In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Nielsen, a leading global provider of consumer information and insights, is releasing a series of video vignettes highlighting the consumer preferences of Asian Pacific Americans throughout May. The series, titled “The Conversation,” feature four Asian American millennials from various ethnicities who reflect on the ways in which their cultural backgrounds have shaped their watch, listen and buy behaviors. The series draws key insights from Nielsen’s ongoing research to better understand and serve Asian American consumers.

“Nielsen is proud to recognize Asian Americans and their unique culture, stories and perspectives,” said Betty Lo, vice president, Community Alliances & Consumer Engagement for Nielsen. “These videos highlight and underscore the growing influence of this burgeoning segment, and we hope it inspires Asian Americans to recognize their positive impact on the economy. We encourage our corporate clients and media partners to watch the videos, share them and further understand the opportunity that Asian Americans offer to grow their businesses and stay relevant.”

In “The Conversation” series, the interviewees speak candidly about their upbringings and consumer preferences as well as touch upon how corporate and media representations affect their household decisions. The four part series dives deeper into the following topics:

Consumer Spending

In this segment, the interviewees discuss how Asian American representation in advertising and media affects their perceptions of brands and programs, as well as what they buy.

Culture and Heritage

The interviewees touch upon how they embrace their ethnic backgrounds, and share stories about their families and purchasing behaviors.

Music

Asian Americans continue to be at the forefront of digital music consumption, and the on-screen talents talk about their preferences between American and home-country music. They also reflect on what technological tools they use to consume their music.

Online Activity

As an over-indexing segment when it comes to online engagement and social media, Nielsen asked the four interviewees about their favorite digital platforms, and how they leverage these technologies to stay in touch with their relationships, news and emerging trends.

To view the series, visit the Nielsen Knows YouTube page, or visit “Nielsen Community” on Facebook. To learn more about Nielsen’s insights on Asian American consumers, please visit www.nielsen.com/asians.

On Friday, May 1, Southern California Edison (SCE) celebrated its business and community partnerships in the Asian community at its 10th annual Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month Celebration at SCE’s Energy Education Center in Irwindale.

Ted Craver, chairman, president and CEO of Edison International, the parent company of SCE, spoke at the event, which brought together Asian businesses and community partners, recognized AAPIenergy-efficient champions and highlights SCE’s partners with its mission to give back to the communities it served.

This year’s award recipients were Foreign Exchange, RePET Inc., Asian Pacific Community Fund and Chinese American Construction Professionals.

Ted Nguyen, a national award-winning social media, public relations and marketing communications professional, was the keynote speaker. “Celebrating Business & Community Partnerships,” with a special focus on giving back, was this year’s theme.

“Our Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage event celebrates our cultural diversity and the achievements of Asian-American business and communities partners,” said Lisa Cagnolatti, vice president of SCE’s Business Customer Division and Customer Service Safety. “It’s also an opportunity for Southern California Edison to show our appreciation to the communities we serve.”

SCE’s Community Partnership Award went to the Asian Pacific Community Fund (APCF), which was focused on transforming lives and meeting the diverse needs of the AAPI community. To date, APCF has awarded $3 million to its affiliate agencies and other community organizations, enabling culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate services to enhance the lives of 225,000 people annually in 27 Asian and Pacific Islander languages, in addition to English and Spanish.

SCE’s Diverse Business Enterprise Award was given to the Chinese American Construction Professionals, which enhanced members’ competitiveness in local and global markets, facilitates professional and business networking opportunities and serves the community while nurturing the future of construction professionals.

Jestin Ma, a freshman at Stanford University, shared his experiences as a 2014 Edison Scholar and the recipient of a $40,000 scholarship. He is studying computer science and engineering and is a graduate of San Gabriel High School.

NBC4 Southern California reporter Hetty Chang served as emcee. A native of Southern California, Chang is an Emmy Award-nominated journalist who covers the Long Beach and South Bay communities.