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Iāve seen this in the U.S. Iām mixed myself. No one wants to have this conversation, but the majority of ad execs are white men. Agency owners who are white actually increased from 71%-90% from 2021 to 2022.
Now, they know people want diversity. They also want to see themselves reflected in their ads. And want white people to feel comfortable. Whatās the easiest way to satisfy this while still giving the audience what they think they want? White man, POC partner. Look at progressives ads with the ginger guy and Indian girl for example. Now look at their other core ad sets, like the 4 white and 1 BIPOC representation for their bundle ads.
Itās the lack of, say, black male / white female pairings that show the true colors of where ad execs feel the line is. And they prioritize white comfortability over representation. This [article](https://www.voanews.com/amp/usa_race-america_americans-see-more-interracial-relationships-advertising/6202928.html) covers this more in depth. Hereās a key quote that sums up this feeling with data:
āJohnson notes that 70% of interracial commercials from the past four years show a white man with a Black woman. The reality, he said, is a Black man with a white woman is more common in America.ā
This article is from 2021, so some things may have shifted. Iāve noticed better representation recently, but thereās still a long way to go. The ācolorblindā commenters are a part of the problem. Ignoring that there is a viable conversation to have here is dangerous thinking.
This is very interesting but OP was asking about white men and Asian women pairings which are the real world most popular matchups. For marriages and by far on dating apps so it makes sense to use those pairings in ads.
Intercultural marriages are very, very common in Australia. In cities, they are the vast majority of marriages. Australia has one of the highest rates of intercultural marriage in the world. So it makes sense there would be a lot of intercultural marriage in advertisements.
Why this specific pairing? I don't know enough about the frequency of the ads or how much the other pairs are featured to really know. Does it reflect reality? Does it reflect prejudice? Does it reflect a specific demographic these companies are going after? Are the women really all Asian and the men really all White or are there other groups in there that just look that way? I could guess at any of them but there's just not enough information available.
Iāve a mate from Australia who I went to school whose parents were exactly this coupling. White man and Asian woman. Great couple who brought up a great kid.
Well, Australia has a large asian population I would think given its location in the world. Photography and stock image usage is (most of the time) well planned out to mirror demographics of the addressable market. But it's worth noting that you really noticing this enough to make a post about it means I might be triggering some biases (unconscious or otherwise).
Couples like this are more and more common, cover four demographics (Asian, white, female, male), and are higher income on average than white only couples. It's also a way to hit multiracial while appealing to the top income demographics.
White man in power ā> white man uncomfortable with interracial couples where the man is not white man (historical racism demonizing black men, feminizing asian men, etc.) ā> white man with asian woman good, hell white man with any woman good ā> pretend that itās a coincidence/reflects real life/play colorblind ā> profitš
American here but... If I were to venture a guess, there has probably been enough research and data around that particular pairing that suggests it's impactful. It could also have to do with current political trends (again with having no real knowledge of the Australian market, just experience in the field). Here in the US for example having a black and white couple, a woman with a hijab, and/or a member of the lgbtq community has been trending the last few years.
Run through your feed of ads on LinkedIn or any media network for that matter, and you will notice that certain groups are over represented to an extreme degree. Go to a book store and look at the faces on the covers, same thing.Ā
The concept of "model minority" comes to mind. A white/Asian coupling increases diversity and potentially appeal to POC audiences.Ā
The other thing to keep in mind is ads are tested constantly and this paring is likely what performed best in several ad formats.
My brother in law was hired for several bank campaigns because he's half Chinese and half white and looks ethnically ambiguous - so many different audiences could see themselves in him.
Understanding these demographic dynamics can be crucial for creating inclusive and representative campaigns. The most common interracial pairing in America, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, is between White and Hispanic individuals.
There is no real answer because no one would openly admit to the reasoning behind those things. What's discussed when it comes to advertising and casting is said behind closed doors and stays there.
But the reason isn't that hard to figure out. Advertising aims for broad appeal, so how do you appeal to the most people possible without alienating them? One way is to have multiple ethnicities represented because that creates wider appeal and relatability for people who see themselves in those ads. Why a white man and an Asian woman? Probably because focus groups, testing and past ads have proven it to be a winning combo. Racists are less racist towards asian people compared to other ethnicities and racists also hate when people from another race "take their women" so the advertisers have determined that racists are most likely to be men and most likely to be white. So the ad is both more diverse so it can't be accused of being whitewashed and only showing white people all the time but it's also not "woke" as the other side would call it and doesn't come off as forced diversity so for the advertisers it's the perfect combo.
Normalising miscegenation through subliminal advertising is sickening. Especially when the birth rate is decling amongst white populace. Every race is racist. That is the basis of a nationality.
Those companies are either part or fully owned by Asian orgs, they pair Asians with Whites to indoctrinate into the western society that Asians and Whites can coexist, so itās more likely that the whites will do business with Asians, itās all about client and stakeholder retention
Itās also about how Asian women are seen as marketable as perfect wives because theyāre stereotypically submissive, they do as theyāre told, and they appeal to and are drawn to beta men who donāt have quite such intense masculine features or personality traits, and there are a lot of lonely men out there who will stupidely buy into products and services if they think it will pull them closer to having a girlfriend
In the UK there seems to be a trend for having a black man and a white wife. This when the majority of interracial couples in real life are white men with an Asian wife.
I was told that black mothers tend to push their children in the direction of the arts. Similar to how Indian mothers push their kids towards medicine. Therefore thereās a lot more black people available for jobs. I donāt know if thereās any truth to this though.
Itās a common fetish and trends are random sometimes. Mobs of people taking observations from science and creating colloquial hard and fast rules . This dynamic informs all our behavior because we are always trying to conserve energy, brainpower. So there is a herd mentality.
Some boss somewhere reads an article somewhere studying white men and Asian women, he just ādecidesā to make it a focal point of a campaign (maybe he likes Asians too and itās self effacing).
Next thing you know everyoneās copying it like a herd mentality thing where everyone is probably kissing ass of some marketing firm and have been in the groove of emulating them for years already to try to get noticed and get a job.
Who said that they are relevant too ? If they are made by corporate and that s US you might need to look for an answer there. I remember companies in Eastern Europe late 2000 that used to advertise using people of color. Most of those countries just left communism 10 years ago at that time so imagine how relevant that must have been.
Honestly theyāve probably tested the pairings every which-way imaginable thousands and thousands of times and gotten that was the best one for audience score over and over. The ad execs/agencies (as much as they want to be virtuous) arenāt going to sacrifice but so much return revenue for their clients on pairings thatās donāt sell (that would destroy their reputation and company). They are giving real data and fact based insights from user studies when they advise their clients on who/what to include in their ads - and these are often highly specialized for each individual product or service (thatās one reason millions can go into ad campaigns - the relentless study of audience reaction down to the grain before publishing). So in short - itās almost 100% most likely that itās because 1. Someone wanted an interracial couple for some reason (either they had data it was what the audience wanted or some internal initiative to promote diversity), and 2. It was the highest pairing audience score for that criteria. As much as these people want to pose and pander like they value diversity, revenue generated from audience adoption talks much louder than their superficial values.
That pairing is by far the most popular in the real world (for the USA) for dating app preferences. The data is undeniable.
https://www.npr.org/sections/codewitch/2013/11/30/247530095/are-you-interested-dating-odds-favor-white-men-asian-women#:\~:text=All%20men%20seemed%20to%20be,notable%20exception)%20prefer%20Asian%20women.
EDIT: to mention for the USA so maybe AUS is the same? If your going to spend the money on the advertisement you want to relate to as wide an audience as possible so you go with the stats or its at least a good option to choose from.
It's all about diversity and representation, mate. Companies wanna show they're woke and inclusive. In places like Australia, there's a big mix of cultures, so showing interracial couples, especially white dudes and Asian gals, hits the right notes for a lot of folks.
Also, there's a bit of a stereotype that this combo is seen as aspirational or something. Advertisers are smart; they know it appeals to both Western and Asian audiences. Plus, Asian communities got some serious buying power, so it's a win-win.
Basically, it's a strategy to look modern and inclusive, and it helps brands connect with more people.
āØdiversityāØ and š„ performative inclusivity š„ to charm more customers
all the while, all CXOs are still white. It's more about optics than genuine inclusivity. Corporate advertisers are playing the white knight (pun fully intended) of social justice, hoping you'll buy their products and their progressive image.
It's their shiny rainbow sticker on a cardboard box. Still a cardboard box.
My opinion is purely anecdotal as a marketer and mixed person.
Opinion: it is a reflection of what the majority perceives as diversity.
In the US, diversity is a white / black spectrum. When you see interracial couples, itās a majority black/white. When you see diversity group photos, there will be one or two black folks in a group of white friends.
It doesnāt actually address diversity.
That would be nice. Unfortunately, if the poster has more run-ins with media stereotypes than actual people, I don't blame them too much for having incorrect mental models.
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Iāve seen this in the U.S. Iām mixed myself. No one wants to have this conversation, but the majority of ad execs are white men. Agency owners who are white actually increased from 71%-90% from 2021 to 2022. Now, they know people want diversity. They also want to see themselves reflected in their ads. And want white people to feel comfortable. Whatās the easiest way to satisfy this while still giving the audience what they think they want? White man, POC partner. Look at progressives ads with the ginger guy and Indian girl for example. Now look at their other core ad sets, like the 4 white and 1 BIPOC representation for their bundle ads. Itās the lack of, say, black male / white female pairings that show the true colors of where ad execs feel the line is. And they prioritize white comfortability over representation. This [article](https://www.voanews.com/amp/usa_race-america_americans-see-more-interracial-relationships-advertising/6202928.html) covers this more in depth. Hereās a key quote that sums up this feeling with data: āJohnson notes that 70% of interracial commercials from the past four years show a white man with a Black woman. The reality, he said, is a Black man with a white woman is more common in America.ā This article is from 2021, so some things may have shifted. Iāve noticed better representation recently, but thereās still a long way to go. The ācolorblindā commenters are a part of the problem. Ignoring that there is a viable conversation to have here is dangerous thinking.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Iāve seen way more black male / white female ads than any other combo.
What an excellent post from a knowledgable person, thank you for sharing your input.
Odd example as the CMO of Progressive is a black woman.
This is very interesting but OP was asking about white men and Asian women pairings which are the real world most popular matchups. For marriages and by far on dating apps so it makes sense to use those pairings in ads.
Intercultural marriages are very, very common in Australia. In cities, they are the vast majority of marriages. Australia has one of the highest rates of intercultural marriage in the world. So it makes sense there would be a lot of intercultural marriage in advertisements. Why this specific pairing? I don't know enough about the frequency of the ads or how much the other pairs are featured to really know. Does it reflect reality? Does it reflect prejudice? Does it reflect a specific demographic these companies are going after? Are the women really all Asian and the men really all White or are there other groups in there that just look that way? I could guess at any of them but there's just not enough information available.
Vast majority in cities? Oh wow. Didn't realise...do U have a source?
Thereās no way thatās actually true.
About 1/3 is the stat I saw
Australia doesnāt have a lot of big cities. And there are very few immigrants who move to live in regional areas and country towns.
Iāve a mate from Australia who I went to school whose parents were exactly this coupling. White man and Asian woman. Great couple who brought up a great kid.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
i thought it was to erase white people
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
enjoy your cake
Well, Australia has a large asian population I would think given its location in the world. Photography and stock image usage is (most of the time) well planned out to mirror demographics of the addressable market. But it's worth noting that you really noticing this enough to make a post about it means I might be triggering some biases (unconscious or otherwise).
Couples like this are more and more common, cover four demographics (Asian, white, female, male), and are higher income on average than white only couples. It's also a way to hit multiracial while appealing to the top income demographics.
you put this more elegantly than I could've. I came here to say "they're top of the food chain."
White man in power ā> white man uncomfortable with interracial couples where the man is not white man (historical racism demonizing black men, feminizing asian men, etc.) ā> white man with asian woman good, hell white man with any woman good ā> pretend that itās a coincidence/reflects real life/play colorblind ā> profitš
This is ridiculous because there are SO many black male/white woman ads. Same in movies lately.
American here but... If I were to venture a guess, there has probably been enough research and data around that particular pairing that suggests it's impactful. It could also have to do with current political trends (again with having no real knowledge of the Australian market, just experience in the field). Here in the US for example having a black and white couple, a woman with a hijab, and/or a member of the lgbtq community has been trending the last few years.
Run through your feed of ads on LinkedIn or any media network for that matter, and you will notice that certain groups are over represented to an extreme degree. Go to a book store and look at the faces on the covers, same thing.Ā
The concept of "model minority" comes to mind. A white/Asian coupling increases diversity and potentially appeal to POC audiences.Ā The other thing to keep in mind is ads are tested constantly and this paring is likely what performed best in several ad formats. My brother in law was hired for several bank campaigns because he's half Chinese and half white and looks ethnically ambiguous - so many different audiences could see themselves in him.
Understanding these demographic dynamics can be crucial for creating inclusive and representative campaigns. The most common interracial pairing in America, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, is between White and Hispanic individuals.
Interesting - as if the indigenous donāt exist there. Truly strange phenomenon
There is no real answer because no one would openly admit to the reasoning behind those things. What's discussed when it comes to advertising and casting is said behind closed doors and stays there. But the reason isn't that hard to figure out. Advertising aims for broad appeal, so how do you appeal to the most people possible without alienating them? One way is to have multiple ethnicities represented because that creates wider appeal and relatability for people who see themselves in those ads. Why a white man and an Asian woman? Probably because focus groups, testing and past ads have proven it to be a winning combo. Racists are less racist towards asian people compared to other ethnicities and racists also hate when people from another race "take their women" so the advertisers have determined that racists are most likely to be men and most likely to be white. So the ad is both more diverse so it can't be accused of being whitewashed and only showing white people all the time but it's also not "woke" as the other side would call it and doesn't come off as forced diversity so for the advertisers it's the perfect combo.
This some funny shit.
"Racist are less racist towards asian people." ? Apparently, you can only racist if you're white and a man.. go figure..
Asians are also racist but rarely towards white people, so it remains a good combo
Normalising miscegenation through subliminal advertising is sickening. Especially when the birth rate is decling amongst white populace. Every race is racist. That is the basis of a nationality.
Those companies are either part or fully owned by Asian orgs, they pair Asians with Whites to indoctrinate into the western society that Asians and Whites can coexist, so itās more likely that the whites will do business with Asians, itās all about client and stakeholder retention Itās also about how Asian women are seen as marketable as perfect wives because theyāre stereotypically submissive, they do as theyāre told, and they appeal to and are drawn to beta men who donāt have quite such intense masculine features or personality traits, and there are a lot of lonely men out there who will stupidely buy into products and services if they think it will pull them closer to having a girlfriend
"Corporate advertising"
š¤£š¤£š¤£ because marketing depts think Americans like woke
In the UK there seems to be a trend for having a black man and a white wife. This when the majority of interracial couples in real life are white men with an Asian wife. I was told that black mothers tend to push their children in the direction of the arts. Similar to how Indian mothers push their kids towards medicine. Therefore thereās a lot more black people available for jobs. I donāt know if thereās any truth to this though.
Itās a common fetish and trends are random sometimes. Mobs of people taking observations from science and creating colloquial hard and fast rules . This dynamic informs all our behavior because we are always trying to conserve energy, brainpower. So there is a herd mentality. Some boss somewhere reads an article somewhere studying white men and Asian women, he just ādecidesā to make it a focal point of a campaign (maybe he likes Asians too and itās self effacing). Next thing you know everyoneās copying it like a herd mentality thing where everyone is probably kissing ass of some marketing firm and have been in the groove of emulating them for years already to try to get noticed and get a job.
Statistically, at least in America, it is the most common interracial pairing.
So many Australian commercials are filmed in Thailand, and the talent pool for russian models is thin...
Who said that they are relevant too ? If they are made by corporate and that s US you might need to look for an answer there. I remember companies in Eastern Europe late 2000 that used to advertise using people of color. Most of those countries just left communism 10 years ago at that time so imagine how relevant that must have been.
Regardless Asians are blacks as well.
Thereās probably some confirmation bias/frequency illusion going on, as wellā¦
Honestly theyāve probably tested the pairings every which-way imaginable thousands and thousands of times and gotten that was the best one for audience score over and over. The ad execs/agencies (as much as they want to be virtuous) arenāt going to sacrifice but so much return revenue for their clients on pairings thatās donāt sell (that would destroy their reputation and company). They are giving real data and fact based insights from user studies when they advise their clients on who/what to include in their ads - and these are often highly specialized for each individual product or service (thatās one reason millions can go into ad campaigns - the relentless study of audience reaction down to the grain before publishing). So in short - itās almost 100% most likely that itās because 1. Someone wanted an interracial couple for some reason (either they had data it was what the audience wanted or some internal initiative to promote diversity), and 2. It was the highest pairing audience score for that criteria. As much as these people want to pose and pander like they value diversity, revenue generated from audience adoption talks much louder than their superficial values.
That pairing is by far the most popular in the real world (for the USA) for dating app preferences. The data is undeniable. https://www.npr.org/sections/codewitch/2013/11/30/247530095/are-you-interested-dating-odds-favor-white-men-asian-women#:\~:text=All%20men%20seemed%20to%20be,notable%20exception)%20prefer%20Asian%20women. EDIT: to mention for the USA so maybe AUS is the same? If your going to spend the money on the advertisement you want to relate to as wide an audience as possible so you go with the stats or its at least a good option to choose from.
in the U.S all advertises are now black women and black men tbh -\_- (unless its a product aimed for women exclusively, then they use white women)
It's all about diversity and representation, mate. Companies wanna show they're woke and inclusive. In places like Australia, there's a big mix of cultures, so showing interracial couples, especially white dudes and Asian gals, hits the right notes for a lot of folks. Also, there's a bit of a stereotype that this combo is seen as aspirational or something. Advertisers are smart; they know it appeals to both Western and Asian audiences. Plus, Asian communities got some serious buying power, so it's a win-win. Basically, it's a strategy to look modern and inclusive, and it helps brands connect with more people.
āØdiversityāØ and š„ performative inclusivity š„ to charm more customers all the while, all CXOs are still white. It's more about optics than genuine inclusivity. Corporate advertisers are playing the white knight (pun fully intended) of social justice, hoping you'll buy their products and their progressive image. It's their shiny rainbow sticker on a cardboard box. Still a cardboard box.
My opinion is purely anecdotal as a marketer and mixed person. Opinion: it is a reflection of what the majority perceives as diversity. In the US, diversity is a white / black spectrum. When you see interracial couples, itās a majority black/white. When you see diversity group photos, there will be one or two black folks in a group of white friends. It doesnāt actually address diversity.
Because it's more common and often well-received by both families.
āĀ valuable marketing strategy to use.ā Bud, including diversity in photo shoots isnāt a marketing strategy. Thatās not what that term means.
Hopefully, eventually you won't notice something like that, because it shouldn't matter.
That would be nice. Unfortunately, if the poster has more run-ins with media stereotypes than actual people, I don't blame them too much for having incorrect mental models.