Si muchachas (ok y ustedes tambien muchachos...:)

So what's the deal?  Well the great news is that it's to stamp out domestic violence.  According to http://www.clicktoempower.com/about.aspx  1 in 4 women has experienced domestic violence. (Wow, I didn't know that!...)

And a great new program...Tell a Gal P.A.L.  is doing lovely (literally lovely) stuff.  It's helping domestic violence survivors get back into the workforce by encouraging you, me, and everybody to donate new...or nearly new purses/professional bags. New purses enable these wonderful survivors to get back on their feet, and get back into the workforce.

So how can you too win?  Well...you can!  In fact you can win Ana Ortiz's purse designed by Onna Ehrlich (check out the purse on the link....it's cute!)

1) Visit the below link

2) Fill in the form

3) Send it off...ta-da...you're registered!  And the best part is you've spread the word about stopping domestic violence

Here's The Link To Win Ana Ortiz's Purse!

Even if you don't need a purse....just visit the site and click the appropriate link on the right hand side.  For every click (yes every click!) the Allstate Foundation is giving $1 to the Education and Job Training Assistance Fund.  So visit hoy y'all!

-La Marketer

9/16/08- Free tickets! Yes! And a DVD!  Read on....

Soooo today we are going to take a walk con los grandes...a large walk with those dinosaurs currently taking over L.A.

The show Walking With Dinosaurs The Live Experience is on tour in North America and is hitting L.A. September 25th thru 28th.  Take a peek at the website, Walking With Dinosaurs, its is chock full of dynamic dino species, a video gallery of behind the scenes footage, along with a picture gallery full of vivid assortments of dinosaurs. 

So how do you get free tickets to the L.A. show?  The 15th person to email me at lamarketer@hispanic.com gets 2 tickets.  The 16th person gets the DVD.  Drop me a line with your address. 

Upcoming Walking With Dinosaurs Shows are ongoing in September and will continue till the end of this year all over the United States.
 
The show is based on a award-winning BBC Television Series and brought to you by The Creature Production Company.  The show is already sold out in Australia.  What will you see at the show?  15 loud and scary dinosaurs will shock and amaze you appearing just like they did millions of years ago. 

Tickets run from $25-88.50 and can be purchased from Ticketmaster, the STAPLES Center box office, or charged by phone at (213) 480-3232. 

Check it out y'all, and email me for the free ticket giveaway!

-La Marketer 

Right, so I'm about to walk over to Safeway to buy some groceries...A lot of us are used to just heading over to the nearest supermarket....but what about the nearest Hispanic market?  Well it seems many Hispanic markets are going upstream these days, and growing into full-fledged chains.  Complete with soy milk, watercress, and specialty cheeses.

What is our world coming to?
 

Hispanic stores are convenient, right around the corner, family friendly (where everybody knows your name), and just plain easy.

And with the "recession" hitting, stocking more general population friendly foods is helping attract and keep customers of all ethnic backgrounds.

So here's the lesson - know your customer and grow with them.
-La Marketer 

Toughened immigration laws, a slowing job market, and

border wall issues...it all makes for many Latin Americans   who   are returning to their native homes in Latin America.  So  does this mean that the need for Hispanic Marketing is slowing?

No.

There are still an estimated 44 million Hispanics in the U.S., and it's a baby boom here.  Hispanics represent the largest proportion of the population under 26.  Statistics show they have a much greater disposable income than their parents' generation, and are striving to become more educated and affluent than their parents.

Is time to take money out of the Hispanic Marketing budget?  No, in fact, now may be a great time to put money into Hispanic Marketing.  The slowing economy may mean it is time for companies to break out of their traditional molds and try new avenues of making money, and this includes targeting Hispanics.

So stop Hispanic Marketing?  Not yet, in fact andale...put some cash in that budget.  It's never too early to start putting money to start that brand awareness.

-La Marketer 

6/08/08- I grew up with the memory of Willie Velasquez who founded the Southwest Voter Registration Project.  He was an amazing force, who lived and breathed to see the Hispanic vote counted, and to be honest...must've had a crystal ball...forseeing the growth of Hispanics in the U.S. (Willie died in 1988 at the young age of 44). 

He was a very close friend of the family, and started the Southwest Voter Registration Project with a dream to see the Hispanic vote matter, and for Hispanic voters to have a say in government at all levels.

Now, 20 years after the death of this Hispanic leader...we see Obama Barack as the Democratic nominee...moving to court Hispanic voters.  Something as we all know...he didn't do in the primaries.

How to win Hispanics ...and influence people?  Yeah...not easy...especially when your opponent did such a great job of tapping into Hispanic voters.

Well, here's a few thoughts...doing freeform today.

Superstar Venues
Obama typically has worked in superevent....superstar status where thousands of people go to megastadiums/venues to listen to him politicking.  It's worked thus far....however...

Eh, this tactic ain't gonna work so well among Hispanics.

Small & Intimate
Here's a culture where traditions, sayings, belongings, cultural habits and norms are taught and passed on by family and close friends.  Where recommendations of a friend or family member hold much greater weight than a multi-million dollar ad campaign splashed across every billboard or Spanish language novela.

Keep it small, keep it close, a big superstar over the top presentation...will likely do more to turn off than attract Hispanic voters.

Influencers
Hispanics listen to other Hispanics....and well...Obama and McCain for that matter needs to identify significant influencers in the Hispanic community who will start talking about his ideas, and laying the groundwork as to why Hispanics should vote for either candidate.

Obama reached out this past week to Joe Baca, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to garner his support...Now remember...Baca, had pledged his support to Hillary.  Baca is rallying, and has come out in the press that he will be rallying to support Obama.

This is a good first move...but as the saying goes...there's still much work to be done.

Target
See this is something Hillary was just good at.  Targeting Hispanics.  She assembled a powerhouse of staff behind her who had the expertise at developing Hispanic voter connections at a variety of levels.  Obama and McCain are way behind here.  They both need to develop a concerted effort to step up to the plate, and talk about issues that matter to Hispanics, and develop appropriate strategies to do so.

Explain
Okay to me this is a key one,  both candidates...be in McCain or Obama need to explain to Hispanic voters several things. 

1) McCain: Immigration
For a time there, he was supporting the immigration issue...but why has it seemed he has turned his back on his once supportive immigration stance.  What happened?  Where'd you go?

2) Obama: Where've you been?
It's almost as if Obama gave up on Hispanic voters during the race with Hillary- as if the problem would just go away.  Well, news flash....it won't Hispanics are here to stay.  Where have your efforts been? 

A few thoughts...

-La Marketer 

5/14/08-  Yup, we know, you've heard, your neighbors have heard, everybody knows, Hispanics are the big new demographic.  But did you know they are the 2nd biggest users of cellphones...in terms of voice usage..(they come just after African-Americans).

Well, this shouldn't be a complete shock.  I know my family regularly when I was a kid used to bill $100s of dollars a month in phone calls to my mom's country in Central America.  So this is no real change of phone usage...just now...todos are mobile (which makes sense).

So what does this mean for you?

Well, mobile, mobile, mobile.  Research shows Hispanics tend to use more of the features (text, speed dialing, messaging etc.) on their phones, and use more customization (i.e. ringtones...cellphone holders, gadgets etc.) 

Remember...Hispanics are generally a disconnected community, with family members straddling countries and spread all over the U.S.  Anything that can keep them together, i.e. a cell phone, talking to their friends and family, messaging etc. will be of big benefit if you are trying to target los Hispanos.

BTW: An interesting piece of research...Hispanics are the most likely of any ethnic group to have just a cellphone & no landline these days.

-La Marketer

5/07/08-  Almost 20% of the U.S. population is made up of Hispanic youth....can you believe that?!  It's stunning to think!  And get this...22% of the U.S. population is Hispanic and under 5 years old.  Yes, Hispanics are set to become a major powerhouse of the U.S. population.  And along with this increasing growth, means health care, health care, medical costs, health care, and guess what...yeah more health care.

So it's a burgeoning population, and Hispanic health care needs are set to be growing at an astonishing pace over the next decades. 

So what's the secret when it comes to selling health care to Hispanics?  Ah...the million dollar question. 

Well here's a few thoughts from a Hispana marketer on targeting the market.

Churches- Places of worship.  Hispanics who come to the U.S. are far from their roots, far from where they grew up, and far their communities where they grew up.  Thus churches for many Hispanics tend to become a focal point for development of a comfort area/community as Hispanics move to the U.S. and start new lives.  Targeting churches or becoming involved in church communities is a good way for companies to get involved with Hispanic communities.

Credit Cards- Many Hispanics don't have credit cards - especially those who have grown up in Latin America, so if you're planning to sell something to them....plan ahead and don't require a credit card number...i.e....have a way to get around that...for example can pay by credit card number or money order, or payment in person is allowed, debit from bank account etc.  Only the very very wealthy in Latin America have credit cards.  Those who are coming to the U.S. for work, are likely not yet used to the idea of paying for things by credit/debit.

Schools- Yes, schools are a great place to start.  Get involved and get name recognition among this burgeoning young population.  Book covers, pencils, erasers...you could even pass these out at church events as mentioned above. 

Free clinics- Sponsor some!  Find a Hispanic neighborhood and offer health tips, blood pressure screenings etc.  Visit construction sites during lunch, pass out freebies or information.  Great way to gain some name recognition among hispanics.

Internet-  Don't forget, while you may be wired and online, alot of Hispanics are not yet online.  Telling Hispanics to apply "online" may just lose a large, valuable customer base.  A friend of mine works at a bakery, and she's commented to me, that when they tell Hispanics to apply on line....well, the Hispanics who apply just don't usually have Internet readily available. 

Okay, so I could keep going...but I'll keep some ideas close to the vest for next time.

 -La Marketer

4/24/08- So today I was reading a book by a famed Harvard professor today…and I had 1 of those slap myself on the forehead…“Why didn’t I think of that?” moments…

 

The crux of this professor’s theory, was that to grow your business, increase your sales, and increase customer's purchasing of your products you need to grow DEMAND.

 

Okay – any marketer knows that- however…we’ll put it in really sophisticating marketing language…”audience research shows”, “the model says”, “analysis results reveal”…snore..blah…no.

 

The crux of the matter is---it really is that simple….as simple as “DEMAND”. You want to sell your product to Hispanics?  Fine!  Well, make them want it! Create DEMAND.

 

It’s easy to push your product on the Hispanic population…anybody and everybody can do it.  Spend a little cash, create a marketing budget- and voila- you’re pushing a product.  But you really won’t start seeing serious upward, steady sales…until you create a DEMAND, a need, a desire, a want, etc. for your product.

 

How do you do that you ask…ah…great question, and I’ll talk about that in an upcoming column, but for now…remember..it’s DEMAND that’ll make you money…& sell your product, especially among Hispanics. Do it.

 

-La Marketer

 

 

 

Quote:

Article from World Press:

“In the period between 1980 and 1990, and in the period between 1990 and 2000, the census department said that Hispanics were growing five times faster than the overall population. But when the overall census data came out, both times it turned out that it was actually growing eight times faster. So if you’re a betting man, it’s always better...betting."

 

A Nielsen expert was quoted in this great article I just read. Huh, I was shocked, just because I wasn't aware that Hispanic numbers actually overshot census estimate in the past couple censuses.

 

Now would be an excellent time for you and your company to get in on Hispanic marketing, considering that Hispanics make up an estimated 15% of the US population - and are gonna hit 25% within the next few decades.

 

Another Hispanic marketer, this time from Univision, was quoted saying "every dollar spent against them is a dollar spent on growth, not on defending sales against those non-Hispanic segments of the population whose numbers are declining as a percentage of the whole and whose buying power represents less than it did in the past.”

 

Wow.  That's a powerful statement.

 

Don't tell me I didn't warn you…

 

...Let the betting begin.

 

12/2/07-This week I read with interest how in San Francisco, Spanish language news trounced in the English newscasts at 6 p.m. in the recent Nielsen ratings.  It's the first time Spanish-language news has won out in that market- yet certainly not the first time it's happened around the country.  We've seen it in places like New York, Miami, Houston, etc. 

Why is this happening?

Well..

English

It seems English-language viewers are now fragmenting of into getting their news elsewhere... especially from the Internet.  English-language viewers often have access to the Internet at work.

 

Spanish

Spanish viewers, as a whole are generally not as technically advanced as English-language viewers.   Think about the audience.  Many Spanish-language viewers do not have as much familiarity with the Internet, nor as much access at jobs they might perform (in general).

 

So while English newscasts may be seeing declining viewership, not so much for Spanish- same goes to show for programming as well.  At least for now, Spanish that which viewers will always have their novelas on TV.  English viewers on the other hand, tend to have more fragmented viewership now splits between TV and Internet options.

 

It's a divided world, and somehow marketers need to decide where to spend their advertising dollars.  Not an easy decision as we can see these days.

 

-La Marketer

12/2/07- I just read this blog post-and thought it was excellent.  A lot of items to pass for Hispanic advertising these days, and sometimes differentiating between the good and the bad is just not easy.  This is a sarcastic but pointed take on some of the not so good that it's going around these days.

Looking for Hispanic Talent in All The Wrong Places

Bravo!

 

-La Marketer 

11-27-07-I'd argue telenovelas.  Why?  Your average movie comes out does well, gets a lot of publicity and hype in a short amount of time, and sells accompanying product sales for a few weeks -months even at times.

A telenovela on the other hand, can generate product sales and publicity throughout the lifespan of the novela... which extends out for a much greater length of time.

This advice is of course dependent upon which country or countries your company is interested in targeting.   If you're looking at making a move into the Latin American market, a popular telenovela may be just the place to perform a product placement to quickly familiarize the Latin American audience with your product.  Partnerships may even be an option, for example, having characters from the novelas, perform commercials for your product, which will run during the telenovela. 

Who's Watching

Many American ad agencies seem to forget that the mainstay on evening television in Latin America  for men and women, is telenovelas.  And while not everyone in Latin America may have the money to go spend on viewing the movie, most people will have television.

 Luxury Items Vs Non Luxury Items

This leads me to my one corollary, on the above advice - and of course back to what I always talk about, which is "knowing your market".

If you're trying to sell a luxury item- for example, a car, a watch, a handbag - stick to the movie advertisement -- that's your market.

But if you're trying to appeal to the general, average Latin American consumer: try advertising in conjunction with telenovelas, it could bring you more bang for your dinero.

-La Marketer

11-27-07- During my senior year of college.  I studied abroad in Italy. I bought something at a national Italian chain grocery store called "Co-op" (a nonfood item), but wanted to return it.  I still had my receipt, so I thought nothing of just walking down to the store and going to customer service.  Little did I know I was in for it.  The customer service lady, couldn't believe that I would have the gall to try to return something and yelled loudly at me.  As I discovered the hard way- return policies are next to nonexistent in Italy.

That was hard and embarrassing lesson, but it taught me to value the wealth of customer service we have here in the US. 

This brings me to my topic: I just read a stat saying 90% of Hispanics, who experience a problem with a product/service are very upset or extremely upset about how the matter is handled

That's huge...

I've been pondering why this number is so large for a few days.

Here are a few thoughts:

·        Language (this comes to mind instantly).

·        Lack of relationship building - Many Hispanics are used to building relationships with people or businesses they buy from, thus a confidence exists between them and the seller.

·        Pacifist culture -- Latin culture is generally a pacifist.  Thus expressing anger about a product or solution is discouraged.  Often times, solutions suggested by merchants may not be optimal for Hispanic customers, yet Hispanics will say yes to avoid any further confrontation.

·        Dislike of drawing attention - From my own family experiences, I have seen that Hispanics just want to blend in - and not draw attention to themselves.  To do that they'll take the first solution rather than the customer service solution they really want.

If I was a merchant catering to Hispanic consumers, I would do a couple of things. 

1) develop more personal relationships with my clients so they could have a level of confianza- confidence with my business.

2) Ask Hispanic consumers who have customer service issues several times if the proposed solution is to their liking.  Hispanics may say yes, the first few times but if given the opportunity they will tell you what you what they think.  It may take a little bit- and perhaps you even get yelled at eventually- like I did many years ago at Co-op in Italy.

-La Marketer

11/25/07= So, I was watching TV the other day...  And there was this character, who was supposed to be speaking Spanish.  If I was an average American television viewer, I would have thought  "hey, they're speaking Spanish".  But as a bilingual Hispanic television viewer, I knew what they were trying to say in Spanish, and it just wasn't right.  In fact it was painfully wrong.

 

And I'm sure I'm not the only one to notice that this snippets of spoken Spanish on English-language television just doesn't reflect the Spanish that Hispanics are speaking in their homes.  Sure, sometimes Spanish is just for effect or just to add color to a scene but nonetheless you would think with all the money networks are spending on the shows they could afford to pay a consultant to get the Spanish right. 

You can find lots of people who speak Spanishin this country these days....

With all the money spent on attracting Hispanic viewers and putting together Hispanic marketing, it be nice to have folks chat to us in the correct language and grammar.  

 

Just a thought.

-La Marketer

11/24/07- I'm feeling kinda poor this holiday season.  And I'm not sure any type of marketing will solve that I-have-no-money feeling.  Some new numbers support my current spending thoughts.  About 57% of Hispanics polled in a recent study said that it would be spending a little or a lot less this holiday season.  This outweighed the planned spending is a of both Anglo-American and African-American shoppers.

 

From the reports and numbers I've been seeing, money transfers are down to Latin America, and businesses which cater to Hispanics are losing money due to a lack of shoppers.  So it doesn't sound like I'm alone in being thrifty this winter.

Hispanic marketing or no Hispanic marketing, I'll be keeping my wallet fairly closed this holiday season.

 -La Marketer