Multicultural Marketing News – May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Multicultural Marketing News May 2026

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Multicultural Marketing News presents newsmakers and experts as featured on multicultural.com in our Experts Directory.

In this issue

• How Asian Culture Is Reshaping Multicultural America (AAAZA, Inc.)
• The K-Wave: From “Exotic” to Everyday (Ethnic Technologies)
• Nielsen Report: Asian Influence Is Reshaping Global Pop Culture and Driving Cross-Cultural Fandom (Courtesy of Nielsen via d expósito & Partners)
• From Recognition to Market Understanding (NRS Digital Media)
• Engaging Asian Consumers with Social Media (Horowitz Research)
• Getting Real with AAPI: In Languages and In Cultures (Ebony Marketing Systems)

How Asian Culture Is Reshaping Multicultural America

As AAPI Heritage Month celebrates the rich contributions of Asian communities, one of the most visible impacts is how Asian culture continues to shape a more multicultural America through everyday consumer experiences.

Major cultural events like Lunar New Year celebrations and the Los Angeles Korean Festival have evolved into powerful multicultural platforms. In cities such as San Francisco and Monterey Park, Lunar New Year festivals now attract diverse crowds eager to experience lion dances, traditional performances, and festive street markets. Similarly, the LA Korean Festival has seen more than 30% of its attendees come from non-Asian backgrounds, drawn by K-pop, Korean street food, and interactive cultural showcases. These events have moved beyond cultural preservation—they actively invite participation, creating shared experiences that bridge communities.

Beyond festivals, shopping centers across California increasingly feature Asian anchors like 99 Ranch Market and Mitsuwa Marketplace, drawing a wide demographic of shoppers seeking fresh seafood, specialty snacks, and authentic ingredients. Dining has followed the same trajectory, with globally recognized brands such as Din Tai Fung and Marugame Udon becoming mainstream destinations for diverse audiences.

Retail culture is also evolving. Stores like Pop Mart, known for collectible designer toys inspired by Asian animation and pop culture, are attracting younger, multicultural shoppers who are embracing Asian aesthetics and storytelling.

Together, these trends signal a shift: Asian culture is no longer confined to specific communities or occasions. It is influencing how Americans celebrate, shop, dine, and connect. During AAPI Heritage Month, these festivals and everyday touchpoints serve as a reminder that cultural exchange is not just about visibility—it’s about integration, appreciation, and a shared future shaped by diversity. By Kerwin Hsu, Account Director, AAAZA Inc., kerwin.hsu@aaaza.com.

View company profile here.

The K-Wave: From “Exotic” to Everyday

It wasn’t long ago that Korean culture was tucked away in the “international” sections of our playlists and pantries. But look around today: K-culture isn’t just arriving—it has officially moved in. What was once a niche interest has transformed into a global standard for cool, accessible, and high-quality entertainment.

Gone are the days when K-pop was defined solely by synchronized dancing. Today, artists like BTS, BLACKPINK, and NewJeans aren’t just “Korean stars”—they are the definitive faces of global pop. Their influence dictates fashion trends and dominates Spotify Top 50 lists, proving that music truly transcends language.

The shift is perhaps most visible in our kitchens. K-food has moved from specialty markets to the mainstream spotlight. Gochujang is the new Sriracha. Kimchi has become a household staple for the health-conscious, and Korean Fried Chicken has redefined the comfort food gold standard. Eating Korean food is no longer an “adventurous” outing; it’s a Tuesday night craving for millions worldwide.

While Squid Game broke the seal on K-drama, the industry is now conquering the visual arts. Korean webtoons and animation are seeing an unprecedented surge. Series like Solo Leveling and the gritty, supernatural thrills of K-Pop: Demon Hunters—which just secured its historic Oscar win—are challenging the traditional dominance of Japanese anime. These stories bring a fresh, high energy that resonates with a global audience hungry for sophisticated storytelling.

In conclusion, the “K-” prefix is rapidly becoming redundant. Whether it’s the beat of a song, the spice in a bowl, or the frame of an animation, Korean culture has become a universal language. It’s no longer an exotic import—it’s the pulse of the modern mainstream.

What’s your favorite K-influence that has become a part of your daily routine? By Bryan Lee, Senior Sales Manager, Ethnic Technologies, LLC, bryan@ethnictechnologies.com.

View company profile here.

Nielsen Report: Asian Influence Is Reshaping Global Pop Culture and Driving Cross-Cultural Fandom

Asian influence is no longer a niche force, it’s a central driver of global pop culture, shaping what audiences watch, how they engage, and who they connect with. According to Nielsen’s 2026 report, The Crossover Effect: AANHPI Audiences X Content, Asian-led storytelling and talent are resonating far beyond Asian American audiences, driving engagement across every major demographic group.

A clear example is KPop Demon Hunters, the most-streamed original movie of 2025 with 20.5 billion minutes viewed. The film maintained a 26-week run in Nielsen’s Streaming Top 10 and claimed the #1 spot ten times. More importantly, it ranked as the top movie among Hispanic, Asian, Black, and White audiences, proving its universal appeal.

Music-driven content is seeing a similar crossover. BTS: The Return generated 47 million minutes viewed in its first week, with 73% of its audience being non-Asian. While Gen Z remains a key driver, nearly 60% of viewers were Millennials and Gen X, highlighting how Asian pop culture has evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.

Streaming platforms are amplifying this momentum. Korean-language series like Squid Game continue to deliver strong cross-demographic performance, with 1.6 billion minutes viewed in 2025. Anime is also a major force, with the top 10 titles generating a combined 5.3 billion minutes viewed in early 2026. These formats are not just popular, they are building highly engaged, loyal fandoms.

Asian audiences themselves are also shaping mainstream success. Nielsen data shows they significantly contribute to viewership of top-performing shows like Stranger Things and Friends, reinforcing the role of cultural participation in driving broader relevance.

This influence extends into sports, where Asian and Asian American athletes are expanding audiences in powerful ways. Alysa Liu drew 26.7 million viewers during her gold medal performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics, marking the largest weekday audience for the Games since 2014. Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani has helped drive significant increases in baseball viewership, including a 146% rise in AANHPI audiences for the 2024 World Series.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic further underscored this trend, averaging over 1.3 million viewers, more than double its 2023 audience and a sign of baseball’s growing global cultural footprint.

The takeaway is clear: Asian influence is not just shaping pop culture, it’s redefining it. For brands and media companies, the opportunity lies in aligning with content and talent that reflects a more global, interconnected audience. Courtesy of Nielsen via d expósito & Partners

View company profile here.

From Recognition to Market Understanding

AANHPI consumers represent $1.4 trillion in buying power today, with 3AF projecting $1.9 trillion by 2026. Yet most marketing strategies still treat this audience as niche, seasonal, or, more recently, as simply “not a monolith.” That phrase has become a comfortable substitute for actual strategy. It names a problem without solving one.

The more useful frame is this: AANHPI consumers do not just participate in American commerce. They originate the trends that reshape it. The “skin-first” beauty movement that rewired Sephora and Gen Z purchase behavior crossed over from Korean and Japanese consumer practice. Boba moved from immigrant neighborhoods to a multi-billion-dollar category that Starbucks and Dunkin’ now chase. These are not cultural footnotes but category shifts that started with AANHPI purchase behavior and ended in mainstream P&L impact.

But here is where most strategies break down. The places where AANHPI consumers actually shop, including the independent grocers, bodegas, and corner stores that anchor their neighborhoods, are largely invisible to the national datasets most brands rely on. Claritas CY POP indexing across NRS’s network of 34,000+ independent stores shows AANHPI shoppers are 25% more likely to buy at these stores than the average American consumer, with more than 20,000 stores reaching them at above-average levels. The takeaway for marketers is uncomfortable but useful: most of what shapes AANHPI purchase behavior happens in stores their measurement systems do not see.

Recognition is the entry point. Market understanding is the strategy. And in independent retail, it is also the data advantage most brands are still missing. By Kristy Day, SVP of Strategy & Operations, NRS Digital Media, kday@nrsplus.com.

View company profile here.

Engaging Asian Consumers with Social Media

At Horowitz Research, we keep a close tab on consumers’ attitudes and behaviors around media and technology, and we know that many Asian consumers are among the first to adopt new technologies and trends, especially on the social and digital platforms. As we enter Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, we want to share some insights around how Asian consumers interact with various media platforms/content where brands can reach and engage with them effectively. According to the report, FOCUS Asian Volume 4: 2025 State of Advertising in a Digital World, social media sites/apps are the top media platforms Asian consumers use every day. Similar to Total Market, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are the top social media apps used by Asian consumers. Compared to Total Market, Asian consumers have higher usage of YouTube, X, LinkedIn, Reddit, Discord, and WeChat. Four in 10 Asian consumers tell us ads on YouTube and/or social media sites are the ones they are most likely to personally pay attention to and are, therefore, the most effective ways for brands to reach out to them. Furthermore, more than half (53%) of Asian consumers agree that “social media has become a primary way for me to find out about new brands/products” and a third (37%) report having made purchases from social media in the past month. These data reinforce how critical it is for brands and companies to optimize their social media strategies to better reach and engage with Asian consumers. By Joyce Williamson, Horowitz Research, A Division of M/A/R/C Research, joycew@horowitzresearch.com.

View company profile here.

Getting Real with AAPI: In Languages and In Cultures

Under the AAPI umbrella are 50 ethnic groups that speak over 100 languages. Ebony Marketing Systems (EMS) speaks to those consumers. We have a diverse, multilingual team capable of conducting culturally aligned interviews in languages including:

·      Cantonese

·      Hmong

·      Korean

·      Mandarin

·      Tagalog

·      Vietnamese

·      Eurasian languages including Armenian and Russian. 

Our cultural fluency enables multi-modal studies including in-language CATI (computer-aided telephone interviewing) critical in reaching underrepresented, diverse populations. In-language CATI services are why the California Health Interview Survey relies on EMS to effectively reach and engage with a wide range of communities, ensuring inclusivity and accurate data collection.

Begin listening to your AAPI markets by contacting Kai K. Fuentes, President and CEO of Ebony Marketing Services at kfuentes@ebonysystems.com

View company profile here.

Next Issues:

May 2026 Newsletter

Save the Dates for Key 2026 Multicultural & Diversity Conferences + events

Deadline for reservations: May 5th

Deadline for copy: May 7th

Order your Featured Event Listing here

June 2026 Newsletter

June is LGBTQ Pride Month issue of MMRNews

Deadline for reservations: May 14th

Deadline for copy May 20th

Create your Listing and Order here

View last year’s issue here Multicultural Marketing News – June is LGBTQ Pride Month

Save the Dates for Key 2026 Multicultural & Diversity Conferences + events

Deadline for reservations: May 14th

Deadline for copy: May 20th

Order your Featured Event Listing here

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