Posts Tagged ‘Public Relations/Mktg.’

Hispanic PR Conference: A Week Away from an Industry First

Posted by

The Hispanic PR discipline has been rapidly evolving in recent years. Social media, and the shifts and increased sophistication in Hispanic media are just some of the triggers for the momentum, and all is driven by the continued expansion of the U.S. Hispanic demographic. In May, the industry will convene in the first ever trade conference fully dedicated to Hispanic PR. We had the opportunity of talking with conference organizer Manny Ruiz about what participants can expect at this gathering and why the time has come to dedicate 3 days of focused discussions to what our discipline does. Manny has a long trajectory in helping advance Hispanic PR—he founded Hispanic PR Wire, later acquired by PRN, and also launched HispanicPRBlog. To hear our conversation about the conference, why now, what to expect and the trends he sees in the market, listen to this podcast. See you in Dallas!

Listen: FH Hispania Podcast  (download)

| April 30th, 2010 1 Comment »
Tags: ·

If an illegal immigrant isn’t counted, is she there?

Posted by

This past week, the top two Republican candidates vying for the Senate seat Mel Martinez will be vacating, engaged in a war of words over whether the  Census should count illegal immigrants in its tally of the US population. The pragmatist, Charlie Christ, looked at the issue from the point of view of his current governor’s perch, arguing that not counting illegal immigrants would stem part of the flow of Federal dollars to the state (not surprising given his support for the stimulus bill last year), while the new poster child of the conservative movement in Florida, Marco Rubio, angled to gain political points with the party’s base by stating that illegal immigrants should not be counted.

It is all kind of a moot point because the Census count has already started, and I am not too interested in exploring the politics of it all in this forum, but the whole brouhaha got me wondering as to what would happen in the marketing sphere if Rubio’s point of view was somehow adopted by Congress or a future Administration.

Funding for Hispanic marketing in the US has been on the rise for quite some time, but not enough can be said about the boost in attention it received after the count of the 2000 Census showed that US Hispanics had become the country’s largest minority and were well on their way to leaving everyone else far behind. What would happen to marketing funds for Hispanic programs if all of a sudden the Census eliminated what could arguably be 20-25% of the Hispanic population in the United States? Would the lower figure become the new gauge of market size, and depress interest in the segment, or would marketers figure out a way to adapt and project for the real number of Hispanics living in the US. The issue might be compounded because so many of the geodemographic segmentation systems used by marketers in the US are based on Census data and cutting out illegal immigrants from those models would certainly skew the profile of Hispanic audiences. At least it looks like it will be another 10 years before the possibility arises of us having to wrestle with these answers.

| February 5th, 2010 No Comments »
Tags: · · ·

Don’t Kick Soccer Just Yet

Posted by

 I love soccer. I love soccer during the World Cup the most. Fútbol has always been a part of my life – en las buenas y en las malas.

446041053_06cd3af4c5 I’m not alone. Millions of U.S. Spanish-speaking Hispanics love soccer, too. The Gold Cup final this past Sunday drew record numbers of viewership. Yesterday, @UnivisionCorp tweeted “more than five million total viewers tune-in to 2009 Gold Cup Final On Univision.” Multichannel.com reported the cup “topped Nielsen charts in large markets in its time period in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, San Francisco and Sacramento.”

I think this is great for two reasons, out of many more. The first being the obvious, which showcases, yet again, the power of the Hispanic community. It further validates Spanish language TV. It makes a case that if Spanish language content exists, it will be consumed.

The second reason I think this is great is for the continuous, if not, growing popularity of the sport. Did you know that the Confederations Cup Final with Brazil and the U.S.A. was the most-viewed non-World Cup game for ESPN?

As marketers, we may be growing tired of tying in soccer focused programs to our Hispanic outreach efforts.  But, don’t call it a game just yet… if ever. The audience is there, and with the continuation of the MLS, the upcoming World Cup next year and the possibility that the U.S.A could host World Cup 2018 or 2022, soccer may just remain as important as ever, if not more, in creating a connection with Hispanic audiences.

| July 29th, 2009 1 Comment »
Tags: ·

Obama’s Last Stretch*

Posted by

Tomorrow is not only Election Day, but the night of the big Obama rally here in Chicago.  His campaign has arranged for a huge election watch party in Grant Park, and while 65,000 people hold tickets, the Mayor estimates up to a million people will attend to see Obama either win or lose the big race.

Because Obama lives in Chicago and will be putting the city on the international stage, the rally is big news here and Obamamania is at fever pitch.

Another city enamored by the senator from Illinois is the city of Obama, Japan, of which some residents have shot their own music video to show their support for the candidate.

In the spirit of this really fun, Japenese music – and I guess even politics – knows-no-language-barriers video, I decided to do a quick online scan to see if members of the Latino community are expressing their support for Obama in creative ways … and we most certainly are.**

Read more »

| November 3rd, 2008 No Comments »
Tags: · · · · · ·

¡Viva el Celular!

Posted by

Last week was the 25th Anniversary of the first commercial cell phone call. It’s hard to believe that something so integral to our lives is just 25 years young. And it’s fun to look back on how much cell phones have changed.

The first hand-held cell phone, the Motorola* DynaTAC 8000X, weighed nearly two pounds and cost nearly $4,000; all it could do was make calls. Today you can get some phones for free, and they do everything from make calls to send videos to play music and TV. I’m still waiting for a phone that can make dinner – although some phones can even dial-up a restaurant for you, using location-based services.

According to the experts, one of the things that makes the cell phone so popular is the instant connection it provides to people around the world. So it makes sense that one of the most-devoted segments of cell phone users is U.S. Hispanics who use cell phones to stay in touch with friends and family far and wide, using both voice and data services.

Earlier this year, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that “recent surveys and research indicate that Latinos depend on their cell phones for more services than other ethnic groups, turning to it for messaging, downloading music, surfing the Web and e-mailing.”

According to a recent Pew Internet & American Life Project survey, U.S. Hispanics were the most likely group surveyed (at 54 percent) to say it would be difficult to give up their cell phone.

Cell phone companies and manufacturers have been hip to this for some time now, with many mounting elaborate campaigns to capture the attention of U.S. Hispanics. Many providers even offer menu options and applications in Spanish.

So tell us what you think? Can you live without your cell phone?

* = Motorola is a client of Fleishman-Hillard.

| October 21st, 2008 No Comments »
Tags: ·

A Unique “Sponsorship” Deal

Posted by

I recently heard that Lindsey Lohan looked for corporate sponsors for her 22nd birthday party earlier this month, which made me chuckle to think that only now is Hollywood catching up to our quinceañera celebrations.

Held to mark a girl’s 15th birthday and honor her passage from childhood to womanhood, quinceañeras are a strong tradition in many Latin American countries and Hispanic communities across the U.S., and the events can be so lavish that they can put a major dent on a family’s budget. Of course, those who provide services to quinceañeras at the tune of $400 million a year are dancing all the way to the bank.

Read more »

| July 30th, 2008 No Comments »
Tags: ·

Online Advances

Posted by

One of the most exciting things about our field is the incredible pace of change. Nearly every day, there are announcements about new programming and media outlets, marketing deals, demographic research and pioneering techniques. When you track the news as closely as we do you begin to see trends.

One significant trend is the explosion and increased sophistication of online media aimed at U.S. Hispanics. Case in point: www.Impre.com.

Read more »

| April 15th, 2008 No Comments »
Tags: ·

Could This Be the Beginning of a Tectonic Media Shift?

Posted by

And I thought I would never see the day – but times do change. The Miami Herald reported this morning that Telemundo and Televisa have reached a 10-year agreement to have Televisa distribute Telemundo programming in Mexico. The deal itself probably won’t have a major immediate effect on the US media market, but combined with Televisa’s ongoing legal feud with Univision, it could signal a fundamental realignment of the forces that have governed Spanish-language television in the US over the past decades.

Univision’s ratings dominance has been anchored on the Mexican soap operas to which they have had exclusive rights as Televisa’s partner. Whether Televisa severs its programming relationship with Univision now as a result of their legal battle or down the road when their agreement expires, it could represent a huge windfall for Telemundo who have long languished in second place without access to the Mexican programming that is so popular among the immigrant population.

| March 18th, 2008 No Comments »
Tags: · ·

Cooking Up Hispanic Housewares Sales

Posted by

The International Home and Housewares Show is being held this week in Chicago and among the many new products featured are several aimed at the U.S. Hispanic market.

Some products have arrived straight from Latin America (pots and pans from Mexico’s top selling cookware brand, for example) while others are designed specifically for Hispanic households, such as Megatrade International’s line of food containers. The company sells containers meant to store traditional foods such as tortillas, rice and beans, aimed at among other targets, Hispanic laborers.

So naturally, I assumed that cookware companies selling Hispanic items would also be targeting the general market, but it appears from the article I read that their primary focus is the less acculturated Hispanic consumer and purists who want to use traditional tools from back home.

Read more »

| March 17th, 2008 No Comments »
Tags: · ·

Latino Stars Take a Stand

Posted by

We read all the time about pop stars’ efforts to alleviate problems in different parts of the world: Bono has long been an advocate for Africa, Darfur and AIDS education, also a cause of concern for Elton John, Sting has taken a stand for peace, and Shakira has fought to end child poverty.

As tension rises between Colombia and Venezuela following increasing evidence that links Chavez to the FARC rebels in his neighbor to the West, a Colombian native with star power is calling on his friends to join together for peace. In a press conference this week, Grammy-award winner Juanes announced plans for a peace concert to be performed right on the border of the countries where the two Latin American powers meet. The site also is symbolic because it also is where Ecuador meets with the two — the country recently broke ties with Colombia. The concert is scheduled for March 18 and also will feature leading Latino music talent such as Juan Luis Guerra, Mana, Alejandro Sanz and Ricardo Montaner.

This A-list group is increasingly influential far beyond music. And many Latino pop artists are being more active about wearing their beliefs on their sleeves.

Read more »

| March 13th, 2008 No Comments »
Tags: · ·

« Older Entries