A decision was taken and a journey initiated with nervous excitement in 1998 when I ventured
into the path of tapping the South Asian market with Western Union. A consultant with them
then and hiring a team of professionals now who act as solution providers to corporations, it
has been a memorable journey indeed. ASB Communications is now anyone's answer to a crisp
understanding and strategy for not only the South Asians but also the Asians, Middle Easterners
and Africans. What's more we do this for our clients not only in the US but also in
Canada and the UK.

I have been advocating the advantages of diverting marketing budgets for the benefit of the
South Asian community, since the time I myself have been delightfully surprised by the results
of having pursued this strategy. After all we all know the difference is made not in the strength
of population but the strength of the people's monetary capacity. Hence even though South
Asians come after Hispanics and Afro Americans as far as strength in population is concerned
we are indisputable leaders in buying power. It is advisable to market to the South Asians
instead of just the Indians - its just a little stretch but the effect often has even tripled
the impact!

Asian Indians have the highest median household income of $78,315 where the national average is $48,451. One out of 10
Asian Indians is a millionaire. Asian Indians contributed more than $89 billion to the US economy in 2002. So it is safe to
assume here that over the years they must have contributed much more than $100 billion. Out of 7,300 US companies
founded by immigrants, almost 26% were founded by Indian immigrants. (Compare that to the 7.1% contributed by UK,
6.9% contributed by China, or 5.8% contributed by Taiwan.) More than 60,000 doctors in the USA are South Asians. 45% of
the hotels in the US are owned and operated by this group. The data shared by me here is from 2001 to 2006. The South
Asian community is fortified with such numbers and astounding facts all through. These compelling features of the
community make it an enviable entity to forge with.

Yet I have come across an interesting counterpoint a number of times lately. There is a mammoth misnomer among the
Indian companies who have been trying to enter the US market regarding the Indian or even the South Asian community
here. They assume that the Indian market here has already been won over by the virtue of the company being a known
name in India. They are completely oblivious to the different segment of Indians that reside here. NRIs were recently
described to me by an Indian from a huge corporation in India as someone for whom the time has stood still since he/she
migrated. For whom decade old soaps are the only connection to India and the only way to connect to the world of fashion
back home! The businesses that cling to this school of thinking, market their product to the mainstream audience - totally
ignoring the Indian/South Asian community. This point of view did stand true a few years back when NRIs travelled to India
only once in 3-4 years as opposed to once or twice a year in the present times. They are completely in tune with the
developments in India, whether it is in the fields of corporatization, political scenario, social happenings or the latest in
fashion in India.

Numerous researches describe the South Asian as someone whose priority list goes something like this - Housing,
Education, Savings and Investment in luxury goods - in that order of importance. An absolute dream come true for the
marketer, whether he is marketing real estate, education, insurance, an entertainment product, cars or jewelry.
The world in its entirety has learned and understood the impact of the South Asians in the business world. Now it is time
that our fellow South Asians from the South Asian countries understand it as well. It is their fellow brothers here that will
give their business the impetus that they are looking for because we know them. It is us that will make you popular even in
the mainstream world because it is us that the mainstream audience will turn to for an opinion. I am extremely proud to
belong to this community, I am educated, I have taste that level with my society here, I am a working woman and most of
all I am an NRI. I also represent most of the working NRI women here and would love to take anyone on a guided tour of
this world instead of watching soaps at home. Let me know when you are game.

Neeta Bhasin, a Queens College graduate, is the President/CEO of ASB Communications
(www.asbcommunications.com), a full service multicultural communications agency dedicated to the ethnic
markets, especially the South Asian (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal) and Middle Eastern
markets, in North America. She hosts a live show on ITV, a New York/New Jersey channel dedicated to the
South Asian Diaspora. She can be reached at nbhasin@asbcommunications.com