With the growing Chinese population in the United States, it’s becoming more important than ever for brands to meaningfully engage Chinese-Americans across media channels. As the third-largest ethnic market in the US – and also one of the most affluent – Chinese-Americans spend an estimated $117 billion a year domestically.

But to successfully engage Chinese-Americans online, it first requires an understanding the audience and its sub-segments. In the cultural melting pot of the United States, the almost five million Chinese-American population can be segmented (from a media consumption perspective) into smaller groups distinguished by the length and purpose of residence.

In this media planner guide, we segment Chinese-Audiences into three functional consumer groups: Newcomers, Establishers, and Assimilated.

Newcomers from China in the United States, The Largest Opportunity

Newcomers are Chinese immigrants who have less than five years residence in the United States. This group is comprised of normal immigrants, international students, work visa holders, entrepreneurs and investors. In the past five years, the Chinese population in the United States grew by 24.19% – faster than any other ethnic group.

From a marketing perspective, Newcomers from China in the United States are incremental consumers with high purchasing motivations for a variety of products and services. Businesses that want to acquire Newcomers from China as a customer include banks, telecomm companies, retail and recreation brands.

From a media planning perspective, this is where it can get tricky. Chinese Newcomers to the United States tend to be older in age (median 22 years of age) and they retain their media habits learned from China. Being digitally-savvy consumers, Chinese Newcomers will use websites and apps from China while living in the United States up to 85% of the time. The problem for media planners is that Chinese ad inventory can’t be purchased through North American trade desks and exchanges (except with Eastward Media, more on that here).

Establishers – New Chinese-Americans Laying Roots

Establishers are Chinese immigrants who have more than three years of residence in the United States but less than ten. They are characteristically distinguished by their desire to lay down roots and build a life in the United States. Establishers might be new graduates, parents, or skilled workers.

From a marketing perspective, this segment demonstrates strong purchasing needs for real estate, insurance, automotive, grocery, CPG, and pharmaceutical.

From a media planning perspective, this audience is reachable through both general market channels and ethnic channels. Chinese Establishers can still consume digital content in Chinese / Mandarin up to 60% of the time, and receive in-language advertisement more positively. At Eastward Media, we can help finitely target this audience as well.

Assimilated Chinese-Americans

Assimilated Chinese-Americans are immigrants who have more than ten years residence in the US, or are the children of immigrants. With constant exposure to American culture, or through the American education systems, this audience segment broadly behaves (from a marketing and media perspective) like general market Americans.

From a marketing perspective, Assimilated Chinese-Americans reflect general market trends, but special attention should be paid to culturally-informed values, assumptions and beliefs.

From a media perspective, Assimilated Chinese-Americans can be reached through general market channels like Facebook, Instagram, Amazon Web Services and Google Marketing Platform.

At Eastward Media, we can help your agency execute digital campaigns across the proper channels to reach Chinese audiences in the United States, Canada and Asia.

For a media kit or further insights, contact a campaign specialist at info@eastwardmedia.com.