I was recently asked how Hispanics celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. If you look at the history of the celebration, it was created as a weeklong U.S. government commemoration in 1968, and expanded to a month-long observance in 1988. Today, Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15 and runs through October 15, to help commemorate the independence of several Latin American countries during the 30-day time period, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico and Chile.
Hispanic Heritage Month is an important celebration that helps acknowledge the many contributions of Hispanic Americans to this country. For marketers and communicators, there are many opportunities to leverage this month-long celebration but need to recognize that they’ll be competing with public, private and non-profit entities to generate media coverage and awareness of their efforts.
Observing the celebration can take several forms. It is leveraged internally, to help recognize and to promote awareness of Hispanic workers contributions among the workforce, or for external purposes ranging from advertising to participation in key events in places like D.C. At a grassroots level, however, the fiestas patrias or Independence Day celebrations at communities are better venues for Corporate America. More on these events in a later blog.
For companies looking to maximize the events in D.C., and there are plenty including the Smithsonian Con Sabor celebration on September 5th, the Hispanic Heritage Awards, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund Alumni Hall of Fame* and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Gala. Based on our experience, there are also a few points of consideration:
• Define priorities. Why do you want to participate in the D.C. events? What is the ultimate goal? Have you worked with the hosting group before?
• Create a budget: Define how much you are willing to invest in events to meet the set goals. Remember that buying a table at an event means having a company representative there to staff the event, which could mean travel dollars for more than one individual.
• Establish expectations. These events are important to build relationships, have a presence with Washington-based organizations and leaders and further partnerships. However, most of the time these sponsorships will not result in media coverage or create visibility outside of D.C. or the circle of influence of the group attending the event.
• Focus on relationships: The most tangible benefit to be derived from these opportunities is the opportunity to meet other people who hold influential positions and have an interest in diversity and Hispanic marketing. Strike conversations, get to know people and companies and network all you can for the best ROI.
* HSF is an FH client.
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