Posted by Elena del Valle on September 14, 2009
Jose Carrera, owner, Ocho Placas
Photo: Jipsy
A podcast interview with Jose Carrera, owner, Ocho Placas is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, Jose discusses his tattoo business in Miami’s Little Havana with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
Jose refuses to think inside the proverbial box. Unwilling to categorize his tattoo style and art by genre or theme, the Miami-native has built a team of eclectic tattoo artists at Ocho Placas. He learned to tattoo en 1993 when his misdemeanors escalated into imprisonment. It was in jail that he inked for the first time, using a BIC lighter to channel negative energy into a creative outlet. Released in 1997, Jose worked at a handful of South Florida tattoo shops. In 2002, his entrepreneurial spirit ultimately drove him to open Ocho Placas in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood.
These days, Jose’s leadership role is clear in his Eight Street parlor. He’s mentored many of the artists that he currently employs. In 2007, the once underground shop was awarded Best Tattoo Parlor recognition by the Miami New Times and most recently, Jose partnered with Kreepy Jaksin to launch the KreepyTiki Tattoo Lounge in Fort-Lauderdale. He enjoys tattooing the friendly neighbor as much as he does traveling to conventions and inking overseas. Born to Cuban and Ecuadorian parents in 1971, Jose has branched into painting oil on canvas, graffiti and t-shirt design.
To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR Jose Carrera” 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 2009 section of the podcast archive.
Posted by Elena del Valle on September 11, 2009
The New Rules of Marketing & PR book cover
Photos: Wiley
An update on marketing and public relations tools, The New Rules of Marketing and PR How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly (Wiley, $16.95), a 287-page paperback book by David Meerman Scott, was published this year. In it, the author outlines how the tools for marketers and public relations practitioners have changed. Where offline, he believes, the skills for practitioners have been interruption and coercion; online they are journalistic thinking and being a thought leader.
The title, first published in 2007, was recently updated and revised. Meerman Scott uses his own book to illustrate the power of the online world for promotion. He explains at the beginning of the book that he did no advertising for the book and all the promotion was through bloggers, press releases and media outreach. According to him it has been the top title in its category for more than one year.
The paperback book is divided into three main sections: How the Web Has Changed the Rules of Marketing and PR, Web-based Communications to Reach Buyers Directly, and Action Plan for Harnessing the New Rules; and twenty-one chapters. He begins by discussing why the old rules are ineffective in the online world. Then, he outlines the new rules and proposes that it’s good to reach the buyer directly online.
In the second section, he talks about blogs, podcasts, news releases, online forums, spreading the world online, and successful websites. Finally, he dedicates chapters 10 to 21 to planning and developing promotions online.
Meerman Scott is former vice president of marketing for two publicly traded technology companies and was Asia marketing director for Knight-Ridder, a newspaper publishing and electronic information company. He has lived and worked in New York, Tokyo, Boston, and Hong Kong and has presented at industry conferences and events in thirty countries on four continents.
Click here to buy The New Rules of Marketing and PR
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Posted by Elena del Valle on September 9, 2009
But how well do they understand the 401(k) plan? An overview of the lack of financial information in Spanish
(Part one of a two part article; part two will be published next week)
By Silvia Pingitore
Journalist, writer and illustrator
The study 401(k) plans in living color – published by the business consultant Hewitt Associates and the non-profit educational foundation Ariel Investments – made a large scale analysis of 401(k) participation by race, studying the ethnic disparities in retirement savings.
Examining 3 million 401(k) plans at 57 corporations among the largest firms in the United States, this landmark study has shown that African-American and Hispanic workers save significantly less for retirement than their white and Asian colleagues.
Click here to read part one of Latinos save less for retirement
“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 September 4, 2009
Financial Self-Defense book cover
Attorneys Arnold S. Golstein, JD, Ph.D. and Hillel L. Presser, JD provide tips to readers about legal ways to safeguard their assets against lawsuits, divorce, creditors, bankruptcy, tax collections and foreclosure in their recently published book, Financial Self-Defense: How to Protect Everything You Own…From Everyone…Everytime! (Garrett Press, $16.95).
They believe that asset protection requires a proactive approach and a shift in attitude on the part of those wishing to safeguard their wealth. They say that too many people dedicate much time to accumulating wealth but little or no time to protecting the wealth they acquire, suggesting readers dedicate one minute to asset protection thinking for every hour of asset accumulation.
The 236-page paperback book is divided into twelve chapters: Planning, Strategies, For Your Home and Other Real Estate, For Your Investments, For Your Retirement Accounts, For Your Estate and Inheritance, For Your Business or Professional Practice, For Your Other Assets, Against Lawsuits, From Foreclosures, In Divorce, and Against the IRS.
Goldstein, a member of the Massachusetts and Federal bars, is a professor at Lynn University and a professor emeritus at Northeastern University where he received a Ph.D. He has written several other books on wealth protection which, according to promotional materials, are best sellers. He has 40 years of experience. He has, according to his website, represented 20,000 clients on wealth protection issues. Presser is co-founder of Presser/ Goldstein, LLC.
Click here to buy Financial Self-Defense
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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 31, 2009
Lee Maicon, VP, Wing
Photo, video: Wing
Everybody needs clean laundry, right? Even unattached Spanish speaking Latino men have to wash their clothes sometime. With that market in mind, the makers of Downy Ultra laundry detergent and Wing, the company’s Spanish language ad agency for Downy, recently produced Lavadero (Laundry), a new 30 second Spanish language ad. Scroll down to watch the Spanish language ad.
Forty people representing Wing dedicated an undisclosed budget and one day to film the commercial in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The goal for the project was to find a new and interesting way to communicate Downy’s equity and long lasting scent.
“In a world where people have many options and are highly distracted in their media habits, even successful premium brands like Downy need to be innovative. The Lavadero spot is a great example of how a premium brand in a high consumer involvement category sought out a different way to communicate what makes the product special,” said Lee Maicon, vice president and head of Strategy at Wing. “By casting men and incorporating humor, we were able to take a category that is very often taken too seriously and made it much more relatable to the average consumer.”
In addition to Maicon, the following individuals and companies worked on the ad production: Gustavo Asman, John Castrillón, Nadina Steimberg, Ana Franco, Verónica Paz, Mari Provi Florez, America Filmworks, Sebastián Orgambide, Alejandro Giuliani, Marcia Jaes, Mariano Antonietti, Red Car, Juan Pablo Cadaveira, Francess Tom-Sahr, Mixology Lab, and Luis F. Herrera.
The spots began airing last month on Telemundo, LATV and KMPX (Dallas). Wing is a Hispanic marketing communications agency.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on August 28, 2009
Latino Immigrants and the Transformation of the U.S. South
Photos: University of Georgia Press
In the past decade the Latino population in the South has doubled bringing with it social, economic and cultural changes. In 2004, a conference on Mexican immigration to the southern part of the United States was held in Atlanta, Georgia with the help of the Consulate of Mexico in Atlanta and four universities. The edited conference proceedings were published initially by the Institute of Mexico in Atlanta. The editors, Elaine Lacy and Mary E. Odem, expanded the topic to encompass Latin American immigration to the United States South and this year published a collection of articles by 10 contributors in a book titled Latino Immigrants and the Transformation of the U.S. South (University of Georgia Press, $24.95).
Elaine Lacy, co-editor, Latino Immigrants and the Transformation of the U.S. South
In the book, ten academics, five women and five men from the United States and Mexico, dedicated 175 pages to an examination of issues relating to Latinos and the South. Latino Immigrants and the Transformation of the U.S. South is divided into nine chapters: Cultural Enclaves and Transnational Ties: Mexican Immigration and Settlement in South Carolina by Lacy; New Scenarios of Migration: Social Vulnerability of Undocumented Veracruzanos in the Southern United States by Rosío Córdova Plaza; The Dalton Story: Mexican Immigration and Social Transformation in the Carpet Capital of the World by Víctor Zúñiga and Rubén Hernández León; Globalization and Latin American Immigration in Alabama by Raymond A. Mohl; Hispanic New Comers to North Carolina: Demographic Characteristics and Economic Impact by James H. Johnson Jr. and John D. Kasarda; Race, Migration and Labor Control: Neoliberal Challenges to Organizing Mississippi’s Poultry Workers by Angela C. Stuesse; Latino Immigrants and the Politics of Space in Atlanta by Odem; New Americans in a New South City? Immigrants and Refugee Politics in Nashville, Tennessee by Jamie Winders; and Popular Attitudes and Public Policies: Southern Responses to Latino Immigration by Lacy and Odem.
Mary Odem, co-editor, Latino Immigrants and the Transformation of the U.S. South
Lacy is professor of history and assistant to the executive vice chancellor at the University of South Carolina, Aiken. She has published several articles on Latino immigration to the United States and Mexican cultural politics. Odem is associate professor of history and women’s studies at Emory University and the author of a number of publications about women, gender, immigration and ethnicity in the history of the United States.
Click here to buy Latino Immigrants and the Transformation of the U.S. South
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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 21, 2009
Twitter for Dummies book cover
As social media grow in popularity (see Which social networking site is right for you? and Businessmen outline social media basics) more people and businesses seem to join the Twitter ranks (see About Twitter and About Twitter II). Twitter offers easy to use social networking opportunities with postings limited to 140-characters. For aspiring Twitter users, the well known For Dummies series released a new 267-page paperback book published in 2009, Twitter For Dummies (Wiley Publishing, $21.99). Three people collaborated to make the book come to fruition, Laura Fitton, Michael E. Gruen and Leslie Poston.
Twitter For Dummies starts out with a foreword from Jack Dorsey, founder and chairman of Twitter, and a Cheat Sheet with do’s and don’ts, access points and shorthand commands. Dorsey mentions that Twitter is based on three concepts: “minimize thinking around communication, expose trends in local and global circles, and spark interaction.” The book is divided into five parts of between three and four chapters each: Twitter? Like Birds Do?, Joining Your Flock on Twitter, Twittering in High Gear, Knowing Why We Twitter, and The Part of Tens.
It was written for people wanting to start a Twitter account to build their network of contacts, locate similar minded people interested in following their brief Twitter postings, and leverage the social media site for business communication and networking. It also addresses Twitter terms, how to Twitter when you are not at your office or home, third party applications, and Twitter character use and meaning.
Fitton is a business consultant, blogger and Twitter fan with a following of more than 32,000 when the book was published. Gruen is a business adviser and chief financial officer and chief operating officer of Nom, a digital strategy agency. He is also the chief executive officer of a healtcare startup. Poston dedicates her time to social networking, new media, branding and business development. She has more than 200 books to her credit.
Click here to buy Twitter For Dummies
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Filed Under: Books
