ringing in a new year of good luck and prosperity. Known as Tet in Vietnam and the Spring Festival in China and elsewhere, Lunar New Year begins on the second new moon after the winter solstice and historically marks the arrival of spring. Filled with symbolic meaning, the colors red and gold appear everywhere during this auspicious time of year. Red is considered very lucky, while gold is supposed to bring wealth. In the first few days of the new year, parades and pageants are common with dancers, acrobats and musicians. The festivities also mark a major occasion for folk artists making paper-cut crafts for celebration. Lunar New Year celebrations culminate on the night of the first full moon after New Year’s Eve, known as the Lantern Festival in Chinese culture. In the United States and elsewhere, the festival is marked with grand parades and brilliant lanterns decorating public spaces. In observance of this holiday, the U.S. Postal Service introduced its third series of Lunar New Year stamps in 2020. This new series will continue through 2031 with stamps for the Year of the Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar still to come. Art director Antonio Alcalá worked on the series of stamps with artist Camille Chew to create Lunar New Year imagery that is fresh, fun and celebratory. Calling to mind the elaborately decorated masks used in the dragon or lion dances often performed during Lunar New Year parades, Chew’s three-dimensional masks are a contemporary take on the long tradition of paper-cut folk art crafts created during this auspicious time of year.
Knorr
Happy “Knorr” Year 2022 Sweepstakes Campaign: Digital | Social | TV | In-Store Display
As a global brand that has been growing with the world since 1838, Knorr’s mission of offering delicious, easy-cooking meals that comfort everyone’s belly and soul remains unchanged. As we are entering the third year of pandemic, we have learned to be resilient, be strong, and always have hope to look forward for a better future. In this Lunar New Year, Knorr is celebrating with Asian communities by sharing hope and luck in the Year of Tiger by launching a sweepstakes promotion.
All participants in USA and Canada can get a chance to win a $1000-value cast iron cookware by uploading their favorite Lunar New Year dishes made with the Knorr bouillon and liquid seasoning products. To max out the excitement of the promotion, the top-tier Hong Kong TV celebrity, Moses Chan, is also sharing the way of celebrating this major festival with his family through two Knorr cooking episodes. Each sweepstakes winner gets his autographed recipe card along with the high-value prize pack.
A trilingual landing page in English, Chinese and Vietnamese is also launched to serve both English- and in-language speaking target audience. This campaign is launched through digital on social media, major Asian websites, mobile apps and TV. Shoppers are also connected with the brand with promotional message at the retail stores through in-store POS displays.
For more information: Jeannie Yip, jeannie@mikadointl.com
Lunar New Year 2021 Advertising
Hennessy



Acura
For Lunar New Year 2021, Quantasy worked with Acura to develop a social campaign in collaboration with two up-and-coming, Chinese-American artists to create Lunar New Year animations. These artists brought their unique styles and background to create artwork that celebrates and acknowledges the Lunar New Year holiday.
Remaining within Acura’s ‘Less Talk. More Drive.’ ecosphere, each artist created an animation that incorporates the ‘Less Talk. More Luck.’ messaging.
For her piece, artist Jianan Liu incorporated the coin as the main element in her visual, to emphasize the message of prosperity and wealth usually wished during Lunar New Year. The child holding the coin is also based on an idiom that a “child will bring good luck to your home”. Link to: social post In Chinese culture, the Ox represents harvest, hard-work and good fortune with lots of food. It roots deeply in nature and the culture of the Chinese people. In her piece, Jasu Hu shows nature and its interaction with Chinese traditional paper cuts. The trees and lanterns are growing from the Chinese patterned Ox’s horns, bringing happiness and luck. Link to: social post For more information, please reach out to Shelley Yamane at shelley@quantasy.com.
Citi
Citi Lunar New Year Campaign
On the Road to Tomorrow
2021 is the Year of the Ox, which symbolizes strength, resistance and perseverance. And it could not have come at a better time than when we needed it the most. The past year was tough on all of us, and at Citi we wanted to salute that spirit of Asian Americans which is all about tenacity and going the distance, whatever it takes. Additionally, we wanted to recognize the decades of relationships we have built with this exceptional audience. In 2021, as we celebrate 20 years of partnership, we wanted to remind our customers that no matter what, they can count on Citi for support for many more decades to come. Our bilingual campaign, On the Road to Tomorrow, offers premium rewards designed around the dependability, strength and resilience of the Ox. We created exclusive designs for Citi that were introduced virtually to a select client base. Keeping in mind that the effects of the pandemic are likely to last through the year, we wanted to focus on a tone of optimism and support while emphasizing our virtual connections. Our bilingual website, showcasing premium designs and providing information on the different tiers of investment was introduced to a select Citi members through a star-studded virtual event. Hosted by Hong Kong’s comedian Bob Lam with a special feature presentation by Feng-Shui Master Clement Chan. This virtual event brought people together and conveyed the message that the future is filled with good fortune, prosperity and opportunity and Citi is your partner in every step of that journey.
For more information: Maxwell Davidson, maxwelld@admerasia.com



State Farm
State Farm Lunar New Year Campaign Digital and Print Ad
State Farm is one of the leading and most recognized auto insurance brands in the Asian American market. Using the motif of a car traveling on the road, we created a print ad that highlighted the road curved into the shape of the Chinese character “福” which translates to the iconic and well known Lunar New Year greeting of ‘Good Fortune’.
The illustration of the Chinese character is a metaphor that translates to State Farm wishes you a new journey paved with good fortune. The calligraphy style used in the illustration is deeply resonant of the traditional Chinese art form and is considered auspicious during the celebration time of the Lunar New Year festival. Combining the traditional and modern elements of the Asian American culture, this campaign was created to celebrate the festival while communicating State Farm’s brand message as the leading insurance provider in the country.
For more information: Maxwell Davidson, maxwelld@admerasia.com



Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo has a long history of celebrating the Lunar New Year. To build authentic relationships with its customers, we evaluated Wells Fargo’s role in relation to Asian consumers’ needs and identified cultural insights that helped ensure our brand resonated with the community and stayed top of mind during Lunar New Year. Every year we release celebratory messages and joyfully themed merchandise under concepts that are culturally relevant while still connecting with the broader General Market audience.
For the Year of the Ox, we developed stories around the Ox’s strong values around family and success and connected the brand to the community through our heartwarming “Togetherness” calendar, welcomed in prosperity with our “Lucky Ox” coin bank and shared well-wishes with our customers through various Wells Fargo channels.
2021 Calendar – “Togetherness”
The auspicious Ox is the rock for its family and community, bringing us a year of great fortune and a sense of belonging. Through classical-style poetry, we celebrate the Ox and cultural values with a sophisticated touch. The Year of the Ox calendar features illustrations that are whimsical and elegant, which highlight the Ox symbolically for its zodiac influence in bringing the community together. Gold key line art is used as a theme to tie the months together, providing a prosperous tone as we look towards sharing happiness together.
2021 Coin Bank – “Lucky Ox”
In Asian culture, the Ox is known for stimulating wealth. For 2021, we celebrate the Year of the Ox and how it can attract luck and prosperity. The Ox wears and holds an iconic symbol of the three gold coins. Stringing them together on a red ribbon represents the trinity of luck – heaven, earth and mankind — creating a wealth magnet for 2021.

IBA-Digital/Print/Social
The Year of the Ox calendar artwork is showcased in various owned channel assets such as in-branch digital displays, print ads and social media. Here are some examples of this year’s work. Link to: social post For more information, please reach out to Pauline Yang at pauline@quantasy.com.
MMR Work in the Asian American Market
Here are some examples of projects completed and how MMR can help you find information and experts to reach the Asian American consumer market…..or showcase your expertise.
Lisa Skriloff has been a pioneer in helping corporations understand the Asian American market opportunity for brand marketers, and helping Asian American market ad agencies, research firms and Asian American language media gain visibility, making a match to each other!
Agencies
Kang & Lee – helped bring visibility to this pioneering ad agency specializing in the Asian American market
– article in The New York Times about Kang & Lee and the Asian American market opportunity
Article The New York Times, March 6, 2000 Ads Speak to Asian Americans, by Stuart Elliott
Asia Link Consulting –
Press release about 1.5 generation
press release – The 1.5 Generation. Asia Link Consulting Offers Insight mar 23, 1999
press release – The 1.5 Generation. Asia Link Consulting Offers Insight mar 23, 1999 page 2
press release – Wanla Cheng An Asian American Success Story Mar 5, 1999 page 3
article – Advertising Age, Nov 29, 1999 Gen 1.5 offers key to segment
Industry/Associations
Asian American Advertising Federation – helped launch the organization by providing marketing, public relations and association management services.
– wrote press release about launch and distributed to press and brand marketers
– organized launch event and invited Ad Age
– conference press release
Meet the Asian American Market Experts: May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month issue of MMRNews
Multicultural Marketing News May 2023 May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Meet the Experts in Marketing to the Asian American Consumer: - AAAZA, Inc.
- Admerasia, Inc.
- Claritas
- Collage Group
- Ethnic Technologies
- fluent360
- Horowitz Research
- Lighthouse List Co.
- MIKADO International
- My Code Media
- ASB Communications and Diwali at Times Square
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Meet the Experts in Marketing to the Asian American Consumer |
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Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in the U.S. infusing cultural trends in our food, fashion, music and more. Yet many brands are missing out on the opportunity to connect with this growing influential and powerful consumer. Asian American voices are growing louder and stronger. They are seeking brands that show an understanding of their diversity and contributions within this community. All American A to Z Agency (AAAZA) represents our ability to dissect and understand the cultural nuances of ethnicities across North America and beyond. We are a full-service agency with multi-cultural capabilities tapping into all platforms that include broadcast, print, interactive, social, mobile, and experiential marketing. We immerse ourselves in the markets our clients serve to create relevant, insightful messaging and creative strategies that evolve in an ever-changing environment. |
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ADMERASIA is a full-service agency & a lot more. Our dynamic solutions, which include marketing, strategy, creative, and media, are founded on Three Pillars of Connection: Asian Americans & Asians & Americans. This Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we are proud to announce two distinct collaborations. We partnered with Make Us Visible and co-produced Make Us Visible: A Coloring Book of Asian American Pioneers. This coloring book will be distributed to children nationwide, advocating for Asian American history to be taught in K-12 schools. In addition, ADMERASIA will sponsor the Asian Creative Festival May 20–21, an event hosted by Asian Creative Network where thousands of Asian American creative professionals over a range of industries, including entertainment, design, media, etc., will gather. These are just two of many impactful campaigns unfolding from ADMERASIA. We proudly work with multiple Fortune 500 and local companies alike. Clients have included Moët Hennessy, State Farm, U.S. Army, Nissan, FX Networks, McDonald’s, Citi and Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC. We are an & agency. We don’t just ad. We connect. |
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Identify, Deliver and Optimize Your U.S. Asian and P.I. Targeted Marketing Campaigns. Know More about the Granularities of this Consumer Market The Asian American market is set to continue their growth trajectory now and into the near future which represents a significant opportunity for multicultural marketers, brands and agencies alike. To tap into the massive Asian American projected purchasing power of $1.6 trillion by 2024, it is essential to understand the preferences and behaviors of this diverse consumer group. Claritas, a data-driven marketing technology company, has assembled industry-leading proprietary data sets on multicultural consumers that provide a 360-degree view of these audiences. Claritas offers a wealth of data and insights on the Asian American market that span a range of industries, from retail and telecom to fintech. We’ve helped marketers across multiple industries gain insights into demographics, shopping habits, financial behaviors, media & device consumption, technology behaviors and switching habits, and much more. In addition to working with marketers in these areas, we continue to publish a variety of thought leadership free to the marketing community including annual reports like our Asian American Market report that comes each May in celebration of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. All these insights have been developed to help marketers better understand and better engage the Asian American market, and we take it a step further by not only helping marketers understand the Asian American consumer. We also help marketers know how, when, and where to engage these consumers. Through leveraging these insights and solutions, marketers can more effectively identify their ideal audiences, deliver effective multichannel campaigns, and measure the impact of those campaigns on driving conversions and improving ROI. For the most comprehensive insights into Asian American audiences, visit https://www2.claritas.com/Claritas-Multicultural-Resources-Page for a ton of invaluable resources. Tap into the lucrative Asian American market, consider Claritas’ data, insights and marketing solutions today! |
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As we approach Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we look forward to celebrating this impactful, fast-growing segment that possesses a rich cultural mosaic of values and passion. It’s also worth acknowledging the significant economic power of the Asian American community. By 2024, their buying power is projected to reach $1.6 trillion, and in 2022, Asian American households spent 11% more on retail annually compared to the average U.S. household. In order to effectively connect with this diverse and dynamic segment, brands must increase their Cultural Fluency. Culturally Fluent brands use culture to resonate with all consumers, across segments, including Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. In other words, connecting with Asian American consumers well can build halo effects towards connection with other multicultural consumers too. To honor Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and help brands better understand, engage, and support this segment, Collage Group is hosting a webinar on May 3. This exciting presentation will highlight the top brands for this demographic, and the actions they’ve taken to become culturally fluent. Attendees can expect to gain valuable insights into Asian American consumers, learn how to resonate with them, and understand the benefits of cross-segment appeal through halo effects. Register to attend and watch it again here after May 3rd. |
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Ethnic Technologies® is the global leader in multicultural marketing, digital applications, research, data enhancements and analysis. The Ethnicenter from Ethnic Technologies is the result of over 40 years of continuous multicultural, religious and language preference research. E-Tech’s multicultural and language preference selects repeatedly outperform the competition in accuracy and response rates. Whether in digital applications, mailing, telemarketing or email campaigns, the E-Tech® data achieves excellent results. |
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Recognizing the U.S. Asian American Pacific Islander Diaspora Through Meaningful Storytelling Marketing content targeting Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) consumers is more effective when reflective of the group’s rich diversity. The U.S. AAPI diaspora is diverse and complex. It encompasses people from all parts of Asia as well as the Pacific Islands. At almost 19 million strong (about the population of New York), AAPI is nearly 7% of the United States population, wielding over $1.7 trillion in buying power. AAPI presence in popular culture has grown; In 2023, Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” highlighting the value of their stories. Despite their success, accurate representation of the AAPI diaspora in advertising has been lacking. They are instead often portrayed as one-dimensional in ways that uphold stereotypes. Including AAPI subject matter experts with authentic connections to the diaspora ensures authentic, nuanced representation of this segment in advertising which will deliver content that resonates in the heart and minds of these consumers. Contact: Mark Revermann, Vice President of Business Integration, mrevermann@fluent360.com. |
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Media Representation Matters Across All Asian American Cultures “As we have written before, the media plays a critical role in the way people see themselves and others in society. Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, coming up now in May, is an opportunity for media companies to assess whether their content and marketing efforts are inclusive of all Asian American cultures. While 4 in 10 (39%) Asian consumers feel they are seeing more nuanced portrayals of Asian characters and communities, another 4 in 10 (43%) feel they are seeing the same amount or less, according to our FOCUS Asian: Consumer Engagement 2022 report. Similarly, when it comes to advertising, Asian consumers are less likely to feel that brands are going out of their way to market and advertise to them, compared to their Black and Latinx counterparts. To gain the trust and loyalty of this diverse and nuanced audience and fill these content gaps, there’s a growing need for storytelling that shares the histories and cultures of the diversity of Asian experiences.” — Adriana Waterston, Chief Revenue Officer and Insights and Strategy Lead at Horowitz Research, adrianaw@horowitzresearch.com, 914-834-5999 |
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If you are looking to market to Asian Americans, you’ll need accurate marketing data for your campaign. Thanks to our triple lock approach to data accuracy, with Lighthouse you can be sure you’re working with exceptional data – independent data evaluator, Truthset, has said so. Our comprehensive data verification process ensures we provide our clients with the most accurate data on the market to be used in high-performing campaigns that convert. Our data is also multi-channel and can be used across direct mail, telemarketing, email, display, social, mobile, CTV, digital audio, gaming and other digital channels. Choose from our on-demand audiences or have us build you a custom audience for your exclusive use. Speak to us today about your data needs on +1 (800) 684-2180. |
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MIKADO International is a culture-first advertising agency that strives to create a world more connected. Through opportunity analysis, research, and market planning, we explore the intersection between creativity and effectiveness, helping brands to effectively cater to underserved and fragmented cultural and/or religious communities with unparalleled expertise. Our client portfolio includes brands such as Xfinity/Comcast, Unilever, Dove, Lipton and Knorr. Enriched with people from all walks of life, minority and woman-owned, polycultural and inclusive, we not only understand the new mainstream, we are the new mainstream. |
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A Code is the digital media solutions platform powered by My Code Media. We partner with brands & publishers to deliver authentic, nuanced messaging and content to the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Our unity of proprietary data intelligence, custom creative, and multicultural expertise enable brands & publishers to reach and engage with the fastest growing and most diverse consumer in the United States. To learn more about A Code audiences and also the My Code network, please visit https://mycodemedia.com/audiences/ |
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ASB Communications and Diwali at Times Square Diwali at Times Square 2023 celebrates ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ Greetings from ASB Communications and Diwali at Times Square. In the month of May, we celebrate the rich and diverse cultures and traditions and recognize the contributions, history, culture, and achievements of the diverse Asian Americans. Our organizations ASB Communications and EventGuru Worldwide, have been celebrating the diverse culture and traditions of South Asians and Indo-Caribbeans at the center of the universe Times Square since 2013. This year in October, Diwali at Times Square organization is celebrating ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ and highlighting the message of Diwali: Dispel the inner darkness through the light of knowledge. • We celebrate India and America’s diversity by inviting performers of different backgrounds to Times Square. • Showing that we are different people but are similar culturally. Music has no boundaries. • Diversity is not just about color, race, age, or gender. It is about acceptance of both individuality and plurality in all its forms. • Diwali illuminates houses and hearts and spreads the message of love, knowledge, friendship, and togetherness. • We are committed to removing conscious and subconscious bias, where we recognize talent and accept representation. Join us on October 27-28,2023, and be part of this historic and diverse festival. To learn more, contact us today! Neeta Bhasin |
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Marketers: Do you need help making a match with one of the companies listed? Call Lisa Skriloff at 212-242-3351 or email lisa@multicultural.com to take advantage of our free referral service. Expert companies: Should your company be listed here? Learn more here and sign up here. Next Issues: June 2023 Newsletters June is LGBTQ Pride Month Deadline for reservations: May 22nd Deadline for copy May 30th Save the Dates for Key 2023 Multicultural & Diversity Conferences + events Deadline for reservations: May 22nd Deadline for copy May 30th |
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About This Newsletter Multicultural Marketing News (MMRNews), is a free e-mail newsletter published by Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc. (MMR) and sent to +9000 subscribers. For a free subscription, sign up here. |
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