The Biden-Harris campaign targets ad campaign at AAPI voters

SCREEN CAPTURE / BIDEN CAMPAIGN

Democrats launch a major advertising campaign targeting AAPI voters. 

Joe Biden's and Kamala Harris' political campaign is not taking the Asian American and Pacific Islander community for granted despite recent polls that show AAPI voters strongly support the Democratic ticket.

Biden’s presidential campaign announced on Friday (Oct. 9) a historic media campaign targeting AAPI communities that will include ads airing nationally and in 16 key states. 

The paid media campaign will kick off with a 0:60 television ad titled “Stand Together,” featuring an AAPI narrator underscoring the importance of returning to American values of kindness, compassion, empathy, community, tolerance, generosity, integrity and hope. The ad focuses on how Joe Biden and Kamala Harris can lead the country back to these values and build back better for the AAPI community. 

Not surprisingly, Sen. Kamala Harris, the first Indian American and Asian American on a national ticket, is featured prominently. The paid campaign follows the historic Vice Presidential Debate, where Harris, daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, became the first Asian American to compete on a general election debate stage.

The television spot will be followed by digital, radio and print ads targeting specific AAPI constituencies in-language in key battleground states. These targeted ads will highlight issues of importance to AAPI communities and describe Joe Biden’s commitment to ensure that every member of the AAPI community is treated with dignity—no matter their race or ethnicity—and has a fair shot at the American Dream.

The ads are produced by Potomac Waves Media, a women and minority-owned full service media production firm that focuses on reaching communities of color, according to a press release from the AAPI for Biden committee.

Courtni Pugh, Potomac Waves Media partner and Biden for President Senior Advisor for Paid Media said: “As an Asian American woman, I’m proud that the Biden-Harris campaign is making an historic outreach effort in the AAPI community and that the campaign chose Potomac Waves Media, a women and minority-owned specialty media firm.”

The ads will air nationally on radio, digital and print platforms, as well as platforms in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The campaign’s paid media program is active in a total of 16 states — including the above states in addition to Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and Ohio.

In August, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee made a $45,000 ad buy on a local Vietnamese-language cable television station in California, but the Biden campaign’s ad blitz is bigger and much more ambitious. Along with the television spot, the push will have digital, radio and print ads that the campaign says will be aimed at Asian-American and Pacific Islander constituencies “in key battleground states.”

Besides the ad campaign, Biden has developed an agenda specifically for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders that includes his plans for immigration, entrepreneurship, education, affordable health plan and handling of the coronavirus.

Biden for President is building a broad coalition that is diverse and inclusive. The AAPI Coalition is made up of more than 16 affinity groups, including AAPI Staffers for Biden, AAPI Veterans and Military Families for Biden, Chinese Americans for Biden, Filipino Americans for Biden, Hmong Americans for Biden, Japanese Americans for Biden, Korean Americans for Biden, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders for Biden, Queer AAPIs for Biden, South Asians for Biden, Taiwanese Americans for Biden, Thai Americans for Biden, Vietnamese Americans for Biden, Japanese Americans for Biden, AAPI Millennials for Biden and Young AAPIs for Biden.