Latin_KNOW: The Latino Marketing Report

Latinos to Marketers: I'm not "feeling" you

It's fascinating data that speaks for itself:

Nearly four-fifths (79%) of 14- to 34-year-old Hispanics cannot identify a brand that accurately targets young Latinos, according to a major new study released at a New York conference—Me2: Understanding the Young Latino in America—last week.

Four-fifths of Latinos in the most attractive age demo imaginable don't think your marketing is working with them. Why might that be?

“It shows that this is a group that is not being well-served by existing media,” says Sharon Lee, co-president and co-founder of the unusually named Look-Look, a marketing company that conducted the study on behalf of Telemundo’s youth-oriented network, Mun2. “There is a huge opportunity here for anyone who understands their needs and learns how to engage them.”

That's a no-brainer. But why hasn't anyone been able to figure this out yet?

Here I am editing this  entry. Latinmo

I'll tell you why. Because Latinos are a highly diverse (read highly segmented), highly complex group of people. Let me give you a real world example: my friend Monica is a first-generation Mexican-American twenty-something living in San Francisco. She is a marketer's dream, as she is extremely trend-conscious, loves gadgets and is willing to spend a little extra to get something newer or better. She has some disposable income that she is willing to part with.

How does a marketer target Monica? Well, they've got to get to know her first. Monica is fully bilingual. She speaks both Spanish and English at the native level. She "feels" more Latina than anything else, but responds mostly to Gen X American humor a la VH-1 specials and SNL. She treasures her heritage but is completely integrated into American life. She is truly a Mexican-American.

What does this mean? It means that Monica represents only one segment of the U.S. Latino market. While there are thousands more potential customers who will respond to the same things Monica responds to, there are thousands more will respond to just the opposite.

So, instead of one huge market, we have maybe ten mini-markets within the Latino market. Unfortunately, no one has been able to recognize this (at least as far as I know) or at least they haven't been successful at manifesting this knowledge.

Monica is not Western Union-ing money back to Mexico. Let that serve as a reminder that much of your Latino audience is completely different from the one you are attempting to market to in Spanish. Oh, she'll respond to an ad in Spanish (or better yet Spanglish), but it better be for something relevant; like high-end purse or a new iPod.

Until marketers realize that "Latino" is a term that we lazily use to define a community -- one that doesn't exist outside of the United States -- that is extremely diverse and comprised of people as different among themselves as they are from you, no one will truly conquer this market. Come out of your boardrooms and get to know your customer. Stop going to Hispanic marketing conferences and start thinking about who you're talking to and how.

Via BroadcastingCable.com

Losing the grandma

The California Milk Processor Board, the organization behind the "Familia, amor y leche" ads (the meaning of which, incidentally, has always eluded me) is revamping their Spanish-language ad campaign. Reading this piece of news I am optimistic because they seem to be pulling the "Familia, amor y leche" theme and getting rid of the recurring (annoying stereotype) grandma character.

Other changes: Grupo Gallegos is handling the new campaign and plans to incorporate some humor into the ads:

The Hispanic-focus campaign changes Jan. 30 when the new commercials, created by Grupo Gallegos, begin to air on Spanish-language TV.                                                                                                                         
These will be about family, but in a new and exciting way,'' said Veronica Flores with RL Public Relations.

The difference? Milk now will be humorously portrayed in the 30-second spots Contortionist,'' Amazon Hair Goddess'' and Teeth Town'' as the wonder tonic that can help build muscle, grow hair and strengthen teeth enough to pick up babies or open cans of food, as Teeth Town'' portrays.

"We recognize that Hispanic audiences are increasingly sophisticated and that our advertising needs to keep up,'' said milk processor board chairman Steve James.

Actually, Hispanic audiences aren't "increasingly sophisticated". They've always been "sophisticated", whatever that means. If it means that they are now smart enough to know that "abuela", "familia" and all of the typical elements of Latino advertising are shortcut clichés and don't resonate with most Latinos, you're right.

I have confidence that Grupo Gallegos will deliver something more relevant. Stay tuned.

Press-Telegram         READ MORE

Bilingual for the Bowl

Toyota's hybrid ads are going bilingual for Super Bowl Sunday, according to AP:

DETROIT — Toyota Motor Corp. aims to break new ground — and tug on some heartstrings — with a bilingual ad that will run during this year's Super Bowl.

In the 30-second ad, a Latino father is driving his young son in their new hybrid Toyota Camry. When the father explains how the hybrid car switches between gas and electric power, the son compares it to the way his father can switch between English and Spanish.

"Because I'm always thinking of your future," the father says, explaining why he learned English — and why he bought a hybrid.

It will be the first ad aired for the 2007 Toyota Camry, which will be at dealerships in March. The hybrid version of the Camry comes out in May. The Camry has been America's best-selling car for eight of the last nine years.

Jim Farley, vice president of marketing for Toyota's U.S. division, said it's the first time Toyota has made a bilingual ad.

Throughout the ad, the father and son mix English with Spanish, but the words they use are familiar enough to English ears that there aren't any subtitles.

The Modesto Bee              READ MORE

Technorati tags: latino marketing, hispanic marketing,automotive

Salsa Cure

NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg's efforts to appeal to his city's Latino population continue. According to Newsday, Bloomberg made an appearance yesterday in very Dominican Washington Heights, where he has a campaign office, to unveil his new (leased) bus:

Bloomberg toured the half-bus, half-platform white monstrosity, but opted not to test his popularity by tooling around the city's best-known Dominican neighborhood.

Newsday also reported:

Bloomberg intoned his Spanish slogan "Lo mejor está por venir" ("The best is yet to come") while a small crowd of supporters chanted "¡Cuatro años más!" - "Four more years!"

The mood, brightened by a salsa band, was festive but the mayor's courting of Spanish-language voters, especially Dominicans, is crucial to his re-election efforts. He was joined by ex-congressman Herman Badillo, former Giuliani official Ninfa Segarra and Bloomberg's top Dominican organizer, Fernando Mateo.

Yes, we are definitely at the point where we can say that the Republican non-Latino candidate is trying to out-Latino his Latino opponent via broken Spanish, salsa bands and Dominican community organizers. These, indeed, are interesting times.

According to Newsday, opponent Ferrer did not find the stunt amusing:

"I certainly encourage the employment of more Latin bands in this city," Ferrer said of the Bloomberg-hired musicians. "I don't need a band or a bus to introduce me to the people of Washington Heights. ... I suggest to the mayor that next time he comes to Washington Heights, he ought to linger a little while and learn more about the neighborhood."

That's fair. But what I want to know is what (beyond yelling "I'm a real Latino from the barrio" or "Listen to my bad Spanish and enjoy some salsa with me on my big white bus") are either of these candidates actually committing to with the Latino community? I read about this tug-of-war with the Latino community almost daily, and I never hear any issues brought up.

Maybe it's time to stop the fanfare and the folklore, and start appealing to the needs of the community you are looking to target. At risk of sounding too tough, I find the whole Salsa thing, the "I'm more Latino than you are battle" to be very condescending, and merely short-cuts into the hearts of the Latino community via "what we think they'll respond to without really asking". And although I believe speaking the language is of utmost importance, I think speaking about what matters to these people counts more.

Salsa, while a great antidote for some minor problems, does not fix everything. And at the end of the campaign, when the bus has been returned and the votes have been counted, will either of these guys still be as enthusiastic about the Latino community? Wait and see.

Read another post about Bloomberg's appearance on Gothamist.

Newsday            READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE

Article: English Gaining Importance in Marketing to Hispanics

As a complement to my last post, have a look at this article from MediaBuyerPlanner.com, on the same topic, and how it relates to radio:

English Gaining Importance in Marketing to Hispanics

Spanish-language radio has reached an all-time high, with more than 678 stations across the country, according to Arbitron Inc. That number could double in two years, Mike Henry, a Denver-based radio consultant, told AP (via NorthJersey.com) - but the key to success may be in using English as well as Spanish, depending on the target demographic.

Clear Channel Communications has a new format geared to the Hispanic urban market, which it calls Hurban. The playlists include everyone from crossover stars like Shakira to Puerto Rican artist Daddy Yankee - and the disc jockeys mix English and Spanish freely. Clear Channel plans to convert 20 to 25 of its 1,200 English-language stations to Spanish formats.

MediaBuyerPlanner.com            READ MORE

Article: English enters into media for Latinos

From today's Chicago Tribune, a good article about companies beginning to invest in Latino-targeted English language campaigns as part of their Hispanic marketing strategy. Yet another facet in the plan to hit all parts of the Latino community on all fronts. Enjoy!

English enters into media for Latinos
Marketers, television broadcasters and publications in pursuit of `acculturated' Hispanics are learning to speak their language

By Leon Lazaroff
Tribune national correspondent
Published August 5, 2005

NEW YORK --  Eager to reach younger and more affluent U.S. Hispanics, advertisers, publishers and cable television networks are discovering it is best to speak to them in their own language--English.

Spanish may be the dominant language of Latinos, the fastest-growing ethnic group in the country. However, for bilingual, better-educated young Hispanics, English increasingly is the media language of choice.

In response, a new crop of English-language television networks, radio stations and magazines have emerged to offer fresh choices to "acculturated" Latinos, those who maintain their Latin roots but identify closely with the American mainstream.

"Marketers have long been frustrated that there aren't enough media channels to reach bilingual, bicultural Hispanics," said Erika Prosper, strategy director at Garcia 360Communications, an agency based in San Antonio. "It makes sense that when you look at your total Hispanic marketing plan that not 100 percent goes into Spanish-language media."

Chicago Tribune                    READ MORE

Technorati tags:

hispanic marketing, latino marketing, latino

¿Bloomberito? ¡Sabroso!

Over the past month or so, I've updated you periodically about the ongoing one-up-you war of the two New York City mayoral candidates to court the city's Latino communities via the use of Spanish-language advertising and other tactics.

I was amused to read this morning, via HispanicTips, that the competition is heating up to levels in which nothing is sacred anymore. Not even salsa legend Willie Colón, who's come out in favor of Mayor Bloomberg, and has even composed a salsa tune in his honor.

According to the New York Sun:

New Yorkers eager to hear Willie Colón's latest single shouldn't bother trying to find it on the radio. A call to Mayor Bloomberg's Midtown campaign office will do the trick.

While callers to the offices of the Democratic mayoral candidates hear stark silence when they are put on hold, potential voters waiting to talk to someone at the Bloomberg campaign offices are treated to original lyrics set to a buoyant Latin beat composed by Mr. Colon, a local salsa legend.

Hardly a "local salsa legend", Willie Colón is a huge international star.

It seems the relationship is nothing new. According to Colón's web site, in 2001 " Willie Colón was also the first prominent Latino to endorse Michael Bloomberg for Mayor.  He also composed and produced Bloomberg’s Spanish campaign jingle."

I'm not a New Yorker, and before the sparring between these two candidates became evident, I didn't keep up much with the NYC political scene. So maybe that's why it's surprising to me what a quick search reveals about Mayor Bloomberg's very blatant courting of the NYC Latino community. Hanging out with Willie Colón, tributes to Celia Cruz, appointing JLo to the entertainment commission.

I guess its equivalent here is our Mayor's courting of the LGBT community.

Will Bloomberg's friendships with Latino luminaries pay off this time? Is his salsa jingle any good? I didn't manage to find it, but if anyone has a copy, please do send it along. I can't fathom the lyrics...for some reason I imagine something very similar to Pedro Navaja but the hero is Bloomberg.

Hire a translator (Part II)

According to a press release featured on HispanicBusiness.com, David's Bridal has launched a new web site in Spanish. From the release:

"David's Bridal recognizes that the Hispanic customer represents an important and rapidly growing segment of the bridal market," said Robert D. Huth, President and CEO of David's Bridal. "These fashion-conscious young women are on the cutting edge of trends and come to us for wedding and bridesmaid dresses, as well as Quinceanera gowns. Our new Spanish language site and other marketing efforts are designed to keep these valued customers and their family members informed about our dresses and accessories for all their special occasion needs."

The new David's Bridal Spanish language web site features: * Bi-lingual registration where brides can elect to receive information in either Spanish or English, as well as a bi-lingual appointment request form * Information on styles popular with Latinas for weddings and other special occasions * Quinceanera dresses and accessories * Store locator by zip code

Future plans include an Estorias de Boda (Wedding Stories) section featuring "real brides" who submit photos and memories of their wedding day.

"Estorias" de boda? That would be "historias". I'm not trying to bully, I'm just saying, spelling the word "story" wrong is a pretty good indication that you are NOT trying very hard. And that's what I hate, this half-baked effort by marketers to short-cut their way into the Hispanic community with shoddy translations and uncreative marketing. Do they think that monolingual Spanish speakers don't mind seeing their language butchered?

With the Sun-Maid flub in mind, I went in to check out the quality of David's Bridal's new Spanish site. Looks good at first, but without even clicking, what do I see? A big old ad on the right side of the page that says BESTIDOS PARA DAMAS DE HONOR. That would be VESTIDOS in real Spanish.

Luckily for David's Bridal, their site depends more on images than on text, so if you are forgiving with the horrible spelling and weird translations (for the benefit of Spanish speakers, here's a good one: "Encuentra tu atuendo ideal de la cabeza a los pies"), then one can probably find what one wants.

But, again, if you are making the effort to showcase your new Spanish-language efforts via a press release, please make sure your site is actually communicating in proper Spanish. It's a small investment, but one that will garner praise rather than rejection from your Spanish-speaking audience.

HispanicBusiness.com             READ THE RELEASE
Technorati tags:

spanish translation

spanish latino marketing

Boy Scouts Target Latino Youth

Here's a story with a twist. Not only are the Boy Scouts reaching out to the Latino population to up their faltering membership numbers, but according to the following article, they are not having an easy time with recruitment due to and interesting impairment: it seems that Latinos associate the group with "sissies".

Phoenix scouts and leaders say the Boy Scouts have been incorrectly labeled as a club for rich or dorky kids, and it's been hard convincing many Latino kids, especially immigrants, that the group shares their values and works toward the good of boys.

I don't think it's the immigrant children who need convincing, it's their parents. This article talks about a "culture hurdle" being the culprit for such low recruitment rates. This is true. What the Boy Scouts doesn't seem to get is that the overwhelming majority of recent immigrant parents are VERY reluctant to allow their children to participate in activities away from their homes and without their direct supervision. It's just a fact. They are not used to sending their kids off to summer camp, tend to not allow sleepovers and are suspicious of adults that are not part of the family interacting with their children. Throw in the fact that with recent scandals involving children within the Boy Scout organization they have a reason to be more suspicious, and there you have it.

Latino parents' values and habits are different. THIS is the culture hurdle.

In any campaign, be it marketing or recruitment, it's important to look not only at language but the mindset and value system of the group you are looking to target. It's not enough to translate your marketing materials into another language, you must get inside the minds and hearts of the people you are reaching out to. What do they believe? What do they need? Where do you fit in? I know, it doesn't really sound like marketing talk, but it's the truth. Try to take a shortcut and chances are your campaign will fail.

Thanks to Hispanic Tips, a great new Latino news site, for this and many other tips. Hispanic Tips is chock-full of information, so check it out. If it's not there, it probably didn't happen.

Boy Scouts woo Hispanics
Group faces culture hurdle, label of 'sissy'

Betty Reid
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 20, 2005 12:00 AM

Boy Scouts of America is courting the Latino population.

It's a charge that started in 2000 when the Boy Scouts of America National Council discovered they were not reaching out to America's fastest-growing minority population. But Hispanic youngsters are not coming out of the woodwork to join.

Phoenix scouts and leaders say the Boy Scouts have been incorrectly labeled as a club for rich or dorky kids, and it's been hard convincing many Latino kids, especially immigrants, that the group shares their values and works toward the good of boys.

Alex Estrella, for example, is familiar with the barriers. The 16-year-old south Phoenix resident joined the Scouts when he was in first grade and plans to continue with the program through high school.

Alex saw a troop he joined with 16 members fall to four. While recruiting on campuses, some students tell him they are busy with sports, while others taunt the institution.

"We get called 'sissies.' It's sad because they don't know what they are missing," Alex said. "I try to explain, shooting 12 gauges and rifles. If they find that sissy, then honestly, they don't know the definition of sissy."

Arizona Republic                READ MORE

Technorati tags:
Latino Marketing

Boy Scouts

Article: When Words are Unjustly Used

This is one of my favorite themes in Latino marketing news: language flubs. Perhaps Cingular's little Spanish mishap can be blamed on the heated race to the Latino market that cell phone companies are engaged in these days.

No need to comment much on this piece from Marketing y Medios' Mariana King--the message is obvious. Enjoy!

When Words Are Unjustly Used
July 18, 2005
By Mariana C. King

Cingular Wireless is offering an intriguing international calling plan for Spanish-speaking Latinos. According to a bilingual flier, callers must apply "fair use" ("uso justo") to their phones in order to take advantage of cheaper dialing rates.

Who's to decide the fairness, or justness, of our phone calls? Will our conversations be monitored to test how fairly or justly we treat co-workers, friends and even grandma?

Flip the flier to the English side and the copywriter's plight is instantly recognizable. In English, "uso justo" becomes "just use," as in "just use Cingular World Basics." Just and justo, both from the Latin iustus, are "false friends" or "false cognates," words that share the same roots or sound alike but have different or opposite meanings.

In this case, just and justo are better explained as hypocritical friends since they share some meanings such as to describe a fair person (persona justa) or punishment (castigo justo).

But with the tricky, multimeaning word, you could also thank grandma for the new bilingual dictionary she sent you in a more colloquial and expressive way, as in "Just what I needed!" or "¡Justo lo que necesitaba!" Just also means "only," as in, "just call me" (sólo llámame) or, in this case, "just use the phone." To exasperate the problem, justo can also mean "tight," as in something that fits the body, well, tightly.

Unsuspecting readers who have been handed the promotional material may just find a reason to sign up for the plan. The glossy handout also purports an easy way to keep in touch with business associates, friends and family in more than 200 countries around the world (mantenerse en contacto con socios comerciales, amigos y familiares en más de 200 países).

Disregard for a moment that only 191 countries exist — or 193 depending on whether you count Taiwan and the Vatican.

Just another thought.

Marketing y Medios