Children’s network offers online virtual world for Hispanic youth

Posted by Elena del Valle on September 16, 2008

Avatar Girl on Board

Photos, game: Sorpresa!

In August, ¡Sorpresa!, a children’s network and part of Juniper Content Corporation, began offering its audience Club Time Machine, one of the first in-language online, virtual world experiences in the United States focused on Hispanic youth. Juniper Content reached an agreement with vWorld Corporation Ltd., a Netherlands-based online entertainment company that developed and owns Club Time Machine. The agreement covers the United States and its territories and possessions, as well as the non-exclusive rights to the English version.  Scroll down to see a sample Club Time Machine game.

Club Time Machine is a 2.5D virtual world where kids create avatars to visit themed time periods to socialize, learn and play.  It is subscription-based with monthly fees of $5.95. A  six month package is available for $29.50 and a one year package sells for $56.50.

Avatar Boy on Board

“There are 23 million Hispanics online growing to 30 million over the next four years with one in four Hispanics under the age of 14,” said Stuart B. Rekant, Juniper Content chairman and chief executive officer of ¡Sorpresa!. “Online virtual worlds, the equivalent of social networking to kids and young teens, have received great acceptance in the general market. Virtual world participation is projected to grow 300 percent to 20 million users by 2011, and being a first mover in the Hispanic youth arena gives ¡Sorpresa! a distinct advantage as well as an additional source of revenue beyond affiliate fees and ad sales.”

Club Time Machine’s Parrot’s Revenge

In Club Time Machine, kids become Hoovers, avatars who travel between time periods on rocket-powered Hooverboards to play games, go on adventures, collect souvenirs, earn gold to buy energy for their rockets, and chat with other Hoovers. Visitors to the game website can play a sampling of Club Time Machine games, watch videos, download wallpaper, and print and color pictures to get a feel for the user experience.  From there, visitors can access the full Club Time Machine virtual world with a paid subscription.

Find out what multicultural kids across America think
Listen to Michele Valdovinos, SVP, Phoenix Multicultural in

“Marketing to Multicultural Kids” audio recording

Michele Valdovinos gives a presentation and participates in an extended Q&A discussion about multicultural children based on a Phoenix Multicultural and Nickelodeon study of 1,300 multicultural children in 16 United States markets.

Find out about

• The Phoenix Multicultural Kids Study
• Relationship between children and their context
• Issues relating to family, technology and media, diversity, buying power, relationships in household, self perception, values, acculturation, cultural heritage, frequency of media activity, income and spending, brand preferences, the American Dream
• How many billions of dollars buying power multicultural kids children have
• Children’s spending attitudes, habits by ethnicity
• How much money a year Hispanic kids have available to spend
• Types of products Hispanic kids buy

Click here for information on “Marketing to Multicultural Kids” audio recording

“¡Sorpresa! plans to utilize its strong online and on-air capabilities, developing strategic web partnerships and broadcast spots, to drive Club Time Machine subscribers,” said Alexander Reus, chief executive officer of vWorld Corporation. “As the first and only children’s television network and digital community dedicated to Hispanic youth, ¡Sorpresa! is the ideal partner to reach the more than five million Hispanic youth online.”

vWorld Corporation  is part of the SAM Holland group of companies, a mobile tech  group specializing in marketing solutions such as mobile applications, text chat, interactive television online entertainment, content distribution, gateway and payment solutions. Founded in 2002, SAM Holland Ltd. is a privately held firm with offices in The Netherlands, the United States and Peru.

Juniper Content is a media and entertainment company focused on branded content services in high growth markets operating across multiple distribution channels. The Company owns and operates ¡Sorpresa!, a Hispanic children’s television network and digital community.

“Moving Beyond Traditional Media Measurement: measuring conversations and social media” audio recording

Presenter Katie Delahaye Paine, founder, KDPaine & Partners

Find out about

• Issues affecting online public relationships today
• Testing relationships as part of a survey
• Measuring ethnic group relationships
• Measuring foreign language communications in a similar ways to English
• Biggest challenges measuring conversations and social media
• Measuring online relationships with little or no money

Click here for information on “Moving Beyond Traditional Media Measurement”

Listen to podcast interview with Isabel Valdes, author, Hispanic Customers for Life, about her book and marketing to Latinos

Posted by Elena del Valle on September 15, 2008

Isabel Valdes, author, Hispanic Customers for Life

Photo: Isabel Valdes

A podcast interview with M. Isabel Valdés, author of Hispanic Customers for Life: A Fresh Look at Acculturation is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, she discusses her book and marketing to Latinos with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.

For more than 25 years, Isabel has consulted with corporations, government and non-for-profits corporations in the U.S. and abroad. In 1987, she founded Hispanic Market Connections, Inc., a marketing research firm. Currently, she heads Isabel Valdés Consulting, IVC, and advises clients on How to transform HeartShares into MarketShares.

Click here to buy Hispanic Customers for Life

Isabel is a member of PepsiCo/Frito-Lay’s Latino Advisory Board and the Advisory Board of Scholastic, Lee y Serás, a Trustee of, National Council of la Raza (NCLR) in Washington D.C. and the Latino Community Foundation in San Francisco.

In 2001, she was selected Fortune Small Business. In March 2000, she was named as the 21st Century Star of Multicultural Research by American Demographics magazine. Hispanic Consumers for Life, published in early 2008, is her fourth book. Isabel, who received two graduate degrees from Stanford University, resides in San Francisco and is the proud mother of Gabriel Aranovich, MD, and Clara Aranovich.

To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR Isabel Valdes,” click on the play button below or download the MP3 file to your iPod or MP3 player to listen on the go, in your car or at home. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save it to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the September 2008 section of the podcast archive.

Publisher launches magazine for Spanish speaking Latino soccer fans

Posted by Elena del Valle on September 12, 2008

Récord Semanario de Fútbol September 9, 2008 cover

Photo: Maya Magazines

Hoping to build on its current hold on young Spanish dominant Latino men in the United States, Maya Magazines, Inc. launched Récord Semanario de Fútbol, a weekly magazine for soccer fans in Spanish, September 2, 2008. A new issue will be available every Tuesday. Maya publishes H Para Hombres and H Extremo, two magazines for men.

Notmusa, Maya’s parent company, staff will write and produce the new publication in Mexico. It is expected to average 80 pages with 70 percent editorial and 30 percent ad content.

“With over eight years providing the Hispanic market with magazines such as TVNotas, H Para Hombres and H Extremo, we realized there is a lack of a product that, every week, satisfies the Latin soccer fanatics’ thirst for information they need to stay up to date with their favorite Mexican and international teams,” said Ana Laura Rivaroli, general manager, Maya Magazines.

“Being the only Hispanic publisher that runs weekly (TVNotas) in combination with the experience of the editorial team in charge of the number one sports newspaper in Mexico, Record, creating a weekly magazine about soccer is the natural step to follow in order to position ourselves in this market.”

Target Latinos effectively by anticipating changes in the market with

“Hispanic Projections with 2007-08 update” audio recording

Presenter Roger Selbert, Ph.D.

Find out

• About Latino buying power growth in the future
• How Latino market growth compares with other markets in the U.S.
• What drives the rise of Latino economic clout
• Who should target the Latino market
• What is the size of the Hispanic affluent market
• If the luxury Latino market is growing

Stay ahead of your competition with “Hispanic Projections”

Articles will center on soccer features, interviews and notes about the life and style of the players of interest to Spanish dominant men 18 to 34 years old living in the United States. The editor is Alejandro Gomez.

Récord Semanario de Fútbol will be available at newsstands and by subscription. Initial production will be 50,000 copies with an expected reach of 200,000.

Notmusa has been in business for 51 years in Latin America. Other publications in its roster include Veintitantos, Ser Mama, and Notas Para Ti. In the United States, where it is represented by Miami Beach based Maya Magazines, its first publication was TVnotasUSA.

Business Development Analyst – Chicago, IL

Posted by Elena del Valle on September 11, 2008

Join the world leader in real estate services and money management – and a company recognized by Chicago magazine as one of the city’s best places to work!

Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL) is a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate. The firm offers integrated services delivered by expert teams worldwide to clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying or investing in real estate.   With 2007 global revenue of $2.7 billion, Jones Lang LaSalle has approximately 170 offices worldwide and operates in more than 700 cities in 60 countries.

 Click here for the full text of Business Development Analyst – Chicago, IL

Center for missing children offers information for Spanish speakers online

Posted by Elena del Valle on September 11, 2008

Ernie Allen, president and CEO, NCMEC

Photo: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

In an effort to reach Spanish dominant communities with a strong online presence, the NetSmartz Teens website NSTeens.org, an Internet safety resource of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) with funding support from Sprint, recently added Spanish language information to the site’s online materials.

Project leaders relied on research from the Pew Internet and American Life Project that indicates 76 percent of bilingual Latinos and 32 percent of Spanish-dominant Latinos use the Internet. The new Spanish translations are designed to reach this audience with online safety resources using Web comics, animated videos and activity cards.

The website, created by staff at NCMEC’s NetSmartz Workshop, was designed to educate tech oriented youth about the potential risks they may encounter online and the importance of following safe behavior on the Internet. Now in its second year, the program’s online resources pages target tweens (youth ages eight to 12), their parents, guardians and educators with information about cyberbullying and social networking.

“We know that talking about the potential risks our children face online can be difficult for everyone, but education is critical to all of our online safety efforts,” said Ernie Allen, president and chief executive officer, NCMEC. “No audience should be overlooked, and we are grateful to Sprint for sharing our commitment to reaching as many people as possible with tools they can use to make their families safer.”

To promote the Spanish language content the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is planning an online outreach campaign targeted at various websites and parenting publications with banner ads in Spanish directed at children and parents. Additionally, Sprint plans to reach out to local Hispanic Chambers of Commerce of which the company is a member requesting that the organizations notify their members about the availability of the Spanish language information.

Sprint committed $395,000 for the second year of its partnership with NCMEC. The funds are earmarked to enhance the project and develop new content. According to promotional materials, all existing content is available in Spanish in the En Español section of the website. Organizers also plan future content in the coming months in Spanish and English on some of the potential future consequences of online actions and the issues associated with online gaming.

Find out what multicultural kids across America think
Listen to Michele Valdovinos, SVP, Phoenix Multicultural in

“Marketing to Multicultural Kids” audio recording

Michele Valdovinos gives a presentation and participates in an extended Q&A discussion about multicultural children based on a Phoenix Multicultural and Nickelodeon study of 1,300 multicultural children in 16 United States markets.

Find out about

• The Phoenix Multicultural Kids Study
• Relationship between children and their context
• Issues relating to family, technology and media, diversity, buying power, relationships in household, self perception, values, acculturation, cultural heritage, frequency of media activity, income and spending, brand preferences, the American Dream
• How many billions of dollars buying power multicultural kids children have
• Children’s spending attitudes, habits by ethnicity
• How much money a year Hispanic kids have available to spend
• Types of products Hispanic kids buy

Click here for information on “Marketing to Multicultural Kids” audio recording

“We are so pleased to be continuing our partnership with NCMEC to fund NSTeens, particularly now that we’re able to bring these materials to an even wider audience,” said Debby Ballard, director of Community Relations for Sprint. “At Sprint, we’re committed to finding ways that we can all work together to provide the best opportunities for our children. The Internet is an important tool from which many youth can benefit but it’s also a tool that’s seeing an increasing number of dangers. NSTeens.org gives our children the information they need to start making smarter choices online and in the real word, in ways that are both fun and meaningful for them.”

NSTeens.org is part of Sprint’s 4NetSafetySM program which offers online safety information for children, especially tweens, as well as teachers, parents, guardians and other adults. Sprint Project Connect provides all 4NetSafety funding. Sprint Project Connect is Sprint’s phone recycling program which accepts wireless phones and accessories of any make and model, and from any carrier.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Since it was established by Congress in 1984, the organization’s toll-free 24-hour national missing children’s hotline has handled more than 2.3 million calls. It has assisted law enforcement in the recovery of more than 128,750 children. The organization’s CyberTipline has handled more than 600,000 reports of child sexual exploitation and its Child Victim Identification Program has reviewed and analyzed more than 14,750,000 child pornography images and videos.

Sprint Nextel offers wireless and wireline communications services to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel has two wireless networks serving nearly 52 million customers at the end of the second quarter 2008; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone.

Reach Hispanics online today with

“Marketing to Hispanics Online” audio recording

Identifying and characterizing the booming Hispanic online market

Joel Bary, Alex Carvallo and Matias Perel

Find out about

• The 16 million Latino online users
• Latino online users by gender
• What they do online
• Their language preferences
• How to reach Hispanic urban youth online
• What affects their online behavior
• What influences their purchases

Click here for information about “Marketing to Hispanics Online”

Hispanic Marketing 2.0: What enterprise-wide marketing needs

Posted by Elena del Valle on September 10, 2008

By Stephen Palacios, executive vice president, Cheskin Added Value

Stephen Palacios, executive vice president, Cheskin Added Value

Photo: Cheskin

Few would argue that traditionally, Hispanic or multicultural marketing has been given second-tier status in corporations. While business is now coming to terms with the growing size and influence of these segments, separate corporate departments and both internal and external infrastructures are still the norm.

However, current trends in marketing in response to the ever increasing fractionalization of the consumer market, mass customization and exploding media options should force us to question our current organizational structures. Businesses need to acknowledge that the segment expertise intrinsic to Hispanic and multicultural marketing is relevant on a much larger corporate scale.

Click here to read the complete article

Hispanic Marketing and Public Relations Understanding and Targeting America’s Largest Minority book

“A must resource for practitioners/professionals expecting to reach US Hispanics; also valuable for college programs in marketing, public relations and communications. Highly recommended.”

Choice magazine

Click here for information on the Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations books

Radio network targets Spanish speaking Latinas with new program

Posted by Elena del Valle on September 9, 2008

Martín Llorens, host, Hola Martín

Photo: Univision Radio

Hoping to tap the large Spanish dominant Latino market segment that listens to AM radio RadioCadena, earlier this year Univision’s national AM radio network, launched Hola Martín, a daily program. Although the program began airing June 2008 the announcement was only made recently. The hour long call in format program, hosted by Martín Llorens, features celebrity guests, experts and musical content. Kmart, the main sponsor of the show which airs Monday through Friday, is featured prominently.

“Hola Martín speaks directly to the needs and concerns of our demographic, young Hispanics who tune in to be both entertained and educated about topics not addressed on other Spanish-language talk radio programs,” said Gary Stone, president and chief operating officer, Univision Radio.

As part of a sponsorship package, the program will include Kmart brand spots and vignettes as well as two integrated segments that will highlight brands and products available at the national retailer.

Since the program launch celebrity guests have included Camilo Cruz, author, La Vaca; Sammy, a beauty industry entrepreneur; Karla Martinez, host on Despierta America and author of El Poder de la Sonrisa, and Maggie Jimenez, host of Que Sabor.

“Happy for No Reason” audio recording

Presenter Marci Shimoff, author, Happy for No Reason

What: An audio presentation by Marci Shimoff and Q&A with Marci Shimoff and HispanicMPR.com audio program host Elena del Valle about finding happiness.

Available exclusively on HispanicMPR.com!

More information on “Happy for No Reason” audio recording with Marci Shimoff

“RadioCadena’s Hola Martín offers marketers a powerful outlet for reaching Hispanics on-air, on-site and online,” said David Lawenda, president, advertising sales & marketing, Univision Communications Inc.Regular segments on the program include: Estilo (Style) about fashion and makeup trends as well as fashion and grooming dos and don’ts for men and women and practical tips to teach people how to dress for their body types; Salud (Healthy Habits) offering a healthy lifestyle tip-of-the-day; ¿Cómo lo Hacen? (How Do They Do It?) featuring interviews with Hispanic celebrities and experts on personal style and happiness; and Tarea (Homework) offering listeners tasks to try at home.

Llorens, fashion and image adviser on Despierta America (Wake Up America), Univision’s national morning show, is touted as a fashion and beauty expert with more than 14 years of experience. Originally from a small town in Spain, he came to the United States after completing his graduate degree in advertising and public relations at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. A Miami resident, he is developing his first book, Discover Your Style: Learn How to Dress for Your Body Type, scheduled for publication early in 2009.

Univision Communications Inc. operations include Univision Network, TeleFutura Network, Galavisión, Univision Radio, and Univision Online. Univision Communications has television network operations in Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States.

“Beyond the 30 Second Spot” audio recording

Listen to a 105-minute discussion

Panelists Ivan Cevallos, Hunter Heller, Kitty Kolding and Cynthia Nelson

Our panel of national experts discuss

• Challenges of measuring the impact of the 30-second ad spot
• Innovative tools are useful to reach Latinos
• Changes in marketing to Hispanics
• On which market segment are the changes most relevant
• Effects of technology and time shift on consumer behavior
• Role of multi-screens
• Getting started
• Tips for marketing professionals

Click here for information on Beyond the 30 Second Spot

Youth Power 2008

Posted by Elena del Valle on September 8, 2008

 Information provided by our Event Partner

Youth Power 2008
Creating Brand Impact and Connecting with the Youth Demographic
December 8-10, 2008
San Diego, CA
www.iqpc.com/us/youthpower

Youth Power is back, completely revitalized with a brand new speaker faculty, focus groups and case studies.  The event focuses on marketing to, building emotional connections with, and using creative, innovative media vehicles to reach the elusive Tween and Teen demographic.  Other topics include Social Media, WOM, Cause-Related, Multicultural and Ethnic Marketing.

Take advantage of the discount rate for HispanicMPR subscribers!

Senior Communications Manager – Gaithersburg, MD

Posted by Elena del Valle on September 8, 2008

Sodexo, Inc. is the leading integrated food and facilities management services company in the U.S., Canada and Mexico with $7.3 billion in annual revenue and 125,000 employees. Sodexo USA offers innovative outsourcing solutions in food service, housekeeping, groundskeeping, plant operations and maintenance, asset management and laundry services
to more than 6,000 corporations, health care, long-term care and retirement centers, schools, college campuses, military and remote sites in North America.

Click here for the full text of Senior Communications Manager – Gaithersburg, MD

Listen to podcast interview with Lucia Ballas Traynor, former SVP and GM, MTV Tr3ś

Posted by Elena del Valle on September 8, 2008

Lucia Ballas-Traynor, former senior vice president and general manager, MTV Tr3́s

Photo: MTV Tr3́s

A podcast interview with Lucia Ballas-Traynor, former senior vice president and general manager, MTV Tr3́s, is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, Lucia discusses MTV Tr3́s with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.

Prior to joining MTV Tr3́s, Lucia worked for IDT Corporation where was senior vice president of Hispanic Marketing and was responsible for formulating Hispanic marketing strategies for the company’s Telecom division. Lucia started her career in Hispanic television 18 years ago at Univision.

In 1989, she embarked on a new career path, working as advertising sales executive for Univision’s Más Magazine. In 1994, she joined Galavision as ad sales director and in 1999 was appointed general manager, assuming responsibility for all of the network’s operations.

“Best in Class Hispanic Strategies” audio recording

Presenters Carlos Santiago and Derene Allen

• Find out what makes 25 percent of the top 500 Hispanic market advertisers out perform the remaining companies

• Discover what questions to ask, steps to take to be a Best in Class company

Click here for more about “Best in Class Hispanic Strategies” audio recording

During Lucia’s tenure, Galavision’s distribution nearly doubled and the profile of the network’s audience grew amongst the coveted 18-34 year old demographic, making it one of the most popular Hispanic networks in the United States for teens and young adults. Under her leadership, the network pioneered original, U.S.-produced programming for the younger Hispanic demographic, which resulted in high ratings gains in those segments.

Born in Chile Lucia came to the U.S. with her parents in the mid 1970s. She and her husband Michael live in New Rochelle, New York with their two children, Carolina and Michael.

To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR Lucia Ballas-Traynor,” click on the play button below or download the MP3 file to your iPod or MP3 player to listen on the go, in your car or at home. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the September 2008 section of the podcast archive.