Posted by Elena del Valle on February 27, 2007
Click on image to enlarge
Graphic: Hudson Employment Index
According to Hudson Employment Index data, worker confidence slid for the second consecutive month for Hispanics, and dropped after a December 2006 rebound for African-American workers in January 2007. The monthly Hudson Employment IndexSM for Hispanics fell 4.8 points to 98.7, and dropped 7.6 points to 84.8 for African-Americans. The composite index, based on responses from approximately 9,000 workers across all races and ethnicities, climbed up 1.5 points to 104.2.
The Hudson Employment Index for Hispanic workers revealed that the number of workers who said their financial situation was getting worse rose ten points in January to 42 percent. There was a five-point decrease in the number of employees expecting their company to hire (33 percent). However, fewer workers also anticipated their company would be reducing headcount in the coming months, 15 percent compared to 18 percent in December 2006. Fewer workers were worried about losing their job in January 2007 (15 percent) than in December 2006 (20 percent).
The Hudson Employment Index for African-Americans found that there was a nine-point drop in the number of workers expecting their company to increase headcount (25 percent), the lowest on record for African Americans. The number of workers who said their financial situation was getting better dropped five points in January 2007 to 35 percent. Compared to December 2006 when 21 percent of the workforce was concerned about losing their jobs, 23 percent made that statement in January 2007.
“While not discounting the positive implications of the improvement in the Index, the start of the year tends to reveal a greater sense of optimism, resulting from fresh budgets, new hiring plans and generally high hopes for the year,” said Steve Wolfe, senior vice president, Hudson. “The true test will be in the months to come if the record low concerns around layoffs and job security concerns are sustained.”
The Index also showed workers in general felt more secure in their current employment in January 2007. That month the number of workers concerned about losing their own job fell two points to 16 percent. There was a one-point decrease in the number of employees expecting their companies to lay off staff, down from 15 percent in December 2006. Job satisfaction began to rebound in January 2007, as the number of individuals happy with their job rose one point to 74 percent. There was a one-point decrease to 37 percent among employees who indicated their finances were getting worse.
Posted by Elena del Valle on February 14, 2007
Nacho Hernandez Jr. and Ignacio Hernandez of MexGrocer.com
Photo: MexGrocer.com
MexGrocer.com has a solution for home sick Mexicans and Mexican food lovers. The online grocery store sells Mexican food products and ingredients to over 12,000 cities in the 50 states and recently consolidated operations.
The San Diego based distributor’s website offers 1,200 hard-to-find, non-perishable Mexican food items, household products, cooking tips, Mexican recipes and Mexican cookbooks. MexGrocer.com was founded by Ignacio Hernandez and Nacho Hernandez Jr. in 2000.
“This is just one of several important changes we will be implementing in 2007 to provide our consumers with a much better service level and product offering,” said Ignacio Hernandez, president, MexGrocer.com.
Shopping categories on the website are Beverages, Canned Foods, Rice-Beans-Pasta, Ingredients, Desserts, Mexican Candy, Snacks & Cookies, Chili Peppers, Hot Sauces, Salsas & Mole, Spices & Herbs, Tortillas & Tamales, Mexican Food, Foodservice Mexican, Household & Religious Items, Cooking Utensils, Mexican Food, Cookbooks, Gift Certificates, and Gourmet Food Store.
“Latino Family Dynamics” audio recording
Brenda Hurley and Liria Barbosa
These two experts will help you make your Latino family campaign a success. Find out about reaching Latino families, adapting general market messages when targeting Latinos, adapting products and services when targeting Latinos and much more.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on February 13, 2007
Entrepreneur Francisco Martin
Photo: Francisco Martin
Woodland Hills, California – Azure Group, Inc. founders and Los Angeles entrepreneurs Bill Anz and Francisco Martin plan to open a Latin-focused federal savings and loan bank, Banco Unido FSB, August 2007. Although Banco Unido, FSB has not yet been granted its charter by the Office of Trade Supervisions, Anz and Martin have been working on a banking venture for the last three years and are confident of their success. The first branch, to be located in North Hollywood (Los Angeles), is expected to be capitalized with $20 million.
Following the launch of the Encino based mortgage bank, Mortgage Capital Corporation of America, the entrepreneurs are ready for the next step. The future bank founders are former MAM Group, Inc. founders.
“The idea was to create an infrastructure to originate and fund Mortgage Loans, with the ultimate intent to either merge the operation into a commercial bank or savings and loans institution. The Mortgage Operation offers many benefits to us. We have instant access to all the pertinent information, which allows us to target our clients with more relevant financial products,” said Anz.
“Latinos who become banking customers for the first time may gain access to one key element of the ‘American dream,’ credit. Through personal loans, credit cards, and home mortgages, previously unbanked Latinos may improve their economic status and begin to accumulate assets,” said Martin.
He indicated they endorse passive investments (indexing) and a method based on the efficient market theory, completely opposite to active investments, stock picking and market timing. They pick sectors and countries by selecting specific indexes. The results are based on highly diversified investment vehicles. Then they scale the method to small investment accounts of less than $5,000.
“This gives the smaller investor the access to sophisticated investment diversification that one would only see open to multimillion dollar portfolios. You can expect Banco Unido to be the universal banker to the Latin Community. From mortgage loans, investments, personal loans to checking and savings accounts, Banco Unido will serve this community to an extend that was only privy to the well-heeled of our society.”
“Hispanic Projections” audio recording
Presenter Roger Selbert, Ph.D.
Click here to learn more and to purchase a downloadable or CD audio recording with a presentation by Roger Selbert, Ph.D. on “Hispanic Projections”
Posted by Elena del Valle on February 8, 2007
Lourdes Aponte-Rosario, president, HBWA and publisher of Latinamarketplace.com
Photo: Lourdes Aponte-Rosario
San Juan, Puerto Rico – The Hispanic Business Women’s Alliance (HBWA) launched a new, interactive online directory of Latina business owners and professionals at Latinamarketplace.com. For a $25 annual fee, Hispanic women in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands can be added to the 279 listings. The directory, which features listings in English and Spanish, is designed to help Internet shoppers find and do business with Latina business owners and professionals.
“According to the latest U.S. Bureau of the Census report (2002), there are 540,909 Latina owned businesses in the United States and another 111,287 Latina businesses jointly owned with a male partner. All are excellent prospects to be registered in this new Directory,” said Lourdes Aponte-Rosario, president of HBWA and publisher of the online directory.
Researchers believe that Latinas represent the fastest growing entrepreneurial sector in the U. S. business community. According to the Center for Women’s Business Research’s 2004 biennial update, firms owned by women of color are growing at six times the rate of all U.S. The publishers of the directory expect their organization’s collaborative efforts with local Hispanic chambers of commerce and Latina organizations to boost the number of listings on the website.
“Until now, most Latina entrepreneurs and professionals listed in the directory did not have a presence in the Internet. Latina owned start-ups will now have the opportunity to market their products or services via the Internet in an easily accessible and attractive format,” said Aponte-Rosario.
The directory allows Internet shoppers to quickly locate Latina owned firms by business category based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS Code), product/service key word, company name, street address, city, state, and zip code. In addition, shoppers can find the Latina business via a map locator.
Aponte-Rosario also anticipates that non-Hispanic business owners seeking to penetrate the rapidly growing U.S. Hispanic market will utilize the new online directory to identify potential Latina suppliers, clients or strategic partners.
19 national experts share useful information on how to reach Hispanics effectively in
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Posted by Elena del Valle on February 2, 2007
Maria Celeste Arrarás joins Hispanic Milk Mustache campaign
Photo: Milk Processors Education Program
Washington, DC– TV personality Maria Celeste Arrarás joined the Milk Processors Education Program (MilkPEP) milk mustache campaign. The popular campaign strives to encourage Hispanic moms to drink milk every day to “maintain their weight and help build lean muscle mass.” As part of the promotional efforts Maria Celeste and her three children sporting a milk mustache appeared in Hispanic ads in print magazines nationwide January 2007.
Promotional materials point to a 2005 study on weight loss in African Americans by MB Zemel, J. Richards, A. Milstead, and P. Campbell that indicates drinking low-fat and fat free milk may be good to develop strong bones, help adults maintain a healthy weight and build toned lean muscle mass; and data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicating that more than one third of Hispanics in the United States are obese.
“I am thrilled to be a part of this campaign because as a celebrity I think it’s important to try to convey useful, health-related information to Hispanics. And that is very important given the high obesity rates amongst Hispanics.” said Arrarás.
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“Electronic Publicity and Broadcast Public Relations” audio recording
David Henry presenter
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Although most people focus on what’s on their plate when thinking of maintaining a healthy weight what’s filling their glass may also be important. Milk campaign promoters point to a 2006 study by VS Malik, MB Schulze, and FB published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that indicates that over the past 30 years there has been a significant increase in the consumption of sugary soft drinks while milk consumption has declined. They believe the increase in consumption of calorie and sugar filled drinks may be linked with unhealthy weight gain and high levels of body fat among children and teens.
“We consume a lot more calories from our drinks than we are aware of. Our kids are faced with a lot of beverage choices and we need to help them navigate through these choices. Milk is nature’s ultimate beverage. It’s the only beverage that naturally contains 9 nutrients including calcium and protein that help maintain a healthy weight and builds lean muscle mass,” Arrarás.
Parents are instrumental in teaching their kids healthy eating habits from an early age. Although there were no Latino specific studies cited, promoters pointed to a 2004 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicating that the children of moms who regularly drink milk and make it available at family mealtimes are more likely get enough calcium as they enter adolescence, a critical time for bone growth and development.
Arrarás is an Emmy award winning journalist and one of the best known TV news personalities on Spanish language television. The Milk Processor Education Program (Milk PEP), is funded by the nation’s milk processors, who are committed to increasing fluid milk consumption. The Milk PEP Board runs the national Milk Mustache “got milk?” Campaign, a multi-faceted campaign designed to educate consumers about the health benefits of milk. The tagline “got milk?”(R) was created for the California Milk Processor Board by Goodby Silverstein & Partners and is licensed by the national milk processor and dairy producer groups.
Posted by Elena del Valle on February 1, 2007
Javier Escobedo, Ole managing partner
Photos: Ole
New York, New York — Ole, a New York-based advertising agency focused on the U.S. Hispanic market, is undergoing an organizational restructuring as it enters into its fourth year of operation. The changes include a new creative director and new business unit divisions.
“We have grouped the fastest-growing areas of our agency under strong leaders, ensuring that we maintain our high quality in the multiple services we provide to clients,” said Javier Escobedo, Ole managing partner. “This will further increase client and team satisfaction, paving the way for continued growth by providing our clients with the specialized marketing services they need.”
On the creative side, Paco Olavarrieta, who had been creative partner since Ole’s founding, decided to pursue other interests. He will be succeeded by Carlos “Charly” Tornell who, since early 2006, has been the leader of Ole’s Mexico City creative office. A 15-year advertising veteran, he now takes overall creative director role at Ole while maintaining his duties in Mexico City.
“This office was created via a partnership with local independent shop Oveja Negra, enabling Ole’s clients to benefit from the vast top-notch bilingual and bicultural talent pool available in Mexico,” said Tornell.
Carlos Tornell, Ole creative partner
The new organization will maintain the Strategy & Research Business Unit led by Monica Sanchez who becomes partner. The three new business units and newly promoted business unit directors are: Bruni Topete heading Online, Alternative Media and Language Services; Gabriel Velasco in charge of Planning and Below-the-Line Marketing; and Marlene Roque in charge of Creative Management. Media will continue to be led by Monica Camacho as business unit manager. In addition to their operational responsibilities, each of the business unit directors retains their client management duties and will continue to service their current accounts.
Ole, based in New York City, is an independent, full-service, advertising agency focused on the U.S. Hispanic market. Ole has clients from a variety of industries including retailing, financial services, food, media, household cleaning products and non-profit organizations.
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Presenter Dora O. Tovar, MPA
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Posted by Elena del Valle on January 31, 2007
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Photo: Clintonsenate.gov
Miami, Florida – According to a survey conducted by Miami-based Encuesta Inc., prospective Hispanic and non-Hispanic voters mentioned Hillary Clinton most when asked, impromptu, whom they would most like to see elected President of the United States in 2008. The findings are part of a survey conducted by Miami-based Encuesta Inc., an independent market research and opinion polling firm.
Only 6 percent of respondents, Hispanics and non-Hispanics, said they would want Barack Obama to be the next president. Among non-Hispanics, 4 percent would choose John McCain, while less than 1 percent of Hispanics named McCain as their choice.
In addition to Obama, Hispanics mentioned several other African-Americans including Colin Powell (3 percent), Oprah Winfrey (3 percent) Condoleezza Rice (1 percent), and Alan Keyes (1 percent). Hispanics named by Hispanics included Antonio Villaraigosa and Bill Richardson, each mentioned by 1 percent of respondents.
The two other names most mentioned by Hispanics were John Kerry (2 percent) and Bill Clinton (2 percent). Among non-Hispanics, after Hillary Clinton, Obama, and McCain, the most mentioned public figures were John Kerry (3 percent), Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and John Edwards (2 percent each).
A similar proportion of Hispanic (65 percent) and non-Hispanic (70 percent) respondents said they would consider voting for a Democratic candidate in the 2008 presidential election. Significantly fewer Hispanics than non-Hispanics would consider voting for a Republican candidate, 34 percent versus 53 percent.
Respondents who indicated they would consider voting for a Democratic or Republican candidate were read a list of possible candidates in each respective party and asked to indicate on a 3-point scale the extent to which they would consider voting for that person. Among democratic candidates, Hillary Clinton was most popular with Hispanics and non-Hispanics. Among Republicans, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice were the most popular.
The telephone survey was conducted by Encuesta, Inc. between October 11-30, 2006, among a representative national sample of 300 non-Hispanic and 300 Hispanic adults, in their choice of English or Spanish. According to Encuesta, the sample reflects the U.S. population with regard to gender, age, U.S. citizenship, and voter registration status. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percent, with a higher margin of error for sub-groups.
The findings are part of a study of the Americanos Poll series that is sponsored by Encuesta, Inc. to compare the U.S. Hispanic and general populations across a range of topics.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on January 26, 2007
El Zahir audio book cover
Photos: FonoLibro Inc.
FonoLibro, a Spanish language audio book company owned by Venevision International, recently announced it will make its products available online via Audible. This will allow FonoLibro customers to download the audio books onto their computers, audio and MP3 players and enabled cell phones.
They can also burn the audio books onto CDs. The versatile format allows “readers” access to books they might not have time for in the traditional printed format. Audible is the exclusive provider of audio books of iTunes, making those products available for download into the popular iPod players.
FonoLibro sells classics titles by Alejandro Dumas El Conde de Monte Cristo, El hombre de la mascara de hierro, and La dama de las Camelias. More recent titles incluye El Código Da Vinci, winner of the 2006 Audies Award as Best Spanish language audio book; and Ángeles y Demonios by Dan Brown.
Malinche audio book cover
Other titles include El Zahir by Pablo Coelho and John Grisham best sellers El Intermediario and El Rey de Los Pleitos. The company also offers a broad selection of self help titles. This month it will release Malinche by Laura Esquivel recorded by Lucia Méndez.
FonoLibro audio books are available at bookstores and on the company website FonoLibro.com. FonoLibro produces and distributes audio books and audio entertainment for Venevision International.
Hispanic Marketing and Public Relations Understanding and Targeting America’s Largest Minority book
Click here for more information and to buy your copy today!
Posted by Elena del Valle on January 23, 2007
Sheba Pearls available on k9Kloud9.com
Photos: K9Kloud9.com
Delta, British Columbia — K9Kloud9.com, an online canine community resource and dog fashion product retailer, is reaching out to Spanish speaking pet owners with the launch of a Spanish language pages on its website. The company is responding to the growing demand from the Hispanic and Latino Community for online shopping in Spanish.
Visitors to the K9 website can shop for dog coats, dresses, shirts, carriers, harnesses, collars, leashes, jewelry, and accessories in English and Spanish. Spanish speakers can access the Spanish pages from the homepage or directly at k9kloud9.com/producto.aspx. Customer service is also available in Spanish.
Dog mini coats from K9Kloud9.com
“We have only just recently launched the translated pages and already we are seeing about 5 percent of our total traffic coming from Spanish speaking markets,” said Ann-Marie Fleming, founder, K9Kloud9.com. “This number is expected to increase significantly over the coming months.”
Fleming based her decision to target Spanish speaking consumers in part on a survey conducted by the Humane America Animal Foundation in Los Angeles, California which showed that just over 14 percent of Latinos had a dog. According to Simmons Research, she explained, while only 8 percent of first-generation Hispanic immigrants own pets, this percentage significantly increases for the third generation, tripling to 24 percent.
In addition to the product lines, dog lovers can also take advantage of the site’s expanding canine community through dog articles, columns, forums and blogs. A canine oriented classifieds section is in the works.
K9Kloud9.com also provides directories for dog breeders, rescues and pet friendly resorts. Visitors can search by breed and location to find the perfect pet or pet friendly destination.
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“Hispanic Market Translation Issues” audio recording
Presenter Martha E. Galindo
Certified translator and translation company owner Martha E. Galindo explains why it’s important to reach your clients in language to convey your message effectively. She walks you through the ins and outs of translations issues, how to select a translator, what to expect, how to save on translation costs and much more.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on January 17, 2007
Percentage of population that wants U.S. troops to return home
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Graphic: HispanicMPR.com
According to the recently released results of a Pew Hispanic Center telephone survey, Latinos are disenchanted with the Iraq war situation, and feel more strongly than the general population that U.S. troops should be brought home.
Of 1006 Latinos surveyed, 66 percent feel U.S. troops should be brought home from Iraq as soon as possible; compared to 51 percent a year earlier. The number of Latinos who favored keeping troops in Iraq until the situation was more stable declined from 39 percent a year ago to 19 percent.
A survey conducted in December 2006 by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, indicates 50 percent of the general public favors bringing U.S. troops home; up from 41 percent a year earlier.
At the same time only 24 percent of Hispanics surveyed think the U.S. made the right decision in using military force compared to 31 percent in August 2006. This is in contrast with 42 percent of the general public according to the Pew Research Center survey of December 2006.
The Pew Hispanic Center indicates that although Hispanics as a group have a more negative view toward the war compared with the rest of the population, the most recent findings show an even stronger opposition, especially when it relates to keeping troops in Iraq.
The Pew Hispanic Center survey, described as nationally representative, was conducted by English and Spanish bilingual interviewers in the language of preference of the respondents. The sample was drawn with Random Digit Dialing methodology. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent.
“Hispanic Projections” audio recording
Presenter Roger Selbert, Ph.D.
Click here to learn more and to purchase a downloadable or CD audio recording with a presentation by Roger Selbert, Ph.D. on “Hispanic Projections”
