Rethinking Hispanic Advertising

Hola - it's 102° in Seattle today. Why am I sharing this? Because no one can believe it. This is an all-time high temp in the history of my city. And I have no A/C in the office or at home. Pobrecita.

There's a fun TV spot I'd like to share with you. I'm sharing it because frankly it's a great ad. It happens to be an award-winning Hispanic ad from Latinworks--but you'll notice that there's not a lot of Spanish language in it.

This may surprise some of you who might think that advertising that reaches Latinos has to have certain stereotypical elements in it, or even language. And note that just because it's a "Hispanic ad" doesn't mean us gringos can't enjoy it.

It's about reaching the demographic, and it can be done any number of ways. But simply translating your general market ad is probably not be one of them.

Take a look...feel free to share your thoughts.

Allstate has launched an unprecedented Hispanic campaign

In yesterday's Marketing Daily, Tanya Irwin shares what Allstate's been up to nationally in the Hispanic space:

• a TV campaign including four new spots (three already launched)
• radio advertising
• online activations
• premier sponsorships: Mexican National Soccer Team (for the third consecutive year) and television and radio programs including "Premio lo Nuestro" and the Latin Grammy Awards
• a unique Spanish-language website.

These are big steps for Allstate, and they help show the company's commitment to the Latino community. When you read the article, you'll learn that the campaign is not a simple translation of the general market campaign (YAY) but its own culturally relevant campaign.

This is key in reaching consumers, because it doesn't matter what language it's in, if the message doesn't resonate, it will fall flat. Latinos can see right through a translated campaign that wasn't created with them in mind and this result will not help your company earn the $1 trillion in Latino buying power.

I'm excited about the sponsorships that Allstate is committed to, because this is a way to meet Latino consumers *where they are.* It's the most natural connection, and more personal than a TV spot.

I'm a little concerned about the development of a unique site--because although I've seen it done successfully, and it *is* ideal--the unfortunate truth is that in big corporations the Spanish site can end up smaller, inaccurate, incomplete--which can send a very bad message to Latino consumers. For example, if there's a "first month free" offer on the English site even for three days while the Spanish site has yet to be updated, those three days Latinos will see that discrepancy and realize that English speakers get the good deals.

Check out the article. What do you think?

Pride in Making a Living, Working with Their Hands

There's a neat article in yesterday's Pacific Northwest magazine that details the work of a few local craftspeople entitled Honest Work: Mastering a Trade, Making a Good Living by Tyrone Beason.

The article shares the vocations of Louie Raffloer and Mary Gioia, blacksmith owners at Black Dog Forge, Javier Heras and Jose Rodriguez, upholsterers at A.W. Hoss and Son, Inc., and Chef Paul Fung who tirelessly hand-forms rice noodles at Hing Loon Chinese Restaurant.

The article reminds me not only of President Obama's reference to "the doers, the makers of things" in his inauguration speech, but also of a visit by Governor Gregoire to a local Hispanic Chamber breakfast about a year ago.

She said, in essence, that these vocations are a necessary and important part of what makes this society work, and that our push to get everyone into a four-year university just isn't every person's path. She encouraged us to re-think that idealogy and realize the significance of having tradespeople skilled and ready to work.

There's a special pride to working with one's hands, and it's not something all of us are cut out to do. But for those of us who are, trade school is a respectable path that produces skilled workers our economy needs.

If you're interested in reading more, check out the article online.

Save the Date! 12 de agosto

Did you know that Latinas in the U.S. are starting small businesses at SIX TIMES the national average?

WHEN: Wednesday, August 12

WHERE: The Rainier Club, Seattle

WHAT: King County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting

I'm encouraging everyone to attend this King County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting! Meet the successful women representing the National Hispana Leadership Institute in Seattle and hear about what they're doing to create leaders.

See more about this event or register here.

50,000 Latinos?

Posted by Intern Tim Hemphill, a student at the UW with a double-major in Spanish/Economics.

Fiestas Patrias is taking place at The Puyallup Fair again this year, an event for the Hispanic community filled with excitement and entertainment, from live music and dancing to great Latin American foods. It's a full day of festivities on September 20 at the fairgrounds.

In recent years, over 50,000 people from the community have participated, and this year will be no different.

So for companies in the Northwest: If you are interested in having a booth at this event, just contact us to learn more! Email or call 206.621.2185.

For the rest of you, join us at Fiestas Patrias for a great time to experience Latino culture and have fun.

Cinco de Julio

The other day I was chatting with colleagues over at Sección Amarilla (the print & online yellow pages for Latinos here and in Mexico), who had participated in the Bustos Media Cinco de Mayo rescheduled event, which coincidentally happened on the 5th of July instead.

Apparently the event was packed - tens of thousands of Latinos in attendance! This is a reminder to sponsors - don't miss out on Bustos' Puyallup Fair event this year! Call me for details: 206-621-2185.


To learn more about Sección Amarilla, see their site.

To contact Sección Amarilla for rates in the Seattle-area book, call Constance Heinrich at 206-621-1874 or email constance.heinrich@seccionamarilla.com.

Diabetes, Latinos and the Supreme Court… who knew?

Readers: This post is contributed by Melissa Duque, Hispanic marketing intern at Conexión Marketing.

Opponents of Sonia Sotomayor have found another reason to not want her as the first Latina Supreme Court Judge: She has diabetes. In a world where we are constantly improving treatments for health problems, it’s interesting that people can find this as a deterrent.
If appointed Sonia Sotomayor wouldn’t just be the first Latina Supreme Court Judge, she would also be the first Diabetic Supreme Court Judge. The controversy between diabetes and Sotomayor and her ability to be a Supreme Court Justice has brought awareness to all those living with diabetes.

“Type 1 Diabetes is a disorder in which the immune system destroys the body’s insulin-producing beta cells,” according to the Seattle Times editorial Diabetes no reason to reject Sotomayor by Irl B. Hirsch and James S. Hirsch. “Improvements in care have sharply reduced the risk of complications.”

All this talk has to be more than just about the First Diabetic or Latina Supreme Court Judge. It needs to be about how diabetes affects Americans and how those with Type 1 diabetes are living with it.

According to Dr. Sonia Hernandez from Community Health Center of Snohomish County, anyone not of Anglo-American descent has a much higher propensity for diabetes. We need to look then at why Latinos and other ethnic groups have a higher susceptibility to the disease and what to do about it.

The silver lining to all this debate about Sotomayor and her diabetes is that diabetes is now on the forefront of people’s mind. Hopefully this increase in attention will help those who may not have had access or knowledge to be able to find the right tools in better understanding the disorder and how to treat it.

Ke Buena (1210 AM) radio will feature a show this Sunday discussing Latinos and Diabetes, the causes of the disorder, and how to take back control. The show is called Información es salud con Community Health Plan, and it airs 6:30 – 7 on Sunday evenings.

Join this Sunday as Dr. Hernandez discusses diabetes with Host Gigi Basaure.