Role: Program Lead, Creative Strategy, Social Strategy, Creator Strategy, Comms Strategy
Observation: Since the start of the pandemic, hate crimes against Asian and Pacific Islanders(API) in both the US and Canada have increased, in some cases by triple-digit percentages.
Opportunity: Harness the power of TikTok to spotlight the API community and drive visibility and sales for API-owned small businesses across North America.
Approach: Promote, elevate, and empower the API community through high-visibility media placements, TikTok education, and community support.
Our dual-prompted campaign amplified the stories and TikTok presence of a diverse cohort of small businesses while encouraging the wider TikTok userbase to spotlight their favorite API-owned businesses using the hashtag #SpotlightAPI.
We also enlisted the expertise of leading API TikTok creators to personally mentor our small business cohorts. Each creator provided their small business mentee with invaluable advice and hands-on guidance to help them develop and grow their presence on TikTok.
Results: The campaign was a defining success for TikTok and the businesses we spotlighted. It’s since been adapted into an annual AAPI Heritage Month campaign program that will launch its 4th iteration in 2024.
14B+ Video Views
2M+ User Generated Videos using #SpotlightAPI
#SpotlightAPI Hashtag Challenge
This dual-prompted challenge called on our collective user base to create content spotlighting their favorite API business, rallying those business owners to share their stories as well.
Creator Mentors
These leading API creators were each paired with a small business to provide mentorship on establishing and expanding their TikTok presence.
Founders Series
This content series featured notable API entrepreneurs, like Justin Kan, co-founder of Twitch, sharing their business stories and directional advice to inspire and empower budding entrepreneurs on TikTok.
Microsite
Our in-app microsite offered SMB resources and insights about the economic impact of the API community, while highlighting the background of the larger campaign.
Official Music
We partnered with Priya Ragu, a rising South-Asian musician, to leverage her track, “Chicken Lemon Rice” as the campaign theme song. Its distinct hooks, stimulating production, and infectious instrumentation made it the perfect track to sonically drive #SpotlightAPI.