IW Group’s social media campaign help change perception of Asian Americans amid pandemic

Asian Americans have been unfairly blamed for the spread of the novel coronavirus, and Asian American-owned marketing agency IW Group aimed to address this issue.

In just 10 days, an internal team at IW Group created, launched and implemented the initiative. The #WashTheHate campaign tapped Asian American celebrities, influencers and community leaders to share videos of themselves washing their hands for 20 seconds while sharing stories of the effect the pandemic has had on them.

Official social media accounts were created on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram YouTube and TikTok. These channels shared original content as well as user-generated content submitted by partners and supporters. They also served as channels where victims of abuse could share their stories and have them shared, with consent, anonymously, to increase awareness.