Competition makes the world go 'round, so how does one go about standing out in the crowd? Be unique, find a niche, and market the hell out of it. Take Mika Tan. Possibly the only Polynesian wahine with her own e-porn Website (www.mikatan.com), she is a case study of Webmasters using ethnic personas to brand and niche-market sites.
"My family's originally from Hawaii; I was born on Oahu," Tan says. "Mom's Okinawan/Taiwanese, dad's Japanese/ Samoan. Since dad was in the Navy, we traveled across the Pacific. I lived in San Diego, Hawaii, and Guam. I was raised as a 'local girl.'"
In addition to Asian and Polynesian lineage, Tan's family also has a show biz and adult background. "I have five aunts and cousins who model, and three successful, signed, musical cousins," Tan says. "My grandmother was a hula dancer and singer; as a single mom, she ran three 'full-service' massage parlors. When I was six, she asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I told her a paleontologist by day, but a stripper at night, so I could go on digs and have money.
"Funny how things work out," Tan adds. "I actually did pursue science, but as research associates working under 'un-hyped' grants make diddley-squat, I did end up trying to strip to make fast money. I was pretty horrible at strip dancing. At the same time, I worked as a figure model for some art classes, which led to amateur photography groups. A typical pornographer claiming to be a scout for Playboy - as usual - got me to do a video interview, stripping down, and getting me to open my legs. From there, I got introduced to my agent and the rest is history."
Tan and the pornsters she worked with quickly capitalized on the now-23-year-old's "exotic" niche. Starting with photo and video shoots, Tan's path in 1999 inevitably led to cybersex. "I started out my Internet career on HollywoodAsians.com and Geishahouse.com," Tan says. Her Chinese/Okinawan/Japanese lineage helps the voluptuous, brown-skinned Tan appeal to surfers with a yen for the "mysterious East."
"I think the stereotypical Japanese [model] online is an innocent student or business professional, who becomes an insatiable ferocious nymphomaniacal carnivore once the bedroom doors are closed," says Tan. "The depiction of prim and proper women doing nasty and naughty things has such great appeal to Japanese porn lovers. I do believe Asian women have an awareness of sexuality that is either inhibited or taboo in our Western counterparts. We tend to be accommodating, regardless of how outrageous the act. I think a lot of our mystique comes from our exotic looks and wild stories brought back from servicemen who visited Asian ports. I cannot tell you how many guys ask for confirmation on stories of our sexual prowess - i.e., they heard from their cousin/brother/uncle about Asian pussy being able to suck cock while fucking.
"The answer is yes, by the way," Tan verifies.
Geishahouse.com is a membership site that initially featured a faux "Oriental" abode decorated with Japanese accoutrements and "geishas" (glimpsed via 24/7 voyeur cams) performing various activities, from preparing sushi au naturel to topless pool swimming to showering, as well as live nude chat. Tan was the first "mamasan" of the geishas, depicted by Asian and Asian-American women who lived in a wired home originally located in L.A. Geishahouse has relocated to an actual location in Asia. Tan says she currently works in sales and marketing for the new Geishahouse and the Directsex feeds.
Like many performers, Tan has parlayed her adult industry recognition into her own site. "MikaTan.com started out as just a portfolio to show photographers my photos," Tan says. "I figured everyone else is making money off my pictures, so I might as well, too. I e-sell videos I've been in and those of fellow models appearing on my site. Members get discounted prices, and can purchase clothing and photo sets. There's live video chat of myself and six other models, 24-hour voyeur cams, as well as exclusive video recordings of pantyhose shows. Sometimes I will throw in a pussy cigar-smoking show just for the heck of it. I try to provide what visitors want to see," she says.
As she's multiracial, Tan can work all sides of the ethnic street. Her Samoan ancestry and tawny, full-figured looks attract users from North America, Europe, Asia, and developed Pacific Islands who fantasize about Polynesians. "There are not many Polynesians online, other than the traditional topless pics on the beach," Tan points out. "The typical Samoan is definitely not showing off her clam on the Net. She's most likely a good girl, with lots of kids, married to a bouncer/footballer/wrestler," she jokes.
However, Tan espouses the happy-go-lucky view of sex often associated with Islanders. "Consensual sex between adults isn't bad; everyone needs it," she proclaims. "Sexuality is nothing to be ashamed of. You should do what you want as long as you don't hurt anybody."
Multi-culti Tan has advice for e-porners regarding ethnic personas as niche markets. "Stereotypes are hurtful - unless you're marketing on the Internet!" Tan laughs.
"Consumers looking for sex content online will find it everywhere. Webmasters need to either spend a crapload of money on mass advertising or create a niche market for themselves to be successful. Ethnic personas are extremely important to get the surfers to stop for a visit. Users are flooded with hundreds of images every time they browse adult sites. If one has an ethnic niche site and you do not optimize the fraction of a second you have to attract your browsing surfer with an aesthetic representation of your niche, then you're lost."
