In commemoration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM), we recently released our sixth report on Asian-American consumers, Asian Americans: Digital Lives and Growing Influence. The report is the first in this year’s Diverse Intelligence Series (DIS).

We released the report at the Visual Communications Conference for Creative Content (C3) in Los Angeles. This was an important opportunity to engage with the Asian-American community on the insights within this year’s report. Visual Communications is a nonprofit whose mission is to develop and support the voices of Asian American & Pacific Islander filmmakers and media artists who empower communities and challenge perspectives.

Mariko Carpenter, VP, Strategic Community Alliances, Nielsen, kicked off the conference with a mainstage presentation of key insights from the report. Given the focus of this year’s report on the digital habits of Asian Americans, Mariko’s presentation resonated with attendees, including the foremost leaders in film, television, cable, and digital industries.

“The digital consumption habits of Asian Americans represent the future of what marketers can expect in the general market,” said Mariko. “This is particularly true when you look at how Asian Americans are consuming content via the internet and what they are buying online.”

One key trend we tracked within this year’s report was the growth of Asian-American influencers on television, film, and digital platforms. The trends we highlighted in the report played out at the conference, as Visual Communications hosted a panel discussion on the upcoming film “Crazy Rich Asians,” which features a cast that is entirely of Asian heritage. The growth of Asian content, both on traditional (television and film) and emerging (social media) platforms shows that networks, brands, and advertisers have recognized the growth of Asian-American consumer power, which we’ve highlighted over the past six years in our DIS reports.

Other panels at the C3 conference featured discussions of Asian-American representation both behind and in front of the camera and the need for greater Asian-American representation in film and television. Insights from the report that aligned with each panel were highlighted throughout the conference program so that our data remained top-of-mind for attendees. These insights helped bolster the growth of Asian-American stories, cultural touchpoints, and informs the business case for greater Asian-American representation in popular culture.

“We are seeing a lot of momentum in our community, with significant growth in Asian-American influence on the mainstream. The continued success and growth of Visual Communications’ C3 conference and our Asian-American DIS consumer reports represent that momentum,” Mariko added after the conference. “Asian Americans are capturing the spotlight as digital influencers, food bloggers, and celebrities with diverse fans. Brands and marketers who are looking to drive growth will need to focus on understating this powerful consumer segment.”