Marketers, are revisiting their positions and thinking on how they approach the new reality… do they shift their overall strategy to become more inclusive and “cross-cultural”? Should they change their approach to Hispanic? Is it the moment to start looking into new rising ethnic/cultural opportunities?

Agencies, both general and multicultural, will have to go through a similar reappraisal and auto-analysis; is it the moment to broaden scope and evolve into multicultural? Should we have a Hispanic arm? Should we specialize further in Hispanic and start developing content or look at breaking the Hispanic social networking code?

Regardless of the answers the important thing is having posed the questions.

Things are changing fast, the lines are blurring. Our multicultural baby is growing, but it is also maturing and the same rules and approaches may not apply for much longer.  Change is not always easy but its unavoidable, we can either play an active role in shaping it or have it happen to us.

General market agencies that have seen their budgets reduced are hungry and marketers are willing to listen to ideas that help stretch these reduced budgets.

I believe that opportunities, like always, are for those that take them. The time has come to mature and evolve, because soon our growing multicultural baby is going to look at his old toys for what they are and dispense with them.

This all reminds me of the time I was in a taxi in Mexico, in traffic of course, I was listening to the radio and the commentator signed off by saying “And remember if you don’t buy a ticket you can’t win the lottery”…I buy the lottery regularly now.

Jimmy Hernandez @ Latinminds

source: TLC

Well, as predicted, it’s happening. Last night on TLC, the program “Sextuplets Take New York” was on. It’s about a Latino family in Queens who have 2 year old sextuplets and an 11 year old boy. What’s interesting is that the show portrays this family who are accented, living in a nice home and living a bicultural lifestyle. At times some of the show is subtitled as the mom has a heavier accent than the dad, but it just goes to show that American television is catching on more and more to the fact that they need to provide a snapshot of Latinos living in the U.S. and position them as part of the fabric of our population. It was enjoyable to watch and realize that the reason the show is on air is to see how yet another multi-children family who HAPPENS to be Latino, copes with everyday existence like “Kate Plus 8″ and “19 and Counting”. Smart move too not to use the word “Hispanic or Latino” in the title, as the show is about the lives of these people, not their ethnicity, thus generating more opportunity for viewership. Check it out and give us your opinion.

Diane Librizzi @ Latinminds

Have you ever had a picnic? I’m talking about a true picnic- with a blanket,
a few sandwiches, maybe a bottle of wine, perhaps some dip with crackers, prosciutto and cheese? The reason I ask is because as I was riding my bike up the Riverside Park in NYC (a long park that hugs the Hudson River) I could see the difference between Riverside Park South and Riverside Park North.

In Riverside Park South you see a lot of white people, laying in their blankets, others roller blade while others walk their dogs. If they are hungry they either pull it from their picnic baskets or order it from the nearby food stand where a burger and fries goes for $10.

Then all of a sudden a few miles up everything changes…the aromas and ambiance are completely different. The minute I can smell grilled meat I know I have entered Riverside Park North. Wow, what a difference. “Lloraras” by Oscar De Leon is playing on one side, while mangoes with salt and lemon and fried empanadas are being sold in a cart on another
side. You don’t see groups of 3 or 4 people; with Hispanics 10 to 15 is about right. But most importantly everyone has a grill.

And that’s when I ask myself, “Do the majority of Hispanics actually have picnics?” I’m talking about picnics without a grill? Is it even an option to go to a park and not have meat or chorizo or chicken? (click here to continue reading the rest of the article)

Liliana @ Latinminds

picture from: http://www.spot.ph/featured/16048/anatomy-of-a-billboard/1

I just came back from being on vacation in the Philippines and it’s interesting to see how the more and more differences I seemed to observe between Filipinos and Latinos living in the U.S. the more I stopped myself to reflect on the larger picture.  Both groups seem to have more in common than we may even know.

For one thing, there hasn’t been a single Filipino parent I have met who doesn’t take pride in their child’s accomplishments, especially when it comes to education. Families of all socio-economic levels that I’ve met so far fill their mouths with saying things like “my daughter has won major awards”, “all my children have passed the board exam” or “I have six children and they are all professional”.  It seems to me this is no different than how many parents around the world feel as education means more than a degree but a door to a brighter future…

And that’s where I’ve noticed that like Latinos who travel to the U.S. in search of their American Dream, Filipinos also do their fair share of traveling in search of a better life. While I knew there are a ton of Filipinos who have taken over large pockets of cities in the U.S. like Los Angeles, Miami, NY/NJ I had no idea that many of them are also taking their specialties beyond nursing to places such as Australia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and even Ireland (just to name a few).  In fact, the number of overseas Filipinos account for about 11% of the total population of the Philippines…that’s about 8-11 million Filipinos in search of their “dream”. The main difference with Latinos who come to the states is that in many instances Filipinos leave their country through employment agencies or other programs with degrees in nursing, civil engineering, architecture, etc…. They then rapidly certify their degrees in these countries to be able to continue pursuing what they’re good at instead of settling for any job. This advantage comes from their ability to be multilingual.

This is why language is key. While the U.S. struggles to understand how to speak to Hispanics…whether in English or Spanish or even in Spanglish or perhaps with cultural relevance regardless of language – here’s a country who has already figured it out and is doing just fine. Of course keeping in mind they don’t have the added cultural layer that U.S. Hispanics have of being bicultural in one country.

To my astonishment Filipinos have managed to use their media (from TV shows, and billboards to radio and even DJ endorsements) in both Tagalog and English with ease; going back and forth between languages because to them at the end of the day it’s about the content. So, as a foreigner it’s incredible to see a commercial where the model or spokesperson flips to both languages while the supers (or the writing that you see in the commercial) are all in English yet still manage to convey the message that this particular product will make my hair thicker and stronger (check out this Jollibee (Filipino fast food chain) commercial as an example: http://www.jollibee.com.ph/index.php?/tv_ads/).  And, if you travel to other cities away from the capital where even street signs are in English, you’ll soon realize each island has multiple dialects and schools teach children Spanish and/or Mandarin as a pre-requisite…making these people multilingual.

Perhaps there are more than a few things U.S. Latinos can learn from our Filipino friends who may look a bit different than us but who are also in search of that “dream”. From their focus on higher education, to their priority in adopting a new culture while staying close to their own values; these seem to be great tips that can certainly help us Latinos here in the U.S.

Liliana @ Latinminds

“Be careful what you wish for.” I remember hearing that saying so often at the time of the 2000 Census, which heralded “the decade of the Hispanic,” whose population had grown a whopping 58%, accounting for 13.5% of the U.S. population. New advertisers flooded into the market. We were unprepared for the onslaught of general agency heads who read the same headlines. Facing declining revenue sources in general, they attacked the flow to our business. The Hispanic agency media business was ripe for the picking, and it was a bumper crop. Too few of us had really invested in our media capability. That’s ok, the money was in the creative, and we were creative shops, right? We ignored media consolidation and industry growth of communications planning; we didn’t invest in the tools and talent that would keep us competitive in the discipline; we played defense instead of offense, defending our existing creative roles instead of aggressively pursuing expanded capabilities and relationships with our clients. Today, over 70% of all Spanish media placements are managed by “general market” media agencies.

Sound familiar? If not, you’d better wake up. It’s Census-meets-weak-economy time again.

The economic backdrop of this Census is very similar to the past, but the headlines are going to be quite different. This time it will be clear to marketers that the face of America is changing. The biggest threat to the “Hispanic industry” isn’t the general agencies coming after our business, but our own failure to evolve with the changing U.S. population. Like it or not, the game is changing dramatically. Understanding the change and investing in the resources, knowledge and talent to challenge both the status quo and the general agencies as equals is critical to our survival. Who better to confront the challenge of growing brands in an increasingly multicultural America than the agencies that not only know it, but live it every day?

“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.” We have to get out of the mindset that going beyond Hispanic somehow makes us less Hispanic. We have fought so long for our market to have its rightful seat at the table. We have our seat. Now let’s make sure the meal will appeal to a New America.

Laura Marella

Vice Chairman

What should be done to adjust to the new environment? What should we as marketers do to tap into new realities and opportunities?

Let’s just speculate a little…

The proportion of non-Caucasian Americans continues to grow; Hispanics become a constituency that no one can ignore; other ethnic groups, like the Hindu and Muslim communities, start to appear brightly on the radar; and more Americans than we could ever have imagined define themselves as hyphenated or as having more than one ethnic origin.

What does it all mean? For one, that multicultural America starts to become a key driving influence and an indivisible part of the whole. Cultural and ethnic lines, as they have been understood up to now, begin to blur. The recipe of the “melting pot” changes.

We find ourselves with multiple audiences, any of which could move the business needle, and a myriad of touch points, tools and mediums with which to reach them. And to top it all off, multiple cross-cultural allegiances.

In this new environment, how do we ensure effectiveness and still remain efficient? How do we maintain focus without missing out on opportunities?

I believe one of the key elements that will help us navigate these unchartered waters will be “affinity” targeting—from African, Asian, Hispanic or Hindu cultural origins leading the conversation, to the contextual similarities and affinities driving it. At the end of the day, wouldn’t we all agree that a farmer from North Dakota has just as much, if not more, in common with another farmer than with his brother-in-law who is a lawyer?

Historically, alliances have been defined by proximity. It was simple: those closer to you had more in common with you. Today technology, the Internet and social networking have changed that and have led a shift towards affinity. Last time I checked, there were over 45 million “Star Trekkers” around the world, and now you can tap into each one of them.

A more complex marketplace will require more “enlightened” plans, an “orchestrated” approach in which “pan-cultural affinity” messaging will be combined with deeper, more committed efforts, onsite and online, targeted to specific cultural communities.

There will always be opportunities specific to a particular cultural group, and these should be taken advantage of and addressed within our plans. From a broader multicultural perspective and reality, however, and at the risk of being simplistic, isn’t the American dream characterized by the richness of living in more than one culture, the ability to be more than one person depending on the situation, the desire to retain ones culture of origin? Aren’t these things that all multicultural citizens, to some extent, have in common? Aren’t these all realities to which more than one culture can relate?

Out of all of this added complexity, one positive outcome seems clear: culture will not be the only way to define or connect with multicultural America.

Jimmy Hernandez

VP/Strategic Planning Director

But is this any longer enough?

After attending Internet Week 2010 a little over a week ago, it became very clear to me that content ALONE is no longer king.  During TIME INC. PRESENTS:  REACHING YOUR MOBILE AUDIENCE, Time Inc.’s Digital spearhead, John Cantarella, said it best; in a world where mobile adoption is outstripping other technologies, “interactivity is key, content is no longer enough.” Technology beyond the web, like the iPad and mobile apps, are now diversifying the delivery of content, leaving consumers looking for richer experiences in which to gobble it all up.  Along with the rise of these new platforms, come new rules of engagement; with new learned behaviors and consumer-set expectations for brands to integrate themselves digitally.  Consumers expect to be wowed.  They want timely content that with a flip of a wrist and swish of the finger, tickles their senses and imagination in ways that they never imagined.  They want, or rather expect, interactivity.

Cantarella then left us with a taxing question, which I will leave with you all: In a world where everything is ‘un-bundled’, how can we (as advertisers and marketers) integrate these platforms and personalize the user experience with our brands? As we all struggle to grasp this new realm of “interactivity”, and play within the new rules of engagement, the question is by no means an easy one to answer—but boy, will it be exciting to try.

Jessica Rodriguez, Sr. Brand Planner @ Latinminds

So amidst all the World Cup fever, what do you do if your country’s national soccer team didn’t make the cut? Do you root for someone else? Or do you simply disengage from all the madness? The fact is that for most people, the excitement of the World Cup is simply too good to pass up.

That’s why you’ll find Ecuadorians wearing Italian jerseys, Colombians wearing Spanish jerseys and Guatemalans wearing Mexican green…or black as is the case this year.

But what determines what country you cheer for when yours doesn’t make it in? For many it’s a matter of going back a few generations. You hear things like: my grandparents were Spanish or I’m going for a Spanish-speaking country or I want the Cup brought back to South America, or I love French culture- allez les bleus! or I need Brazil to win so I can win the pool. People always manage to find an excuse to cheer because it’s so much more thrilling when you are invested in the game than when you are just a passive viewer.

You’ll find camaraderie is alive and well among people of many nations during this international month-long soccer extravaganza. But, as with everything, there are exceptions. There are certain countries whose jerseys some people simply cannot wear for fear they’ll break out in hives, or worse, be disowned. So if you ask a Colombian to wear the Argentinean shirt, the answer could very well be “Heeeeelll, no!” The rivalry and the history between the 2 countries simply prohibit this. You may be Colombian, and your best may be from Argentina, maybe even your wife, and you may love going to Argentina, and eating all the parts of the cow, and dancing the tango, but you will not, a celeste (sky blue) shirt wear if you don’t want to send your Colombian father to an early grave.

When it comes to soccer, it’s clear that passions run deep. So next time you see a Spaniard wearing a Mexican shirt, have some fun imagining the motivation behind it.  All in all, it’s great to see the degree of camaraderie, support and enthusiasm that is generated around soccer and shared by so many. It makes you wish the World Cup were not every four years. Hope your team is doing well, but if their chances of making it to the next round of the World Cup are looking rather slim…what shirt will you be wearing?

-Mariella @Latinminds

This scenario is definitely history.

We can even say that soccer is ahead of other previously considered male sport “reserves”, with many female soccer media commentators and analysts, Spanish national team goalkeeper Iker Casillas’ girlfriend, Sara Carbonero, for one. The clubs have also noticed the shift and cater to women as much as men, to the point that women have changed soccer fashion! Who would have thought, not so long ago, that you would be able to buy your teams season shirt tailored to fit snuggly, show off your shoulders and with the added benefit of allowing your belly button watch the game too!

Just to drop a figure and eliminate any doubts, the 2010 FIFA World Cup global female audience share is estimated to be 42%, up one whole point from the 2006 World Cup, and if we look at U.S. Hispanic viewership (this is LatinMinds!), Univision female viewership is averaging over 32% and has been as high as 37%, and that’s before getting to semifinals.

And this is all for the good of the sport, relationships and collective entertainment (and the Real Madrids, Milans, and Chelseas of the world, that are making more money than ever!).

Those of you that have been around a little longer will remember when dinner conversations that turned to soccer split the table in two. Now, I am happy to say, the spectator sport of soccer is completely gender neutral, making it more universal and appealing than ever before, and a true ambassador of equality around the world (a bit of a stretch maybe?).

I don’t know when we will see the first professional, premier league, unisex game, but for those of you in New York I would suggest you check out the Puma soccer experience set up downtown next to Pier 17, where you will see men and women playing pick up games together.

What I can clearly picture and look forward to is regularly seeing professional, premier league, female referees…wouldn’t that put an end to challenging a call!

And now back to the World Cup, the single most important sporting event in the world…May the best team win! (For those of you less familiar with the sport, that would be Spain. España! España! Ole, ole, ole, ole…olee, olee).

Jimmy @ Latinminds

(Photo: www.lovingday.org)

In my opinion, one of the greatest aspects of living in a country like the U.S. is the fact that there are so many people from so many different countries and therefore living with so many different cultures.

And, what makes it even more interesting is when these people and their cultures mix…creating a fusion of cultural dynamics that don’t necessarily exist in other more homogeneous countries.

I want to focus on those instances when people’s cultures collide, specifically when one of those cultures is Hispanic mixed with another culture.

For example, I’m married to a Filipino, and while both of our countries were conquered by Spain, our cultures are very different- not just in the food we eat, the languages we speak but even in the way we enjoy parties.  While I’ve been brought up to move every furniture in the living room to make room to dance at a house party, at my husband’s Filipino parties we make sure everyone has a shot at the microphone as the main event is karaoke- regardless of gender, age or your talent at singing. Thank goodness I like to sing!

So, what happens when my parents visit my in-laws? Since most of the songs are in English or Tagalog (language spoken in the Philippines) my parents enjoy singing the few songs that are available in Spanish such as “La Cucaracha” and “Las Mañanitas” in front of everyone – it’s hilarious!

An even funnier experience happened to Alex, a Latino who’s cultural difference is seen when he went to  meet his American girlfriend’s mom for the first time and the regular hello kiss was interpreted a little bit different…check out as he shares his ‘Mundo’ with us (it’s in Spanish):

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Sq3vpoYCGI]

To read entire article click here.
Liliana @Latinminds