Northwest Airlines’ Campaign to Support Quake Relief Effort

I received numerous promotional emails from Northwest Airlines every week. But this one I received today caught my attention. Its subject line was “Opportunity to support China earthquake relief efforts". The message…

Dear Fanny Lawren,

The earthquake that struck Sichuan, China on May 12 was devastating to millions of people. NWA’s AirCares® partner The Salvation Army is actively participating in the disaster relief efforts to help survivors who are suffering from the loss of their homes, belongings and loved ones.

If you would like to help, here are two ways that you can support this important relief effort:

1. Give Miles - Transfer WorldPerks miles to The Salvation Army in any increment and Northwest Airlines will match WorldPerks mileage transfers of up to a total of one million WorldPerks miles. Transfer miles online or if you prefer, call 1-800-327-2881. Make sure to have your WorldPerks number 123456789 and PIN ready.

2. Give Money - Donate $50 or more directly to The Salvation Army and receive 500 WorldPerks Bonus Miles. Information on donating money to AirCares partners may be found at www.nwa.com/corpinfo/aircares/donate

Thank you for your support!

I think this is a smart campaign, at least from branding perspective. I suppose I got the message because I flew NWA to Asia couple times. But I would be curious to know how exactly the marketer segment their customers.

Another Asian Marketing lesson: Be responsive to social events.

Sharon Stone's Karma Remarks

Since Sharon Stone suggested the Chinese earthquake was "bad karma" for Beijing's policies in Tibet last Thursday, many marketers has been busy doing damage control.

Sharon Stone is well-known in China. In a red-carpet interview at the Cannes Film Festival on May 22nd, she said "I'm not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else," Stone said. "I've been concerned about how should we deal with the Olympics, because they are not being nice to the Dalai Lama, who is a good friend of mine. And then this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that karma? When you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?"

The actress’s comment sparked a swell of anger and a storm of criticism in China and beyond. Chinese bloggers suggested boycott everything related to her. They demanded apology for the sake of the 67,000 Chinese killed at the quake.

So did Sharon Stone. She said in her statement, "Due to my inappropriate words and acts during the interview, I feel deeply sorry and sad about hurting Chinese people," Stone said in the statement. "I am willing to take part in the relief work of China's earthquake, and wholly devote myself to helping affected Chinese people."

But the damage was made. Luxury retailer Christian Dior -- which uses Stone extensively in its advertisements -- had distanced itself from her remarks. It pulled all advertisements featuring the actress from stores across China and released a statement, “We absolutely disagree with her hasty comments and we are also deeply sorry about them.” It is very unlikely that Stone would ever reappear in the company's advertisements in China.

According to the Web-based database imdb.com, Stone has at least four movies coming up between now and 2010, including “Streets of Blood,” “Five Dollars a Day” and “The Year of Getting to Know Us.” But Cinema chains in China had already said they would not show her films.

One remark kills all. Celebrities and marketers should know better: Be sensitive to your audience, regardless it is Asian markets or not. Notice that the Chinese government had press conference AFTER Stone’s apology saying actresses should promote friendship between people. There are matters that marketers should just avoid.

Chinese around The World Unite Strongly

I usually don’t read the comments of New York Times articles. But I made an exception for Daniel Bell’s “China’s Class Divide”. I am pleased I did.

Daniel A. Bell is the author of “China’s New Confucianism: Politics and Everyday Life in a Changing Society.” He has been teaching political theory at Tsinghua University – one of the most prestigious universities in China – since 2004.

After the tragic Sichuan earthquake, hundreds of Tsinghua students lined up overnight at a Red Cross station to donate blood and supplies. Others went to the earthquake zone, more than 1,000 miles away, to distribute aid. Bell thinks the disaster perhaps can do some good by helping dispel a widespread myth that the new generation of Chinese students is materialistic and selfish.

Bell further discuss about the global obligation of China which I was curious about readers’ feedback. So, I checked the comments. I was specially touched by the following response which is also one of the Editors’ selections:

It is truly natural that Chinese care about their compatriots in every critical situation. [They] help each other as much as [they] can. Chinese around the world are families. This is the Chinese values. Chinese consider being a Chinese as a glorious identification. They have a strong loyalty for their country. Whenever China faces difficulty, its people will unite quickly and strongly as a tough fist. I think this is very crucial for Chinese to conquer any big test facing them. Even during World War II fighting with invaders around the world, Chinese achieved full independence.

Chinese won't fear challenges, no matter what will happen in the future. Chinese around the world will come together and support each other, help each other, always work together. Go China!

It was from Greg, China. I could not agree more. As for the Chinese global obligation, I am still debating with my friends. I will blog it in a later day.

Sichuan Earthquake Shows Hope to the Future of Chinese

“In the aftermath of the great Sichuan earthquake, we’ve seen a hopeful glimpse of China’s future: a more open and self-confident nation, and maybe — just maybe — the birth of grass-roots politics here.” Such opening is so refreshing and enlightening. It was from Nicholas Kristof’s Earthquake and Hope on New York Times.

Chinese government has always been portrayed as a no-freedom-no-right communist by Western media (American and European). Most of the coverage is on unsafe products, trade surplus (i.e. deficit in the other countries), human right, property copyright, Tibetan freedom and other negative events. Different culture, and in some cases lower education level, somehow got translated into being uncivilized. To some, communist must be autarchic.

Sichuan earthquake proves them wrong. China has been changing to the right direction. I am glad Kristof shared his thoughts on NYT.

After the earthquake, the Propaganda Department instinctively banned news organizations from traveling to the disaster area. But journalists all around the country ignored it and rushed in. The order was withdrawn the next day. After then, the authority ordered media to focus on the outstanding relief effort. Yet journalists investigated why schools collapsed when government offices stand; and if there were corruptions. Apparently, media scored again.

Earthquake is sad. But I am very impressed by the overall positive attitude.

• Prime Minister Wen Jiabao rushed to the disaster area to oversee rescue operations.


• There are crying faces who lost their loved ones, but those who survive are thankful.


• Many children lost their limbs, but are grateful being saved.


• Buildings were collapsed, but will be rebuilt.


• Schools could be ill-structured; those responsible will be punished.


• Food and supply were short; help is being transported over every day.


• No one fighting for limited resources. Everyone try to help each other.


• Chinese traveled from around the nation to volunteer.


• Mourning messages, articles, video, and animations flooded all major Chinese websites.


• Billions of dollars of donation were collected domestically and from overseas.


• Media offered a good balance of the coverage.

I do not know if such affirmative outlook is a result of pressure from the authority. No doubt it helps to heal those were hurt, unite the country, lift up the nationalism overseas, and build a positive image of the nation’s value around the world. I am pleased to see how Chinese united together. I am proud to be Chinese.

Asian Americans are “In Play”

In the article Anderson Cooper Explains Little About Asian Americans at Huffington Post, Scott Kurashige criticized Anderson Cooper’s special report “Race, Gender and Politics” at CNN fell short on Asian American. By saying Asian Americans are “in play” is not just an understatement, I think, but an insult. Kurahige complains how little the mainstream media understands the political dynamics within the Asian American communities. Well, this isn’t a surprise.

To help the media understand how ethnic identity politics functions, Kurashige outlines how minority interest groups form. Such groups conform perfectly to niche marketing of politics. I couldn’t agree with him more on that. Yet winning endorsement of such groups is not enough, endorsements from minority politicians, community leaders and media are no less important.

Kurashige argues “ending the marginalization of Asian American voices and stopping the monolithic portrayal of Asian American political attitudes would be great strides toward eliminating the conditions that sustain the ‘bloc vote’ mentality.” Can everybody hear that?

Quiet Minority Swings Vote

Every vote counts. Asian American make up 5% of the U.S. population and as much as 12% in states like California, our power and influence should not be underestimated. We may not be as active as we should, but we could swing and change landscape.

Asian American is known to be the quiet minority. We don’t speak out for what we need – at least not as loud as African American and Latino. Many of us don’t vote. Politicians would think “If I do them good, they won’t give me their votes since they don’t vote. If I do them bad, they are not noisy enough to hurt me. With limited resources (time and money), I’d rather focus on the other groups.”

Asian’s quietness is part of the culture. A lot of us are brought up and taught not to question authority or the system. For someone who was told to follow the assigned leaders without questions, voting does not come natural. In fact, voting system is still relatively new in some areas in Asia.

The no-questioning mentality not only leads to low voting turnout, it also translates to reluctance to run for political office. To improve this, education is the key. There are groups like Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE), Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) and 80-20 that try to counter the fear and barrier.

“[The Asian population] is growing really quickly, and it’s a shame we’re not harnessing our potential,” said Sharon Chen, Executive Director of CAUSE.

I personally think it is a chicken-or-egg issue. Politicians will devote more attention to Asian Americans only if they vote and raise their voice. More Asian Americans will vote and raise their voice only if politicians devote more attention to them.

With the sizeable influence Asian Americans can wield in an election, as evidenced by Super Tuesday, candidates running for office would do well to campaign within this community. Bel Leong-Hong, the chair of the Democratic National Committee's Asian Pacific Islander American Caucus believes “the conversation needs to go beyond just addressing this constituency as an afterthought to other ethnic groups. In a close election, the result could come down to a swing group, which, considering their support for Clinton, could very well be Asian Americans.”

(Source of Chen and Leong-Hong’s quotes: The Huffington Post “The Asian-American Minority Swing Vote” by Natasha Chen)

The Benyan Tree Project: Stop HIV/AIDS-related Stigma in the API Communities

I’ve just learned that the annual increase of HIV infections in the US Asian & Pacific Islanders (API) communities is the fastest in the nation.

The Benyan Tree Project is a national social marketing campaign to stop HIV/AIDS-related stigma in the API communities. The program has released four public service announcememtnts (PSAs) featuring three major API stars:

Joan Chen, an award-winning actress, director, and producer
http://banyantreeproject.org/extras/joan_chen_welness_center.mov

Amy Hanaiali’I Gillom, a Hawaiian singer/songwriting legend
http://banyantreeproject.org/extras/amy_api_wellness_psa.mov

Jason Kyson Lee, actor from NBC's critically-acclaimed television drama Heroes
http://banyantreeproject.org/extras/James_welness_center.mov

http://banyantreeproject.org/extras/combined_welness_center.mov (combined spot)

The PSAs highlight the alarming increase of HIV infections in the US API communities; the importance of showing compassion to those living with HIV; and the need for APIs to get tested for HIV.

The PSAs were tailored to be regionally relevant for distribution across the US. Estimate of 200 million households will be reached by the spots in the coming 3 months. Through informing, teaching and setting a positive example, the Benyan Tree Project aims to stop the cycle of discrimination and silence, by eliminating barriers that delay or prevent access to HIV prevention and care services.

It is not an easy task, but I believe the Benyan Tree Project is on the right track.

Presidential Forum by APIA Vote

None of the presidential candidates showed up at the presidential forum organized by APIA Vote last weekend in Irvine, California. What does that mean?

Politicians have been talking about diversity. We heard news talking about how women support Clinton, whether African Americans are in favor of Obama, who could get the most Latino votes. Did anyone in the mainstream media mention Asian American?

While presidential candidates may not care enough about the Asian American votes, we do offer financial support to the leaders who we believe will make a change. But hold on, which should come first? We pay them, so they care? Or they care, so we pay? Regardless, the reality is that we pay and they could care less.

Here is a video taken at the APIA Vote presidential forum. I watched it over and over. I wanted to memorize his speech. I believe all Asian American should watch it too.



Key messages to the Presidential Candidates (quotes from the video):

• We (Asian American) want to give, but have never felt like our giving has ever mattered. And now it is the time to prove us wrong. Inspire us. What must be done for you to embrace us?


• You could talk about us more. I can't wait to hear Asian would be mentioned in a real American speech. I just want to be in one story. Can you please just put us in one of your speech? Recognize that we have helped to build [America].


• We know without your help, we cannot get what we want. But the world is changing fast. If you don’t see this, you must understand you can't get what you want without us.

Watch the Chinese Earthquake News on Tudou.com

Among all the video sites, YouTube is by far the number one in the US and many other countries around the world. But in China, Tudou is the king of online video.

In the past few days, the site is almost dedicated to earthquake mourning. Thousands of related videos flooded in – professional and amateur. As I am writing this, the home page of the Tudou is divided into three sections: the top half has all the news video (mostly copies from TV news reports); the bottom left shows the videos shot by members in the affected areas; the bottom right lists video from other areas and people who want to show their support. A link to denote is on every page, every video.

I was planning to talk about Todou vs YouTube. But my tears do not allow me. We will continue some other time.

Cyclone in Myanmar

I started an entry about the cyclone in Myanmar last week. I was very upset and concerned. How dare the junta refused the foreign aid? Selfishness killed more refugees than the natural disaster. I didn't post the entry because I found myself yelling too much.

It has been more than a week. It is still a chaos. I am speechless.

Pardon me not be able to focus and write some real articles about Asian Marketing.

Quizno’s Laundromat Spot Features An Asian-American Woman

To promote the chain’s Deli Favorites subs, Quizno launched its new "Laundromat" spot where an Asian-American woman grabs a $5 bill taped on the wall and eats it. The VO asks “If you’re gonna eat $5, shouldn’t you get your money worth?” Then, it goes on saying Quizno’s Deli Favorites sub is just $5. It gives you more meat than a $5 bill.

To see the Laundromat spot, go to http://www.quiznos.com/commercials/2008/tvspot5dollarsub.asp

Lewis Lazare criticizes on Chicago Sun-Times that the spot is an insult to Asian American. See http://www.suntimes.com/business/lazare/946162,CST-FIN-lew13.article. I personally do not see it that way.

Obviously the spot is dramatizing and meant to be funny. While I don’t typically like the humor, I – as an Asian American – do not find it offensive. The commercial works better in a boring environment setting – a Laundromat makes sense. Since many Laundromats around the country are owned by Asian, seeing an Asian face at the cashier is – to me – natural.

Yes, the commercial made the Asian-American woman look very dumb. But it doesn't try to say all Asian American are not smart. Imagine if the spot features an African American cashier at the Laundromat instead. That would look weird.

There are several other TV spots featuring South Asians in deli and gas stations. Why? For the very same reason: many delis are owned by South Asians.

Take it easy. The commercials are just trying to mirror the diversity of the society. We live in a melted pot. Be cautious, but not overly sensitive.

May: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) is celebrated in May to commemorate the contributions of people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in the United States. Congress passed a joint Congressional Resolution in 1978 to commemorate Asian American Heritage Week during the first week of May. The date was chosen to coincide with two important milestones in Asian/Pacific American history: the arrival in the United States of the first Japanese immigrants (May 7, 1843) and contributions of Chinese workers to the building of the transcontinental railroad, completed on May 10, 1869. In 1992, Congress expanded the observance to a month long celebration.

In Canada, many Asians have also begun to celebrate their heritage during the month of May. In December 2001, Senator Vivienne Poy introduced a motion in the Senate of Canada to designate May as Asian Heritage Month. The Government of Canada officially recognized May as the Asian Heritage Month in May, 2002.

The designations acknowledge the long and rich history of Asian as well as their contributions to both the United States and Canada. It provides an opportunity for the two nations to reflect on and celebrate the achievements of Asian American and Asian Canadians to the growth and prosperity of North America.

Internet Is Back

Finally, I have the Internet back at home. The disconnection was a nightmare… that I surprisingly enjoyed. I read a lot during the last few weeks – 12 Chinese and 2 English books. Now, time to go back to write.