American Born Chinese

Making audiences feel seen with a social campaign that blends mythological elements with the reality of growing up Asian American.

Overview

Digital Media Management partnered with Disney Branded Television on the social media campaign for American Born Chinese, starring Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Daniel Wu, Jimmy Liu, and Ben Wang. Since the series is a contemporary update to Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel and a homage to the original Journey to the West story, we made sure our social campaign reflected the importance of this reimagining for our AAPI audiences. Our creatives highlighted both the fantastical action and relatable high school elements of the series, while our copy leaned into the themes of family and belonging to connect fans to this narrative.

disney-plus

OBJECTIVES

To bring this genre-defying story to life, our creative strategy was tailored to each of the campaign phases. During pre-premiere, we leaned into an elevated and simplistic approach to introduce audiences to the fantastical elements of American Born Chinese and to highlight the prestige of the ensemble cast. Our designs incorporated elements from the key art, and our a/v pieces highlighted the series’ humor and action.

Once the series premiered, our sustain strategy shifted to lean into tailored trends. We utilized community management and Instagram Question Polls to identify fan-favorite moments, which led us to highlight the friendship of newcomers Ben, Jimmy, and Sydney through static carousels and trending TikTok formats; the new stand-out character Wei-Chen through BTS spotlights (which talent had fun engaging with), and heartwarming scenes around AAPI relatability.

To uplift fan sentiment from our AAPI audience, our copywriting and community management strategy focused on connecting with fans and allowing them to share their nuances of being Asian-American with us. Our voice was both inviting and personable, which allowed our content’s themes of family, fitting in, and AAPI experiences to shine through. We supported fans and their vulnerability as they shared their own stories through the comments on our posts.

RESULTS

With our fan-first approach and fresh take on a beloved classic, our campaign journeyed to incredible heights garnering 6.7M in reach, 3.6M impressions, and 1.6M engagements across Instagram and TikTok. The series was not only deemed Certified Fresh but has also been named as one of Rotten Tomatoes’ Best New TV & Streaming Shows of 2023! 

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