Friday, January 06, 2006
Happy 3 Kings Day
As usual, I was digging through the snow which was actually more like hardened ice since it's been so cold late last night to look for the last bits of grass I could use for my kids to put out for the 3 Kings.
As I mentioned in my "Como se dice 'politically correct' en español" post a few weeks back, 3 Kings Day or in Spanish Dia de los Reyes or simply Los Reyes is widely celebrated in Latino cultures. Rather than cookies and milk for Santa, we put out grass and water for the camels bringing the 3 Kings to see baby Jesus.
It can be a marketer's dream, especially in areas of high Puerto Rican populations since they likely celebrate it the most in the U.S. I'm still surprised well maybe not that so many marketing people who claim they want to market to Hispanics or are actively marketing to us don't know about 3 Kings Day. This all goes back to my points about being culturally relevant in your Hispanic advertising and public relations programs ... and not just focusing on language.
Read up on it or ask some of your Hispanic employees. Here is an article in the Springfield Republican about los reyes. Also, if you have young kid's here's a coloring sheet from Sesame Street you can print out.
As I mentioned in my "Como se dice 'politically correct' en español" post a few weeks back, 3 Kings Day or in Spanish Dia de los Reyes or simply Los Reyes is widely celebrated in Latino cultures. Rather than cookies and milk for Santa, we put out grass and water for the camels bringing the 3 Kings to see baby Jesus.
It can be a marketer's dream, especially in areas of high Puerto Rican populations since they likely celebrate it the most in the U.S. I'm still surprised well maybe not that so many marketing people who claim they want to market to Hispanics or are actively marketing to us don't know about 3 Kings Day. This all goes back to my points about being culturally relevant in your Hispanic advertising and public relations programs ... and not just focusing on language.
Read up on it or ask some of your Hispanic employees. Here is an article in the Springfield Republican about los reyes. Also, if you have young kid's here's a coloring sheet from Sesame Street you can print out.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
The power of "telenovelas"
If you don't know about the popularity of Spanish soap operas or telenovelas you're not in tune with the Hispanic population.
Shown usually during prime time, these dramas captivate not only people but whole countries. I remember hearing about how Colombia almost came to a stop during the finale of Betty La Fea a few years back since everyone stayed home to watch.
They appeal to both men and women and have launched major stars and have featured major recording artists as lead characters. Heck, even Erik Estrada with his Anglo-accent even gave them a good run when he was in Dos Mujeres Un Camino.
To this day, I can't call my abuela between 8-9:00 p.m. because she watches Contra Viento y Marea. You received no solace from abuelo when he was alive either because he was also watching his novelas.
Sure, they feature the proverbial person with amnesia and people who don't realize they are related, but the one thing I do have to say, other than admitting I have watched an episode or two ... ok, maybe more than that ... is that at least they end!
Today, the New York Times published an article entitled, "Networks See Telenovelas as Maybe the Next Salsa," and talk about some of the network's efforts to cross them over into the mainstream to appeal to millions of younger second- and third-generation Latinos who speak English more frequently
Stuart Elliott reports that in recent weeks ABC and CBS said they were exploring the creation of English-language versions of telenovelas, and Twentieth Television plans to remake telenovelas in English to run on stations owned by Fox Broadcasting.
I just hope the English versions have an ending!
Shown usually during prime time, these dramas captivate not only people but whole countries. I remember hearing about how Colombia almost came to a stop during the finale of Betty La Fea a few years back since everyone stayed home to watch.
They appeal to both men and women and have launched major stars and have featured major recording artists as lead characters. Heck, even Erik Estrada with his Anglo-accent even gave them a good run when he was in Dos Mujeres Un Camino.
To this day, I can't call my abuela between 8-9:00 p.m. because she watches Contra Viento y Marea. You received no solace from abuelo when he was alive either because he was also watching his novelas.
Sure, they feature the proverbial person with amnesia and people who don't realize they are related, but the one thing I do have to say, other than admitting I have watched an episode or two ... ok, maybe more than that ... is that at least they end!
Today, the New York Times published an article entitled, "Networks See Telenovelas as Maybe the Next Salsa," and talk about some of the network's efforts to cross them over into the mainstream to appeal to millions of younger second- and third-generation Latinos who speak English more frequently
Stuart Elliott reports that in recent weeks ABC and CBS said they were exploring the creation of English-language versions of telenovelas, and Twentieth Television plans to remake telenovelas in English to run on stations owned by Fox Broadcasting.
I just hope the English versions have an ending!
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Hispanics lifting North Carolina economy
The Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times is reporting today that Hispanic filled about 1/3 of all jobs created in North Carolina over the last 10 years. Further, the article says, the jobs they are increasingly filling are white collar, which is directly challenging some commonly held beliefs (my people call them stereotypes) about the state’s fastest growing minority.
Hispanics were employed in almost as many administrative and office jobs as in farming, forestry and fishing jobs, according to the study conducted by the University of North Carolina.
This is telling ...
"Hispanics living in the Asheville metropolitan area spent $214.5 million in 2004, creating 2,300 jobs and $100,095 in state and local taxes. In Buncombe County, Hispanic purchasing power totaled more than $122 million.
"But some of this money leaks out of the counties because local businesses don’t provide the services Hispanics need, researchers said. An estimated $12.5 million left Henderson County in 2004 because Hispanics went elsewhere to find the products and services they wanted."
Hispanics were employed in almost as many administrative and office jobs as in farming, forestry and fishing jobs, according to the study conducted by the University of North Carolina.
This is telling ...
"Hispanics living in the Asheville metropolitan area spent $214.5 million in 2004, creating 2,300 jobs and $100,095 in state and local taxes. In Buncombe County, Hispanic purchasing power totaled more than $122 million.
"But some of this money leaks out of the counties because local businesses don’t provide the services Hispanics need, researchers said. An estimated $12.5 million left Henderson County in 2004 because Hispanics went elsewhere to find the products and services they wanted."
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
2006 Predictions
I wrote this morning that I think 2006 will be the year for Hispanic marketing .... BrandWeek agrees. Among the many 2006 predictions in their article "Memo from the Front: 2006: A Whole New Year," they offer the following:
"The Hispanic consumer will arrive. After years of treating the Hispanic segment as an afterthought addressed by stereotypical ads showing groups of young Latinos dancing and partying in the streets, marketers will shift more money to addressing the demo with a much greater amount of TV, print and online ads featuring stereotypical images of young Latinos dancing and partying in the streets. "
They also predict, "Blogs will change everything" ... so, I'll keep blogging!
"The Hispanic consumer will arrive. After years of treating the Hispanic segment as an afterthought addressed by stereotypical ads showing groups of young Latinos dancing and partying in the streets, marketers will shift more money to addressing the demo with a much greater amount of TV, print and online ads featuring stereotypical images of young Latinos dancing and partying in the streets. "
They also predict, "Blogs will change everything" ... so, I'll keep blogging!
Feliz Año Nuevo!!
Happy New Year. Here's to a great a prosperous 2006 ... which, I believe, will be the year of Hispanic marketing. The sleeping giant has definitely awoken and more and more companies are jumping in head first to target this valuable demographic. My resolution will be to continue providing you with the best insights into the Hispanic population as possible and giving advice and suggestions for effectively marketing to us.
