By Tru Pettigrew

It’s no secret; multicultural consumers have always been trendsetters. The music, fashion, and lifestyle categories have always been synonymous with–and adopted–what emanates from “the streets.” Yet, when it comes to influence in the technology category, or how brands use technology to market to this segment, the conversations have been almost nonexistent.

Multicultural online and mobile consumption and spending habits are outdistancing the general market 1.5, almost 2-to-1. Per capita, they’re texting more, have more unlimited data plans, download and purchase more content, view more online and mobile ads, and buy more high-end mobile devices than the general market. Consumers are turning to new media as their primary source for consumption, and the multicultural segment is driving the bus. This means that in order for brands to reach them, they must restructure their media plans and budgets to meet them where we are. 

Yesterday, while speaking at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, Steve Ballmer (right), a senior Microsoft executive, stated: “…traditional broadcast and print media would have to plan business models around a smaller share of the advertising market, as revenues continue to move to digital outlets.” We’ve all seen this happen firsthand over the last 18-to-24 months and we’ve been adjusting accordingly. It’s important to build out highly engaging online and mobile experiences for brands and clients. Taking traditional offline strategies and media, “digitizing” it, and making it interactive in a way that gives the consumer an experience, and affords them special access to exclusive lifestyle benefits is a necessary approach to stay current and relevant with this audience.

There are gluts of agencies, and companies in the marketplace that profess to know and execute on new media and mobile. However, they fall short in a few key areas that resonate with multicultural consumers. Access and benefits are most important to this consumer when engaging with a brand. The more, the better, and it has to be over a longer duration. These are the keys to winning in the multicultural arena. Of course, they’re looking to be engaged in an authentic way (another subject altogether), but after that hurdle it’s about ongoing access and benefits.

Data shows us that multicultural youth over index in their use of mobile, particularly the Hispanic/Latino consumer. And to that point, instituting some decisive mobile strategies, capabilities, and tactics that appeal to multicultural audiences is paramount for brands looking to connect with this consumer group. Their mobile phones and devices are an extension of who they are, whereas customization and personalization is key. These devices are with them all the time, not only as a means of communication but as a part of their lifestyle. Brands should think about integrating mobile and multimedia features into online widgets and banners to enable simple and effective campaign integration within existing online initiatives. As well, it’s necessary to extend online engagements to mobile devices. This process generates higher user participation, improved campaign reach, and a cost effective campaign execution. It’s necessary to become an active participant in their world, and go mobile with them.

Source: Fast Company

By Tru Pettigrew
It’s no secret; multicultural consumers have always been trendsetters. The music, fashion, and lifestyle categories have always been synonymous with–and adopted–what emanates from “the streets.” Yet, when it comes to influence in the technology category, or how brands use technology to market to this segment, the conversations have been almost nonexistent.
Multicultural online and [...]

Buy lingual?
The US Hispanic Internet population is growing—in numbers, broadband connections and time spent online.
eMarketer estimates that this year there will be nearly 23 million Hispanics online, over 50% of the US Hispanic population.

Hispanics make up 12.3% of the total US Internet population in 2009, and that number will increase to 13.9% in 2013.
“The US [...]

Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Over the years, research has shown that Latino youth face numerous risk factors when integrating into American culture, including increased rates of alcohol and substance use and higher rates of dropping out of school.

But a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows adolescents who actively embrace their native culture – and whose parents become more involved in U.S. culture – stand a greater chance of avoiding these risks and developing healthier behaviors overall.

The findings are from a longitudinal study by the UNC-based Latino Acculturation and Health Project, which is supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and directed by Paul Smokowski, Ph.D., an associate professor at the UNC School of Social Work. Researchers interviewed 281 Latino youths and parents in North Carolina and Arizona, asking questions about a wide range of measures of lifestyle and mental health. Participants answered according to how much they agreed with each question (for example, from “not at all” to “very much”), resulting in scores on a scale for each measure.

“We found teens who maintain strong ties to their Latino cultures perform better academically and adjust more easily socially,” Smokowski said. “When we repeated the survey a year later, for every 1-point increase in involvement in their Latino cultures, we saw a 13 percent rise in self-esteem and a 12 to 13 percent decrease in hopelessness, social problems and aggressive behavior.

“Also, the study showed parents who develop a strong bicultural perspective have teen children who are less likely to feel anxiety and face fewer social problems,” he said. “For every increase in a parent’s involvement in United States culture, we saw a 15 to 18 percent decrease in adolescent social problems, aggression and anxiety one year later. Parents who were more involved in U.S. culture were in a better position to proactively help their adolescents with peer relations, forming friendships and staying engaged in school. This decreases the chances of social problems arising.”

“Such results suggest that Latino youth and their parents benefit from biculturalism,” Smokowski said.

The findings are presented as part of a series of articles featured next month in a special issue of The Journal of Primary Prevention, a collaborative initiative between UNC and the CDC. The special issue presents the latest research on how cultural adaptation influences Latino youth behaviors – including involvement in violence, smoking and substance use, as well as overall emotional well-being – and offers suggestions for primary prevention programs that support minority families.

“Bicultural adolescents tend to do better in school, report higher self esteem, and experience less anxiety, depression and aggression,” said study co-author Martica Bacallao, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, whose work is also featured in the special issue. “It is interesting that, in order to obtain these benefits of biculturalism, adolescents and parents often need to do the opposite of what their natural tendencies tell them. Parents who are strongly tied to their native cultures must reach out to learn skills in the new culture. Adolescents who quickly soak up new cultural behaviors should slow down and cultivate the richness in their native cultures.”

Smokowski added: “The burgeoning size of the Latino population and the increasingly important roles that Latino youth will play in American culture are worthy of community attention. Communities can either invest in prevention to nurture Latino youth as a national resource or pay a heavy price later in trying to help these youth address social problems such as substance use, aggression or dropping out of school; all of which often results from the stress of acculturation.”

Along with Smokowski and Bacallao, Rachel L. Buchanan, Ph.D., assistant professor of social work at Salisbury University in Maryland, was a co-author of the study, titled “Acculturation and Adjustment in Latino Adolescents: How Cultural Risk Factors and Assets Influence Multiple Domains of Adolescent Mental Health.”

To learn more about the Latino Acculturation and Health Project, go to: http://www.unc.edu/~smokowsk/Main_Page.html

Source: Newswise

Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Over the years, research has shown that Latino youth face numerous risk factors when integrating into American culture, including increased rates of alcohol and substance use and higher rates of dropping out of school.
But a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows [...]

By Maribel Ferrer
Latinos were doing social networking online long before the term was coined.  For our culture, online technologies just broadened opportunities to stay connected to family and friends, and as connectivity became more affordable, more Latinos where doing more online. But this is old news, as it is too well known that we easily [...]

By JAMES FLANIGAN
MEXICO’S economy has suffered a series of blows in recent months — drug violence, swine flu and the worldwide economic downturn. Yet some companies on each side of the border with the United States are prospering because they serve the expanding Mexican-American market in the United States.
A new economy is emerging that builds [...]

By David Morse and Maria Gracia Inglessis

How is the economy affecting the Hispanic market? The answer, at this time, may be inconclusive. In a recent article by Terry Soto, president & CEO of About Marketing Solutions, she cites data from Experian and concludes that Hispanics may be “recession proof” or at least “recession aloof.” For example, 34 percent of Hispanics are optimistic about their finances in the coming year (compared to 25 percent of non-Hispanics), and 29 percent of Hispanics are more positive about the U.S economy (compared to 21 percent of non-Hispanics).

Hispanics may also be less burdened with financial difficulties because they are not as involved in some of the most problematic areas. According to Packaged Facts’ analysis of Experian Simmons Summer 2008 National Consumer Survey data, 46 percent of Hispanics use credit cards compared to 72 percent among non-Hispanics, and only 15 percent of Hispanics own investments (compared to 43 percent of non-Hispanics). The Simmons data also highlight that Hispanics are more likely to rent their homes than non-Hispanics. This makes them less likely to be affected by the mortgage foreclosure.

There are some categories in which Hispanics are spending more than their non-Hispanic counterparts. According to the Packaged Fact Study, Hispanics spend more in:

-Food at home (8.3 percent vs. 6.8 percent – of total annual expenditure)

-Poultry (0.5 percent vs. 0.3 percent)

-Fresh vegetables (0.6 percent vs. 0.4 percent)

That Hispanics spend more in food is not surprising. They have bigger households and like to cook from scratch. But interestingly enough they are also spending more in less expected areas, for example, in apparel and services (4.8 percent vs. 3.7 percent). What is more, Hispanic men are more likely to keep up with the latest fashion (25 percent vs. 17 percent). Also…

-They like to experiment with new styles (26 percent vs. 14 percent)

-Buy the latest fashion every season (17 percent vs. seven percent)

-Enjoy any kind of shopping (28 percent vs. 13 percent)

 More Hispanics say they buy recycled paper products (men 40 percent vs. 34 percent and women 45 percent vs. 39 percent). Also, Hispanics are more likely to claim that they would pay more for environmental friendly products (men 42 percent vs. 35 percent and women 47 percent vs. 40 percent).

But additional data from the Nielsen Homescan Hispanic Panel present a less positive view on how Hispanics perceive that the current downturn is affecting their lives. The data show that about half of Hispanics feel that their household is somewhat or much worse financially now than a year ago, and 37 percent feel that their or their spouse’s job is not too secure or not secure at all. More than 70 percent feel that their level of savings to deal with potential disasters is not secure.

 According to this study, not only do Hispanics have a less positive outlook, they have changed some of their consumer habits; for example, in the past three months they are eating at fast food restaurants less often (64 percent vs. 47.9 percent of non-Hispanics), and close to 45 percent are bringing lunch to work more often (compared to 36 percent of non-Hispanics).

Source: RetailWire

By David Morse and Maria Gracia Inglessis
How is the economy affecting the Hispanic market? The answer, at this time, may be inconclusive. In a recent article by Terry Soto, president & CEO of About Marketing Solutions, she cites data from Experian and concludes that Hispanics may be “recession proof” or at least “recession aloof.” For [...]

By PEGGY ORCHOWSKI
After living in Latin America and covering Latinos for years as a journalist, one thing is clear. No one really knows who exactly is a Latino, an Hispanic, a member of “La Raza” or even a Chicano. But ever since President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor as a Supreme Court justice, the media has [...]

Much has been written about young multicultural consumers being trendsetters in music and fashion, active users of digital devices and all-around early adopters. But opportunities are being lost by thinking about “trendsetters” in such a narrow way among such a narrow group of consumers. In fact, the idea of “being the first” is more than [...]

By Lucia Moses
Hispanic women report they’re very stressed about the economy and losing their jobs, but far from snapping shut their purses, many of them are still spending, according to a new survey from People en Español.
The Time Inc. magazine’s annual HOT study, which stands for Hispanic Opinion Tracker, found 43 percent of Hispanic women, [...]

WASHINGTON, DC (15 de junio de 2009) /PRNewswire/ — La Fundación Lance Armstrong, LAF por sus siglas en inglés, lanzó una campaña multimedia en español sin precedentes para apoyar a los sobrevivientes, familiares y a las personas encargadas del cuidado de los afectados por el cáncer entre la comunidad hispana de Estados Unidos, a través de la divulgación y promoción de recursos informativos y de orientación de alcance masivo del 15 al 31 de junio de 2009.
 
La campaña del programa LIVESTRONG SurvivorCare y LIVESTRONG.org/Español pone en las manos de los hispanos, la minoría más grande de Estados Unidos y la de mayor crecimiento en los últimos años, las herramientas necesarias y la información práctica para apoyar a las personas afectadas por el cáncer y también a aquellas a su alrededor, en momentos en los que la comunidad padece uno de los niveles más bajos de acceso a seguro médico de los Estados Unidos.
 
“Es un orgullo para mi poder servir de apoyo a la comunidad hispana de Estados Unidos, porque en la lucha contra el cáncer la unión hace la fuerza. Y estoy convencido de que juntos podemos ganar esta batalla”, dijo Doug Ulman, CEO de la Fundación Lance Armstrong.
 
El esfuerzo inédito de LAF hacia los hispano-parlantes de Estados Unidos está apuntalado en una campaña multimedia masiva que incorpora medios tradicionales como la radio y un uso intensivo de nuevas tecnologías y redes sociales de Internet, a fin de alcanzar a hispanos de todas las generaciones, toda vez que el cáncer no discrimina.
 
Campaña Multimedia
A lo largo de la campaña se difundirán Anuncios de Servicio Público (PSA’s) que brindarán información sobre el apoyo disponible a través de la Fundación Lance Armstrong y su programa LIVESTRONG SurvivorCare, con guías para visitar la nueva página del programa, que ha sido rediseñada para ayudar con más eficacia a la comunidad hispana, y donde sobrevivientes, familiares y personas interesadas pueden hacer consultas personalizadas.
 
A partir del 22 de junio, la campaña incorpora cinco programas de radio “En Vivo” en un número similar de los mercados más importantes para la comunidad hispana de Estados Unidos: Chicago (IL), San Francisco (CA), Phoenix (AZ), Denver (CO) y Washington (DC), donde especialistas en cáncer responderán de manera directa a las preguntas del público.
“Es importante recalcar, que todo aquel que requiera de nuestro apoyo, ya sea sobreviviente, familiar o persona que cuida al sobreviviente de cáncer, tiene a su alcance atención individualizada a través de LIVESTRONG SurvivorCare” agregó Ulman.
 
La campaña multimedia incluye además un conjunto de mensajes que por primera vez forman parte de un paquete informativo y de orientación de su clase dirigido expresamente hacia la comunidad hispana. Sus principales componentes son:
 
* Una mini serie de videos en línea (webisodes) de corte testimonial que presenta algunos casos de los más usuales de sobrevivientes del cáncer y el tipo de ayuda que LAF pone a su alcance.
* Una serie de cápsulas de audio (podcasts) que se pueden escuchar de manera instantánea o descargar a aparatos de audio portátiles a través del formato MP3 para tenerlos a disposición en cualquier momento.
* Un dispositivo de ícono interactivo (widget) disponible para descargas al escritorio de computadoras personales para uso frecuente o para compartir con amigos en algunos de los sitios más populares de Internet como Facebook o MySpace, entre otros. El ícono tendrá información actualizada semanalmente y datos para contactar a la Fundación.
* Un uso intensivo de las redes sociales de Internet como Twitter o YouTube para multiplicar los mensajes, a través de enlaces o páginas dedicadas para recordar a la comunidad que la ayuda está siempre al alcance de la mano con LAF.
 
“La comunidad hispana podrá, con todos esos recursos, conocer de primera mano información sobre el apoyo emocional y médico que requieren quienes han sido afectados por el cáncer”, dijo Ulman, agregando que “estas personas recibirán el soporte para afrontar la vida después del cáncer, información sobre sus derechos como sobrevivientes, recursos para buscar tratamiento si carecen de seguro médico y asesoría sobre grupos comunitarios de apoyo para sobrevivientes”.
 
Acerca de LAF
A través de su programa LIVESTRONG SurvivorCare www.LIVESTRONG.org/Espanol <http://www.LIVESTRONG.org/Espanol> (teléfono 1866-927-7205) la Fundación ofrece consejería y referencias de programas locales, ayuda en temas financieros y de seguros, información actualizada de estudios clínicos sobre nuevos tratamientos para los diferentes tipos de cáncer, recomendaciones para hablar con los seres queridos, además de un amplio abanico de recursos para los sobrevivientes, familiares y quienes cuidan a los afectados por el cáncer.
 
Para más información o para obtener materiales relacionados con la campaña, comunicarse con Duly Fernandez al 202-360-4052 o duly.fernandez@hcnmedia.com

WASHINGTON, DC (15 de junio de 2009) /PRNewswire/ — La Fundación Lance Armstrong, LAF por sus siglas en inglés, lanzó una campaña multimedia en español sin precedentes para apoyar a los sobrevivientes, familiares y a las personas encargadas del cuidado de los afectados por el cáncer entre la comunidad hispana de Estados Unidos, a través [...]