Spanish Language Media: Finally relevant?

The Obamas’ twin appearances on “Piolín por la Mañana,” heard across the country on Univision Radio, are a testament to the ballooning political power of the Spanish language news media, and in particular to the power of Univision, which owns the biggest Spanish-language television and radio outlets in the United States.

Do good, kiss and Makeup!

While I was growing up my sisters and I, like most young Hispanic girls, loved and adored makeup. But I noticed many of my Latina lady friends wore a lot of it. That I did not like. That is why Covergirl ads always appealed to me. I like how the ladies on the ads always seemed so fresh-faced, not over done, and sweet. That same brand has been trying to connect with Hispanic women more and more each year. Today the brand announced a charitable partnership between its Clean brand of makeup and the Children's Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) program, an organization dedicated to addressing the critical, global need for clean, safe drinking water.

Even cooler is that this past September, actor Dania Ramirez (X-Men,Hereos) the newest spokesmodel for COVERGIRL, returned to her native Dominican Republic to help deliver a year's supply of clean drinking water to villages in need as part of the Campaign. I personally love Dominican Republic. It is a gorgeous country. I was there a few months ago and the people were extremely friendly. The contrast between the luxury hotel we were staying at and the rundown streets a few blocks down was so sad.

"I was thrilled to be back in my home country to help COVERGIRL deliver clean drinking water," said Dania. "I know firsthand that a shortage of safe drinking water can be a matter of life or death. When I was growing up, at times we had to boil our water before drinking it so we didn't get sick or worse. That's why I'm so proud to be part of [this campaign] and to help save lives in my home country and other areas of need.”

In the Dominican Republic, Dania and the COVERGIRL team joined forces with CSDW and Population Services International (PSI), an organization that works in partnership with CSDW across Latin America and helped facilitate the delivery of clean drinking water in the Dominican Republic for the COVERGIRL Clean Makeup for Clean Water Campaign.

Pet Supply Retailers Spanish-Language Ad Spending

Meet my two babies:
Sofia (gray) and Charlie ( black & white)
These spolied-brats control my life.

Last time I visited Peru, I noticed pet-ownership had become more popular; some dogs even appeared better dressed than their owners. But only in my recent visits, have I noticed specialized pet boutiques sprouting up on several street corners. That's not the case here in United States where chain pet suppliers are as popular as Wal-Marts.




Have you seen these pet stores? Raincoats and boots for my dogs? That's a little too extreme, even for a whooped owner like myself.

• Apparently, pet suppliers this year felt that investing in advertising campaigns aimed towards Hispanics was not a priority.
  
• In 2005, pet store chain advertising seen on Spanish-language media seemed to be at an all time high yet this year, spending shrank 75 percent.

In 2006, that amount shrank to $135,376. The remainder of Petsmart's budget - a mere $488 - went to local Spanish-language newspapers. ( source: HMW )

• The No. 4 advertiser is none other than Fort Lauderdale-based Pet Supermarket, who in 2005 devoted $34,200 of its dollars on Hispanic advertising. But this year, that number dropped to just $21,300. According to Nielsen, a vast majority of Pet Supermarkets can be found in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale designated market area ( DMA), but Nielsen cannot specifically pinpoint in what media Pet Supermarket spent its money. It is assumed it was spent on spanish-radio ( cheaper, & a lot of penetration is my guess).

In addition, Don Cowan, director of public relations for Petco, says the company does not do any national advertising, even for Hispanics. He says Petco has had some spanish ads but it's been awhile and the company is keeping a close-watch on Hispanic marketing needs.

Personally, I've never seen an ad about pets in Spanish, but Here's my idea:
Envision a grandmother over a stove cooking some arroz-con-pollo. Suddenly,

she looks around the room to make sure no one is watching her, grabs a spoonfool of food and throws it in the dog's bowl. Then, a Pet Supermarket representative pops-up and shows her the way to the store. Once there, abuela is amazed by the grand aisles stocked with a variety of food made specifically for dogs.

In case you were wondering, that little old lady would be my grandmother who I constantly have to reprimand. Whenever I find my dog vomiting after having spent an entire day with her, I know she didn't feed him Purina Puppy Chow.

Mister Cowan, if you need help with an ad, please feel free to contact me-I've got more where that came from.

Miami-you are special.

…it’s time to go on Vacation-and that’s precisely what I’m doing tonight: South America here I come.

and so with that said…
my favorite quote of the week was said by a television executive who I’m currently writing an article on:

“I love Miami and am fascinated by it, but Miami is a mirage. Everything is out of context,” he said.

I couldn’t have said it better myself! I love using “out of context” as an adjective. ” Yeah he was cool but so out of context.”

I find that in life, I’m generally always out of context.

FedEx ad

Dear FedEx,


thank you for picking up my package last minute and flying it out overnight.
i love going online and tracking your progress; seeing that you are “in transit” and at a different city every hour. i wonder what the weather is like-are you cold? is the air dry? does it smell like wood is burning in the air? did you roll the windows down?
You see, it’s the little things you do, like send me email alerts letting me know how your roadtrip with my documents is coming along, that count.
I like you, i like you a lot.

love,
Don Howard Late ( or DHL)

You See-We CAN Dream Big

Remember the post I made about dreaming big?
It was about that mun2 ad implying Hispanics couldn't dream bigger than trimming hedges, for instance. Well mark me down as being genuinely annoyed.

Thankfully, there are women like Conchita Paz Oliva in this world. Her life is a living, breathing example that when Hispanics dream big, BIG things happen.

From Receptionist to Powerful Publicist...
Conchita worked as a financial aid director in the public school system and after 11 years, she took a job answering phones for Luis Balaguer, CEO of Latin World Entertainment Agency.

Today, not only is she the vice president of the communications department at Latin WE, where she handles publicity and public relations, she has also become one of the most powerful publicists in Hispanic entertainment.
Whenever you see a Hispanic celebrity on a commercial or magazine ad, there's a good chance they are Conchita's client ( see Sofia Vergara Got Milk? ad).

In this interview featured in The Hispanic PR Monitor, she shares with us the secret to her amazing success.

If you always dreamed about working in the entertainment field, how did you
end up working for the public school system?

Well, there are two reasons for why I worked for the public school system. When I
was thinking about my career, I first thought about education, as my family instilled
in me the value of doing something for society, so education seemed a good
solid choice. It was also a more conventional one, and I suppose a safer, path
than the entertainment industry. But in the end, I was able to get my break from
the bottom, answering phones, and with hard work, focus, and God's help, I am
successful.


Did you find it easy to transition from working with children to working with demanding high-maintenance celebrities?

And what is the difference?! Just joking - couldn't resist. But seriously it is all about listening, assessing needs and reflecting,
isn't it? When you are working with children, you try to put into place a solid foundation that they can use at a
university and in real life. When you are working with a client, you listen to them, look at their talents and needs, and try
to be their guide, so that they can effectively use their talents to be fulfilled on all levels. Guidance is guidance. And the
truth is everyone needs some pampering, support and objective guidance from time to time.


You seem to be very popular amongst your colleagues, what's your secret?

How sweet of my colleagues to say such nice things about me. I hope that my "popularity secret" is that I treat people
with respect and kindness, and they are returning that to me. It’s also that I love what I do, to the point that I’m always
smiling, even in the midst of chaos. Ah! And the hair, anyone can spot me a mile away in the middle of a crisis to ask for


You work with record labels, talent and movies. How do they compare?

Each film, each record, host, actor or musical star is a world in itself; one that demands tailored strategies fueled by lots
of experience, research and creativity. We treat each record, movie, DVD, and career with the utmost sense of responsibility,
respect and focus. And always the starting point is assessing their strengths and weakness compared to the strengths and weakness of the consumers targeted and the trends of the market as a whole. For us the key is always working
as a team and making each one a priority.

Tell us something interesting and fun about you that no one would suspect.

I would rather die than stand in front of a camera. Maybe that’s why I respect the people behind every segment of the
business so much. The job journalists, actors, producers and everyone does at the end of the day, I would be incapable of
doing for a second.

published article

Here's an article that was an original "ghostwritten" article, but last minute they were able to get me a co-headline w/picture and bio.

Calle 13 in Latina Magazine

I read Latina magazine and couldn't help but notice that Calle13 was on the cover.


This is rare being that Latina is a women's magazine, like JANE or ALLURE, targeted to Hispanic women (imagine The Red Hot Chili Peppers on the cover of Cosmopolitan, for instance). At the Billboard conference, a panel featuring Reggeaton acts including CALLE 13, was one of the most popular panels. I was surprised how these Grammy winners were really down-to-earth and had a good sense of humor. My favorite was when "Residente" ( a.k.a Rene Rodriguez) made an effort to speak English although everyone in the room could understand Spanish.

MiSpacio? MySpace Latin America Beta Launches

Today during the Billboard Latin American Music Conference, Travis Katz,
senior vice president and general manager of MySpace International,
announced the beta launch of MySpace en Español, a new
Spanish-language version for U.S. based Hispanics. MySpace also
revealed a new pan-regional site in Spanish for Latin American
residents as well as further development plans for localized
communities in Mexico and Brazil.

"We're moving rapidly to build communities that reflect and respect
the lifestyles of our diverse members," said Katz, "MySpace en
Español opens the community even wider, giving our Hispanic members
the choice to share their experiences, connect with family members,
and plan their social lives in either Spanish or English. We look
forward to getting their feedback as we build out these new cultural
communities."

At the conference MySpace was all the buzz. From marketers and artists,
to journalists and music label executives, there wasn't a single panel
discussion that didn't mention how this social networking site has
changed the entertainment and marketing industry forever.




Check out the sites here:
MySpace en Español (http://latino.myspace.com)
MySpace Latinoamérica (http://la.myspace.com)

Networking and Hispanic Golf Tournaments

• The Latino Open is an Orlando fundraiser golf tournament organized by advocacy group Latino Leadership. The purpose of the fundraiser is to engourage Hispanics in the growing professional and enterpreneurial class to network.
  Personally, when I hear the word "network," my eye twitches. (Speaking of which, I will be attending the Billboard Conference in a few days and this event is considered networking heaven-hell for me). But more on this later...

• A 2003 survey showed that 17 percent of whites tee off, compared to 14 percent of Asians, 7 percent of blacks and just 5 percent of Hispanics.

According to this article by HispanicBusiness.com, too many Hispanics have lost out on networking opportunities because they are unfamiliar with the game of golf -- not the most popular recreational outlet in any minority community.


Photo courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel.

Nancy Sharifi, left, and Patricia Urban leaving the Dubsdread Golf Course in Orlando.

Bridal Website Names New Directror

Miami-based Michelle Villalobos is the new executive director of the
U.S. division of Spain's wedding portal, Bodaclickusa.com. Villalobo's
job includes expanding the site beyond the Miami DMA ( designated market area) as well as attracting new advertisers. Previously Villalobos was executive
publisher of Ocean Drive Espanol.
(source: Hispanic Market Weekly)


The website bodaclickusa.com is very helpful for those planning a wedding, especially around South Florida. It also features articles on health, beauty and tips on how to look your best on your wedding day.
I know it tends to appeal to the Hispanic community ( being that "boda" is the word for wedding in Spanish) but being that it is in English, I don't see why it wouldn't be useful to anyone who is planning a wedding.

Now, as for the photo of the bride pictured above-right:
What's the deal with the curled side-burns? That is so not attractive.

Miami Students Create Commericial for Earth Day

Miami Beach High School students received national TV exposure when their commercial, " Garbage Man" aired nationally. The event was part of an Earth Day educational competition sponsored by Atlantic Broadband and Discovery Kids en Español.
Atlantic Broadband will run the spots, in both English and Spanish, through the end of April. In addition, the Miami Beach High School received a donation from Atlantic Broadband and Discovery Kids en Español for upgrades in TV production equipment


I tried finding the commercial on Youtube but had no luck. The video I posted above is another earth day commericial that I found and thought was charming.

Here's a summary of the 30-second spot the students created:
“You are walking down the street when suddenly, unknowingly, and without warning you are pelted with trash from all directions.”
The spot ends with this message: “THE EARTH DOESN’T THROW STUFF AT YOU, SO DON’T THROW STUFF AT IT.”I think that is very cute and orginal. Congrats to the kids in Miami Beach High.

New Jersey Radio Show Asks Listeners to Report Illegal Immigrants

A New Jersey radio show on 101.5 FM started a campaign named " La Cuca Gotcha" encouraging listeners to call in any suspects of illegal immigration. As you can imagine, the Hispanic community was outraged.
(read more...)

''It's a despicable campaign and clearly slanted at Hispanics,'' said New Jersey Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo. ``The campaign describes us as bugs that have to be stamped out.''

Craig Carton and Ray Rossi, aka ''The Jersey Guys'' -- apologized publicly to New Jersey's Hispanics. They are known as "shock jocks" and have pulled these types of anticts before.

Their defense is that the campaign is not anti-Hispanic and that they want listeners to help authorities track down illegal immigrants ``of any origin.''

With Imus and the Rutgers team ordeal, it makes me wonder how far we take our freedom of speech. Personally, I'm not for censorship, but I am for manners and class.

Cool Hispanic Website from Missouri

While doing research for this blog, I came across the site MiLatino.com-a dynamic new player in the Latino web site market targeting 2nd generation, acculturated, bilingual Latinos ( source: MiLatino media kit).

MiLatino began in July 2006 when it was incorporated as MiLatino Media LLC in the state of Kansas.

I am impressed by how well-thought out and informative this site is. The site contains music videos, community news, sports, and even features some original reporting. I think it is a good site for Hispanic's living, or thinking about moving to, Kansas City, Dallas-Fort Worth and Missouri.

Internet Usage Among Young Hispanics

Only 56 percent of the nearly 43 million U.S. Hispanics use the Internet at all, versus 71 percent of non-Hispanic whites, according to a report released last week by Pew Hispanic Center.

The Hispanic Internet market may not be growing as fast as predicted, but it is changing. Broadband-video hubs such as Voy TV and Barrio305.com have emerged, looking to become the YouTube of the Hispanic world. Pioneer sites such as QuePasa.com and MiGente.com have been revamped as social networking explodes. It seems that everyone is trying to get on the Myspace-YouTube bandwagon.


Currently Hispanic online media space is dominated by Univision.com and by the Spanish-language versions of the Internet's top portals: MSN, AOL and the recently formed Yahoo! Telemundo. These are all TV extensions, not purely web portals. ( source: Media y Medios )


(side note: Unfortunately, my curiosity got the best of me and I visited Voy TV. Okay, pretty much, it is a soft-porn site. If you click " top videos" , all you see are girls in thongs. Ugh, another dissapointing Hispanic website. What a shame, so dissapointing.)

Zol 95 Morning Show Hosts Suddenly Resign

Enrique Santos and Joe Ferrero of El
Vacilón de la Mañana on WXDJ El Zol (95.7 FM) have resigned from their hosting positions.

This DJ'ing pair (Santos pictured left, Ferrero right) is
famous for pulling an on-air prank to Cuban President Fidel Castro and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez back in 2003.

Everyone, from employees at Spanish Broadcasting Systems to regular listeners, have been taken by surprise.
Santos told Hispanic Market Weekly that he and Ferrero acted after Liliana Rodríguez, host of El Zol’s afternoon show and daughter of singer José Luis ‘El Puma’Rodriguez, made fun of Vacilón during her first stint as afternoon drive
host. ''She was laughing, saying we've had enough of El Vacilón, things are gonna change,'' Santos told The Miami Herald.

It seems to me that these pranksters couldn't handle being on the other said of the joke. Like I tell my good friend Steve who LOVES pulling pranks but hates being made fun of: If you can't take it, don't dish it.

Univision Names New CEO

On April 1, Joe Uva will become chief executive officer of Univisión. Uva, the current chief executive officer of OMD Worldwide, is replacing Jerrold Perenchio,who stepped down as chairman."Univisión has enormous growth opportunities ahead of
it, and we are very pleased that an executive with Joe Uva's broad media experience, leadership abilities, and entrepreneurial qualities will be driving our
efforts to build value and take the company to the next level," said Broadcasting Media Partners Inc ("BMPI"), the investor group that is acquiring Univisión Communications.

( source: Hispanic Market Weekly read more )

Univision is the popular girl in high-school;full of drama, constantly sticking gum in Telemundo's hair and tripping poor Mexican Televisa during gym class.

Televisa has had enough of Univision and recently reaffirmed its intention of selling its 11% stake in the company .

I wonder how things will unravel once Uva takes his official post come April.

Stay tuned...

Univision Hit With Record Fine

You mean this isn't "educational?"But but, I learned how to shake it without breaking it.

According to the FCC, Univision Communications Inc. agreed to pay a $24 million penalty for its failure to meet the Children's Television Act, a 1996 regulation that requires networks to broadcast at least three hours a week of educational children's programming. The fine will allow the company to proceed with a $12 billion private equity buyout.

Univision maintained that it met those requirements by broadcasting several telenovelas, among them "Complices al Rescate," about 11-year-old twin girls who swapped identities after learning they were separated at birth. ( This sounds more traumatic than educational!)

The FCC however, did not agree. ( continue reading more: New York Times)

So you mean all those hours of " Sabado Gigante" and " El Gordo y La Flaca" weren't considered educational?! This explains a lot...

NEW AT&T PLACES LATINOS AT EXECUTIVE POSTS

Here we go again, another cellular -service -provider merger.
Following the acquisition of BellSouth Corp. by AT&T in late 2006, ( good-bye Cingular) the company continues to focus on its commitment to the Hispanic community. As part of this initiative towards diversity, AT&T has appointed several Latino leaders to key executive positions. Among them are Ralph de la Vega ( left) who has been named group president of wireline operations, and Thaddeus Arroyo (bottom-right) chief information officer.
(source: Hispanic Trends)



“AT&T realizes that diverse, talented and dedicated leadership is key to a company's success,” said Forrest Miller, group president - Strategic Initiatives and Human Resources. “Our new leadership team brings an unparalleled understanding of telecom and of our customers, including the rapidly growing Latino community

At&T knows that Hispanics like to "chismosiar" and will use up lots of minutes. I wouldn't be surprised if after these promotions/appointments, we'll be seeing an increase in Hispanic -targeting AT&T commercials.

On the Go Television

As if you aren't flooded by adverstising enough, L.A. Buses have started to run Spanish and English programming from NBC-owned Stations.

NBC's Spanish-language Telemundo 52 and Canal 22 and mainstream channel KNBC from L.A. , are having their programming aired to be viewed by passengers on board the 2,200 buses fitted with 4,400 screens.

The format of the programs will include five minutes of local news, weather, sports and entertainment every hour and will air on Transit TV, an out-of-home video network based in Orlando.

As if that's not enough....

In addition, Transit TV’s Hispanic content includes material from AIM Tell-A-Vision’s American Latino program, targeting Hispanics in English, as well as Spanish-language music/interview show Raza de Campeones, from independent production company Picabú.

Media Dependency?

Are we really that uncomfortable with ourselves that we can't be left alone or without external entertainment for even a few minutes?

Forget trying to read a book while riding a bus, you can now add television ( advertising) distraction to that experience as well.