Posted by Elena del Valle on August 5, 2009
Lulu-Cola style panties
Photos: Palomita
Relying on Latino nostalgia for their roots, Palomita, a San Francisco, California based Latino fashion brand, launched a new product line. Beginning in March of this year, the company has been selling panties. They come in small to extra large sizes and are made in Bangladesh by HYP.
The new underwear line is sold at one hundred Sears department stores and online at Sears.com. They are available in four designs that highlight logos and images from Latin American consumer products and characters such as Boing!, Lulu and Lulu Cola. The brand designs target Latino women. The retail sales price is $6 each.
Palomita underwear
Palomita was created by Molly “Molona” Robbins, a Mexico City native and apparel industry veteran. Several yeas ago she secured exclusive rights to use trademarks and vintage art from some Latin American brands. A line of sleepwear and underwear, also made and distributed under license by HYP Inc., is available at some Sears’s department stores and online.
Prior to the underwear and pajama lines, Palomita released t-shirts and a junior and girls line (see Entrepreneur launches junior, girls clothing line and Online grocer adds Latino themed clothing for men, boys).
Target Latinos effectively by understanding how they shop
“Hispanic Holiday Shopping Patterns” audio recording
Manuel Delgado, CEO Agua Marketing, gives a presentation and participates in an extended Q&A discussion about
- Hispanic shopping patterns national survey
- Why Latino consumers may be more desirable than general market shoppers
- Hispanics holiday shopping patterns and behaviors
Click here for information on “Hispanic Holiday Shopping Patterns” audio recording
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 3, 2009
Flag of Mexico
Because most immigrants to the United States come from Mexico (see Mexico top country of origin of foreign born) many immigration watchers look closely at trends in immigration from that country. Since 2006, the overall number of immigrants from Mexico has declined significantly (see Mexican immigration declined sharply last year). Researchers at the Pew Hispanic Center wondered whether the decline in immigrants would also mean an increase in Mexican born immigrants returning to their country of origin.
The answer is no according to data from Mexican and United States sources such as the United States Population Survey and the United States Border Patrol. A recent study by the Pew Hispanic Center seems to indicate there is no correlation between incoming immigrant and outgoing (from Mexico) numbers.
The Mexico National Survey of Employment and Occupation indicates that 433,000 immigrants returned to Mexico between February 2008 and February 2009 while 440,000 and 479,000 immigrants returned to Mexico for the same period in 2007-2008 and 2006-2007, respectively. An examination of the U.S. Current Population Survey reveals no indication of substantially higher outflows to Mexico for 2007 or 2008.
One third of all foreign-born residents and two-thirds of Hispanic immigrants are from Mexico. At the same time almost all Mexican immigrants move to the United States. Looked at another way, ten percent of people born in Mexico live in the United States.
“Segmentation by Level of Acculturation” audio recording
Presenter Miguel Gomez Winebrenner
Discusses
- Assimilation versus acculturation
- Factors that affect Latino acculturation
- How to know if someone is acculturated
- Number of years necessary for acculturation
- Effects of immigration debate on acculturation
- Three main ways of segmenting Latinos
Click here for details about “Segmentation by Level of Acculturation”
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 29, 2009
Voter Change Between 2004 and 2008
Sixty-six percent of white non Hispanic voters voted in 2008. That represents a 1 percent decrease compared to 2004. In contrast, minority voter participation increased over the same time period, according to recently released United States Census data. Black turnout at the polls went up 5 percent to 65 percent; Hispanic turnout went up 3 percent and Asian voter turnout went up 3.5 percent, making each group reach almost 50 percent. Many, if not most of these people, cast their votes in favor of the new Democratic President.
Viewed as an unlikely combined voting block the three minority groups would represent almost one quarter of all voters. While they may not agree on all their political viewpoints, in the most recent election, according to the Census, they agreed on one individual, Barack Obama. Among voters 18 to 24 black voters had the highest turnout rate at 55 percent. That represents an 8 point increase compared to 2004. White turnout remained at 49 percent while Asian turnout was 41 percent and Hispanic turnout was 39 percent.
What do these numbers say to marketers and politicians? That the voter profile is changing. There are many ethnic and cultural groups represented among the young adults joining the ranks of voters and they bring with them their own unique perspectives about voting and the election process. This is easy to see in states with a population rich in minorities.
In Florida, for example, almost all of the new 579,000 voters were black or Hispanic. And turnout among young voters increased 10 percentage points from the last election, from 39 percent to 49 percent. Those 75 and older, on the other hand, were less likely to vote. Their numbers dropped from 72 percent to 69 percent between the two election years.
If these changes continue in future elections it would appear the minority vote is growing and may again play a role in the overall voting outcome. Those in the business of influencing political opinions may want to keep that in mind as they craft political messages and outline campaign efforts in the future.
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 July 27, 2009
2009 Hispanic Heritage Month poster for sale at Diversity Graphics
Photo: Diversity Graphics
Every year, companies across the country seek the patronage of Latino and Latino oriented customers between mid September and mid October during Hispanic Heritage Month. And, many organizations serving Latino communities take advantage of the opportunity to seek exposure and showcase their successes.
This year, for example, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) plans Latinos Leading in a Global Society events sponsored by Wal-Mart Stores; KCET, a Southern California TV station, will celebrate through a Hispanic Heritage Month Local Heroes Award; the National Football League and ESPN will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a series of special events surrounding the New York Jets at Miami Dolphins Monday Night Football game on Monday, October 12; and NBC’s Washington, D.C. affiliate is holding a Hispanic Heritage Month Essay Contest to name just some examples.
Ana Rodrigues, an artist from New York, with the guidance of Steven Rodiguez of Diversity Graphics, designed the company’s 2009 Hispanic Heritage Poster. The poster represents Hispanic/Latino culture throughout the world and the community’s impact on American society. The artists included an image of the continents, the American Flag and the silhouettes of various figures including a graduate, a judge, family and politician along with the phrase “¡Sí Se Puede!” to reflect “unity, empowerment, and the importance to get involved.”
“Diversity Graphics has been celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month (and all other major celebrations) for over 25 years, providing posters, buttons and other materials for sale to help others celebrate in the workforce, schools or public thus educating the importance of Diversity. Hispanic Heritage Month is one of our most successful celebrations,” said Mark Martinez, owner of the the California company.
How and when did this tradition get started? In September 1968 when Congress and then President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed National Hispanic Heritage Week to celebrate the culture and traditions of people with roots in Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Twenty years later the observance was extended to a month.
According to the United States Census Bureau, September 15 was chosen as the first day for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively.
Why do so many companies care about Hispanic customers? Even by the conservative estimates of the United States government, as of the most recent figures released there are 47 million Latinos (46.9 million) in the country, representing 15 percent of the population. That does not include another 4 million souls on the island of Puerto Rico. Looking toward the future those who estimate population size and composition believe there will be 132.8 million Latinos in the United States on July 1, 2050, representing 30 percent of the population.
If we look at the numbers in another way, the Hispanic population in the United States in 2008 was second only in size to that of one country, Mexico. That is because our neighbor to the south has a population estimated at 110 million, more than double the Hispanic population of the United
States (46.9 million).
At the same time, there are 16 states with at least a half-million Hispanic residents: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington. Yet, being Hispanic isn’t just about speaking Spanish. Although in 2007, 35 million U.S. residents five and older spoke Spanish at home more than half of these Spanish speakers spoke English “very well,” according to the Census folks.
Target Latinos effectively by understanding how they shop
“Hispanic Holiday Shopping Patterns” audio recording
Manuel Delgado, CEO Agua Marketing, gives a presentation and participates in an extended Q&A discussion about
- Hispanic shopping patterns national survey
- Why Latino consumers may be more desirable than general market shoppers
- Hispanics holiday shopping patterns and behaviors
Click here for information on “Hispanic Holiday Shopping Patterns” audio recording
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 20, 2009
An agricultural field
As we face one of the deepest recessions in our young nation’s history and record unemployment it’s hard to believe there was so much talk about and concern with immigration in the last years. With many families facing financial problems, foreclosures, business closures and job loss most people’s energy is focused on worrying about issues that affect them tangibly and directly rather than possible new arrivals, undocumented or documented.
Gone are the days of plenty. Today many live frugally and contemplate the increasingly fashionable and very practical transumerism (renting rather than buying non essential items). While there surely are still migrant workers in agriculture and construction, among other industries, the number of immigrants that cross the United States southern border, for example, has declined noticeably since our country’s financial woes became pronounced. As the number of jobs declines, the number of workers migrating north also drops (see Mexican immigration declined sharply last year).
Doors that once stood mainly open to immigrants in the United States and other industrialized nations are less open, relying on heightened permit processes and not so friendly legislation to keep aspiring visitors at bay. For example, the Employ American Workers Act, part of the fiscal stimulus bill, places stricter conditions than in previous years; and on companies receiving financial support from the government that want to hire skilled foreigners under the H-1B visa program.
This, and the weak economy, has caused some American banks and other financial-services firms to withdraw job offers to foreign-born graduates of American universities and postgraduate programs. And, according to a recent article in The Economist, some people who work in the United States are finding it harder than in the past to renew their residency permits.
In some places the attitudes toward migrant workers have toughened or worsened. Xenophobia has a fan base (listen to interview with Mark Potok of the Southern Law Poverty Center about anti-immigrant hate crimes in America). We are not alone as a nation. Countries like South Africa, Spain and Ireland have seen bouts of violence against foreigners. In Northern Ireland, Romanian workers have been attacked; in Australia, Indian students have been the targets of displeased citizens participating in manifestations; while in South Africa anyone thought foreign and working for lower wages than the locals was at risk of bloody and at times deadly attacks last year.
“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”
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 15, 2009
Chris Wienk, program director, WEXT
Photos: Christopher Wienk, Josh Norek and Ernesto Lechner
WEXT 97.7, an Albany, New York station recently launched The Latin Alternative, a Latin alternative music weekly public radio program for national syndication, about Latin rock, electronica, funk and hip-hop. The first hour long program, hosted by Josh Norek and Ernesto Lechner, aired at 8 p.m. July 4 and spotlighted Manu Chao, Café Tacuba, Aterciopelados and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. The show can be heard live online Saturdays at exit977.org.
“WEXT 97.7 prides itself on playing a wide range of music. As a Triple A station, we’ve embraced artists like Manu Chao, Juana Molina, Rodrigo y Gabriela and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs from the start,” said Chris Wienk, program director, WEXT. “We recognize that Latinos are becoming an important part of the public radio audience, and we also know that non-Latin audiences love the Latin alternative genre. When we launched the station in 2007, we were surprised to discover that there were no syndicated Latin alternative public radio shows we could pick up to air. So we thought ‘why not create one ourselves?”
Wienk indicated that although the station won’t have audience numbers for a while, the first show had a great initial reaction and that people are buzzing about it.
Josh Norek, co-host, The Latin Alternative
“There is something amazing about a radio station in Albany launching the nation’s first syndicated Latin-alternative radio show. In my childhood growing up in a small town outside of Albany, I couldn’t wait to leave the area and move to a bigger city that had a Latin alternative music scene,” said Norek. “Ironically, now I live in Los Angeles and it’s an adventurous radio station in upstate New York that has taken the lead and launched the first syndicated show for the genre.”
Ernesto Lechner, co-host, The Latin Alternative
The audience for the show primarily consists of two groups of listeners: Non Hispanics with little prior exposure to Latin alternative music and English-dominant Latinos who consume English-language media.
“While there is a lot of amazing music out there, we knew we had to come out swinging and win folks over quickly. So we’ll be playing many of the most important artists and songs on the show. Once we have the listeners hooked, we can dig deeper and expose them to some of the more underground music coming out Colombia, Mexico, Spain, and Cuba,” said Norek by email.
“I was pleasantly surprised to see that in literally one week, before the show even aired, we had 300 fans on Facebook (facebook.com/pages/The-Latin-Alternative/97270379694?ref=ts). So I suppose there is a large, untapped audience for the show and we look forward to bringing it to many additional cities in the coming year. Generally speaking, we’re not going to play a punk band that just happens to sing in Spanish. We’re trying to turn folks on to what’s uniquely special about the genre, whether it being cumbia-rock, electro-tango, norteno-hiphop, etc.,” said Norek.
There are 10 programs finished and recorded already and the co-hosts expect to complete 26 one-hour episodes by the end of the year. They plan to expose their listeners to a new genre featuring crossover friendly artists whose music will resonate with an audience that is new to Latin alternative music, offering a type of Latin fusion they consider new and revolutionary.
Norek is co-founder of the Latin Alternative Music Conference and frontman of Latino-Jewish rap group Hip Hop Hoodíos. Lechner is a contributing writer for Rolling Stone, LA Times, and Chicago Tribune and author of the book Rock en Español: The Latin Alternative Rock Explosion.
Exit 97.7 WEXT is a special listener-supported music service from WMHT Educational Telecommunications established to provide a unique listening experience with music that knows no boundary of genre. The focus is on emerging artists, classic songs that regular radio has forgotten, and especially music from the region (the Local 518). The the station operates with listener support.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 13, 2009
Martin Cerda, director, Encuesta Research
Photo, video: Encuesta, Inc.
Encuesta, Inc., a Miami research company, just released a 30-second thank you video in appreciation to past participants in its surveys and to celebrate its 20 anniversary in the business. The short video ad, in English and Spanish, was released initially on YouTube and is due to air on broadcast television in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and Houston and on Azteca America, PBS, V-me, and GenTV.
The video was produced in-house with a limited budget and included the contribution of an illustrator, Ken Orvidas, a voice over artist and an animator who asked to remain anonymous. The inspiration, in part, for the work was a painting from a social club in a small town in Spain.Scroll down to watch the videos in English and Spanish.
“We want to thank Hispanics nationwide for allowing us the privilege to enter their lives on a daily basis, all in an effort to have one person’s opinion represent that of thousands of members of their community” said Martin G. Cerda, founder and president of Encuesta, Inc. “Latino participation in the survey research process helps advance public understanding of social and economic issues and helps influence government and corporate decision makers.”
Founded in 1989, Encuesta, Inc. is a U.S. Hispanic market research and public opinion polling company that offers quantitative and online qualitative research designs and analysis. Encuesta, Inc. is the company behind the Americanos Poll, a public opinion poll created in 2005 to help bridge the knowledge gap that exists regarding the U.S. Hispanic community.
Click on the first screen for the English language video and on the second screen for the Spanish language video.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 8, 2009
Kim L. Hunter, founder, Lagrant Foundation
Photo: Lagrant Foundation
Since its founding in 1998, Los Angeles based The Lagrant Foundation has distributed a little less than $1 million worth of scholarships to 150 students. It has placed 120 interns at advertising and public relations agencies and corporations nationwide, and produced 40 career development workshops. This year, there were six Latino, seven African American and two Asian/Pacific Islander applicants.
Each year the organization awards 15 scholarships; to date ten $5,000-scholarships have been awarded to undergraduate students and five $10,000 scholarships have been awarded to graduate students. Its funding sources are corporations, agencies, individual donors and grants from corporations. Major donors include American Express, Edison International and Weber Shandwick Worldwide.
“For more than ten years now, the foundation has been committed to fulfilling its mission of funding dreams into reality and furthering the advancement of ethnic minorities within the fields of advertising, marketing and public relations,” said Kim L. Hunter, founder and chairman, The Lagrant Foundation. “The recipients reflect the future of this industry and will continue to academically excel toward a successful career path.”
Erick Laseca, scholarship recipient and graduate student
“Thanks to The Lagrant Foundation’s generous scholarship, I was able to stop working and transfer to full-time status at school. This gave me the opportunity to apply for Northwestern’s summer residency program, where I was chosen to work with award-winning faculty for a globally-recognized brand from a major consumer packaged goods company,” said Erick Laseca, a scholarship recipient and full-time grad student at Northwestern University studying integrated marketing with an emphasis on marketing analytics. He serves on the student advisory council, the committee for the study abroad program as well as the boards for the American Red Cross and the Chicago International Film Festival.
“Beyond the monetary contribution to my education, The Lagrant Foundation provided tremendous networking opportunities with senior leaders from top corporations and agencies, with whom I’ve connected and have promising employment prospects upon graduation and ongoing relationships in the marketing industry.”
To qualify for Lagrant scholarship monies applicants must be African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian Pacific Islander or Native American pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in advertising, marketing or public relations at an accredited four-year university or college. Scholarship judges look for promising students who demonstrate a passion in public relations, advertising or marketing and a desire to pursue a career in one of those fields.
Christine E. Nieves, scholarship recipient
“The Lagrant Foundation has been an example of an organization established to contribute to the solution of a threat challenging the progressive development and growth of the Marketing, Public Relations and Advertising Industry. More than a scholarship, TLF provides the opportunity for underrepresented minority students to comprehend the challenges faced by professionals and to a witness their responses by way of comprehensive workshops sparked with an academic approach,” said Christine E. Nieves, a senior at University of Pennsylvania with a major in Communication and Public Service, and a minor in Consumer Psychology.
“Throughout the three years I have been a Lagrant scholar, I have come to realize that no other organization can merge the wealth of knowledge, the diversity of talent, and the breath of executives at the caliber TLF has achieved; the highlight being the sincere interest demonstrated by the members of the board and Kim Hunter to help each of us succeed in our career.”
The 2009 Final Judges include Micheline Amy, vice president,Constituency Management Group; Alvaro Cifuentes, programs manager, Diversity Agency Services; Jennifer Cohan, managing director, Golin Harris; Hiroko Hatanaka, vice president, IW Group, Inc.; David P. Henry, president, Telenoticias; Andrea Hoffman, president and CEO, Diversity Affluence; Julia Hood, publishing director, PR Week; Lisa F. Hyden Carrieri, managing director, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide; Penny Mitchell, senior partner, Fleishman-Hillard; Claudine P. Moore, director, Hill & Knowlton, Inc.; Dana Muldrow, manager, Deloitte; Michael J. O’Neill, senior vice president, American Express Company; Dave Ramirez, copywriter, McCann-Erickson; Kelly Ramirez, vice president, Euro RSCG Worldwide; William Murray, president and COO, Public Relations Society of America; Andrew Sawyer, executive vice president, Alloy Media Services; and Tiffany R. Warren, chief diversity officer, Omnicom Group, Inc.
The non profit organization relies on volunteers and two staff members, Ericka Avila, a programs manager, and Joy Hunter, the executive director. Kim L. Hunter (no relation to Joy) is the founder and chairman of The Lafgrant Foundation. They concentrate their outreach efforts on California, New York, Texas, Illinois and Florida, states with many ethnic minority students.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 1, 2009
By Vanessa Bravo
Intern, HispanicMPR.com
Vanessa Bravo
The three sections users prefer are guest articles, articles authored by Elena del Valle and podcasts
Happy birthday! Hispanic Marketing and Public Relations (HispanicMPR.com) is reaching its fourth anniversary and is growing fast. What started four years ago as a small forum to share ideas about the book Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations (Poyeen Publishing, $49.95) has grown into a fully developed website with a wealth of information about business topics in general and the Hispanic market in particular.
Today, HispanicMPR.com offers visitors dozens of guest articles, podcasts, articles authored by Elena del Valle (host and editor of the website), presentations, videos, and job ads. The website has become a useful tool for business people and entrepreneurs interested in topics like marketing, public relations and business development. It has grown a loyal pool of users: just the e-mail newsletter is received by more than 3,500 subscribers.
Click here to read the complete article
Posted by Elena del Valle on June 29, 2009
Graphics: HispanicMPR, Vertis
For several years the media industry has been changing before our eyes. Slowly we witness a media revolution and evolution driven by outdated business models, the increasing availability of technology to an ever growing populace and consumers’ mistrust of conventional media as well as the desire of some consumers to be part of the machinery that informs and opines.
As one of the latest large waves of immigrants Latinos are a significant consumer market for media because the Hispanic market is young, comparatively speaking, and growing. The most recent arrivals often have their own cultural preferences for media consumption and may even prefer Spanish language or bilingual options. Many among the millions of Latino immigrants or children of immigrants, usually the most affluent and best educated, have acculturated and mimic mainstream consumers in their media consumption habits.
Some data, including a Vertis Communications 2007 telephone survey of 500 Hispanic adults, indicates Latinos may spend more time watching television and surfing the web than their counterparts among established and emerging markets. Respondents to that survey also were 44 percent more likely to be influenced by information they found online than the total United States population.
Although they may make many of their purchases offline they are likely to research choices, reviews and prices online before placing an order by phone or shopping in person. Vertis researchers concluded that Hispanic adult respondents were more likely than the overall population to buy consumer electronics, even when the economy was down. For example, 28 percent of Hispanics said they would buy a big screen or HDTV within 12 months while only 23 percent of non-Hispanics anticipated such purchases.
The survey also found that Hispanics with online access conducted the most internet research on electronics and clothing. At that time, 62 percent of Hispanics with internet access said they researched home electronics online prior to purchase compared to 59 percent of all United States respondents with internet access. Also, 38 of online Hispanics who participated in the survey said that they research clothes online before buying them compared to 30 percent of all online respondents.
The Vertis Customer Focus Opiniones survey is designed to track consumer behavior in retail, grocery, home improvement, fashion, home electronics, sporting goods, furniture, technology, auto aftermarket, financial and media such as direct mail marketing. The 2007 Opiniones survey conducted by Vertis was the most recent survey of that type conducted by the company, according to a company spokesperson.
