Latino Shop Expands within Pike Place

This contribution is written by Yuritzi E. Lozano, who this week graduates from the University of Washington, with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies: Latin America and Spanish with a minor in Diversity.

Cintli will open its doors once again after expanding to a different location in Pike Place Market. This little Hispanic shop sells jewelry and traditional Mexican handicrafts. This time around the shop will focus on selling a greater variety of products. Its artisans usually hail from the Mexican states of Oaxaca, Jalisco, Michoacán, Puebla and Tabasco. The owner, Beto Yarce, says that in importing traditional products from Mexico he is also providing local artisans in México with a work. Now, Cintli will also be offering space in its new location for the upcoming local Hispanic artists to show their work as a means to support the Seattle arts community as well.

The folk art gives Pike Place market a sense of traditional Mexican flavor through unique handicrafts and jewelry. The new shop also offers new contemporary Latino art as well. Although their clients are primarily tourists, they also have products that will make any native Mexican nostalgic. With its vibrant colors and products, there is something for everyone. Beto’s vision to include the local Latino community among his featured artisans provides Seattle Latino artists additional exposure.

Cintli will have a Grand Re-Opening celebration next weekend March 19-21 from 11am to 5pm at 321 Pike Place Market, downstairs of the Market.

For more information on Cintli visit the website.

Beyond the Language Barrier in 2010

This post is contributed by Diana Lopez, senior at the University of Washington, double-majoring in Law, Society and Justice/Spanish.

The Census 2010 will soon be in the hands of every household in the United States, but will everyone know how to respond to it?


The Census Bureau is acknowledging that many languages are spoken within the U.S. and will be releasing its Census form in 5 different languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Russian. A recent article in La Raza del Noroeste highlights the measures that the Census Bureau has taken in the state of Washington to reach out to those who do not speak English. They have hired locals who speak various languages so that they can reach out to every community and explain to everyone the importance of the Census. There will also be community centers where people can seek out any help they might need to fill out their forms.

I’d have to agree that the language barrier is an important factor that must be overcome; however, I also think that it’s important to educate everyone that the Census Bureau is not allowed to share any information that is provided to it. I have had opportunities to ask locals if they plan to fill out the Census and many have said they don’t plan to. Pero, ¿por qué? They fear that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement will be notified of their undocumented status in the United States. Many immigrants will not be counted because of this simple fact, but it’s crucial that everyone gets counted because the more accurate the numbers, the more opportunities are given to the community.

Diversity Training for Communicators This Thursday!

Diversity: Accent accessible communications

March 11 Public Relations Society of America South Sound

• How many people did your most recent missive miss?

• Did your audience include people with visual or hearing impairments?

• Is it valuable to tweet in Spanish and other languages, or is it enough to translate your press releases?

Whether it’s a required part of your campaign or you simply want to reach more people, our team of experts will share tips at the March 11 South Sound Group on communicating with audiences you may be missing.

Kristina Walker of EnviroIssues will moderate a panel of experts:

- Kristine Edens, EnviroIssues

- Lauri Jordana, Conexión Marketing

- Kevin Nathan, Washington State Department of Services for the Blind

- Idalie Muñoz Muñoz, Muñoz Media

The South Sound Group meets at 8 a.m.—doors open early for networking—in the first floor board room at Metro Parks Tacoma headquarters, 4702 S. 19th St. Cost is $5 for PRSA members, $8 for nonmembers. Please sign in at the door. Refreshments are included, no reservations necessary.

Directions: From I-5 north or south, take SR-16 toward Gig Harbor. Take the 19th Street East exit toward Cheney Stadium, turn right on 19th, then right into the Metro Parks Tacoma parking lot. Note: please leave the customer-designated parking open for Metro Parks. If you require special accommodations for a disability, please contact Sheree Trefry at 253.305.1059 or shereet@tacomaparks.com at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.

If you'd like more information about the benefits of PRSA membership and how to apply, please check out the website.

Gene Juarez, The Man

If you live in the Seattle area, when you think of "Gene Juarez," your thoughts go to great haircuts, spa treatments, and for me, the best pedicures offered anywhere. But there's a man behind this chain of luxury spas and salons throughout the Puget Sound region. His name is, well, Gene Juarez.

And the new issue of 425 magazine has featured Mr. Juarez. Or perhaps, Señor Juarez. You see, Gene's family came from Mexico and started their American life as many Mexican immigrants do here in our state--in Eastern Washington fields. The article is great.

But what it doesn't mention is that Mr. Juarez is a brilliant marketer. The way I've heard the story, he got his big start downtown when he visited the Frederick & Nelson (RIP) department store across the street. He approached the elevator operators and offered them haircuts. Of course! Because from then on, when anyone asked the operator where she got that great 'do, her answer would be, "Gene Juarez!"

Mr. Juarez is also a founding director of Plaza Bank, which is one way he can reach out to families, in situations much like his own those many years ago, through business. The Bank has both commercial lending and retail banking services, and it offers financial literacy and competitive products that help people new to our way of banking in the U.S. In fact, Plaza Bank stood among very few community banks when it reported profits last quarter.

Read Mr. Juarez' story by Lisa Patterson--you'll be amazed, motivated, and if you're like me, you might just be inspired to get yourself a spa pedicure. (Ask for Mercedes at the downtown location.)

Linking Business with Latino Culture

This post is contributed by Diana Lopez, senior at the University of Washington, double-majoring in Law, Society and Justice/Spanish.

Have you ever thought of the difference between approaching a non-Latino and a Latino with a business deal? It is no mystery that Latinos take great pride in our culture and it is no surprise that our culture influences our decisions in making a business deal.

I had the pleasure of attending an event held at the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, entitled “Business and Culture with Hispanic Americans,” last week. This presentation was given by Lauri Jordana, Lourdes Sampera-Tsukada, and David Spencer and was monitored by Lee Mozena. It was held to help those in the Seattle area understand the Hispanic population and give them effective strategies to approach the Hispanic market.

Before we even got into the demographics of the Latino population, Lauri touched on a very important subject: terminology. So what do you call “us”? Latinos, Hispanics, Chicanos, Mexicans? There will never be a time when we all agree on one specific term and that’s because there is no way ALL Latinos can be put into ONE big bucket because they all come from different countries and we have our own culture. The two terms that Lauri broke down were Hispanic and Latino; Hispanic means that their family comes from a Spanish-speaking country, while Latino means they come from Latin America. The main point in understanding the terminology is that in order to approach the Hispanic market you must segment and know your target.

Lauri then explained the demographics of the Hispanic market. With a Latino population of 644,000, Washington is ranked as the 13th state with the most Hispanics. If you’ve ever made a trip east of the mountains you would think that most of these Latinos would be found in that area, however 400,000 reside in the Puget Sound. The Seattle Metro will see a 15% increase from 2007-2012 which also increases Latino buying power. An important thing we must understand is that the Hispanic population in the Seattle area is spread throughout King County and there is no such thing as a “Little Mexico,” which is probably why people have this misconception that most of the Latinos reside in Eastern Washington.

After Lauri broke down the demographics of the Hispanic market, Lourdes then described the Latino culture and what was important to us. If you plan to do business with a Latino/a you must understand that Latinos place great value on their family and their country of origin. There isn’t anything more important to us than trust, respect, and achieving that “American dream.”

• One major difference between doing business with a non-Latino and a Latino is time management. Americans are always on the go and time is very crucial to them, on the other hand Latinos do not place much importance to time because what matters to us is that we establish trust and we feel comfortable with you no matter how long it takes. Therefore, when meeting up with a potential client you must allow extra time for social talk. Latinos love to talk about their family and their culture.
• Plan to offer food and drink.

Make sure to use a very formal language and never relax your attire. Never assume it is okay to talk in spanish but if you are speaking spanish make sure you know the difference between “usted,” which is akin to“sir/madam” and “tú” which is much more informal. You never want to make the mistake of starting off with an informal approach because it could break the deal off.

There are other behavioral differences between an American and a Latino as well.

• Latinos tend to interrupt while someone else is speaking but this is not a form of disrespect.
• They also tend to speak with their hands and there tends to be a lack of personal space because they like the personal contact.

Now do not get me wrong; this does not mean you should invade their personal space and have a lot of personal contact because that might break the deal as well, which is what David talked about.

David has worked with Mexico for several years now. The tips he gave the audience included making sure you greet everyone in the room, and when leaving make sure to say goodbye to everyone as well. He also described how Mexicans are not as comfortable with personal contact and a hug from them means they fully trust you, so when greeting them a simple handshake goes a long way.

Once we had the discussion on Latino culture, they then talked about ways to get your business out into the Latino community.

• Word of mouth is a very important aspect to getting exposure.
• Become involved within the community that you plan to target and create relationships.
• Hiring bilingual Latinos is also important because it creates credibility, opportunities and it increases your staff which in turn can increase your sales.

But most importantly make your clients feel welcomed. Latinos love to feel welcomed and tend to trust you more if you respect our customs and families.

Rebranding Pepsi to Spanish Speakers

Have you heard about what Pepsi is doing in Argentina and Spain?

It's pretty amazing, really. BBDO, its agency, learned that Argentines tend to say "Pecsi" instead of "Pepsi." This is something universally known among Spanish speakers. But the agency was on to something when they leveraged this insight in its marketing to consumers in that country.

Pecsi was born. I even saw a rebranded Pecsi can, but I can't be sure they took it that far.

Now they've pulled a similar trick in Spain. But there, it's "Pesi." The ad is pretty hilarious, showing a famous soccer player pronouncing it the way ... well, the way they do. Pesi. Pecsi. It's just hard to get that second "p" in there for native Spanish speakers. I have friends from other countries who say one or other other--but I don't remember hearing "PePsi" from them, ever. Just like "picsa" (pizza).

So this is key for Pepsi: Learn how your customers are talking about you. Isn't that what social media is all about, when it comes to brands getting involved? This is the same thing, from my perspective. Pepsi shed its corporate image to talk to these consumers in their language. Brilliant, in my opinion.

My caveat here is that I don't believe this approach is something that can be taken on by brands ever category. For example, picture BMW and the version I always heard in Spain, "BMV." (I never understood that, by the way. If someone could please explain, I would very much appreciate it.) I think a premium brand would dilute its strength by succombing to the populace. Brands representing consumer packaged goods on the other hand are different in their natural positioning. They often work their way into serving as everyday nouns, despite trademarking and any other efforts those brands attempt.

But in this case, Pepsi is showing consumers that their way of interacting with the brand is important to the company.

My bet is that Pepsi, or "Pecsi," or "Pesi," has achieved a special appeal to these two national audiences in a way that really resonates.

Click here for the latest article in Ad Age on this topic and to see the spot Pepsi produced for its Spanish audience.

Latina Sororities, nothing like your average

This contribution is written by Yuritzi E. Lozano, who is a senior at the University of Washington, double-majoring in International Studies: Latin America and Spanish with a minor in Diversity.

Latina sororities first made their appearence on universities about 35 years ago, when the first Latina sorority was established at Kean University. Since then many more have been established. Unlike mainstream Greeks--fraternal organizations that must live in specified housing--these sororities are considered non-traditional in that there is no requirement to live in Greek housing.

These developed when colleges and universities experienced an influx of Latino enrollment. A need to support groups and outreach programs were at an all time high, especially that of Latina women in higher education institutions. At the time there were not many social options for these underrepresented groups. Thus, the decision to create a sisterhood which empowered and supported Latinas evolved.

For many of the women that join these sorority it is more than just a social organization, it becomes a support system that they can rely on. Many of the young Latinas that continue on to higher education are often first, second and sometimes third generation and oftentimes have had to move away from home to pursue their academic dreams.

For me it was just like that: I moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington from a small city in Eastern Washington. As first generation in higher academia I hardly knew anyone, much less about Seattle life. Joining a sorority, for me, was a way of making the UW campus smaller and created a home away from home.

Today university campuses around the nation have many different sororities on their campus. For example, the University of Washington is home to 4 distinct and unique Latina Sororities; Lambda Theta Alpha, Sigma Lambda Gamma, Kappa Delta Chi and Gamma Alpha Omega. Why the need for so many organizations that cater to this specific group? Each Latina sorority formed from the need to embody principles, values, and philanthropies that catered to their specific needs. Every one of the organizations mentioned above provides something different to its members such as community service, leadership skills, diversity, and networking skills.

At the end of the day they all provide a social aspect which allows these women to create a niche.