Posted by Elena del Valle on October 30, 2009
Think Like a Marketer book cover
Lauron Sonnier, a Houston, Texas based marketing advisor, believes a company can have a strategic advantage in business by thinking, and acting on, marketing thoughts. To make her point she wrote Think Like a Marketer What It Really Takes to Stand Out From the Crowd, the Clutter and the Competition (Career Press, $15.99).
She wrote the book to demystify marketing, she says in the introduction. She hopes to help business executives and owners act with “a level head and fresh perspective” on marketing opportunities that are within easy reach. In her mind, it is essential to understand and think like marketers in order to take advantage of everyday marketing opportunities that are otherwise passing readers by without notice.
The 223-page softcover book is divided into twenty one chapters and six parts: Getting Into a Marketing Mindset; Stir the Pot; Standing Out from the Crowd, the Clutter and the Competition; Establish the Systems That Make Marketing Happen; Talk Like a Marketer; and Keep Marketing in Motion.
Sonnier is president of Sonnier Marketing and Communications, Inc. and has 20 years of marketing experience. In the past, she has worked in television, public relations, and advertising. The Louisiana native is also a public speaker and trainer.
Click here to buy Think Like a Marketer
Posted by Elena del Valle on October 12, 2009
Three Olives Vodka Grape print ad
Video: 5W Public Relations
Earlier this year, Proximo, a spirits importer, launched a new, multi-million dollar television comic advertising campaign for Three Olives Vodka, the brand’s first broadcast outreach. Parallel efforts in print and an online contest will support the What’s Your O-Face? Campaign and its 10 new 30-second television spots. The idea behind the campaign is to emphasize that drinking their vodka is fun and promote the flavors of the company’s vodka line. Scroll down to watch Three Olives Vodka ads.
“The development of our new campaign was driven by research that produced two key findings: first, that consumers felt the fun had been taken out of vodka with virtually all brands scrambling for the same crowded, so-called ‘luxury’ positioning,” said Elwyn Gladstone, vice president of Marketing at Proximo.
“Secondly, the Three-O flavor range has become the benchmark amongst flavored vodkas for its wild, surprising and intense taste experience. These findings are reflected in the hilarious imagery of the new campaign, featuring a series of situations that one would expect to garner a look of shock, but instead are met with a stoic impression. That is, until the subject tastes shockingly delicious Three-O Vodka.”
Three Olives Vodka Root Beer print ad
The $10 million television campaign, created by Agent16, formerly Mezzina Brown & Partners, a New York-based advertising agency, was launched August 31 on cable channels BRAVO and E! Plans were in the works for buys of interactive, expandable rich media on TMZ and Perez Hilton to showcase the complete collection of TV spots, as well as continuing the print campaign in national magazines, including Maxim and US Weekly.
Imported from England Three Olives Vodka is handcrafted in small batches and made from English wheat after quadruple distilling and quadruple filtration. It’s available in 17 flavors including Cherry, Grape, Passion Fruit, Pomegranate, Chocolate, Mango, Root Beer, Tomato, and Triple Shot Espresso, and Bubble, the newest flavor. It sells for $19.99 and up for a 750 milliliter bottle.
Proximo, a family owned company based in New York City, also sells 1800 Tequila, Gran Centenario Tequila, Maestro Dobel Diamond Reposado Tequila, and Ron Matusalem rum.
Posted by Elena del Valle on September 30, 2009
By Bilal Hussain
Journalist and writer
Bilal Hussain, journalist
Photo: Bilal Hussain
Of the many benefits of homeownership tax reimbursement is the most significant one. Unlike other ethnic groups, Latinos are being deprived of this advantage. Among many other disparities that group bears many Latino homeowners don’t receive the full benefit of mortgage interest tax deductions. To add to the disadvantage, in some cases they aren’t even eligible for tax credits.
The interest tax deduction was introduced along with the income tax in 1913, and the mortgage interest tax deduction has since become the favorite tax deduction for millions of U.S. homeowners.
According to the Internal Revenue Service United States Department of Treasury publication 936 (2008) Home Mortgage Interest Deduction, an individual has to fulfill certain conditions to qualify for home mortgage interest deductions.
Click here to read the complete article Latino homeowners shorn of mortgage interest tax deductions
Posted by Elena del Valle on September 30, 2009
Mi Altos website
Photos: MiAltos.com
In October 2007 Juan Carlos Perez Jr. launched MiAltos.com, a website for fans of Jalisco, Mexico, their families and friends. His website is noteworthy because it is based in Ontario, California and 90 percent of his 4,116 registered members (as of September 2009) and 29,480 monthly visitors are in the United States.
Juan Carlos Perez, Jr., owner, MiAltos.com
“Our goal is to reconnect friends and families that have been distanced due to emigration to the United States. Members are able to share and reconnect their lives by sharing pictures, posting blogs, and actively participating in meaningful discussions, said Perez Jr. “MiAltos has been a great success because it caters to a very focused group of people and is able to provide them with content they cannot find anywhere else.
Many of our members had never owned or used a computer before they joined MiAltos. The allure of the site has engaged these members into learning how to utilize computers and the internet, and they have now become regular contributors to the site. Ultimately the members have been the foundation for our success, and we greatly appreciate them.”
Perez Jr. believes the average user is between 18-34 years old and visitors aged 35-49 are also growing quickly. There are slightly more women than men and the typical users are members of middle class working families earning up to $30,000 per year. The largest concentration of users reside in California, Illinois, Iowa, and Texas. There is also measurable usage from Mexico and Spain.
He promotes the site primarily through word of mouth referrals. According to his findings, over 60 percent of the portal’s members found the site that way. The rest relied on organic search engine results, primarily Google and Bing.
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”
Posted by Elena del Valle on September 16, 2009
An expert viewpoint: interview with Xavier Serbia
(Part two of a two part article; part one was published last week)
Click here to read part one of Latinos save less for retirement
By Silvia Pingitore
Journalist, writer and illustrator
When and why did you decide to create a financial website in Spanish? Did you realise there was a lack of financial information in this language?
The website was created in 2003. I realized the lack of quality, well-balanced information in Spanish related to personal finance. Not only did I register a lack of personal finance knowledge amongst Hispanics, but also a lack of transparency in the information delivered to the public. The information available was produced by financial companies and/or financial salespeople portrayed as “unbiased and educational” using mainstream media.
Click here to read part two of Latinos save less for retirement
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”
Posted by Elena del Valle on September 2, 2009
Frank Cooper, CMO of portfolio brands, Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages
Photo: Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages
Americans remain optimistic in spite of the recession and high unemployment, according to a recently released Pepsi Optimism Project (POP) national telephone survey. Ninety six percent of respondents were optimistic about their future. Those surveyed seemed to be more hopeful this year than in 2008 about issues relating to: Relationships with family and friends (91 percent versus 81 percent), overall well-being (88 percent versus 84 percent), health (86 percent versus 78 percent), finances (77 percent versus 64 percent), and chances of finding love (70 percent versus 61 percent).
“In 2008, our POP research informed us that there was a collective and contagious sense of optimism pervading the youth mindset. This year we see that same spirit of optimism is not only pervasive among the millennial generation but across all demographics,” said Frank Cooper, chief marketing officer of portfolio brands, Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages. “Representing a brand that has become synonymous with the spirit of youth and optimism, those of us at Pepsi are continuously encouraged by the resilience of Americans, across all ages, races, sex, location and economic background, people are embracing optimism, even in the most uncertain of times.”
The survey found African-American respondents were more optimistic than other ethnic groups. While 72 percent of African-Americans who responded to the survey were significantly more likely than whites (53 percent) or Latinos (60 percent) to expect more good things to happen to them than bad; and 62 percent of African-Americans were significantly more likely to associate the word “necessary” with optimism than whites (51 percent) and Latinos (52 percent). Wall Street types were also more optimistic than regular workers; 64 percent of city dwellers indicated they are more likely to be optimistic about an economic recovery than their counterparts (53 percent).
As part of the Pepsi Optimism Project, researchers surveyed 1,280 people 18 and older in the United States between June 11 and June 15 and between June 18 and June 22, 2009. The ongoing project tracks the national level of optimism on a quarterly basis, by measuring the national state of optimism via a composite score. Analysts determine the national optimism level by scoring and totaling American’s responses to survey questions about their overall sense of optimism, their sense of optimism about their personal lives, their optimism about the world and their optimism about the future.
The Optimism Survey was conducted on behalf of PepsiCo by StrategyOne, a New York strategic consulting. In addition to random digit dialing to ensure national representation, and computer-assisted telephone interviewing for optimal accuracy, a supplementary sample of Hispanics (N=186) and African-Americans (N=170) were surveyed.
The Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages (PCNAB), a division of PepsiCo, portfolio features Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist and Mug soft drinks. According to promotional materials, PepsiCo, has one of the largest roster of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 18 different product lines that each generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales in over 200 countries. According to promotional materials, PepsiCo employs 198,000 people and in 2008 it generated more than $43 billion in revenues. A public relations representative of the company declined to share any information on the ethnic breakdown of customers, employees or their product preferences.
“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!
Click here to listen to a short interview with Marci
Click here for more information on “Happy for No Reason” audio recording with Marci Shimoff
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 26, 2009
Wedding bands
Photo: Webphotomart.com
Over time just over half of the United States residents gets married. In the last decade the number of people who never wed dropped from a third to slightly more than a quarter. What, if any, impact does the recession have on lovebirds wishing to get hitched?
Most couples marry between the ages of 18 and 29 although they generally have not reached their peak salaries. Perhaps that is why it is common for parents to provide financial support for young couples’ wedding events and honeymoon travel. Looking at all newly married couples the average income is $55,000 according to wedding industry data gatherers. At the same time, the median wedding in past years cost $28,000. It seems likely some couples are spending much more than others, and also that the recession is denting the depth and breath of wedding plans for many of the five million people that will likely be seeking wedded bliss this year.
According to sellmoreweddings.com, the average wedding budget is $20,000 but the median cost is $28,000. Not surprisingly, couples marrying in major metropolitan areas such as Boston, Chicago or New York City pay more to say I do.
In the United States June is the most popular moth to marry, followed by August, September and October. In past years, there were 175 invited guests on average per wedding. Since only about half of couples rely on wedding planners we may be able to conclude that the remaining couples manage the event on their own or with the help of friends and relatives. When money is tight, like now, fewer couples take advantage of consultants.
According to sellmoreweddings.com, couples are waiting longer to get married so the engagement period may be longer. According to a recent Mintel focus group presentation and video, most of their focus group participants were making their own plans in an effort to save money and be creative; some were using consultants but only in a limited capacity. The findings are based on qualitative focus group research by Mintel, a supplier of consumer, media and market research, from April-May 2009.
“Seven out of 10 couples we talked to are planning their weddings with cautionary measures due to the economy,” said Kat Fay, senior analyst at Mintel. “However, despite revised plans and cutbacks, couples still feel certain their wedding days will be memorable without portraying a sense of being scaled down.”
Mintel researchers found couples are eager to economize by holding the gathering at a more modest place and with more affordable options than they would like. They emphasized savings on items like flowers, food and liquor, while seeking the best enjoyment and comfort of their guests. Some respondents also reduced the number of guests invited while still including close family and friends.
Although they consider honeymoons important they look closely at costs and ways of keeping them down by choosing nearer destinations that are affordable. While brides still place much value on their dress they seek affordable options and dresses on sale. They still allocate funds to beauty salon help with hair and makeup so the wedding pictures come out nice.
What about the ring? Rings are considered non negotiable by many focus group respondents. According to TheWeddingReport.com, in 2008, couples were expected to spend $6.1 billion on engagement rings in the United States. They were expected to shell out $2 billion more on wedding rings for brides and grooms. The same report indicates couples’ favorite month to become engaged is December, and Saturday is the most popular day to ask the question.
The result so far is an increase in informal and intimate events, even humor, among those willing to discuss their weddings. And, social networking sites were identified as a growing source of information for future brides.
While no ethnic specific information was gathered from the small Mintel study or cited by other online sources, it may be safe to conclude that emerging markets such as Latinos are well represented among wedding planners. Since those markets skew young and favor traditional family lifestyles they are likely to be overrepresented among those planning to wed.
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 24, 2009
Humane Society of Greater Miami Alley PSA campaign
Photos, video: Accentmarketing
There are 1.3 million cats and dogs in Miami-Dade County. While animal abuse and abandonment have been a problem for many years, with the recession and foreclosure glut the number of abandoned animals in that city has tripled, according to the Humane Society of Greater Miami. Organization representatives indicate that pet owners often don’t realize the implications of allowing their pets to breed, and the accompanying responsibility of finding homes for the whole litter.
In the hope of bringing attention to these issues, the Humane Society of Greater Miami with the support of Accentmarketing, unveiled a new $100,000 (estimated costs of production) Spanish language public service advertisement (PSA) campaign with Alley, a TV spot, and Studio Shot, a print ad. A radio ad is planned for release next month. They plan to distribute the ads to local Spanish language media. Scroll down to watch the video ad.
The TV ad features a lone baby dressed in a kitten costume crawling on the ground in a dark alley while a voice over discusses pet abandonment and sterilization issues on behalf of the Humane Society of Greater Miami Adopt-A-Pet program. As the camera pans out, viewers are meant to see that the baby represents an abandoned kitten, sitting by himself in a dirty and empty alley, lost and bewildered.
The spot creators want viewers to understand that just like babies, pets are part of their family. They want pet owners to realize that it’s their responsibility to spay and neuter their pets to help reduce the animal overpopulation problem in Miami-Dade County. To do that the Accentmarketing team focused on creating a strong correlation between how sterilizing a pet can result in saving thousands of animals from ending up homeless on the street or in a shelter.
Ana Maria Montero, account group director, Accentmarketing
“In this day and age where we see such unjust animal cruelty in our community, the Accentmarketing team felt passionate about instilling responsibility among current and future pet owners to spay and neuter their pets,” said Ana Maria Montero, account group director, Accentmarketing in a press release. “We are proud to be able to support the Humane Society of Greater Miami’s mission and contribute towards inspiring pet owners in our community to be more responsible for their pets.”
Studio Shot is a print interpretation of the Alley TV spot. The image of the baby wearing the kitten costume looks like a professional baby studio portrait. The headline reads: “Tu mascota es como un hijo. Sus crías también deberían serlo” (Spanish for Your pet is like your child. Their offspring should be as well.). The goal is to make pet owners see the baby like a pet, one of thousands of abandoned pets in the streets as a result of unsterilized pets. Most of those abandoned pets are likely to die, according to the organization.
The TV spot and print ad were shot in Los Angeles, where the Production House, D’Avant-Garde is located. Although the TV spot was shot in one day, pre-production and post-production of the TV and print ads required two months.
Twenty people donated their services pro bono to the Humane Society Spanish language PSA campaign. The Accentmarketing team members that led the campaign were: Luis Puerta, creative director and copywriter; Junior Jimenez, senior art director; Rudy Leschhorn, executive producer; and Ana Maria Montero. The following also supported the project: Pascui Rivas and Francisco Pugliese, media directors at D’Avant-Garde, Tom Marvel as director of photography, Guillermo Sauceda for the voice over, and digital retouching by Artistic Image.
The Humane Society of Greater Miami Adopt-A-Pet is a limited admit, adoption guarantee facility, dedicated to placing every dog and cat in their care into a loving home, and promoting responsible pet ownership and spay/neuter programs. Animals admitted into their shelter are safe from euthanasia for as long as it takes to find someone to adopt them. The organization houses 250 pets on a daily basis and spays or neuters 12,000 animals a year in its two clinics.
Established in 1994, Accentmarketing is a Hispanic marketing communications agency with offices in Miami, Los Angeles and Detroit. Clients include the American Heart Association, Farmers Insurance, GobiernoUSA.gov, Chevrolet, the California Association of Realtors, Kaiser Permanente, Brown-Forman and the U.S. Navy.
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 17, 2009
TheLatinProducts.com homepage - click to enlarge
Photos: TheLatinProducts.com
For homesick Latinos Georgia based TheLatinProducts.com website offers a little relief. Among its 1,800 product offerings the online supplier sells ethnic foods, cleaning products and spices some of which remind customers of their home country or the country of their heritage. Buyers are regular consumers, chefs, Latin restaurants, and small to medium size Latino grocery stores. The portal sells 300 Hispanic market oriented products from Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, United States and Venezuela.
TheLatinProducts.com was founded in Acworth, Georgia by Francisco Tovar, a Venezuelan who immigrated to the United States in 1997. The average customer is between 25 and 45 years of age and earns $40,000 a year or more. Sixty-five percent of the customers are women. One quarter of buyers are on the West Coast, 40 percent on the East Coast; 15 percent in the South and the remainder, 20 percent, in the central and mountain areas. What are the three most popular products? Maseca, Goya products and spicy sauces. Well known product lines available on the portal are La Costena, Jumex, Nestle, D’Gari, Maseca, La Preferida, Dona Maria and Gamesa.
Francisco Tovar, owner, TheLatinProducts.com
“TheLatinProducts.com provides the lowest price guaranteed online of Mexican food and Latin food. This exceptional concept is available at one user online friendly location, offering secure shopping, complemented by rapid and reliable delivery services directly to any home, office, business or military base,” said Tovar by email when asked about his business.
He promotes TheLatinProducts.com on major search engines and with public relations strategies. From August to September 4 the portal will be offering 10 percent off all of its item for customers who use Coupon Code augsep409.
Tovar came to the United States to study in 1997 and graduated in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems, Cum Laude, from Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to launching the portal he worked in real estate.
He dedicated a year to conducting research looking at major brands, distributors, terms and conditions before relying on his technical background to establish Tovar Investments LLC, the company that owns the portal. This year, he opened the online store which has more than 200 customers including restaurants and Latin stores throughout the United States and a few clients in Europe. He figures the main reason his customers shop at the virtual store is to save time and money.
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”
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 12, 2009
By Ashley Wirthlin
Author and editor, PublicRelationsBlogger.com
Ashley Wirthlin, author and editor, PublicRelationsBlogger.com
Photo: Ashley Wirthlin
Finding a job may seem like a tough feat in times like these. However, there are still people being hired. There are things that can be done to help ensure that you too are one of those people getting a job. There takes a great deal of effort, desire to work, and common sense in order to get ahead, so use your smarts, and be proactive!
Below are some things I found helpful when getting hired. Underneath all of the business and professional aspects I had attempted to polish (with my small amount of experience) were a good mentality, perseverance, and dedication to finding a position suitable for me. Though finding a position is important, it is equally important to find a company that you enjoy working for and that you are a good candidate for.
Click here to read the complete article
