They should start re-thinking that marketing strategy. But the Asian market is a fragmented market, and that means we have to talk to each ethnic group before we can develop a marketing strategy for them. Historically, it has been difficult to do using traditional media, and a lot of work must go into gaining the Asian American consumer's trust and loyalty. This means being highly interactive because research has shown that Asian Americans are more likely to take to new technologies, such as the Internet and interactive TV, than other ethnic groups. Atsuko Watanabe, CEO of New-A Ink, says researching the Asian American market involves a lot of work.
Marketers face other challenges, as well.
Language represents an obvious one. Latino households may speak either English or Spanish or some combination of both, but Asian-American households often can speak a number of languages and many of them have dialects. It's difficult to understand and focus on a market that has 10 million people divided into six major ethnic groups. Americans are egocentric, so they don't pay much attention to what happens in Asia. Not all sources agree with this view, however.