Posted by Elena del Valle on July 29, 2005
Los Angeles, CA–(HISPANIC PR WIRE – BUSINESS WIRE)–July 28, 2005–Fox Sports en Espanol, a leading Spanish-language all-sports cable network in the United States, announced the addition of "Jorge Ramos En Vivo!" to its Monday programming lineup, starting August 1, 2005 at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. The long-awaited return of veteran sports journalist Jorge Ramos to television, the live, two-hour interactive Spanish-language sports talk show from Miami will combine studio guests, viewer call-ins, emails and online chat, and offer Hispanic sports enthusiasts access to their favorite soccer leagues, teams and players. Each Monday the program, co-hosted by longtime sports radio personality Hernan Pereyra, will review the previous weekend’s top soccer games from around the world and preview upcoming matches, particularly from the Mexican league, the Copa Toyota Libertadores and the Copa Nissan Sudamericana. I
"It is with great pride that we welcome Jorge Ramos to the Fox Sports family," said David Sternberg, executive vice president and general manager of Fox Sports en Espanol. "Jorge represents the very best in sports journalism, and we are certain that his new weekly program will deliver the quality and excitement that our viewers have come to expect from our network." Ramos, known as "el relator de America" ("The Commentator of the Americas"), has broadcast more than 1,500 soccer matches in his illustrious career, including 500 Mexican League and 80 international games. Currently host of Univision Radio’s national program "Locura por el Futbol," Ramos has also covered four World Cups, the 2003 Women’s World Cup USA, two Copa Americas and one European Cup. Ramos has covered the Pan American Games, provided in-depth coverage of the 2000 Sydney Olympics and served as the Spanish-language voice of the Los Angeles Lakers. Earlier in his career, Ramos was a writer and editor for Chicago-based La Raza, one of the nation’s top Spanish-language newspapers. Fox Sports en Espanol is available through affiliated cable systems and through DIRECTV and Dish Network satellite providers.
Fox Sports en Espanol is distributed by Fox Cable Networks Group and operated by Fox Pan American Sports LLC, an international sports programming and production entity jointly owned by Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst and News Corporation’s (NYSE:NWS) Fox Sports International. Fox Sports en Espanol features more than 1,000 hours of live, exclusive sports programming in Spanish each year, including the Copa Toyota Libertadores, Copa Nissan Sudamericana and InterLiga soccer tournaments; the Major League Baseball playoffs, All-Star Game and World Series; and Championship boxing from Mexico and the U.S. The channel reaches more than 7 million cable and satellite households in the U.S. For more information, visit Fox Sports en Espanol online at fse.yahoo.com.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on July 28, 2005
Los Angeles-based bilingual youth network LATV will launch “LATV Does Hollywood,” its first program dedicated to the big screen August 5 at 8 p.m. An irreverent look at Hollywood movies from LATV’s point of view, “LATV Does Hollywwod” will showcase mainstream films and Latino cinema from a spanglish perspective.
The show will feature celebrity interviews (Sofia Vergara, Jessica Simpson, Matt Damon, Kate Hudson), behind the scenes footage, movie item giveaways, the chance to win tickets to film premieres, and a first-hand look at new films coming out of Latin America and Spain.
“LATV Does Hollywood” will bring Latino urban audiences a Latino market oriented scoop. For August, the show includes interviews with Jessica Simpson, Johnny Knoxville, Sofia Vergara, Matt Damon, Kate Hudson, Alias’ Mia Maestro. "LATV Does Hollywood" will feature mainstream films and promote Latino cinema.
LATV offers a mix of English and Spanish language music and lifestyle programming and is one of the leading networks among bicultural Latinos in Los Angeles, America’s top Hispanic market. The Network’s content is predominantly in English, targeting bilingual Latino youth. LATV has a live in-studio audience. LATV is the only network airing on basic cable in Los Angeles that reaches the highly sought-after bicultural demographic. LATV’s sponsors include Verizon, AT&T, McDonald’s, VW, and Target stores. Another popular LATV prime time program, “LATV Live,” recently won an Imagen Award for Best Television Variety Special.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on July 27, 2005
Sounds Eclectico Cover
KCRW, in conjunction with ADA/Warner- distributed Nacional Records, will release a Latin-themed live collection entitled ‘Sounds Eclectico,’ featuring platinum-selling artists and some of Latin music’s most popular acts. ‘Sounds Eclectico’ is a compilation of live recordings originally broadcast on ‘Morning Becomes Eclectic,’ the daily freeform music program hosted by Nic Harcourt at public radio station 89.9 fm KCRW in Santa Monica, California. Some of these recordings were re-broadcast on the weekly syndicated program ‘Sounds Eclectic’ distributed by Public Radio International. All of the performances were recorded live to two track digital audio tape and/ or pro tools sessions, and can be found archived in their entirety at KCRW.com.
Featuring artwork By Beck, the album is a definitive collection of live performances from many of Latin music’s biggest and critically acclaimed artists on a radio show, ‘Morning Becomes Eclectic.’ Morning Becomes Eclectic has been a rare outlet for Latin alternative artists in America, and Harcourt one of the genre’s most passionate champions. Among the artists whose live performances appear on the album are Julieta Venegas, Brazilian Girls, Manu Chao, Ozomatli, Café Tacuba, Kinky, Thievery Corporation, Aterciopelados, Sidestepper, and Plastilina Mosh.
Many of the participating acts received their first significant U.S. radio airplay on KCRW. Set for release on September 13th, ‘Sounds Eclectico’ was co-produced by Nic Harcourt and Tomas Cookman. Original artwork for the album’s cover was created by Beck. All of the participating artists on the album have donated the proceeds from their live performances to KCRW, with the funds directed toward the support of music progamming on the station.
Track listing:
Cafe Tacuba – La Muerte Chiquita
Julieta Venegas – Lo Que Pidas
Sidestepper – Deja
Juana Molina – Insensible
Jorge Drexler – El Pianista del Gueto de Varsovia
Thievery Corporation – Shadows of Ourselves
Plastilina Mosh – Baretta 89
Aterciopelados – Baracunatana
Los Amigos Invisibles – Gorditas de Mario
Manu Chao – Clandestino
Omara Portuondo – No Me Vayas a Enganar
Brazilian Girls – Homme
Los Lobos – Carabina 30-30
Ozomatli – Saturday Night
Kinky – Sol (Batucada)
El Gran Silencio – Sound System Municipal
Click here to buy their album
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 26, 2005
NOP World changed its name to GfK NOP’s Hispanic OmniTel. Hispanic OmniTel is a national telephone omnibus that provides information on the lifestyles, buying behavior and unique perspectives of Hispanic Americans.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 25, 2005
ORLANDO, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–July 21, 2005– A new event called RITMO!PALOOZA highlights the Florida’s Latin flavor. RITMO!PALOOZA is scheduled for September 1, 2005 in the heart of Walt Disney World as part of the BizBash Florida FunShops to be held at the WDW Swan and Dolphin Hotel, located at 1500 Epcot Resorts Boulevard, Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830.
Stimulating sight, sound and touch, RITMO!PALOOZA is designed to provide a fun and memorable Latin carnival atmosphere where the audience is invited to participate and become part of the total interactive Latin entertainment sensory experience. Features will include surround-sound, conga drum, timbales, Afro-Cuban Bata, djembes, maracas, dancing to Latin and American top 40 popular music, and Latin dance show production.
ENTRUS will partner with ConceptBait, Panache Party Rentals, and Ed DiAntonio, Director of Catering for the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel, to create RITMO!PALOOZA show.
"RITMO!PALOOZA is not specifically for a `Latin’ audience," said Bobby Ramirez, creator of the RITMO!PALOOZA entertainment concept. "It is for anyone from any culture to experience, share and enjoy as part of a community event, festival, wedding or corporate function; reaching across generations of young children, teens, whole family, adults and senior citizens." Details at http://www.ritmopalooza.com
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 22, 2005
St. Louis, MO—July 2005— Latin Pak joined forces with Que Pasa, Inc. to provide a web search engine offering both language preference and contents appealing to its’ Hispanic visitors. Latin-Pak’s new search engine allows visitors to search the web in the language of their preference: English or Spanish! Visitors can reach the search engine via www.latinpak.com or www.buscarlatinpak.com, new site launched June 2005!
The search engine will allow Latin-Pak to offer to clients’ advertising or banners linked to their home page on a paid per click basis (ppc).
Latin-Pak’s President & CEO, Vincent Andaloro explained, "After much investigation and research, we are proud to present a search engine which meets our high standards of being user friendly to Hispanic visitors while at the same time providing Latin-Pak clients’ another means of reaching and branding to Hispanics. It is another effective means of targeting the Hispanic consumer for our clients."
Latin-Pak, a ten-year old Hispanic Direct Marketing firm with offices in Los Angeles, California and headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, has worked with many top advertising agencies and Fortune 500 companies across the United States. For more than ten years Latin-Pak has been marketing to Hispanic homes nationwide, utilizing a combination of various direct delivery methodologies to effectively reach Latino consumers "in-home" through direct mail, door-to-door and Spanish Free Standing Insert Programs. For additional information call 800-625-4283 or visit LatinPak.com
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 20, 2005
Hispanic Retail 360 Conference & Expo
September 26-27, 2005
Wyndham Anatole Hotel
Dallas, Texas
The first conference and exposition aimed at helping retailers maximize their business with the growing Hispanic market in the U.S. will be held September 26-27, 2005 in Dallas, Texas While the Hispanic consumer market represents a significant growth opportunity for both retailers and suppliers, it is also one of the most complex markets for researchers, marketers, buyers, and sales professionals to understand. Hispanic Retail 360 is the only conference designed to help retailers target, segment, and execute merchandising and marketing plans effectively to Latino shoppers.
This first-of-its-kind event also features a product exposition showcase where suppliers will have the opportunity to display their latest and greatest offerings aimed at the Latino shopper. Visit exhibitors from top Consumer Product Goods and Services companies, such as ADVO, Anheuser-Busch, Ben Casa, Coca-Cola, Energizer, and Procter & Gamble.
Sessions will include:
· Proven Practices to Success in the Hispanic Market: Leveraging Your Retail Environment to Reach the Hispanic Consumer
Jim Perkins, President, ULATAM
· Vision 2020: Integrating Multicultural Merchandising & Marketing Into the Fundamental DNA of Your Organization
Rhonda Harper, Founder and CEO, RTM&J – Real Truth Marketing & Joy
· Bringing Consumer Understanding to Life at the Retail Level: The Implementation of Hispanic Consumer Programs at the Store Level
Santiago Blanco, Director, Hispanic Marketing, Coca-Cola
Information and registration at www.hispanicretail360.com or call 800.933.8735 / 770.291.5409
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 18, 2005
As of the 2000 Census, Latinos are America’s largest minority, representing even by conservative estimates 13-15 percent of the overall market. Although many Hispanics are Spanish dominant, a significant percentage of the Latino population is highly acculturated and English dominant or bilingual. This makes for a complex Hispanic media mix.
There are hundreds of U.S. based newspapers, magazines, television and radio programs and online websites targeting Hispanic consumers in the U.S. and beyond. In addition, because Latino consumers spend a high percentage of their disposable income on food, transportation, clothing and housing, an increasing number of communicators and marketers are beginning to focus their efforts on them.
Cultural Nuances
There are plenty of examples of Hispanic market campaigns. How can media training help you create a successful Hispanic market campaign? Many of you have heard of the infamous well-known airline that invited travelers to fly ‘naked’. In the same way, the slogan for pork as “the other white meat” which was successful in the general market was meaningless to U.S. Hispanics.
In an effort to promote their new business class leather seats, an airline invited passengers to fly “en cuero.” It was not until they had launched the campaign that airline executives realized “en cuero” means naked in colloquial Spanish. Oops!
Any public relations practitioner can attest to the challenges of setting up a meeting with an executive producer of a major television show. Years ago, I found myself in that position. At the time, I was working at one of the city’s premier teaching hospitals. Knowing how important meeting colleagues in person is among Latinos; I endeavored to always meet reporters, producers and editors at least once in person before we began a professional collaboration. For months, I tried to meet with one of the executive producers of a top rated Spanish language international TV show with a reputation for a choosy production staff.
Finally, he agreed to join me for lunch at a local restaurant on Thanksgiving Day. A meeting on Thanksgiving with a mainstream producer would have been unlikely. Because of hectic multi-location schedules, this producer was only able to spare time for lunch on Thanksgiving.
He was three hours late! Many communications professionals in my position, including my boss, would have left. I waited. My patience was rewarded. When he arrived, he was courteous and apologetic. I minimized the importance of his tardiness; after all, no self respecting polite Latino would leave a woman waiting by herself or stand her up, so it must have been unintentional. We had a productive meeting, which opened the doors of cooperation. From that moment on, the producer’s staff called me with confidence when they needed Spanish speaking health care experts. Thanks to the initial Thanksgiving Day meeting, over the years a number of the hospital’s experts and later my clients, were invited to the highly coveted show.
Media Training
Thorough media training provides the spokesperson with an understanding of how and why media interviews can be worth their time; describes basic media types; outlines possible interview formats; and conveys the importance of matching the messenger, the medium and the target audience using a well designed and culturally sensitive message.
It is important to explain how producers, reporters, editors and other media representatives behave and what they expect from a spokesperson. Once experts understand their role in a media interview, they are better able to decide if a particular media opportunity is appropriate for them; or if they are willing to dedicate the time to it. This is especially relevant when the spokesperson’s time is particularly valuable.
High profile spokespersons are accustomed to special treatment. Though media representatives may address them as experts during an interview, they usually treat them like regular guests when they arrive at a TV or radio station. If the interview relates to a sensitive issue, the experts may find themselves in a defensive position; or they may have to dedicate more of their time than they anticipated to the interview process. Public relations practitioners should explain to their clients what is expected of them; and what they should expect during the interview process.
Another way to make the spokesperson aware of what to expect is to examine media types including online, broadcast, and print media. Describing interview formats (e.g. news, entertainment, and talk-show) and their characteristics expands the expert’s understanding and equips him or her to respond appropriately to the situation.
What makes Hispanic media training different you ask? In some cases, everything. How can Hispanic media training support your efforts to create a successful Hispanic market campaign? By understanding the unique aspects of language, culture and economic issues of this valuable target market, your Hispanic market spokesperson will be more effective and your campaign will be more successful.
Beyond Language
Hispanic media is about much more than just language. Some Latino programs and publications are in English or bilingual. Even though some of the programs may be in English, successful interactions with Hispanic media require an understanding of and sensitivity to the Latino audience they reach.
Understanding the media outlet is a first step. Knowing how to deal with and approach the producers and reporters is another. Even if you are successful so far, the message and the messenger have to fit the audience and the medium. That was the case with the pork example earlier. Before launching a translation of the English language campaign, the pork association representatives learned that Latinos were concerned about health related issues; they had no objections to dark meat.
Because in their countries of origin eating pork that was not fully cooked was dangerous and unhealthy, many Latinos were hesitant to cook pork at home. “The other white meat” slogan was irrelevant to Latino women. To reach the Hispanic community effectively, in whatever language, the campaign would have to address Latinos’ pork related health concerns.
To be effective and avoid frustrating and costly mistakes, smart public relations professionals and interviewees do their homework before addressing the public. There are often cultural, political, socio-demographic, historical, and linguistic issues worth considering. In the same way, Hispanic media training must take into account cultural and linguistic nuances to be effective.
What does that mean in practical terms? Different experts, media outlets and target audience combinations require different approaches. There are eight main possible scenarios, including one discussed here, the Cultural Sensitivity Model. These vary depending on three basic factors; person being interviewed; media where they will be interviewed; and the target audience.
It is important to know as much as possible about the target audience. Mainstream viewers might consider an interviewee dressed in solid black stylish. Older Latinos may perceive the person wearing that attire to be in mourning or luto. Younger bicultural and bilingual Latinos may have a different perspective. The speaker’s demeanor can also affect the public’s perception. For example, when addressing a mainstream audience with a mainstream message, a speaker would do well to keep use of his or her hands to a minimum. At the same time, facial expressions and emotions should be discreet. Latinos might perceive someone who behaves this way as cold and unfeeling.
Under the Hispanic media training Cultural Sensitivity Model a non-Latino expert must be aware of cultural issues to ensure a successful interview, from a Hispanic market perspective, during a general market media opportunity. A non-Hispanic expert addressing a general audience with a general message can end up on the wrong side of an issue without meaning to, if he or she is insensitive to Latino hot buttons. Such was the case of a magazine columnist who responded to a reader’s letter in a way Latino readers found offensive. Though she was non-Hispanic, writing in a non-Hispanic magazine to a general market audience, there were Latino readers in her audience who found her comments insulting. Because of her remarks, several Latino leaders called for a boycott of the magazine, which in the end lost credibility and Hispanic readers.
Think Global, Act Local
Each interview requires an understanding of the particular characteristics of the audience. As the diversification of America continues, it becomes increasingly difficult to create one message to reach everyone effectively. Among U.S. Latinos, this diversification is also a factor. The challenge is that because the market is made up of a number of small groups rather than one single Latino group, there is no one approach or cookie cutter formula. An identical approach could have opposite effects in two different Latino groups. For example, a speaker reaching out to New York Latinos would not necessarily use the same language, media outlet or message as a speaker addressing Los Angeles, El Paso, Chicago or Miami Hispanics. When in doubt, consult a Latino market expert, preferably one specializing in Hispanic media training.
No single media training, regardless of the language, can address all potential situations and solve all possible problems. It can convey some of the critical issues and challenges to the spokesperson making them more effective and sensitive to Hispanic market nuances. It can help them avoid the pitfalls of cultural misunderstandings and improve the chances of success of your Hispanic market campaign.
Elena is a 20-year marketing and communications veteran specializing in Hispanic media training, health care and Hispanic markets. She has provided media training in English and Spanish to hundreds of professionals, including executive, physicians, medical staff and health care executives in the public and private sectors in the U.S. and Latin America. Part of this article is derived from the Hispanic media training chapter in the upcoming Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations (Poyeen Publishing $49.95).
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Posted by Elena del Valle on July 15, 2005
The Coming Age of Native-Born Latinos
Hispanic Americans are not just the largest ethnic group in the United States they may well be the most dynamic, vital force shaping America¹s future. So write the editors of Hispanic Trends magazine (March/April 2005).
Exerting an ever-increasing influence on American media, music, fashion and cuisine, Hispanics are themselves in flux, retaining much of their cultural heritage as they adopt American habits and mores. The key to Hispanic American influence might well lie not in the constant stream of immigration, but in the coming of age of the second and third generations that will swell the ranks of US Latinos in coming decades. Young, US-born and educated, and primarily English speakers, Hispanics are poised to bring about the next American cultural and social revolution.
Younger than other population groups and rapidly gaining economic and political clout, Hispanic Americans are a vibrant mix of immigrants and families encompassing several US-born generations; the second-largest group in the US labor force, after non-Hispanic whites; evidencing an entrepreneurial bent that is helping to fuel US economic growth; and projected to account for 46% of total US population growth over the next two decades. Consider the following statistics, drawn from various sources:
As of March 2004, US Hispanics numbered 40.4 million (14% of the total US population). That number is expected to reach 47.7 million by 2010, and 60.4 million by 2020. Average Hispanic family size is 3.87 people; the national average for all families is 3.19.
Hispanic economic clout is growing at an annual compound rate of 8.2%, nearly twice the 4.9% rate for non-Hispanics, and is projected to reach $1 trillion annually by 2010.
In 2004, 31% of all US Hispanic households nearly a third had incomes over $50,000.
Hispanics made up 4% of the 7.7 million US business owners with paid employees in the 2002 Economic Census. Self-employment by Latinos grew 41% between 2000 and 2003 (while overall self-employment grew 6.2%). The number of Latina-owned businesses surged 62.4% for the seven years ending in 2004 (vs. 9% for all businesses).
Of the 3.4 million immigrants aged 25 or older who arrived in the US from 2000 to 2004, 34.3% had a bachelor¹s degree or higher, compared with 32.5% in the 1990s. Of foreign-born Hispanics in that category, 13% had college degrees, compared with 9% in the 1990s.
According to the US Census Bureau, 49.7% of US Hispanics are homeowners, up from 47.3% a year ago. (The homeownership rate for non-Hispanic whites increased from 75.5% to 76% over the same period.)
Reaching the Hispanic Market in English or Spanish: The Debate Continues
We¹ve been writing about this debate for years, because it has been evident for years that the numbers of bilingual, English-dominant, and even English-only Hispanics would continue to grow rapidly, especially among younger and US-born Hispanics. According to Global Insight, by 2025 nearly one-third of Hispanic households will not speak Spanish at all, and only 15% will speak Spanish exclusively (down from 21% today). In the same time frame, the total Hispanic population is expected to grow to 70 million.
The increasing English-speaking and bilingual Hispanic population is already reflected in the changing media landscape. When watching television, Hispanics spend about 65% of their time with English-language TV, according to Nielsen Media Research. Among Hispanic kids and teens, the figure is about 75%. Thus, advertising campaigns geared to bilingual Hispanics commercials that use both languages, running in both Spanish and English media outlets are becoming more prevalent.
According to Kevin Downey, writing in Marketing Y Medios (February 2005), total ad spending directed at the Hispanic market is projected to grow 38% by 2008, from $3.3 billion last year to $4.6 billion. Of that amount, perhaps as much as 10% will be used to reach English-speaking and bilingual Hispanics. Hispanic and general-market agencies will be vying to cope with these developments.
With that in mind, a group of Latino marketing professionals has founded the New Generation Latino Consortium, whose mission is to educate the business world about the critical role this hot demographic will be playing in media, marketing and entertainment. Primarily comprised of U.S.-born Latinos, New Generation Latinos are 12-to-34-year-olds who are English-dominant or bilingual, lead largely bicultural lives, and predominantly consume English-language media. According to David Chitel of LatCom, these early-adoptive, trend-setting, more educated Latinos are an upwardly mobile US Hispanic segment whose spending power has been estimated at $400 billion. They are evidence that the US Hispanic market is both growing and evolving.
The New Hispanic Market
We have written many times over the years about the size, growth and importance of the Hispanic market ($1 trillion by 2010), and the significance of the Hispanic youth market as a bellwether, leading-edge group. In issue #945 (September 2002), we reported on several sources of research that suggested a trend toward English preference among a large majority of US Hispanic youth in terms of media usage (TV, radio, print media, film and Internet). That trend appears to be accelerating.
According to a recent study conducted by researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY), English remains the language of choice among the children and grandchildren of Hispanic immigrants, despite continuing waves of migration from Latin America. In contrast to concerns from some analysts that English may be losing ground to Spanish in some parts of the United States, the study finds the majority of Hispanic Americans moving steadily toward English monolingualism. Among third-generation Hispanics, the fastest-growing segment of the US Latino population, 72% speak English exclusively.
Further, the study finds that this trend has generally continued among Mexican-Americans, the country¹s largest immigrant group, even during the immigration boom of the 1990s. Even for Hispanics in Los Angeles, a magnet for immigration from Latin America, the pattern of language shifts across generations remains similar to those among Hispanics nationally. The report suggests that many other researchers and analysts have underestimated the pressures of assimilation, and are missing its contemporary signs.
Who We Are, What We Are Becoming
For example, Samuel Huntington, a professor of political science at Harvard, touched off a furor last year by warning in his book, Who Are We: The Challenges to America¹s National Identity, that continuing high levels of Hispanic immigration might ³eventually change America into a country of two languages, two cultures and two peoples.² He is quoted in the International Herald Tribune as saying that the SUNY study reflects the experience of current third-generation Hispanics, but does little to predict the experience of future third-generations.
Richard Alba, director of the SUNY study, counters that available statistics do not suggest a substantive change in historical patterns. His view is echoed by Ruben Rumbaut of the University of California, co-director of the largest multiyear survey of children of immigrants, whose findings show that continued bilingualism among Hispanics does not occur at the expense of English. Even among Mexican-born young people who came to the US as young children and are living on the border, the UC survey finds, English is still overwhelmingly preferred.
What¹s behind this English preference trend? Although not generally understood or appreciated, Hispanic immigration to the US, as well as the share of the US Hispanic population that is foreign-born, both peaked years ago. Migration to the US will decrease even further after 2010, according to University of California professor Philip Martin, due to a drop in Mexico¹s birthrate. Hence, the explosive growth of the US Hispanic population in the coming decades will be fueled more by natural increase (native births) than by immigration. This will speed the processes of assimilation, acculturation and English-proficiency.
Spanish is certainly not going to fade away in the regions of the country that serve as gateways to new immigrants. The sheer size and continuous nature of Hispanic immigration, the proximity of Latin America to the US, and the availability of Spanish options in media, business and government services guarantee the continued proliferation of Spanish usage in the US. But it¹s not what the kids are doing: young Hispanics may be very proud of their heritage, but English is the language of that powerful machine known as American culture.
According to the Latino Intelligence Report, a national survey of Hispanic teens conducted by a division of Creative Artists Agency, Hispanic teens watch more television than their general-market counterparts and cite MTV, Fox and Comedy Central as their favorite TV networks. While only 8% of those surveyed said they speak Spanish better than English or Spanish only, 48% said they speak English and Spanish equally well. Interestingly, however, only 20% of those responding to telephone interviews volunteered to take the survey in Spanish. In other words, Hispanic teens overreport their Spanish-speaking ability.
Growth Strategies Implications
Note well: while assimilation and acculturation to the mainstream is still the paradigm of ethnic minorities in the US, what is different and unique about Hispanics is how much they have changed, and are changing, the mainstream in the process. Every facet of American culture, every aspect of American society, now includes and is transformed by Hispanic influences, and young Hispanics are driving the trend (a very current example would be Spanglish rap songs).
Juan Faura, president of Hispanic advertising agency Cultura, agrees that Hispanic culture has evolved into an integral part of the overall pop-culture fabric in the US. He writes in Marketing Y Medios that he has come to realize, after many years in the industry, that the Hispanic market is not so much a mix of two cultures as an emerging third culture:
This third culture is unique to its time in history. It is a culture rich in tradition and pride, but defined by its own values, values forged over generations in this country. It is defined more by the expectations of the future than the memories of the past.
Andrew Erlich of Erlich Transcultural Consultants agrees, writing that bicultural youth are individuating and creating their own new culture, which they express and experience in just about all aspects of their daily lives. Appreciating the experience of bilingual youth, he concludes, will give marketers a window to understanding the Latino market and a key to designing successful strategies for today and tomorrow.
Dr. Roger Selbert is one of the best-known and most respected trend experts in the United States. He is a principal of The Growth Strategies Group, editor and publisher of Growth Strategies, and a senior fellow at the La Jolla Institute. As a business futurist, his 20-year track record of economic, social and demographic foresight is unequalled. He is a contributing author of the upcoming Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations (Poyeen Publishing $49.95).
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 13, 2005
An Arbitron study resulting in an outline titled "How Hispanics Use Radio in Their Car" conducted in July 2003 among 125 Hispanis out of a total of 1505 respondents provides insights into the radio listening habits of Latinos in the U.S.
It provides results on topics such as Hispanics listening habits, their like for satellite radio, age demographics of Hispanic radio listeners, Latinos’ preference for radio over other alternatives, impact of billboards on their listening habits, their propensity to display bumper stickers and leave preset stations untouched and more. Details
