Posted by Elena del Valle on June 7, 2006
By Suzanne Irizarry de Lopez, Eastern Research Services
Suzanne Irizarry de Lopez
Photo: Suzanne Irizarry de Lopez
We are experiencing a demographic reinvention and movement towards a global community. Generations of transnational mobility, intermarriage and cultural give and take have yielded new arrangements of people, identities, and social practices that are challenging the definitions of self and the usefulness of racial categories for marketing purposes.
Not that America — the nation of immigrants — wasn’t diverse before, but before the Civil Rights movement, diversity was not a good thing. Assimilation (melting into the common pot) was the ultimate objective.
Prior to the mid 70’s, when cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead announced that “Being American is a matter of abstention from foreign ways, foreign food, foreign ideas, foreign accents,” people suffered for being different. Parents struggled to ensure their children assimilated to the mass, spoke English, and rid themselves of “foreign signs,” such as speaking a language other than English, having a foreign accent, dressing in foreign clothes.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on June 6, 2006
Fredy Wiles, Terra, senior producer, interviewing Mexican soccer player Cuahetemoc Blanco
Photo: Terra.com
Coral Gables, Florida – Terra.com leveraged the journalistic collaboration of Terra Networks’ regional sites to create a bilingual (English and Spanish) World Cup 2006 tournament website, Alemania 2006, focusing on the road to Berlin. Promoters describe it as “the largest, most complete site.”
They promise recaps of the Elimination Round, more than 2,000 photos detailing the history of previous World Cups and live reporting from Terra.com’s 10 international online correspondents. Website visitors can obtain team stats, calendars, team standings, videos, country information, a German travel special and advanced wireless features like mobile ring tones, scores, and alerts.
Additionally, soccer fans who follow the tournament online can receive minute-by-minute match coverage in Spanish and English, Terra TV (video-on-demand) including four original exclusive videos per day from Germany, online games, photo galleries, forums and blogs.
“Terra Networks’ journalistic collaboration offers World Cup fans unparalleled in-depth coverage and is a prime example of the Internet’s ability to reach a mass audience,” stated Fernando Rodriguez, CEO, Terra. “The Internet is fast becoming the media of choice for avid sports fans. Anyone with a browser and connectivity can actively partake.”
Terra.com served as the official site for the Copa Oro and offers fan clubs for Spanish teams, Barcelona and Real Madrid. Terra also features the teams and games of the Fútbol Mexicano, Copa Libertadores de America, and Copa Europa.
According to Terra executives, World Cup 2006 is set to reach an estimated 3 million spectators attending 64 matches that will be played in the German cities of Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt and Hannover. Millions are expected to follow the games on television, radio and online.
Terra Networks is an Internet group with a presence in the U.S. and Latin America operating websites in the United States, Spain and Latin America, and is among the largest access providers in Spain and Latin America. Terra.com is the U.S. Hispanic arm of the Terra Networks. Visit Terra.com for the Spanish website and Terra.com/shared for the English version.
Posted by Elena del Valle on June 5, 2006
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Michele Valdovinos, vice president, Phoenix Cultural Access Group
A podcast interview with Michele Valdovinos, vice president, Phoenix Cultural Access Group, is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, Michele discusses U.S. Hispanic markets with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
Michele, who is co-author of “A Snapshot of the U.S. Hispanic Market,” oversees the firm’s marketing functions and leads the Senior Management Analysis and Review Team to provide actionable insights and recommendations for the company’s clients. She brings more than twelve years of professional experience having worked in high-profile industries such as network television, entertainment, international marketing, and Hispanic market advertising.
Michele began her career at Univision, where, as audience research director, she conducted Nielsen television ratings analysis and market research. She then went on to work at 20th Century Fox, where she was manager of research, International Television Department. At Fox, her responsibilities included extensive research for the launch of Fox’s Latin American cable channels.
In New York, Michele worked as senior manager, Client Services for IBOPE International/WPP, an international research company. At IBOPE, her focus was on customer service, sales and marketing in connection with the leading television ratings panel in Latin America. Michele later joined The Bravo Group, Young & Rubicam’s Hispanic arm, and the largest Hispanic advertising agency in the U.S. As vice president, Research & Strategic Planning, she was responsible for all research and strategic planning for leading national advertisers such as AT&T, United States Postal Service, and Unilever/Best Foods.
Michele obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Management from Pepperdine University and is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communications with a master’s degree in Communications Management. She is on the board of directors of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting graduate education for U.S. Hispanics. Michele who is Mexican-American, bicultural and bilingual, has traveled in Latin America and Europe.
To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR Michele Valdovinos,” hit the play button or download it to your iPod or MP3 player to listen on the go, in your car or at home. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the June 2006 section of the podcast archive.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on June 2, 2006
Actors Wanda de Jesus and Rick Gonzalez
New York, New York – New Deal Entertainment announced recently that principal photography will begin for the film “Illegal Tender,” written and directed by Franc Reyes (Empire) and the latest production by Oscar-nominated John Singleton. The expected release for the movie, starring Rick Gonzalez and Wanda de Jesus, is Spring 2007.
The film tells the story of Latino college student Wilson Jr. (Rick Gonzalez) and his courageous mother Millie De Leon (Wanda de Jesus) fleeing from the thugs that killed his father (Manny Perez). After years of uncertainty about the true meaning behind their life on the run, Wilson Jr. and his love, Ana, (Dania Ramirez) find themselves in life-threatening danger. Wilson Jr. must return to Puerto Rico to unveil the dark secrets from his family’s past.
Franc Reyes, writer and director, “Illegal Tender”
“It’s a thrill having John Singleton produce this film for me. We talked for a couple of years about working together which happens all the time in this business without it meaning much. But John is a man of his word,” said Franc Reyes. “More importantly, he understood my desire not to just make movies for Latinos but to make movies with Latinos, to tell stories about Latinos in this country. Latin American films are finally having their day, but truly commercial American Latino films have been few and far between. I think that’s changing now. I feel fortunate to be a part of it.”
“It’s exciting to begin the production of ‘Illegal Tender’ with talented writer and director Franc Reyes. We have both been anticipating this for several years and it’s thrilling to see it come to fruition,” John Singleton. “Even though Latinos drive the national box office every weekend, up to 18 percent of the market by some estimates, no studio is actively making cool commercial films for this huge audience. We have a great director telling a great story with a hot cast, plus plenty of cars, romance, adventure, action and music. I promise you: ‘Illegal Tender’ will bring the hotness, a full entertainment experience that Latinos and all young people will love.”
Production was scheduled to begin in late May 2006 in New York City and continue through June 2006 in Puerto Rico. John Singleton, producer of “Shaft” and “Hustle & Flow,” and Franc Reyes, writer and director of “Empire,” plan to bring to the screen “an exciting and action-packed story of a mother and her son.”
Posted by Elena del Valle on June 1, 2006
MundoHispánico new design
Photo: MundoHispanico
Atlanta, Georgia — MundoHispánico, billed as Atlanta’s largest circulation Spanish-language weekly and owned by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, redesigned the newspaper to make it more attractive and easier to read. The revamped look includes a new logo and a contemporary design as well as a format meant to encourage readers to spend more time with the paper.
“The latest in a series of moves to expand and improve our publication to meet the needs of the rapidly growing market,” said Lino Dominguez, publisher, MundoHispánico.
Atlanta’s Hispanic population exceeded 500,000 in 2005 and is expected to grow by another 31.5 percent by 2010. MundoHispánico is distributed on Thursday with a circulation of 75,000, including a 7,000-copy zoned edition in suburban Hall and Clarke counties.
Three weeks prior to the redesign, MundoHispánico launched a second weekly that serves as a “how to” guide for new Hispanic residents of metro Atlanta. Pasos: Para vivir mejor (Spanish for Steps to a Better Life) is a free tabloid publication with a weekly distribution of 35,000. Pasos is published each Monday and features short stories and color photographs to illustrate the steps readers can take to accomplish their goals.
Acquired by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2004, MundoHispánico recently moved into new offices in suburban Atlanta. The newspaper has served metropolitan Atlanta’s Hispanic market since 1979. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is a division of Cox Enterprises, Inc., a national media company and providers of automotive services.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on May 31, 2006
By Juan Manuel Colome, founder and president, Infoseek Technologies Inc.
Juan Manuel Colome, founder and president, Infoseek Technologies Inc.
Photo: Infoseek Technologies Inc.
Hispanics are one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. population and they are open to direct marketing offers. This year, there are 43 million Hispanics in the U.S. and nearly 4 million in Puerto Rico. But you have to talk to them with the right words. The Hispanic market has been riding the headlines for the past couple of years as one of the fastest growing sectors of marketing.
According to the third annual AOL/Roper U.S. Hispanic Cyberstudy, Hispanics are entering cyberspace at rapid pace with over 14 million US Hispanics online. Yet the companies successfully targeting them online in the direct response arena are few and far between.
Why is it that something which seems like such low hanging fruit is so difficult to make successful?
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Posted by Elena del Valle on May 30, 2006
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Rupa Ranganathan, ethnic strategist and senior vice president, Strategic Research Institute
Photo: Rupa Ranganathan
A podcast interview with Rupa Ranganathan, ethnic strategist and senior vice president, Strategic Research Institute, is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, Rupa discusses the 2006 7th Hispanic Boom conference in Los Angeles with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
Rupa is responsible for a portfolio of 65 conferences in the multicultural marketing, market development in healthcare, branding, e-marketing, relationship marketing, healthcare and disease management areas. Prior to joining the Strategic Research Institute, Rupa was a conference producer for Global Business Research in New York City. Before that she was general manager of marketing and public relations for the Apollo Hospitals Group in Chennai, India.
Rupa received a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from Madras University. She has been a multicultural columnist for Retailwire since 2004 and was a judge of the Asian American Advertising Creative Awards for 2005.
To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR Rupa Ranganathan,” hit the play button or download it to your iPod or MP3 player to listen on the go, in your car or at home. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the May 2006 section of the podcast archive.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on May 26, 2006
Lantigua Designs’ Chef Rodriguez cards
Photos: Chef Rodriguez and Lantigua Designs
Lantigua Designs, Inc. and Chef Douglas Rodriguez developed a new line of Spanish language greeting cards which feature caricatures of the chef, some of his most popular recipes, and catchy Spanish dichos, which means sayings in Spanish. Inspired by Chef Rodriguez’s Latin cuisine, Lantigua Designs created two lines of greeting cards: Consejos del Chef (Spanish for chef’s advice) and Sabor Latino, (Spanish for Latin Flavor). A percentage of the proceeds from the Chef Rodriguez line will be donated to the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families of New York City.
“As a long-time fan of Chef Rodriguez’s cooking, I am thrilled to be working with him on this new greeting card line. We are both proud of our Hispanic heritage and it is reflected in our individual work, as well as through this joint effort,” said Liz Lantigua, president, Lantigua Designs.
Chef Douglas Rodriguez
“The flavor of the Latin community is not only found in our food but in our humor, family traditions and music, all of which are conveyed in these distinct cards,” said Chef Rodriguez. “It’s another way of send a greeting with lots of sabor!”
Chef Douglas Rodriguez is the son of Cuban immigrants and was raised in Miami. He grew up with the sights, smells, and tastes of Cuban-American cuisine and developed a passion for food early on in his life. In 1989, he opened his first restaurant named Yuca, a Cuban style restaurant in Coral Gables. He won the “Chef of the Year, Miami” recognition from the Chefs of America just before moving to New York. In 1994, Chef Rodriguez became the executive chef and co-owner of restaurant Patria. After Patria, he opened Chicama, a Peruvian ceviche bar, and Pipa, a Tapas bar. In 1996, he received the James Beard Foundation’s Rising Star Chef of the Year Award.
Chef Rodriguez, now residing in Miami, oversees four restaurants. The two in South Florida are OLA Miami and OLA Steak & Tapas. In Philadelphia he owns Alma de Cuba and in Scottsdale, Arizona he owns Deseo. He is also the author of Nuevo Latino, Latin Ladles, Latin Flavors on the Grill, and The Great Ceviche Book.
Lantigua Designs specializes in Spanish language, Latin-themed and bilingual greeting cards that appeal to Hispanics living in the United States. It first introduced its line of cards in April 2005 to retailers in the South Florida region. For more information online, visit ChefDouglas.com and LantiguaDesigns.com . — Gabrielle Sarnese.
Posted by Elena del Valle on May 25, 2006
Jose Rivera Font, general manager, Yahoo! North Latin America
Photo: Yahoo!
Barely weeks after making news with its World Cup fan sites, Yahoo! has yet another business venture geared towards the Spanish language Hispanic community. This time they united with Telemundo and NBC Universal Television Group to create Yahoo! Telemundo.
Yahoo! en español internet services and Telemundo content will be combined to make one website to take the place of the original Yahoo! en español and Telemundo websites.
“This is a game-changing deal that will reshape the U.S. Hispanic Internet business as we know it, in terms of user engagement, customer value and monetization,” said Jose Rivera Font, general manager, Yahoo! North Latin America. “Yahoo! Telemundo will provide the kind of cross-media interaction that will deliver an integrated and immersive media experience for both users and advertisers.”
Although the staff and advertising profits will be merged there will be no equity investment from one company to the other. Even though the process will take months, the site is already up and running. Visitors to the Yahoo! and Telemundo sites are redirected to the new site.
Yahoo! staples will be available including Mail, Messenger and Search and the new site has the original Yahoo! layout. In addition, Telemundo will furnish content ranging from sports to music.
Randy Falco, chief operating officer, NBC Universal Television Group, stated, “Our partnership with Yahoo! is a win-win deal for both sides that will drive more hits to the site and ultimately expand our capabilities.”
The companies will produce new advertising technologies which they hope will lead to exclusive media campaigns targeting Spanish speaking Hispanics across the country. According to them, this merger marks the first time a national Spanish language television network partners with an established Spanish language online service. For more information online, visit Yahoo!Telemundo.com — Melissa Gonzalez
Posted by Elena del Valle on May 24, 2006
Martha E. Galindo, president and CEO, Galindo Publicidad, Inc.
Photo: Martha E. Galindo
Driving home several weeks ago, I was listening to a Spanish radio station that played one of the funniest and most effective commercials I’ve ever heard. The characters were exchanging comical descriptions of how bad their credit was: “My credit is so bad that my ATM card requires a safety deposit,” “My credit is so bad they won’t even take my cash,” and so on.
Then the very serious voice of a woman broke in saying, “Un momentito, wait a moment, your credit history is not a joke!” It caught my attention, so I didn’t switch the radio station and kept listening. The concept was to teach people that having bad credit is not funny at all — that you can fix it and that it is a serious matter. It was so well done!
Yet many try to appeal to the Hispanic market regarding financial services in a canned lecture-sermon type of mode, and I truly believe that they are missing the boat. This market clearly needs many of these financial services, but we must find ways to make it less threatening, more appealing, and more effective. Clearly, humor is one of the answers.
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