The AANHPI audience has made it clear – through their voices and dollar spend – that they desire for their stories to be seen and heard. In the 2022 Social Tracking of Asian Americans in the U.S. (STAATUS) study — an assessment of attitudes and stereotypes toward Asian Americans — 88% of Asian Americans say they want to see more Asian American characters on TV and in movies, compared with 77% of the total population. Brands and media need to do more to engage the Asian population, and content with Asian representation is winning: Squid Game topped the streaming chart in 2021, Everything Everywhere All At Once dominated the Oscars this year, and in advertising, P&G’s campaign “The Name” and Honda’s “Through the Window” campaign for its CR-V focuses on the Asian American consumer and their unique experiences. Yet, the question lingers: Will the media and marketing industry embrace more AANHPI representation?  

With anti-Asian hate crimes on the rise in the U.S.,¹ advertisers and media companies have a unique opportunity to change hearts and minds. Representation is not only the right thing to do; it makes tremendous business sense.

Connecting with America’s fastest-growing population and their buying power

Among racial and ethnic groups in the U.S., Asian Americans are the fastest growing, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

As the AANHPI population grows, so does its buying power — as well as the demand for representation in both content and advertising. When a company’s ads are seen in Asian-inclusive programming, it illustrates that the brand sees the Asian consumer, and that it values them. Nielsen’s Attitudes Toward Representation research found that Asians are the most likely identity group to say that they are more likely to buy from brands that advertise in content that represents them. 

The advertising dollars from brands help fund the content that gets created. Prioritizing spend in Asian-inclusive content is an opportunity to influence the media and marketing industry; it can also affect how audiences see themselves portrayed.

Our study found that a quarter of brands are investing just 6% or less in the programs with Asian share of screen at or above the representation of Asians in the U.S. population. Brands with the most Asian-inclusive ad spend invest almost four times as much. 

Affinity within AANHPI community

As AANHPI audiences are drawn to content that represents their community in appropriate, accurate and respectful ways, brands that increase their advertising investment in such content stand a better chance of increasing their awareness within the community. Increased investment in advertising is driving affinity for those categories in the AANHPI community. 

For example, Asian Americans are spending more than the general population in fashion, electronics and travel—three of the top categories where brands are investing above-average ad dollars in Asian-inclusive content. Brands in those categories can differentiate themselves through advertising, reaching consumers who are already spending more, but may not already have an affinity for a particular brand.

AANHPI representation drives audience engagement

Winning eyeballs is still a key metric when media publishers are deciding what content to greenlight. When it comes to attracting the Asian American audience, viewers are looking to TV to be entertained and informed just as much as they’re tuning in to feel seen, connected and inspired. About 30% of AANHPI audiences felt more engaged when a show features a cast member who looks like them, Nielsen’s Attitudes Toward Representation 2022 study found. Evaluating Asian representation overall in the top 1,000 TV programs in 2022, we see that streaming video on demand (SVOD) is leading the way, with more than three times the representation of Asians compared with broadcast and cable. No wonder that in January 2023, Asians in the U.S. streamed more content than any other group – 43% compared with 32.8% for the total U.S. population. With people in the U.S. watching more than 19 million years’ worth of streaming video content in 2022 alone, this also opens new opportunities for all audiences to engage with TV programs that include Asians.

In addition, streaming shows with AANHPI representation are engaging all audiences. In 2022, the top streaming programs with high bingeability score that the total U.S. audiences can’t stop watching, also have high Asian share of screen.

Spotlight

With the ongoing racial reckoning in the U.S., where and how brands show up in content matters even more to communities that have historically been left out of American media. Asian audiences who are still reeling from the effects of anti-Asian hate are continuing to search for content that connects with their experience, showing “people like me” — and are more likely to buy from brands they encounter once they find it. Industry investment in inclusive content opens the doors to a more engaged audience ready to watch content and to buy products and services.

For additional insights, download our 2023 Asian American Engagement Report

Note

¹ In March 2023, the FBI reported that anti-Asian hate crimes in the U.S. were up dramatically from the year earlier (746 incidents in 2021 – the most recent data available – compared with 249 in 2020.

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Seen, heard, valued

Engaging Asian Americans through media

Download the report

After the triumph of Everything Everywhere All At Once at the Oscars this year, many people from the Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community were left feeling incredibly proud of that historic night. For one night, the community saw a moment of triumph, for a story and characters that reflected so much of their real-life experiences.

The AANHPI audience has made it clear – through their voices and dollar spend – that they desire for their stories to be seen and heard. Studios and advertisers can tap into the growing value of authentic stories and inclusive representation to engage an audience that is eager to see itself represented on screen. 

In this report, Nielsen explores the media platforms and content that’s drawing Asian Americans. For marketers, content creators and media publishers, we hope you’ll see there is value – and audiences – to be gained when you embrace our community.

Highlights from the report include:

• AANHPI audiences watch about 27% more streaming content – the platform with the highest AANHPI representation at more than 10% share of screen. 

• Despite a slight dip in representation from 2021 to 2022, streaming programs are still significantly more inclusive of AANHPI people than other platforms. Streaming had more than twice the representation on broadcast and three times the representation on cable. In addition, Asian-inclusive content is highly bingeable and attracts all audiences beyond AANHPI viewers.

• Good content appeals to all audiences
  • 91% of AANHPI audiences and 87% of general audiences are open to content featuring people outside of their identity group. 
  • In addition, the report shows high bingeability scores of Asian-led content across top streaming platforms and opportunities for advertisers to better engage AANHPI audiences. 

• Advertising in Asian-led content delivers value
  • AANHPI audiences are 46% more likely than the total population to buy from brands that advertise in inclusive content.
  • In 2022 brands in the fashion, pet care, electronics and travel categories allocated a significant portion of their advertising budget toward content that features and appeals to the AANHPI community. These are also the categories where Asian Americans are spending more than the general population. 

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With this report, we seek to provide a deeper understanding of how to be more inclusive in TV programming and connect with the valuable audiences who want to watch meaningful content. 

Download the report

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And while some media outlets can fail to resonate with Black audiences, audio—especially radio and podcasts—stand out as efficient and effective channels to engage the Black community and even influence purchase decisions.

Radio, the original ad-supported medium, reaches 92% of Black consumers monthly, and the addition of unduplicated audiences from ad-supported and ad-free streaming music services, podcasts and satellite radio, brings total reach to an incredible 99%. And when you combine reach with exposure time—Black consumers spend over 20 billion minutes with radio in a given week—it’s easy to see the opportunity audio provides for advertisers keen to connect with Black audiences.

A daily companion for millions, radio can be a particularly effective medium for advertisers because it reaches consumers during peak action hours while they are out of home commuting, working—and shopping. And with time in vehicles on the rise after several years of pandemic disruption, radio continues to be the primary audio source for Black consumers in the car.

Of note is the exceptional draw of Black-owned radio stations and their ability to attract and engage Black audiences. Among all audiences, Black-owned radio stations reach 11 million listeners weekly with Black consumers making up 6.2 million, or 56%, of the total audience. In fact, nearly a quarter (21%) of the total Black population is reached by Black-owned radio stations, representing a huge opportunity for brands and advertisers to meet Black consumers where they are—in the car and tuned in to the radio.

Advertisers are beginning to take note of the power of Black-owned stations and are investing accordingly—2022 saw an 80% increase in ad spend with Black-owned radio stations compared to the same period last year.

But even with such incredible scale, Black-owned outlets have not always been a part of the media plans designed to reach Black consumers. Brands and advertisers can change these disparities by proactively seeking out partnerships with Black-owned stations, and investing in content that matters to the Black community.

“Authentic messages, delivered by the voices who are part of the Black community themselves, is an unbeatable combination,” said Deon Levingston, Regional Vice-President Radio One. “Listeners trust Black-owned media outlets, and they reach audiences where it matters, locally and nationally, always providing a microphone to amplify the voice of Black America.”

Partnering with Black-owned stations doesn’t just increase reach, it can also help advertisers keep their brand top-of-mind with consumers when it comes time to make a purchase. Home and personal care brands, for example, can work with Black-owned radio stations to build their brand awareness among Black consumers who are more likely to switch to a new brand based on reputation, according to Nielsen Scarborough. In the year ahead, investing with Black-owned stations presents opportunities for brands to build trust, credibility and their customer base.

Radio isn’t the only audio channel making an impact with Black listeners. Podcasts are also becoming increasingly popular with Black audiences, with 35% of Black daily consumers  just starting listening to podcasts within the past two years. And Black podcast audiences are listening more often and to more titles than they did two years ago, with 44% saying they listen more often, and 35% saying they listen to more titles⁴.

With trillions in buying power at stake, advertisers can’t afford to miss with Black consumers. And while new media like streaming and social media are taking over ad budgets, brands and advertisers looking to maximize reach and impact with Black audiences should embrace audio as an integral part of multichannel campaigns.

Notes:

1.  2020 U.S. Census
2.  Selig Center for Economic Growth, Terry College of Business, The University of Georgia, June 2021
3.  Nielsen Ad Intel, Black-owned radio stations, PPM markets, 1H 2021 vs. 1H 2022
4.  Nielsen Custom Consumer Sentiment Study, March 2022

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As consumers, women are gaining influence and increasing their buying power—women accounted for an estimated $31.8 trillion in global consumer spending in 2019, and direct 83% of all consumption in the U.S., in buying power and influence despite being only half of the population. Women also started to outpace men in retail spending during the holidays, both online and in stores. Nielsen Scarborough data found that 81% of U.S. female consumers shopped online in Q4 of 2021, up 9.5% from Q4 2019, while male consumer online shopping was up 6.7% over the same period. 

And while more men watch football than women overall, women’s interest in the World Cup dwarfs all other major international football competitions, and women currently make up 37% of all global football fans. 

To deepen engagement with these sports fans, female-inclusive advertising is key, but many brands are missing the mark when it comes to representation in their sports ads. An analysis of Super Bowl LVI ads leveraging Nielsen Ad Intel and Pudding.ai, for example, found that only 30% of the ads during the game featured women in the creative. This lags behind the overall representation in U.S. TV content of 43%, according to Gracenote Inclusion Analytics, signaling that advertisers have ground to make up when it comes to creating sports ads that are relevant and engaging for female audiences.

In addition to representing women visually in content and creative, marketers also need to consider where their ad dollars will be most effective by channel. According to Nielsen’s 2021 global Trust in Advertising study, both women and men see brand sponsorships in sporting events as the third most-trustworthy channel. And while men and women are mostly aligned on the trustworthiness of other marketing channels, influencer marketing stands out as the biggest difference, with female consumers finding influencers more trustworthy by three percentage points.

Considering the trustworthiness from influencer marketing, brands may want to consider combining their team sponsorship and influencer marketing to increase reach and impact for campaigns. And this year’s World Cup has a number of player influencers who bring millions in social media value, along with some notable up-and-coming football social media stars who can help brands achieve the most reach and impact for their marketing spend. 

And football fans are eager to engage with and buy from brands that sponsor their favorite teams or players—59% of football fans globally would pick a sponsor’s product over a rival’s if price is the same, and 67% of football fans think brands are more appealing when they participate in sports sponsorships.

When it comes to driving action, word of mouth is the most influential with female consumers globally (89% always or sometimes take action), but women are also more likely to take action from branded websites (81%), television ads (78%), influencers (74%) and sports sponsorships (70%).

Combine the high level of trust sports sponsorships have with the correlation between sponsorship and consumer action and shopping trends, and brands have plenty to gain from attracting female fans. A recent analysis of 100 sponsorships between 2020 and 2021 in seven markets across 20 industries, Nielsen found that the sponsorships drove an average 10% lift in purchase intent among the exposed fanbase. 

With nearly two-thirds of the world’s total population expected to watch the World Cup over the course of its month-long run, a potential billion-plus female fans will be viewing the action—and advertisements—both on the field and off. Brands that want to capitalize on the convergence of the World Cup and holiday season need data that will help them identify the right channels and talent to turn casual female football fans into loyal shoppers.

Notes:

1. World Data Lab, 2020
2. Morgan Stanley, 2019

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While there has been significant progress in representation the past 20 years, one group still struggling to see themselves in advertising is the Black LGBTQ+ community. Nielsen’s 2022 report on Black inclusion in media found that only 9% of U.S. advertising is directed toward content inclusive of Black LGBTQ+ talent. And subgroups of the LGBTQ+ community are seeing the largest lack of inclusion. Representation of gender non-binary identities, for example, is seen as the least inclusive among advertising with 88% of Black LGBTQ+ people ranking this as non-inclusive compared to 81% overall¹.

This representation gap presents a major opportunity for advertisers to connect with Black LGBTQ+ consumers, as they are more likely than the general population to be very comfortable with brands targeting them as consumers based on their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

To connect with Black LGBTQ+ audiences, advertisers need to focus on inclusion, but that inclusion needs to be authentic to be effective. Yet, advertisers are missing the mark when it comes to accurate, intersectional representation. According to Nielsen’s 2022 International LGBTQ+ Report, 54% of Black LGBTQ+ people say avoiding stereotyping is the number one way to improve inclusivity in content—higher than both LGBTQ+ respondents (50%) and total respondents (45%)—signaling that the community feels overly-stereotyped by advertisers today.

We recently spoke with Myles Worthington, Founder and CEO of WORTHI, for a more in-depth discussion about the importance of Black LGBTQ+ inclusivity in media.

Advertisers looking to create more personal connections with Black LGBTQ+ consumers should partner with members of the community, and many are reaching out to social media influencers to be the face of their campaigns. And when it comes to influencers, Black LGBTQ+ consumers want involvement—21% of Black LGBTQ+ people cite commitment to the community and social responsibility as the most relevant attribute they look for in an influencer, outpacing total respondents (17.8%) and LGBTQ+ respondents overall (19.8%)¹.

Finding and partnering with the right influencer can increase more than your follower count and video views. According to the 2021 Nielsen Trust in Advertising study, 71% of consumers trust advertising, opinions and product placements from influencers, and influencers drive 80% brand recall and a 9-point increase in both brand affinity and purchase intent relative to consumers who did not see the influencer ads².

When done right, the strategy is especially impactful with Black audiences—Black adults were 71% more likely to buy products endorsed by influencers on social media³.

For Black consumers, increased inclusion and authenticity can lead to increased loyalty. A 2022 Nielsen identity and representation study found that 40% of Black respondents are more likely to buy products from brands that advertise within content that features someone from their identity group. Brands that focus on authentic Black experiences and amplifying Black voices can become a trusted source for consumers—and the brand they remember when they want to make a purchase.

For additional insights, download Amplifying Black voices in media: Creating informed, thoughtful and authentic experiences.

Notes

1. Nielsen’s international LGBTQ+ inclusive media perceptions study, 2022
2. Nielsen Brand Impact Q2 2022 norms
3. Nielsen Scarborough USA+ 2022 Release 1, Consumer POV

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Black buying power in the U.S. is estimated to grow to $1.98 trillion by 2025¹. And while most brands acknowledge that Black consumers are critical to their growth and cultural relevance, earning Black consumers’ business can prove challenging as Black people around the world become more discerning of how, where and when brands are targeting them.

To make inroads with Black audiences, brands and advertisers are investing heavily. But all those dollars will be ill-spent if campaigns don’t resonate with audiences, or worse, turn them away with representation that misses the mark. 

In this report, we explore recommendations for brands and advertisers to create connections within the Black community, and how to engage Black talent from the ground up in order to create informed, thoughtful and authentic experiences for Black consumers. 

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Diverse talent in roles such as producers, directors and writers shape media content that is more nuanced, accurate and inclusive. But the lack of Black and Hispanic off-camera representation is glaring. According to the Writers Guild of America, in 2020 Black writers made up only 15.5% of TV series writers, 9.7% of plot writers and 7% of screenwriters. And a recent Nielsen study in collaboration with the Latino Donor Collaborative found that just 8% of the 530 most-popular streaming programs have behind-the-camera Hispanic representation.

Audiences looking for representation on both sides of the camera are increasingly turning to diverse-owned media outlets. These broadcasters, networks and publishers deliver an impressive reach across the U.S., but that’s not where their influence ends. While diverse-owned networks are more likely to attract Black and Hispanic viewers, advertising on diverse-owned media can also extend reach to other audiences, especially if those audiences crave inclusive content. And they do.

This year, 53% of overall viewers are more likely to watch inclusive content, up 13% from 2021¹. And these viewers are also spending more time with diverse-owned networks. On national television, for instance, all viewers watched more than 140 million hours of content from Black-owned networks in March 2022―double what Black audiences alone watched².

With a reach of more than 48 million viewers in March 2022, brands and advertisers not investing in Black-owned outlets are missing out on both the opportunity to reach more of their target audience, and to market to new audiences interested in diverse content.

For viewers of Latino-led content, off-camera representation translates to increased bingeability and new audience retention. Our collaboration with Latino Donor Collaborative evaluated the relationship between behind-the-camera representation and Nielsen Gracenote’s new bingeability scores among the most-streamed content of the past year. 

We found that Hispanic talent contribution to bingeable content is significant. Out of the top streaming programs in 2021, 134 had bingeability scores of 3 or higher, or highly bingeable. Of the top bingeable content, Hispanic talent has a significant contribution to the production of a show, as 56 of these 134 programs feature Hispanic representation on at least one side of the camera.

Also of note, our analysis found that Latino-led content amplifies the value of streaming platforms because, while audiences came for inclusive content, they stayed to watch more than their original program choice. This signals an opportunity for advertisers to draw in new audiences—and keep them longer—by centering diverse talent both on- and off-camera.

Despite the exceptional performance of content that features Black and Hispanic talent behind-the-scenes, representation across the industry remains low. Brands and advertisers can change these disparities by proactively seeking out partnerships with diverse-owned media outlets and investing with content and platforms that center diversity at every stage of production. These partnerships offer a way for brands to be a champion for cultural equity while expanding their reach to new audiences and becoming a name consumers associate with inclusion.

For more insights, download Amplifying Black voices in media: Creating informed, thoughtful and authentic experiences and Latino-led content and viewers: The building blocks for streaming’s success.

Notes

1. Attitudes on Representation on TV Study, April 2022
2. Nielsen Diverse-Owned Media report, February 2022

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For Hispanic audiences, streaming platforms offer more of what they’re looking for, as they spend more of their time with TV with over-the-top content than any other audience. And what’s more, when inclusive content attracts them to a service for the first time, they stay to watch more than just what they came to watch.

To understand the correlation between being attracted to content and staying to watch more, Nielsen collaborated with Latino Donor Collaborative to track and better understand viewer engagement beyond a specific program that attracts viewers. In our first-of-its-kind analysis², we found that a program’s “bingeability”—or the likelihood that an audience will watch additional episodes— among Hispanics is strongly correlated with inclusion.

For this analysis, we looked at the 530 most-streamed programs³ in the U.S. from 2021 through the first-quarter of 2022 to better understand what drives bingeability. Our analysis found that Hispanic representation is correlated with bingeworthy programming on two dimensions: on-camera Hispanic representation and Hispanic talent.

First, when a show featured on-screen Hispanic talent, bingeability scores⁴ increased. Second, the contribution of Hispanic talent to bingeable content is significant. Among the streaming programs available in 2021, 134 had bingeability scores of 3 or higher. On the bingeability scale, programs with a score of 3 or higher are considered highly bingeable. When looking at top bingeable content (a score of 3 or more), Hispanic talent has a significant contribution to the production of a show, as 56 of these 134 programs feature Hispanic representation on at least one side of the camera.

Importantly, Hispanic-inclusion has benefits well beyond the Latino community. Through our collaboration with Latino Donor Collaborative, we looked at the audience attracted to three new programs led by Hispanic talent: The Lincoln Lawyer, Gordita Chronicles and Father of the Bride (2022 movie on HBO Max). Our analysis found that only 42% of the viewers that were attracted to a new service because of these programs were Hispanic, meaning more than half were from other identity groups. And what’s more, these audiences stayed on the streaming platforms to watch more than what attracted them in the first place.

It’s also worth noting that Hispanics are drawn to content inclusive of other identity groups. According to Nielsen’s 2022 Attitudes on Representation TV study, more than one-third of Latinos say they are interested in seeing content featuring people from other identity groups. In analyzing the top 345 streamed shows in 2021, 25% (87) had a Latino share of audience that was above 19% (the percentage of Latinos in the U.S. population), indicating that Latinos were more likely to watch those shows. Sixty-two percent of those shows (87), where Latinos watched at a level above their population percentage, are inclusive of Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC), including Middle Eastern North African. This illustrates that Latinos are drawn to and consume content with representation outside of their identity group.

As the streaming landscape broadens—and engagement rises—the importance of inclusion and accurate representation can’t be overstated, especially as competition for audience attention increases. Hispanics now represent 19% of the U.S. population⁵, with a buying power of $1.9 trillion⁶. Given Hispanics’ appetite for streaming, creators and distributors have a significant opportunity if they give this audience more of what they’re looking for.

Notes

1. Attitudes on Representation on TV Study, April 2022
2. Custom Analysis of Nielsen National TV Panel and Streaming Content Ratings data based on available measurable content across platforms.
3. 2021-Q1 2022 National TV Panel and Streaming Platform Ratings
4. Bingeability scores from Gracenote’s Distribution Dynamics and Program Availability Archive data measure the average number of show episodes viewers watched per day to quantify viewer propensity to consume multiple episodes in a row.
5. 2020 U.S. Census Bureau
6. 2020 Selig Center for Economic Growth, Terry College of Business, The University of Georgia

For additional insights, download our Latino-led content and viewers: The building blocks for streaming success report.

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In July of this year, Hispanics spent just under half of their total TV time with streaming content¹, a reflection of their enjoyment with the streaming technology experience and the availability of a large volume of content that is either inclusive, in-language, or both.

At the same time, however, Hispanic audiences believe accurate representation in media has declined over the past year, and 41% feel there isn’t enough content that represents them²—both of which are key considerations as competition for audience engagement increases.

Knowing that there’s more to inclusion than simply doing the right thing, Nielsen teamed up with Latino Donor Collaborative ahead of Hispanic Heritage Month to understand if Latino-led content drives new viewers to streaming providers—and if they then stay to watch more. 

Our first-of-its-kind analysis³ found that Latino-led content amplifies the value of streaming platforms because audiences came for it and stayed to watch more than the program that drew them in. While the audience numbers are small within the context of total platform and total streaming use, they illustrate the halo effect that inclusive programming has on continued engagement.

For example, Netflix is a widely adopted SVOD service in the U.S., but it still has new audiences to engage. And when the platform released season 1 of The Lincoln Lawyer starring Mexican-American actor Manuel Garcia-Rulfo on May 13, 2022, it attracted 114,000 new viewers who did not watch any content on Netflix between March 28 and this show’s release date. Additionally, 24% of the viewers that watched more content in addition to The Lincoln Lawyer were Hispanic.

In a second study, we looked at viewer engagement with Only Murders in the Building before and after the first two episodes of season 2 were released on June 28, 2022. When these first two episodes dropped, the comedic crime series starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez attracted approximately 5.3 million new viewers to Hulu who stayed to watch more content. Approximately 520,000 (10%) were Hispanic.

Through the lens of these case studies, we can see that Latino-led content has the power to drive new, valuable audiences and subscribers to platforms and services for the first time. And once they watch what they come for, they stay for more.

For additional insights, download our Latino-led content and viewers: The building blocks for streaming success report.

Notes

1. National TV Panel and Streaming Platform Ratings 
2. Nielsen Attitudes on Representation on TV study, April 2022
3. Custom Analysis of Nielsen National TV Panel and Streaming Content Ratings data based on available measurable content across platforms.

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