Monthly Archives: July 2011

Beehive Group is filling moderated panels for Verizon Wireless

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We’re filling focus group panels for Verizon Wireless. Do you qualify? We’re offering $100 to participants who qualify and serve on a panel.

To qualify, you must be BI-LINGUAL (English & Spanish) and be willing to answer questions about how you use the Internet, your mobile phone, and social networks IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE.  You also must own a smartphone and be willing to talk about the apps you use.

To qualify, click on the links below.  (You must live in the area of the link).

  • Fresno – August 5th at the Central California Business Expo
  • Sacramento – August 9th at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, 4th Annual Latina Luncheon
  • Anaheim – August 10th at the Latina Style Business Series
  • Las Vegas - August 12th at the Latin Chamber of Commerce
  • Los Angeles – August 17th at the El Clasificado Workshop (conducted in Spanish).
  • San Diego – August 28th at the Expo Comida Latina

Usage: ‘Latino’ preferred over ‘Hispanic’ – latimes.com

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A memo on usage from Assistant Managing Editor Henry Fuhrmann to [LA] Times copy editors:

We have updated our rule on the use of Latino to reflect more accurately what the editors of the 1995 Times stylebook intended: that the term in virtually all cases is the appropriate choice over Hispanic, in keeping with the practices and sensibilities of residents of our region.

We offer this combined new listing in place of two separate and occasionally confusing former entries:

Latino, Hispanic: Latino is the umbrella term for people in the United States of Latin American descent. It refers to Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans and others from the Spanish-speaking lands or cultures of Latin America. A Latino woman is a Latina. It is preferable to say that an individual is Mexican American, of Salvadoran descent and so forth, instead of using the umbrella term.

Keep in mind that Latino is an ethnic group, not a race category. Latinos may be of any race: white, black, Native American, Asian, mestizo, etc. Some speak Spanish; some don’t. Some are U.S. born; others are immigrants.

Note: Hispanic is acceptable in quotes or in proper names. The U.S. Census Bureau uses terms such as “Hispanic or Latino” and “non-Hispanic or Latino” in its survey questions on ethnicity and race. Stories and graphics based on census information are allowed to use that language when it is essential to explain methodology, but we should otherwise use Latino to describe the people in question.

In describing the old entries as “occasionally confusing,” we mean especially every 10 years upon the release of fresh census data. It was easy to see why many of us interpreted the old rules as not only an invitation to use Hispanic but, in census stories, a requirement to do so. The old entry on Hispanic said, in part, “Use Hispanic only in quotes, in proper names or reports based on census data.”

So, to be clear: Latino should be used in nearly all contexts; the exceptions, as described in the revised entry, must truly be exceptional. The online stylebook has been updated accordingly.

[We thank our good friend Steve Padilla of the National assigning desk for his help in crafting the revised rule, as well as our retired colleague Frank Sotomayor, a member of the 1995 style committee who spotted an erroneous use of Hispanic a few months ago in a story citing 2010 census figures.]

via Usage: ‘Latino’ preferred over ‘Hispanic’ – latimes.com.

The Beginning Of A Multicultural Marketing Approach

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Considering the steadily growing population of Latinos, they have become a target of special study looking closely into their cultures and how they are adapting to the American way of life. Biculturalism or the cross-over between the two cultures are evident.

And this phenomenon has attracted not only government policy makers, census takers, social scientists and social media, but also marketing professionals to look more closely into the U.S. Hispanic lifestyles and spending habits and how they affect the marketing strategies they need to adopt to reach this specific market segment. Biculturalism has been growing over the years and it’s not limited to just having tacos, jalapenos, tamales and tequilas in Mexican specialty restaurants. Song and dance, the universal languages as seen in some TV programs, show diversity in a multicultural society at work.

The End of the “General Market” As We Knew it?

Marketing experts are well aware of the effects of biculturalism in rethinking their marketing strategies so that the multicultural sensitivities are factored in. In a melting pot of cultures, acculturation is not a one-way thing. More often than not, it works both ways. In this regard, acculturation could mean diversity. Let’s take some specific examples.

The 2010 Census counted 50.5 million Hispanics in the United Sates, making up 16.3% of the total population. The social networking sites like Facebook have many of these U.S. Hispanics as members interacting with themselves mostly in their native tongue, Spanish. Perhaps, it wouldn’t be a surprise if in their social circles -family and friends – they have some specific inclinations to say, a special kind of alcoholic beverage, specialty shop or fast-food restaurant which caters better to their cultural background. This is not to forget their inclination for viewing TV channels catering specially to their cultures like watching — “telenovelas” — soap operas done in installments. Indeed, this is a multicultural society.

Infuse of Multicultural Sensitivities into their Messages

For some, it might mean the beginning of a multicultural marketing approach to the growing presence of Latinos in American society. To be sure, they will impact the way we market and sell needs and wants, from food to housing to health care and education, even hi-tech electronic gadgets and entertainment.

Census data is certainly changing the way marketers look at Hispanic consumers. However, as we know, the cross-over among cultures is a two-way street.

Download data on state and county populations for 2010 and 2000, by Hispanic origin. (Source: Pew Hispanic Center).

Diversity is the New Mindset, the New Cross-Cultural Phenomenon

There seems to be a trend in diversity as a result of this cross-cultural phenomenon. The Latino or US Hispanic entrepreneur who operates a small-scale business in the neighborhood could be serving his taco delights, or tequilas or selling sombreros, aside from renting out DVDs featuring special song and dance numbers in their own native styles. Or a Latino bringing home the master’s degree he or she earned in a prestigious U.S. university will definitely add to erasing the great cultural divide.

Many will argue that there are two currents or forces pulling in opposite directions. However, sooner or later, the Latinos and non-Latinos will be totally absorbed into the multicultural society and it will, hopefully, redound to the mutual benefit of all. The next U.S. National Census, about nine years from now will, I hope, bear witness to this development.

via MediaPost Publications The Beginning Of A Multicultural Marketing Approach 07/28/2011.

More than 40 percent of new independent Mary Kay businesses are Hispanic-owned — Hispanic PR Blog Hispanic PR Blog

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Despite the U.S. Department of Labor reporting only 18,000 new jobs added nationwide in June 2011, options to earn money still exist for the more than 13.9 million unemployed Americans. In fact, more than 165,000 people already are on their way by starting independent Mary Kay businesses in April in the United States — the largest monthly amount within the last 10 years. Of the total new businesses, 40 percent or 66,000 are Hispanic-owned.

Mary Kay also had a 9.5 percent increase in independent sales force members in the United States in the first half of 2011, compared to the same time period in 2010.

These record sales force increases serve as a unique example of small business growth in the United States. The company’s success continues on another front — with March 2011 representing our highest sales month in company history.

These company milestones are timely given Mary Kay Inc.’s annual Seminar in Dallas until Aug. 6 — where the success of the company’s independent sales force is celebrated. Seminar is focused on recognizing Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants for their achievements, while also providing education, inspiration and motivation for the year ahead. Per the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau, economic impact of the event is more than $71 million.

“For more than 47 years, Mary Kay has provided women of all ethnicities and backgrounds with an open-ended and unparalleled business opportunity, which in light of the ever-changing economic conditions is more compelling than ever before,” said Vice President of U.S. Marketing Yvette Franco. “We remain committed to enriching women’s lives worldwide, and are thrilled Mary Kay can provide at least one bright spot in our nation’s discouraging economy.”

During this year’s event, more than $6 million in sought-after recognition and prizes will be awarded, including jewelry, international vacation getaways and career cars, including the coveted pink Cadillac. Mary Kay’s annual Seminar will bring together Independent Beauty Consultants from the United States, Canada and Europe Region during five, back-to-back conferences at the Dallas Convention Center.

via More than 40 percent of new independent Mary Kay businesses are Hispanic-owned — Hispanic PR Blog Hispanic PR Blog.

Why the Summer’s Eve Talking-Vagina Ads Missed The Mark

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If you’re a Latina or black woman, check out the Summer’s Eve talking-vagina ads that got pulled. As a Latina marketer and creative director of many ads, I can tell you that the biggest problem with these ads is not the concept, but the execution. On the Latina ad, the ‘accent’ is all wrong and wanders all over the place through the ad. It sounds like it was going for multi-ethnic in all the wrong ways. And the copy was terrible.

This is one of the biggest problems we’ll have as brands and agencies experiment with trying to do Hispanic. The intentions are in the right place, but the delivered product misses the mark. Why? My guess is that there were no high-level Latina or black women executives at the agency or brand to raise a hand and say the spots were inauthentic. Or, as I’ve witnessed many many times in the creative field, their opinion was marginalized because they were not “creative.”

What do you think? And does anyone know the demographic makeup of the shop or the brand?

Summer’s Eve pulled three videos off its website and YouTube on Wednesday following claims that they were racially insensitive.

The videos [Click the link below to see them at AdWeek], part of the feminine-care company’s new “Hail to the V” campaign by The Richards Group in Dallas, featured talking hand-puppets representing women’s vaginas. Two of the spots in particular, featuring black and Hispanic characters, were criticized by some viewers, who complained that the voice work was racially stereotypical.

The black woman is “Pam Grier and Lil’ Kim all wrapped in to one,” wrote one online critic, while the Latina woman opens with the cry, “Ay-yi-yi.”

Under pressure, agency and client stood by the videos last week, with agency founder Stan Richards saying they were meant to be “relatable,” not stereotypical. But on Wednesday, Richards PR executive Stacie Barnett told Adweek that the criticism had begun to overshadow the message and goal of the larger campaign—to educate women about their anatomy and break down taboos in talking about it—and that the online videos had to go.

“Stereotyping or being offensive was not our intention in any way, shape, or form,” said Barnett. “The decision to take the videos down is about acknowledging that there’s backlash here. We want to move beyond that and focus on the greater mission.”

Agency and client had expected the campaign to be provocative, Barnett said, but for its frank talk about female anatomy, not for any racial issues. (And indeed, it was parodied by Stephen Colbert on Monday night, in a segment Barnett said the agency found amusing.) “We do not think they are stereotypical, nor did we obviously intend that. However, it’s a subjective point of view,” said Barnett. “There seems to be an important perception out there that they may be, and we would never want to perpetuate that.”

Barnett said agency and client remain strongly committed to the rest of the campaign, which includes a 60-second anthem spot and an online quiz about female anatomy called ID the V, which Barnett said 16,000 women had completed in the past two weeks.

Much of the criticism of the hand-puppet videos online has been inseparable from criticism about Summer’s Eve products themselves. Some people are simply opposed to the products, which could make them pre-disposed to oppose any marketing of them.

Barnett acknowledged that is a barrier for the brand, but she made a distinction between douching products and the cleansers being advertised in this campaign.

“The product that women and the medical community have questioned whether it is necessary is douching,” she said. “This campaign is marketing the external cleanser, cloth and wash, which is no different than a special hand cream, eye cream, body wash, etc. Now, are these things necessary? No. But cosmetically, as women, we have those choices.”

She added: “The bigger issue is: Do I think the baggage that Summer’s Eve has had related to its heritage of douche is part of this [current criticism]? Absolutely. There are people who may always associate Summer’s Eve only with douche, and therefore look upon it either with mockery or a negative perception. And that’s fine. But there are a lot of women who want these products, right or wrong, necessary or not. And that’s who we want to educate.”

Despite this being its second PR crisis in two years, Barnett said the brand can and will bounce back. “We’ve got to rebound from this, and that’s what we’re committed to doing,” she said.

via Summer’s Eve Pulls Controversial Talking-Vagina Videos | Adweek.

Beehive is recruiting panelists for Verizon events in California

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We are looking for bilingual Latinos to share their opinions and behaviors regarding their use of technology including their cell phones, computers, and online activity including social networks.  There is no special skill or expertise needed to be on the panel, other than being available on the date, being bilingual, and being comfortable with sharing your opinions on a moderated panel in front of a crowd.

We are now fielding for the following two locations.

  • The 23rd Annual California Business Expo on August 5th in Fresno at 11am.  To see if you qualify, click here.
  • The Latina Style Business Series in Anaheim on August 10th.  You can see if you qualify for this one here.

Participants will be compensated.  Please feel free to circulate the information.

 

Hispanic Audience Turning Up On E-Readers, Tablets

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Tablets may have more glamour — but e-readers are proving more popular so far this year, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. The number of U.S. adults owning an e-reader has doubled from 6% to 12% between November 2010 and May 2011, while tablet penetration during that period has increased only from 5% to 8%.

And despite the release of scores of new tablet models in 2011, tablet ownership since January has only inched up from 7% to 8%.

“We were a little surprised that tablets didn’t keep pace with e-readers, but our guess is that some people are waiting on the tablet market to settle out a bit to see what their options are before making a purchase,” said Kristen Purcell, associate director for research at the Internet & American Life Project and author of the study. She added that the lower cost of e-readers generally requires less of a financial commitment, making them popular holiday gifts.

Rising competition in the nascent e-reader market has also led to more price-cutting this year. Amazon, for instance, unveiled an ad-supported version of its category-leading Kindle in April for $114, $25 less than the previously least expensive model. The ad-supported Wi-Fi Kindle has since become the top-selling Amazon e-reader. Tablets, by contrast, still typically cost about $500 and up.

From a demographic standpoint, what’s interesting is that Hispanics have emerged as a key demographic across both types of devices to date. That suggests the high proportion of Hispanics using smartphones also extends to newer types of connected devices. When it comes to e-readers, uptake among Latinos in the last six months has been faster than among whites and African-Americans.

At the same time, Hispanics have among the highest rates of tablet ownership, at 15%. That’s roughly comparable to that of the 17% ownership rate among those with annual household incomes of at least $75,000. But where tablets have been associated to date with reaching an affluent, early-adopter audience, I haven’t noticed much discussion around tablets or e-readers as vehicles for marketing specifically to Hispanics.

A study from the Pew Hispanic Center earlier this year showed that while Latinos overall had less access to the Internet than whites, the two groups were fairly similar in proportion when it came to things like use of mobile apps, mobile email and text messaging. Given the findings, it makes sense for advertisers to think of the Hispanic audience when targeting messages to the latest devices.

Women are also a big part of the picture on tablets. The Pew study indicated women for the first time are slightly more likely to own a tablet than men. So unlike other types of consumer technology, tablets haven’t been an entirely white, male bastion from the get-go. Research presented earlier this month by Universal McCann SVP Michael Haggerty at the OMMA Tablet Revolutions conference found women 35 to 54 will likely drive tablet sales in 2011.

Tablets, as has become clear, are likely to be shared among family members. About two-thirds of iPads are used by two or more people, according to the UM research. So even at an early stage, the devices have the potential to reach wider audience than might be at first assumed.

via MediaPost Publications Hispanic Audience Turning Up On E-Readers, Tablets 06/27/2011.

Facebook For Latinos Quepasa Buys myYearbook For $100 Million In Cash And Stock | TechCrunch

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Quepasa, the Facebook for Latinos has merged with social networking company myYearbook for $100 million, approximately $82 million of hin Quepasa common stock and approximately $18 million in cash.

MyYearbook, which has raised $17 million in funding, is a profitable social network that focuses on younger teenage users. While still smaller than Facebook, myYearbook is seeing over 1 billion page views on mobile platforms and 1.2 billion page views on the web each month. In fact, it is the top web site in the comScore Teens category with more visits, minutes, and pageviews. In 2010, myYearbook generated $23.7 million in revenue, up 53% year-over-year, and EBITDA of $4.9 million, up 315% year-over-year. Quepasa says more than 27 million registered users.

The combined properties will have 70 million registered users, 2.2 million mobile app installs, 11.5 million mobile game installs, and 2.1 million social same installs.

Quepasa CEO, John Abbott says that the acquisition and merger doubles the size of Quepasa’s existing user base, and also could represent a new growth area for Quepasa’s mobile and social games, advertising, and virtual currency. MyYearbook also recently launched a gaming portal.

Following the merger, myYearbook CEO Geoff Cook will serve as Chief Operating Officer of Quepasa Corporation and President of its Consumer Internet Division, and will also join the company’s Board of Directors.

Here’s the note Cook sent to myYearbook employees this morning:

Get the rest via Facebook For Latinos Quepasa Buys myYearbook For $100 Million In Cash And Stock | TechCrunch.

Diageo’s New Hispanic Strategy Includes Big Buy on Univision | Hispanic Marketing – Advertising Age

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Seeking to boost Hispanic consumption, liquor giant Diageo is turning to TV, making a major upfront buy on Univision Communication’s Galavision cable network as well as on every owned and operated Univision station.

The year-long deal represents the first time a liquor company has bought upfront time — the period in which marketers buy up available commercial inventory from networks before the fall season — on every Univision station, Univision told Ad Age. The piecemeal purchase was necessary because Univision does not accept national liquor buys on the network.

“This is groundbreaking from the sense of scale and number of stations and markets they are buying,” said David Lawenda, Univision’s president of ad sales and marketing.

It’s also a big step for Diageo, which has historically targeted Hispanics with on-premise events and experiential marketing, along with some smaller TV buys. But like other alcohol companies, Diageo is boosting its outreach in search of a bigger piece of the demographic, which is expected to account for 23% of drinking age-adults by 2030, up from 16% last year.

Ads will begin airing this week, starting with a new spot for Ketel One vodka, Diageo said. Other brands will go on air in the coming weeks. “The buy for us is very significant,” said Marc Strachan, VP-multicultural marketing for Diageo USA. “From the standpoint of where we were and where we’re going, it’s about a 3,000% increase in terms of the actual dollars that we are spending in this marketplace.”

The media buy was handled by roster agency Carat.

Diageo, whose brands include Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Cuervo and Captain Morgan, ranks as the nation’s 63rd biggest ad spender, according to the Ad Age Data Center. The company spent $147.7 million on measured media last year, but none on Spanish-language network TV and only $220,000 in Hispanic newspapers, according to Kantar Media. Earlier this year, Diageo tested ads on Univision in Texas. Diageo also has previously run ads on Galavision, as have other liquor companies, according to Univision.

The investment comes as Univision Communications touts new Census data to lure more spending from major marketerssuch as Kraft Foods.

The Census data, which showed the U.S. Hispanic population growing 43% in the past 10 years, “has led to more demand than ever, not just for our networks [and] our cable network but for all of our platforms,” Mr. Lawenda said. The “lion’s share” of Diageo’s buy “is actually going to our television stations, which is unusual,” he said. “You don’t typically hear about upfront buys for television stations, but that’s what the Census has done for us.” Univision has 36 owned-and-operated stations, which the company says cover 60% of the country.

The challenge for Diageo and other spirits makers is to lure Hispanics away from beer brands, which have a commanding lead in the demographic and are spending aggressively to grow even more. Hispanics spend 50 cents of every booze dollar on brews, compared with 22.87 cents on spirits, according to Nielsen data recently cited by beer importer Crown Imports. By contrast, non-Hispanic consumers spent nearly 30 cents on spirits and 38.1 cents on beer.

But there are signs that liquor companies are gaining ground. Year-to-date beer-case sales volume dropped 2%, compared with just a 0.9% drop among non-Hispanics, according to a recent report by beer trade publication Beer Business Daily, citing Nielsen. “It appears Hispanics are shifting some beer occasions to spirits, as Hispanic spirits volume is up 13.7% vs. the general market at 2.6%,” Beer Business Daily said in the report, titled “Are We Losing Hispanic Drinkers to Spirits?”

Mr. Strachan attributed the growth to a new focus that spirits brands are putting on the audience. “Traditionally our beer colleagues have had much more earlier and longer-term advertising awareness and relationships,” he said. “I think spirits are now really seeing this and catching up and making sure they are front and center just as well along with beer. And you’re starting to see the results in the marketplace.”

But liquor marketers still have work to do. Compared with whites, Hispanics underindex on every liquor variety except for tequila, brandy and cognac, according to a survey published last year by market researcher Mintel. Still, marketers have a big opportunity with fruit-flavored spirits, which Hispanics prefer at higher margins than other groups, according to Mintel. And that might explain one of Diageo’s newest offerings released last year: Ketel One Oranje, an orange-flavored vodka with “hints of warm spice.”

via Diageo’s New Hispanic Strategy Includes Big Buy on Univision | Hispanic Marketing – Advertising Age.

Convenience, Customization, Ease Of Sharing are what matters for Millenials

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The recent buzz around Google+ is just the sort of thing that can send marketers and media planners into a tailspin, lamenting yet again, “You mean there’s another thing Millennials are doing en masse, and we have to reach them there, too?”

Relax. It’s not as difficult as it seems to prioritize your marketing efforts to reach the schizophrenic-like attention Millennials seem to direct everywhere and nowhere all at once.

Through recent Magid Generational Strategies research on Millennial media behaviors, and the illumination that comes with tracking that data back five years, it’s apparent that three things shape relevancy for Millennials: convenience, customization and ease of sharing.

Convenience Media and technology are important to Millennials, but they want it to fit around their lives. They have little interest and patience in the reverse — making their life fit around the media that interests them. For example, Millennials are more likely than Baby Boomers or Gen Xers to watch TV shows online. While this strikes fear into the hearts of cable operators everywhere and brings to mind the dreaded word “cord-cutting,” last year’s Magid Media Futures study suggests otherwise. A typical Millennial’s motivation to watch a TV show online has less to do with the fact that it is free, but more with the convenience of watching exactly when he/she wants, whereas Boomers and Xers are more driven by cost savings.

Other media behaviors Millennials do more than older generations, like watching TV and video on their phones, watching movies online and listening to podcasts, are also all about convenience. It’s not that Millennials aren’t watching TV on a TV or want to watch movies at home or in a theatre, they are attracted to options that let them do those things whenever they want.

Customization Gen Yers have become accustomed to being lumped all together in generational stereotypes, but they know differently. They know they are each unique and, in fact, celebrate and encourage individuality. They were the first generation of kids to enjoy entire television stations devoted to them (Nickelodeon launched in 1979 and Disney Channel in 1983). Later they didn’t have to choose one of six pre-created players for their video games, they got to make their own avatars. Millennials are used to customization.

The way Millennials listen to music reflects that expectation for customization. Millennials listen to the most music not on the radio (e.g., personal MP3 players and streaming services). Obviously, they choose music on their own iPod, but they like creating custom stations on Pandora or listening to exactly the song they want when they want on services like GrooveShark or the newly released Spotify.

Ease of Sharing When it comes down to it, the wild popularity of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter among Millennials boils down to one thing — they make it easy to share with your personal network. Personal networks, a/k/a friends and family, are incredibly important to Millennials. Their parents instilled the importance of friends through formal play dates and sessions at Gymboree. It’s what Millennials have always known. They carried that cohort perspective into adulthood and now actively look for ways to share ideas and tips, as well as the details of their lives, with the people they care about. Products and services that enable easy sharing will bode well with Millennials.

via MediaPost Publications Convenience, Customization, Ease Of Sharing 07/22/2011.