First there was Generation X; then there was Generation Y. Now there's the 1.5 Generation - a unique group within the ethnic community. In the Asian American segment of the country's fast-growing multicultural population, the 1.5 Generation is considered by Asia Link Consulting Group, a leading research firm specializing in multicultural markets, as the 'forgotten' generation that deserves attention. The 1.5 generation straddles both the Immigrant Generation born outside the U.S. (usually called the First Generation) and those who are U.S. born, called second, third and fourth generation, etc. The 1.5 Generation are those who immigrated to the U.S. as children under age 18: they were brought by their parents who came to the U.S. by choice. Understanding this key sub-segment of the Asian community is essential to understanding the complex and distinct psychographic and behavioral differences of the various generations of Asian Americans, says Wanla Cheng, President.

For marketers, understanding and tapping into the Asian American market is becoming an important component of a successful marketing campaign. The country's 10 million Asian Americans, with a purchasing power of $101 billion, have the fastest population growth and highest average household income and level of education of any group in the U.S., making this group an integral community within American society.

The 1.5 Generation, tucked between the Immigrant and U.S. born Asian populations, are a more complex group for marketers to understand and target because their level of acculturation and assimilation depends, to some extent, on when they arrived in the U.S. and the environment in which they were raised.

Some 1.5 Asians are highly assimilated and take on the characteristics of the second, third, fourth generation Asians ‹ they think and behave like "regular" Americans. They speak American English sans accent, their cultural preferences reflect those of mainstream culture, and they consume what mainstream consumers do. However, many 1.5 Asians think and behave like Immigrant Asians. "They also may speak English without an accent, but when you delve deeper, in some ways they are even more 'Asian' than the immigrants because they want to preserve their native traditions and cultures in their lives in every way possible," revealed Cheng. "Immigrant Asians are sometimes impatient to acculturate, and therefore exhibit a behavioral dichotomy in terms of hanging on to the ways of the homeland while trying to absorb American ways. On the other hand, the 1.5 Asians have a different psychology: they have grown up in America, and are consciously trying to 'backtrack' and hang on to native ways because they see them as an integral part of their identity."

Savvy and progressive marketers who aim to reach Asian Americans no longer view this market as monolithic and relatively homogeneous, but recognize the diversity of races and various sub-segments which have their own distinct languages and cultures.

For more information, please contact Lisa Skriloff, 212-242-3351, infobrokr1@aol.com.