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The Year in Media: Advertisers and Marketers Make a Multicultural Pitch

December 16, 2011
By TANZINA VEGA

Staff members of The Times’s media news department are highlighting the most significant developments this year in the industries they cover.

This was the year that multicultural marketing gained significant ground as advertisers seized on the potential to reach the nearly 50 million Latinos in the United States. Within that group, advertisers are trying to reach both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking Latinos as well as those who consider themselves bicultural – born in the United States but of Hispanic heritage. Cosmopolitan magazine announced it would begin publishing Cosmopolitan Latina in May of next year. The annual television network presentations known as upfronts, where media executives entice advertisers to buy air time on their shows, included a full lineup of content for Latinos. Telemundo announced it would host a Republican presidential debate. Univision and 11 other Spanish-language media partners began offering video content on Hulu. The Huffington Post, NBC, Fox and CNN began news outlets dedicated to Hispanics. And even devout followers of telenovelas, Spanish soap operas, began seeing aggressive product placement and brand-sponsored content from advertisers like JPMorgan Chase, L’Oréal USA and Home Depot.

Source: New York Times

Hispanic ballerina in ‘The Nutcracker’ barely understood English six years ago

December 16, 2011
By Perla Trevizo

Wearing a blue leotard and her pink pointe shoes, Alondra Gomez bends her knees, straightens a leg and rests it against the barre in the dance studio inside the John A. Patten Recreation Center in Lookout Valley.

She continues doing her pliés, her fondues and rons de jambe. Each exercise takes three to four minutes — once to the left, once to the right.

After warming up, the 14-year-old is ready to work on the details for her biggest role yet, the Sugar Plum Fairy in Ballet Tennessee’s “The Nutcracker.”

It’s the “crème de la crème” role of the two-act ballet, according to Anna Baker VanCura, Ballet Tennessee artistic director.

“It’s the culmination of the entire ballet. ... The anticipation of the whole evening hangs on that moment when the Sugar Plum Fairy and her cavalier — a role played by guest artist Sean Hilton from the Northwest Florida Ballet— do that beautiful pas de deux (step for two),” she said.

Alondra had never heard of ballet before her family moved from Mexico to Chattanooga in 2002.

And she hadn’t considered being a dancer when her friends encouraged her to audition when she was 8 years old for Dance Alive, a summer cooperative between Ballet Tennessee and the Chattanooga Parks and Recreation Department.

She has natural talent, VanCura said.

“She showed a natural ability right from the beginning,” she said.

Just as Alondra was learning English, she started to learn the language of dance, one that she mastered very quickly.

Alondra is the first Hispanic and one of the youngest girls to be cast as the Sugar Plum Fairy for the company. She turns 15 years old in January.

“She has the technical skills, the maturity and the ability to carry herself onstage and command that stage by herself in that leading-role position,” VanCura said.

When Alondra practices the grand jete, in which her partner lifts her up and places her in his shoulder, or when she does her pirouettes, spinning again and again, she always has a big smile on her face.

“I picture myself onstage with the audience in awe just looking at me,” said Alondra, a slender girl with her hair tied back in a bun. “That helps me so much; it gives me energy.”

Alondra’s dream is to become a professional dancer with the American Ballet Theatre in New York City, and every role she gets, she said, is a step closer to that dream.

“Dance means almost everything to me. I don’t know what I would do without it,” she said.

“I feel so happy and peaceful when I’m onstage. I find it so easy to express my emotions. I feel like I can let myself go with dance,” she added.

And her personality comes across when she performs.

“She has the most wonderful laugh I’ve heard in any dancer in years,” VanCura said. “When she laughs, it makes everyone around her laugh.”

For her father, Juan Gomez, nothing makes him prouder than to see his daughter up on the stage.

“It’s a blessing,” he said, as he took a break from helping carry out props for the production. “It’s a privilege.”

His dedication to see his daughter succeed was apparent when he changed his plans to move to Atlanta so his daughter could continue her training, said VanCura.

And now, his youngest son, Juan Gomez, 11, is joining his sister in “The Nutcracker” production.

Source: Times Free Press

Mexican-Americans aren't moving up, study finds

December 15, 2011
By Lorene Yue

U.S.-born Mexican-Americans in the Chicago area seem destined to repeat the same low-skilled jobs as their immigrant predecessors, a new study says.

Roughly half of the Mexican immigrants working in the six-county region have jobs in the food service, construction and manufacturing industries. Forty percent of U.S.-born workers of Mexican descent hold similar jobs, trapped by a "blue-collar ceiling," according to a study released Thursday by the New Journalism on Latino Children project.

Fewer than 1% of U.S.-born Mexican-Americans hold jobs in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.

"There is limited intergenerational mobility between immigrant Mexican workers and U.S.-born Mexicans," said Sylvia Puente, executive director of the Latino Policy Forum, a Chicago-based civic organization. "We're not seeing a lot of economic mobility."

The study found that the median annual income for men born in Mexico who are working in Chicago is $28,000. For their U.S.-born counterparts, the median leaps to $47,000. "That is still significantly behind the $65,000 for non-Hispanic white males," Ms. Puente said.

U.S.-born Mexican women fare better in the workplace, with more of them in administrative jobs, the study showed.

John Koval, a retired DePaul University sociology professor who led the research, said Mexican-American women tend to advance further in school. "They don't have the same dropout rates (as men), which gives them an edge to look for jobs," Mr. Koval said.

The New Journalism on Latino Children project is a program of the University of California's Institute of Human Development. DePaul University conducted the research, which focused on Mexicans because 80% of Latino workers in Chicago trace their roots to Mexico.

SourceL: Chicago Business

Girl Scouts add Hispanic initiative

Dec. 15, 2011
By Jess Radke

Some of my greatest Girl Scout memories involve learning from people of other cultures who I met at camp, programs and even in my troop.

I'll never forget that wacky camp counselor from England who taught me that they call soda "fizzy juice" over in Britain, or my pen pal from Alaska telling me about taking a ferry to school in the dark every morning.

Learning about other cultures often is fun and inspires imagination in kids, but it's also important in terms of tolerance and respect. That's why it's exciting for me to see the leaps and bounds Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes, or GSNWGL, has made in the name of inclusion; namely national and council-wide Hispanic initiatives.

GSNWGL is laying the groundwork by translating forms and materials into Spanish and setting up a Spanish-language phone line. Long-term, GSNWGL will have systems in place for Hispanic volunteer development and Hispanic-culture programming for girls.

"We are envisioning this as a three-year process before we are in full swing with the Hispanic Initiatives," said Gloria Garza, Community Development & Hispanic Initiatives manager with GSNWGL. "Three years feels like a long time, but there are a lot of pieces to put together before we can begin developing quality leadership programs tailored to our Hispanic population."

Gwen Taylor, director of Innovation and Program at GSNWGL, noted that the Hispanic Initiative was developed in response to the growing Hispanic population nationwide, but Girl Scout inclusion programming doesn't stop there.

"A lot of our Hispanic parents are first generation and struggle with language barriers, which is why we have such a heavy focus on Hispanic Initiatives right now. That said, we successfully serve a wide variety of cultures," Taylor said. "We serve Native American, Hmong and other non-Caucasian populations as well, but because there isn't such a language barrier with those families, girls and volunteers often have an easier time participating."

These inclusion initiatives are expected to benefit GSNWGL greatly, projecting a large boost in girl participation and new membership. More importantly, this will give more girls access to Girl Scout leadership programming as well as opportunities to explore and share their heritage and learn about other cultural backgrounds.

"No matter who they are or where they come from, we need to serve all girls and get them to interact with people who are different from them," Taylor said. "Girls grow from these opportunities, leaving them more well-rounded and better prepared to take on the world."

Source: Wausau Daily Herald

Texas Dems launch Latino outreach program

December 15, 2011
By Clay Thorp

The Texas Democratic Party (TDP) is using the anti-Latino rhetoric of present (and past) Republican politicians across the country in hopes of moving Texas into the blue.

Dubbed “The Promesa Project”, the initiative seeks to utilize social media and young Latinos. According to the Texas Democratic Party, the movement is based on two key factors related to Latino and Hispanic voters in Texas: “young Latinos are increasingly the trusted sources of political information in their families and social circles,” and “the internet has surpassed television as the main sources of political information for young people under 30.”

Essentially, the TDP is depending on young Latino’s use of social media and the internet to spread a Democratic message in the coming election cycle.

“We plan to make it crystal clear to Latinos that Democrats are offering solutions and inclusion while Republicans continue to be blatantly disrespectful and outright hostile to them,” said Anthony Gutierrez, spokesperson for the Texas Democratic Party, in a statement.  

The project will include new avenues of advertising, as well as shareable web videos and talking points for the ever-present political discussions at the dinner table.

David Zapata, outreach director for the GOP of Texas, said although he has just begun to reach out to would-be Latino Republicans, organizing at the local level will be key to garnering more Latino support for Republicans.

“We need to have a different approach than the Democrats,” he said.

Zapata said Republican gains within the Latino vote will come from “trying to go beyond the rhetoric and scare tactics.”

Zapata finished by emphasizing where he said the majority of Latinos stand on issues such as family values and fiscal responsibility.

“Republican values and ideals are aligned with Hispanic values and ideals,” he said.


Source: The Houston Chronicle

How Marketers Can Best Reach Mobile-Savvy Hispanics

12/15/2011
By Zephrin Lasker

The Hispanic market in the U.S. is growing at an impressive rate.  The U.S. Census reports that Hispanics are the fastest-growing demographic segment in the U.S . By 2050 Hispanics will account for 30% of the nation’s population.  It’s no wonder that companies are putting a significant amount of their budgets towards engaging them in a meaningful way.  Companies like Old Navy with their interactive Telenovas, T-Mobile and Lowe’s are all examples of big brands looking to reach the Hispanic population in the U.S.

Here are some tips for marketers looking to reach this growing segment:

Hispanics are mobile savvy.  44.7% of U.S. Hispanics use smart phones compared to 31.9% of the non-Hispanic population. And, surveys show that Hispanics are quite receptive to marketing messages if they are done right. According to a consumer survey published in Ad Age, 42% of Hispanics said they are more loyal towards companies that show appreciation for the culture by advertising in Spanish. During the 2010 World Cup, the iPhone World Cup app published by Hispanic network, Univision became the 13th most popular free application in the U.S.  If you want to reach Hispanics, go mobile.

Hispanics come from 20 diverse countries.

The lack of sensitivity to different Hispanic cultures is especially detrimental to marketers trying to reach Hispanic communities and build brand awareness. Campaigns targeting Mexicans, which make up the largest segment of Hispanics in the U.S., should differ from campaigns aimed at South Americans or Spaniards.  There are differences even between Hispanics of similar countries of origin residing in different areas of the U.S.  Cultural sensitivity and a deep understanding of cultural taboos and how they are shifting are crucial when talking to the Hispanic market.

The recession has redefined value for everyone.

Like most Americans, Hispanics are smart shoppers.  During the recession the use of coupons among Hispanics has grown 51 percent, according to a study by Synovate. The study also revealed that many Hispanics delayed purchases until a specific product was on sale.  The explosion of both mobile and social media among Hispanics has accelerated use and sharing of special offers.  According to Comscore August 2011 data, Hispanics overindex in the use of mobile coupons.  Hispanics aren’t cutting coupons – they are downloading them from their mobile phones.

Keep the focus on the individual rather than the culture.

Mobile phones and tablets are very personal devices. Given the immersive experience provided by the mobile device, content providers and brands have a rare opportunity to form a meaningful one-to-one connection with mobile users. In addition to personalized content, people have come to expect personalized advertising.   The personalization of advertising has never been more important than now because people expect a more personalized experience on such an intimate device.  Both app developers and advertisers can reap significant advantages by enabling a relevant and respectful advertising user experience.

If you don’t have a plan to reach Hispanics on mobile – you should.  Mobile is taking over as the way we communicate and access the Internet and Hispanics are ahead of this trend.  This represents a clear opportunity for brands.

Companies targeting Hispanics have begun to take these insights and successfully apply them to the creation of innovative and relevant mobile marketing tools.  Brands are even creating their own Spanish language apps to engage this mobile savvy audience. For example, the Swedish furniture brand IKEA recently launched a Spanish language catalog app.

One of the best examples of a campaign incorporating many of the above suggestions is the Cover Girl  Mis Quince contest that ran on 10 different mobile content properties.   The “sweet 15” known as Mis Quince is an important milestone for Hispanic girls. Procter & Gamble ran the Cover Girl campaign as a contest that tied together elements of social networking.  Mobile, personalization, cultural sensitivity plus social networking seems to be the recipe for success when reaching this active market.

More recently, Dell and Babycenter have run mobile signup ad campaigns to acquire the contact information of Hispanic customers in the U.S. and Mexico and form long-term relationships with them.

Running a campaign targeting Hispanics goes well beyond having a Spanish version of your ad or having a Spanish Facebook page.  But, you’ll find the effort is well worth it.  The Hispanic opportunity is huge and it’s going mobile.  ¡Vamonos!

Source: Forbes

Market Research Finds Hispanic Share of Restaurant Sales Ticking Upward

12/14/2011
Source: EIN News

MarketResearch.com has announced the addition of the new report "Latino Foodservice Trends in the U.S." to their collection of Food & Beverage market reports. For more information, visit http://www.marketresearch.com/Packaged-Facts-v768/Latino-Foodservice-Trends-6501278/

The combination of anemic consumer confidence, a recession that has claimed 8 million jobs, decreased household wealth, and an uptick in the saving rate presents unique challenges for the restaurant industry, especially as consumer discretionary income is its lifeblood.

Without the influence of Hispanic spending and population patterns, therefore, restaurant industry sales would have declined during 2008 through 2010, according to Latino Foodservice Trends in the U.S., a just-released report from Packaged Facts.

Hispanic share of consumer-driven restaurant sales has ticked upward from 12% in 2006 to 12.7% in 2011, although Hispanic share of limited-service sales decreased slightly over most of this period.

From 2005 to 2025, the U.S. Census has projected 78% growth in the Hispanic population, compared to 15% growth in the general population. Put another way, some 70% of the estimated 47.2 million in population growth during 2005-25 is attributed to Hispanic population growth.

While the fastest growing segments of the Hispanic population will be those age 45 or over, under-25s are still expected to comprise 43.2% of all Hispanics, underscoring the long-term importance of younger Hispanics to the restaurant industry.

According to David Sprinkle, publisher of the report, younger consumers are more likely to use limited-service and snack and beverage restaurants than average, and likely to use them more often -- and Hispanic consumers are no exception.

Univisión launches Spanish-language mobile video site

15-12-2011
By Michelle Clancy

Univisión is the latest TV network to tap the mobile opportunity in interactive media with the Univision.com mobile video site for US Hispanic audiences.

Taking a 'video snack' approach to content, the mobile offerings feature a range of mobile-friendly clips covering entertainment, sports, news, cooking, beauty shows, music and horoscopes, along with short-form video content from select Univisión TV shows and novelas, and local UnivisiónTV stations.

Univisión has also partnered with the Kargo mobile publisher network to provide a monetisation piece of the initiative. Kargo delivers mobile advertising and integrated marketing opportunities across its proprietary network of major media mobile Web sites, native applications and messaging campaigns, leveraging relationships with carriers, app storefronts and handset manufacturers.

“The Univision.com mobile video site is Kargo’s first video-only site and provides a transition into the mobile video publishing space," noted Harry Kargman, founder and CEO of Kargo. “[We have a] commitment to help develop and grow the Hispanic mobile audience.”

Source: Rapid TV News

Latino Gymnast Danell Leyva Wins Championship for the U.S. at Abierto de Gimnasia

December 11, 2011
By Blythe Lawrence

Not even an earthquake could dampen the enthusiasm at the Abierto de Gimnasia, which concluded Saturday evening in Guadalajara, Mexico with a gala that allowed gymnasts to let their hair down (or in the case of one popular Russian gymnast, put it up in pigtails.)

World event champions Danell Leyva and Ksenia Afanasyeva were the all-around champions, recording the top scores in an impressively competitive field that drew gymnasts from five continents.

In her first meet since winning the World floor title in Tokyo in October, Afanasyeva scored 58.15 to top Canada's Christine ("Peng Peng") Lee by more than 2.5 points (Lee scored 55.5). 2010 World team member Mai Yamagishi of Japan finished third (55.0), just edging Emily Little of Australia (54.9).

Leyva tallied 89.35 over six events to win over day one leader Daniel Purvis, who came second with 88.7. Russia's Sergei Khorokhodin was a point behind for third. Mexico's own Daniel Corral, winner of two gold medals at the recent Pan American Games, shone on pommel horse and parallel bars -- his best events -- and totaled 87.35, good enough for fourth.

The event was interrupted briefly by an earthquake which shook the building during the last rotation, but no one was hurt, and the meet continued after the shaking stopped.

Leyva and mixed pairs partner Lee won the mixed pairs competition, which tallied the men's and women's all-around scores.

The event concluded with gala performances where gymnasts were invited to get creative. Here's Afanasyeva's fun, Russian-inspired floor routine from the gala -- it's quite unlike how she usually performs on floor!

Women's all-around results:

    1. Ksenia Afanasyeva, RUS, 58.15
    2. Christine Lee, CAN, 55.5
    3. Mai Yamagishi, JPN, 55.0
    4. Emily Little, AUS, 54.9
    5. Yessenia Estrada, MEX, 52.6
    6. Mikaela Gerber, CAN, 52.15
    7. Catalina Escobar, ARG, 51.2

Men's all-around results:

    1. Danell Leyva, USA, 89.35
    2. Daniel Purvis, GBR, 88.7
    3. Sergei Khorokhodin, RUS, 87.7
    4. Daniel Corral, MEX, 87.35
    5. Jorge Hugo Giraldo, COL, 86.75
    6. Rafael Martinez, ESP, 86.55
    7. Masahiro Yoshida, JPN, 85.350
    8. Santiago Lopez, MEX, 82.45
    9. Marius Berbecar, ROM, 81.850

Mixed pairs results:

    1. Danell Leyva - Christine Lee, 144.85
    2. Rafael Martinez - Ksenia Afanasyeva, 144.7
    3. Sergei Khorokhodin - Emily Little, 142.6
    4. Daniel Corral - Mai Yamagishi, 142.35
    5. Daniel Purvis - Catalina Escobar, 139.9
    6. Jorge Giraldo - Mikaela Gerber, 138.0
    7. Santiago Lopez - Emily Little, 137.35
    8. Masahiro Yoshida - Catalina Escobar, 136.55
    9. Marius Berbecar - Yessenia Estrada, 134.45


Source: Examiner.com

Study finds Latino workers trapped under 'blue-collar ceiling'

December 15, 2011
By Wailin Wong

A new study of the Chicago area's Latino workers shows that they are trapped in low-paying, low-skill industries and could pass this "blue-collar ceiling" to future generations unless educational gaps are addressed.

DePaul University conducted the study as part of the New Journalism on Latino Children project, which is led by the University of California's Institute of Human Development and receives funding from the McCormick Foundation.

Using new census data through 2010, researchers determined that three out of five new workers in the metro Chicago labor market over the last decade were Latino.

"The overwhelming majority are citizens and poorly educated," the report noted, adding that this group ranks "at or near the bottom of Chicago's education and wage hierarchies."

Latinos of Mexican origin account for nearly 80 percent of the Chicago metropolitan area's Latino population and therefore constitute the bulk of the group analyzed in DePaul's report. While this community's population growth over the last decade has been well-documented, the report emphasized that "a demographic Latino youth bubble of several thousand" is emerging locally and will play a major role in the economy.

Latinos represent 22 percent of the metropolitan Chicago population, up from 11 percent a decade ago, according to the 2010 census, and more than 20 percent of the region's native-born Latino population is under the age of 5. These children will be entering the workforce in 20 years, replacing baby boomers who will be retiring.

But if the emerging Latino population grows up without attaining more education and job skills than their parents, they will either remain caught in the same low-paying jobs as the previous generation or miss out on employment altogether, as jobs in manufacturing and other industries keep disappearing, the study said. The report determined that the Latino workforce is concentrated in minimum-wage food service, construction and manufacturing.

"We need to be aware that this is happening and the population is growing — 'we' meaning the decision-makers in this country and the general population," said John Koval, senior research fellow at DePaul University and the author of the report. "These kids need special attention. They're coming from communities where going on to college, even graduating from high school, is not commonplace. … We're not talking about social justice, social work. We're talking about a pragmatic need in our country. These kids need to be educated and well-trained because this economy needs them so badly."

Disparities between Latino children and other groups are apparent at the early education level, with one-third of Illinois Latino children enrolled in preschool versus two-thirds of their peers, the report said.

High school and college graduation rates present further challenges. The report noted that Chicago's Latino high school graduation rate of 59 percent is the highest on record, although it is below the 64 percent for whites and 80 percent for Asians.

In the Chicago area, 57 percent of Latinos live in the suburbs, census data show. Improving education is about "how well-equipped and forward-thinking suburban school districts have been in educating their Latino students," said Sylvia Puente, executive director of the Chicago-based Latino Policy Forum, which supported the research.

"There is uneven responsiveness across the region, not necessarily because of any ill will, but because it's a new dynamic," Puente said. "School districts just don't have the history of educating Latino children and/or children of immigrants."

Koval added that tackling educational gaps is part of a larger challenge in improving intergenerational economic mobility among Chicago's Latinos.

Education "is a small portion of what needs to be done," Koval said. "We're talking about kids who are growing up in communities that are already marginalized. … We have to do more than hire some good teachers. We have to go into the communities and — this is the really difficult task — change the culture of communities."

Source: Chicago Tribune