That's the theme of a report released last month by the Pew Hispanic Center, under the title "Between Two Worlds: How Young Latinos Come of Age in America." The report's findings have significant implications for the way marketers address Hispanic 16-25-year-olds in the U.S. -- a cohort that numbers some 7.5 million and accounts for 18 percent of all U.S. residents in that age bracket.
]]> Is the report says, this is a life stage at which Hispanics in the U.S. "navigate the intricate, often porous borders between the two cultures they inhabit -- American and Latin American." Based on polling conducted in August and September, the report goes on to say "it is clear that many of today's Latino youths, be they first or second generation, are straddling two worlds as they adapt to the new homeland." It finds the survey's respondents exhibiting "attitudes and behaviors that, throughout history, have often been associated with the immigrant experience." The twist in the story is that, as the report emphasizes, "most Latino youths are not immigrants. Two-thirds were born in the U.S., many of them descendants of the big, ongoing wave of Latin American immigrants who began coming to this country around 1965."The survey finds ethnicity outranking current country of residence in the way Hispanic 16-25-year-olds perceive themselves. One question in the polling gave respondents a choice of terms and asked them to cite the one they use first to identify themselves -- by their family's country of origin, as Hispanic or Latino, or as American. A majority (52 percent) said they describe themselves first by familial country of origin, while 20 percent said they first identify themselves as Hispanic/Latino. Twenty-four percent said "American" is the one of these terms they use first.
...BUT NOT QUICK TO SELF-IDENTIFY AS AMERICAN
Even among the poll's second-generation respondents (i.e., those born in the U.S., but with at least one foreign-born parent), just 33 percent said they choose "American" over the other options as their primary self-identification. A plurality of the second-generation respondents (41 percent) first identify themselves by their family's country of origin; 21 percent use "Hispanic/Latino" first. "Only in the third and higher generations do a majority of Hispanic youths (50 percent) use 'American' as their first term of self-description," says the report.
None of this makes things simple for companies that aim to sell their wares to Hispanic teens and young adults. Do marketers need to be wary of sounding an "American" theme in speaking to this audience? "Not necessarily," says Christopher Campos, vp and managing director in the New York office of Bravo, an agency that specializes in addressing the Hispanic market. "The 'American' theme is not a turn-off. Clearly, America has changed. Young Latinos are growing up, adapting and influencing the world around them -- they are defining what America is today."
THEY INFLUENCE AS THEY ASSIMILATE...
At home, says Campos, their "Latino personality" is defined. But they're influenced by a range of social factors in the wider world. "It is in this outside environment that he/she is exposed to other influences and starts learning and growing from those experiences," says Campos. "Eventually, the young Latino contributes to the culture around him, converges with the American culture, and new identities arise. Thus, the American theme is part of what they experience, what is shaping them and what they are helping create everyday."
Then again, if ethnicity looms larger than current country of residence in the way young Hispanics in the U.S. see themselves, that doesn't mean it trumps their sense of themselves as people. "Hispanics are people first and Hispanics second like Americans," notes Sergio Alcocer, president and chief creative officer of Austin, Texas-based agency LatinWorks. "You don't do 'American advertising.' The concept is too vague and does not personalize the communication."
...BUT STILL RESPOND TO ACCURATELY TARGETED MESSAGES
Laura Sonderup, director of Denver-based ad agency Hispanidad, makes a similar point when asked whether marketers should steer clear of an explicitly American theme in addressing Hispanic 16-25-year-olds. "When we reflect on the development of a relevant, results-oriented campaign message targeting any young adults, I doubt that an 'explicitly American theme' would be effective, unless the client is a branch of the military or a related category," she says. "Instead, it is far more effective to speak to these influential young consumers about the things that are important to them in their lives and the thinking that influences their buying behaviors." And while their exposure to mainstream American culture means young Hispanics will be different from their parents' generation, she says, "they still won't act, or think, like their general-market counterparts. So it will be important to speak to their roots in a meaningful and relevant way."
If there are pitfalls in using a generically "American" approach to this audience, the precedence of familial country of origin in their self-perception means a generically Hispanic/Latino approach might present its own challenges. The Pew report makes it plain that young Hispanics are skeptical of any notion of a monolithic "Hispanic culture" in this country. "By a ratio of about 2-to-1," says the report, "young Hispanics say there are more cultural differences (64 percent) than commonalities (33 percent) within the Hispanic community in the U.S."
]]>"There is a shared sense of urgency in Corporate America to capitalize on the surging U.S. Hispanic market that is transforming our economic and social landscape," said Latinum Principal David Wellisch, founder and former GM of AOL Latino. "Latinum enables corporations to do as a group what no one company can do alone in terms of collecting and analyzing data, collaborating with peers, and developing strategic partnerships. We represent a powerful new vehicle for companies that want to accelerate their learning curve, and get this market opportunity right."
Latinum delivers new-to-world insights, data and solutions across a wide range of critical challenges that matter most to its peer group of executives. By combining cross-company perspectives with customized support for each member, Latinum assists executives and their teams in developing deeper insights into the market, more effective strategies for the segment, and the solutions required to successfully design and execute core marketing initiatives. The network will be powered by a first-of-its-kind digital platform launching later this month which will facilitate active online collaboration among participating executives and provide access to a rich set of data and insights.
"With ethnic segments leading lifestyle trends, we recognize the importance of this market both as trendsetters in many cases, and as a target audience for our brand," said McDonald's U.S. Hispanic Marketing Director, Cristina Vilella, a charter member of the Latinum Network. "Our participation in Latinum gives us access to the best thinking from other market leaders as they too accelerate their penetration of the U.S. Hispanic market segment and to new, cutting edge analysis and data to take full advantage of this market opportunity."
Latinum pinpoints behavior and trends that help clients unlock the full potential of the U.S. Hispanic market in a highly cost-effective manner.
"The Hispanic-American segment is responsible for almost a third of the population growth since 2005 and its spending is increasing at a rate more than twice that of the general market," said Latinum Principal Michael Klein, formerly a top executive of the Corporate Executive Board, the world's largest business network provider. "Our clients recognize the huge growth potential of this market, but in this economic climate they're looking for more cost-effective ways to go after the opportunity. Our shared-cost approach to solving problems enables us to produce high-quality answers and insights at a fraction of the cost of alternatives."
To ensure its members get the most from their investments in the Hispanic market, Latinum is directly addressing a number of the most vexing challenges that have impeded companies' consistent success in targeting the segment. These include strategies to address and work around critical data gaps, best ways to use new channels to acquire customers, and the direct effect of acculturation on incremental ROI. For example, by uncovering how specific cultural factors impact actual consumer spending patterns, Latinum has identified a set of emerging market opportunities that for some companies have more than doubled their target market.
By leveraging the efficiencies associated with the network model, Latinum also provides members with a wide menu of services, customized for their needs. It holds formal meetings and informal web casts and teleconferences, and produces a steady stream of content which it makes fully available to members. Beyond original analysis and data, Latinum offers its members a range of additional services through the Latinum Marketplace, where members can partner on joint marketing initiatives, collaborate on industry-wide issues, and access negotiated discounts on vendor services.
]]>Tribuna's soccer-savvy host panel based in Mexico will comprise top-notch commentators, former players and coaches, and a well-known referee of Mexico's Primera Division. The four regular hosts from Monday to Friday will include Eugenio Diaz, a long-time soccer commentator and former coach; Antonio Carlos Santos, former Brazilian player on Club America and anchor of the popular Mexican sports program Los Protagonistas; Fabian Estay, former midfielder for the Chilean National Team as well as for several teams in Mexico's Primera Division, Pilar Perez, the beautiful runway model and soccer enthusiast from Sinaloa and Bonifacio Nunez, the veteran Mexican referee, will be among the hosts every Monday.
Tribuna's launch comes at a particularly crucial moment in Mexican soccer. With the Mexican National Team entering the final phase of World Cup qualifiers, Mexican fans around the world are eagerly awaiting each of the remaining matches, including a highly-anticipated face-off against the United States on August 12th. Mexican soccer's Apertura Tournament will also get underway this weekend as Indios plays Monterrey on Saturday, July 25th and Monarcas takes on Santos on Sunday, July 26th.
The 200-episode first season of Tribuna Fox Sports will run for 40 weeks through May 2010.
Tickets for 2009 Soccer Games - Boletos para Juegos de Futbol -
]]>Arriba, Mark Sanchez - Not since Yao Ming, perhaps, has one player been so important to a league's effort at expanding and entrenching itself into virtually un-mined gold. Indeed, this is one of those rare exceptions when the potential value of a player on the field is exceeded only by his value off of it.
Of course, it is huge pressure to heap onto Sanchez' shoulders. And, of course, Sanchez must produce for the New York Jets. He must play well, put up the numbers and win. But if he can handle both demands, put it this way: New York would be only the second-largest market Sanchez would conquer. And it would be a distant second at that.
Hispanics are the largest minority group in the United States and are growing faster than any other group. The most recent Census figures indicate that by next year Hispanics will account for $670 billion in personal income, with Mexican-American households accounting for $409 billion of that total. Hispanics also are younger and trending upward financially quicker than every other demographic. It truly is the ultimate prize the NFL has yet to win.
The NFL first began to realize the potential more than 25 million Hispanic sports fans could have on the league several years ago. But the plan was disorganized. Marketing the demographic was left mostly to individual teams and, frankly, it was not a front-burner issue. In recent years, the effort has been much more focused and league-driven.
There have been Hispanic Heritage Months, ventures into Hispanic communities and Spanish-language broadcasts of NFL games in several markets. There have been exhibition and regular-season games played in Mexico, the NFL.com Web site hosted in Spanish and even the Madden Espanol video game, featuring Bears offensive lineman Roberto Garza.
But the mother lode in this case a demographic that should number more than 50 million in the 2010 Census and whose buying power should exceed more than $1.2 trillion by 2012 -- has yet to burst wide open.
Can one 22-year-old rookie have that big an impact?
Anyone who remembers "Fernando-mania", in 1981, when rookie sensation Fernando Valenzuela changed everything in baseball, would tell you, yes, one rookie can.
]]>"The Hispanic market is a key growth segment for Fifth Third Bank. The goal with this campaign is to inform Hispanic customers about the best ways to keep their finances healthy and growing so they can make their dreams a reality," said Larry S. Magnesen, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.
"Fifth Third Bank just celebrated its 150th anniversary, a testament to the Bank's strength and heritage. Our campaign seeks to couple that message of trust with a personal connection around Latino insights. At the end, the goal is simple: to get them to see Fifth Third as a partner they can trust," commented Catherine Nunez Account Director at the vox collective, the full service advertising agency Fifth Third Bank is partnering with for many of its multicultural initiatives.
The campaign pieces can be viewed at: http://www.thevoxcollective.com/fifththirdbank
The vox collective is an advertising and marketing agency fueled by creativity, innovation and collaboration, and focused on emerging marketing priorities including multicultural, cause and social marketing, and digital and marketing and social media. Agency clients include: Macy's, Fifth Third Bank, The Office of National Drug Control Policy, Johnson & Johnson, Pernod Ricard, The Partnership for A Drug Free America, Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti organization, The Pan American Development Foundation and Angelique Kidjo's Batonga organization. For more information on the vox collective, you may visit http://www.thevoxcollective.com.
]]>Building Incremental Retail Sales and Profits with the Hispanic Market
July 14, 2009 - By Ray Garza
Earlier this year, I was invited to what was a very lovely business luncheon with some very bright business executives from a very prominent retail organization.
]]> The reason for the invitation was that this retail company not only wanted to ask for some marketing advice about the Hispanic market, it also wanted to share some very personal information about its organization specifically as it pertained to its Hispanic customers or better yet, as it pertained to its lack of Hispanic customers.What was the personal information the company wanted to share? It was having some very difficult financial struggles as a retailer in what became key Hispanic neighborhoods, and realized not only was the company not attracting any significant number of Hispanics to patronize its stores, it wasn't developing new customers at all.
Knowing a little bit about this retailer's presence in the marketplace, and doing a study after our meeting, I came back to the company to tell it the reason it didn't have much of a Hispanic customer base is because the company didn't do what was the very obvious, which was to:
Welcome Them!
The reason it wasn't generating new customers (specifically, the mainstream market) was because this market was not growing, and unlike the Hispanic shopper, consumers were buying from other sources online, organic farms and boutique shops.
This retailer, like most companies that have not yet taken the Hispanic market seriously, never seem to have a budget to sincerely, strategically and successfully target this market. And if they desire to, always seem to use the same words, "We don't have much of a budget." To which I say: "Then don't spend any of it as you can't tap a market this viable if you don't invest the necessary funds to successfully win this customer."
My rule of thumb for marketing to the Hispanic market is as follows:
If the Hispanic market in your city is 50 percent of the population, then allocate 50 percent of your marketing budget towards it. If it's 30 percent of the market, then allocate 30 percent of your marketing budget towards it, and so forth.
If that seems a little high, try increasing it to a reputable amount vs. the average 3 percent to 5 percent budget most retailers use to try and tap a market that is not only continuing to be the fastest-growing population in our great nation, it's also a market that is pushing 50 million strong, and supported with an annual U.S. purchasing power of nearly $1 trillion! A trillion dollars a year!
My advice to the retailer, or to anyone desiring to win this very viable segment of the population and win it big, is to invest in it. In fact, I know of mainstream retail stores that have larger retail space, yet are earning millions less than what a small Hispanic retail store is doing in annual sales.
So What Is a Retailer to Do?
To increase your retail sales and profits, here's a few marketing vehicles to consider when marketing to Hispanics:
Don't just join your local Latin Chamber of Commerce, get involved by participating in luncheons, fairs, expos, festivals, educational/scholarships and other community activities! In other words, get involved with your Hispanic community.
Provide a festive environment in your store that specifically appeals to the Hispanic market in your neighborhood -- from bright colors and the smell of 'pan dulce' or baked goods, to the voiceovers and elevator music that you play in your store.
Remember, when it comes to the Hispanic market, it's families that you're catering to, so have some type of activities for the children (i.e. coloring contests, miniature amusement rides in front of your store, free cookies at the bakery counter, etc.); and don't forget about the new Hispanic shopper -- the Hispanic teen market who more and more are shopping for papa and mama!
Don't just promote the 'típico' Cinco de Mayo and Sept. 16, events, because Hispanics do celebrate other things -- like every week! Learn all the holidays (and other Hispanic/cultural celebrations) Hispanics celebrate such as Quinceaneras (Sweet 15 for girls), Bodas (weddings), barbecues/picnics, dia de los muertos (Halloween), Dia de dar gracias (Thanksiving) and Christmas events (i.e. Posadas, Three Kings Day), just to name a few.
And don't forget soccer, boxing, baseball events and American football to win your Hispanic men as customers.
Provide the right foods, beverages, candies, breads, fruits, vegetables and cuts of meats, among other things your customers want if you were to only ask them. We may be assimilated, but our bellies and minds are still cultured to crave what our abuelitas y mamas cooked for us!
Are you ready for this one? Provide pinatas for children's birthday parties -- even non-Mexicans love pinatas!
Provide bilingual signage -- especially if you want to communicate with your customers about your retail specials and other in-store promotions and services. In fact, try going into a Chinese retail store and read the packaging. Unless you speak Cantonese or Mandarin, chances are you won't buy something that you don't understand. The same goes with the Spanish-speaking consumer, so be sure to provide information and/or direction for your customers to read, understand and follow. And please be sure to be accurate with your Spanish when you translate your English copy.
Provide Hispanic customers with international transfers of money to their native lands, and check cashing services for little to no charge. In fact, if you offer free check cashing, watch what will happen in your store -- especially every pay day! You'll not only drive your regular customers, you'll begin to attract many new customers to your store because people do still talk! Have you ever heard of a loss leader? This is one marketing vehicle that you may want to consider!
Have a bilingual staff or management to communicate to your Spanish-speaking customers.
Provide attractive and colorful point of sale materials that are both descriptive and depictive. Remember, a picture is greater than a thousand words!
Advertise in local Spanish and bilingual media -- radio, newspaper, television, direct mail, transit advertising, billboards and the Internet.
Provide Spanish or bilingual circulars to promote your specials, hours of operation, other stores, addresses and most important, telephone numbers!
Sample products -- cut fruit, pour beverages in one-ounce cups and sample anything else you or your suppliers have to encourage Hispanic customers to sample, as unless consumers try something new, chances are they won't buy it unless you first give them a sample.
Coupons -- specifically, to educate your customers on how to use coupons.
If you are a mainstream retailer near or in the Hispanic neighborhoods, offer better prices than the Hispanic bodegas, supermercados and tiendas that are already catering to this market. Unfortunately, Hispanic customers in these bodegas seem to pay more for their common commodities simply because they want what they want, and if you don't follow some or all of the vehicles that I've just shared, then like the retailer who came to see me for advice, you too may need to seek consul -- before it's too late!
In closing, begin to realize it is becoming inevitable that the Hispanic market will continue to grow throughout this nation, and if you, as a retailer, do not cater to this ever-burgeoning Hispanic market, others will. It will be those retailers who will see incremental sales and profits. In fact, when a mainstream retailer does not welcome this most essential segment of the population (which have a very healthy residual value for generations to come), this market will even go to the extreme of building their own retail stores, bakeries and supermarkets in your neighborhood, and Hispanics will no longer need a mainstream retailer to shop at.
So if you don't want to find yourself asking why sales aren't growing in your store or why your Hispanic customer base is little to nil, try using the one word that truly attracts Hispanics to shop at your store:
¡BIENVENIDOS!
Ray Garza is one of the pioneers in Hispanic marketing and a specialist in Hispanic advertising, marketing, media promotions, public relations and viral marketing. For more information, e-mail info@TheHispanicAgency.com or call (702) 795-4711.
]]>The key benefits are:
1. No database costs, no list rental, no letter shop costs, no postage costs.
2. Complete data analysis of deliverable areas that match specific demographic requirements.
3. Sophisticated demographic targeting by Age, income, ethnic groups, consumer spending patterns, customer penetration, MRI Audit, Claritas PRIZM Clusters, ConneXions Clusters, etc.
4. Full category exclusivity in print delivered directly to the front door.
5. No clutter, which is found in the mailbox or newspapers.
6. Speed to market is two weeks or less from receipt of creative. No set schedules.
7. Media size: 5-1/2" wide by 17" tall.
8. GPS tracking of door walkers and complete back end auditing.
9. Response rates are averaging 4% to 6%, although we have some advertisers experiencing 10% to 14%. Of course creative and offer are an integral part of generating response.
Contact: Mr. Shayne Walters at Power Direct Marketing
Newport Beach, CA 92660 - Phone (949) 253-4803
* All company policies and activities should be directed toward satisfying customer needs.
* Profitable sales volume is more important than maximum sales volume
To best use these principles, a small business should:
* Determine the needs of their customers through market research
* Analyze their competitive advantages to develop a market strategy
* Select specific markets to serve by target marketing
* Determine how to satisfy customer needs by identifying a market mix
Fox Sports en Español announced it has ceased publishing Fox Sports en Español Magazine with Cuatro Media. The network is in active discussions with potential new partners to re-launch its national print publication in the coming months.
“Although we are temporarily going on hiatus while exploring other partnerships, it is important to note that our brand's relationship with both advertisers and consumers across multiple media platforms is stronger than ever. We look forward to quickly picking up where we left off,” said David Sternberg, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Fox Sports en Español.
]]>The addition of the new teams allows SBN to package integrated, multi-market sponsorships to brands interested in reaching the growing Hispanic demographic. In addition to the Spanish-language broadcasts of the games with local radio partners, the broadcasts are available on XM and MLB.com.
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