Undeniably Seen, Undeniably Heard is a groundbreaking project designed to celebrate the diverse voices and cultural tastemakers from the AAPI community. By rejecting the notion of being invisible and pursuing their true passion and purpose, these individuals are breaking through age-old model minority archetypes—including pressures to fly under the radar, assimilate without ruffling feathers, and excel via traditional pathways—that have been perpetuated in the media for decades. By highlighting the very places in Los Angeles where Phil Yoon experienced some of life’s most impactful moments, the impetus behind this project was to showcase the importance of unapologetically pursuing one’s truth—no matter how big or bold the journey—with help of the Cadillac LYRIQ. Our goal was to redefine what it means for first-generation AAPI audiences to drive their own destiny and live their American dream—and no one else’s.
Building beyond the catchphrase of ‘representation matters’, our team's goal was to address the issue of equity disparities through robust storytelling. Mirror Digital was committed to delivering the most authentic and effective story to our audience and we believe that our guiding principles allowed us to achieve this.
Identify key AAPI talent
We were intentional in identifying the most prolific, up-and-coming players in the AAPI content community. Visionaries, like Phil Yoon, a renowned photographer in the L.A. art scene, have an invested and engaged audience/fan base. His unique voice, commitment to his craft, and mission to amplify other rising artists resonated with audiences beyond his social media handles. The client was also impressed by Phil's coding ability, his expertise in leveraging web 3.0 technologies, and his ability to push the limits of digital design, which aligned nicely with Cadillac's innovative in-vehicle features.
Tap into AAPI writers & crew
We prioritized AAPI representation at every phase of execution. From strategy planning to pre-production and the onsite crew, we worked with team members with culturally relevant experience and a deep understanding of the subject matter. Most notably, our Asian American script writer, senior producer, and director/DP all worked closely with talent to ensure his first-person narratives were both authentic and accurate.
Striking A Balance -- Vehicle Integration + Production
With best in class Branded Content, we view brand partners and talent through a 50/50 lens; striking an equal creative balance for our client and audience. While the LYRIQ was a main character, Phil's story illuminated our content with universal truths of the human experience. Detailed storyboards successfully illustrated how we integrated the two- the vehicle and talent’s story. We purposefully selected features and visuals that humanized the vehicle's technology while showing its real world use and benefits. For example, when Phil says “push the limits of art, we see him plugging in at the charging station or for “life’s turns may come and go”, we see his hand swiping in a circular motion to adjust the ambient lighting.) The final result was a piece of content, in which all partners were undeniably seen.
Production Details
Leading up to the two-day shoot—which would span multiple locations in Los Angeles, CA—our team worked closely with the client and production crew to confirm details, including shot lists, talent prep, wardrobe, driving routes and comprehensive story coverage. The script and the locations were true to Phil’s “milestone moments”—a rooftop parking structure in downtown with an elusive view of the city skyline and an inaccessible lot just above Dodger stadium—we were required to think on our feet, and be as efficient and flexible/nimble as possible with talent and our surroundings. Whether it was replicating a charging station or shooting the final scenes with only minutes of natural light left (resulting in the most cinematic footage of the day), our tactical challenges were met with collective cohesiveness to get the job done.
Our team’s objective was to deliver a robust, customized media program that not only sparked brand consideration and positioned Cadillac within the AAPI community through culturally relevant storytelling, but we also defined success by the unwavering commitment to ensure our content reached and resonated with the right audiences. Our work with Phil Yoon further highlights how utilizing micro talent—and targeting across all placements within the Meta network—contributed to the success of the campaign.
Phil’s creative was the top performing placement through the duration of the campaign, delivering an overall 1.72% CTR (exceeding our industry benchmark of 1%) and 25.71% Engagement Rate (over 4x our industry benchmark of 6% for video creatives). From an organic standpoint, Phil’s post had a 7% Engagement Rate while typically we see organic engagement around an organic ER benchmark of 1%. The overwhelming number of social sentiments only further reflects the creative's cultural impact, with many users commenting on the inspiring nature of Phil’s work.
