Advertising Expert Places State Farm in Top Marketers in the U.S. Asian Market

Bill Imada, an expert on advertising in multicultural markets, ranked State Farm® No. 2 on a list of the top 10 marketers in the U.S. Asian market.

Imada posted the list inside a blog on the Web site for Advertising Age, the leading source of news, views and data for the advertising industry. The highly-respected Imada serves as chair and CEO of IW Group, a full-service communications firm specializing in U.S. multicultural markets.

State Farm outranked the other insurance and financial services companies on the list, including MetLife, New York Life, Wells Fargo and Western Union, according to adage.com.

While his list is “somewhat subjective and open to debate,” Imada said he relied on several factors for each corporation, such as its:

• Character as an employer and corporate citizen
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion
• Overall impact on the Asian-American communities it serves, both regionally and nationally

“In a market dominated by insurance companies, State Farm stands out as one of the most committed national marketers,” Imada wrote on adage.com. “Its senior directors, managers and agents are visible and positively engaged at every major Asian-American event…”

Charlene Sengsay, who founded the Employee Resource Group AsiaNET in the Texas Zone, said her group focuses in part on recruiting agents and employees who are Asian American and employee development.

“Asian Americans have a ton of buying power, which makes it important for State Farm to identify the appropriate marketing materials to market to such a vast culture group,” said Sengsay, an Assistant in Agency Sales Support. Members of the Texas AsiaNET ERG also occasionally provide translation services in Claims, agents’ offices and Corporate Marketing, she added.

State Farm partners with several Asian Pacific Islander American entities, and the recognition is not taken lightly, said David Wong, a Learning & Development Supervisor in the California Zone.

“Bill Imada is one of the most respected Asian Pacific American marketers on the West Coast,” Wong said. “His perceptions of the marketplace soon become reality to the many Asian Pacific Americans who fall under his circle of influence. His comments on State Farm are a tribute to the hard work of Leslie Moe-Kaiser and the work of our Public Affairs and Marketing departments."

“[State Farm’s] integrated marketing, public relations, advertising and corporate involvement places them at the top of the insurance category in the Asian-American market,” Imada wrote.