In April, Chinese fast food chain, Panda Express, and US indie agency, Opinionated, set off on a wonderful journey that played with two fierce Asian customs – the protective role of Aunties and expressing love and care through food.

The campaign launched in the US around Lunar New Year with a hilarious two-minute film, The Invitation, in which a woman’s Aunties grill her new boyfriend.

Then on April 24, just ahead of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, a new group of Aunties picked up mics and invited everyone to come together, share a meal and feel right at home – absurdly, though the beloved Asian American pastime of karaoke, and with amusing content snippets spread across TikTok, Snapchat and Meta.

Now the fab fun continues, this time with a quirky take on an action drama film.

The new work, Action Aunties, was directed by MJZ’s Pretorian Brothers and is running across TV, social and online video.

“Aunties on a mission to feed people are truly unstoppable…This new chapter shows our aunties with more energy, heart and humour than ever, because the best comfort food is made with the fiercest love. That’s the feeling we want every guest to experience here at Panda,” stated Panda Express VP integrated marketing communications, Fabiola Del Rio.