Latinos Fuel Growth in Santa Maria | California

Santa Maria’s population increased by 28.6 percent over the past 10 years, with most of the city’s growth fueled by the Latino community, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Santa Maria’s population climbed from 77,423 in 2000 to 99,553 in 2010, according to statewide data on the 2010 Census.

The city became the most populous in Santa Barbara County in 2006, reaching 89,917 and surpassing Santa Barbara for the first time.

The Latino community was responsible for most of the city’s growth, representing 70.4 percent or 70,114 of the city’s residents, compared to 59.6 percent in 2000.

Read the full article.

Advertisers Missing the Mark?

The value and importance of culturally relevant content cannot be overstated in today's multicultural landscape. The ability to offer an audience material which falls on the spectrum of "in-culture" can help propel an organization or brand to a high level of engagement. Soy Tu Dueña serves as an interesting piece of study for those looking to reach and relate with the Hispanic market.

The number 1 show on television Tuesday night among the key 18-to-49 demographic was Univision's Spanish-language telenovela "Soy Tu Dueña," according to Nielsen numbers.

Underscoring the growing influence of the Hispanic viewer, the show beat out Fox's "Million Dollar Money Drop" and reruns of ABC's "No Ordinary Family," CBS' "NCIS: Los Angeles" and "The Good Wife," NBC's "Saturday Night Live: A Very Gilly Christmas" and The CW's "Life Unexpected" in the demo, which advertisers pay a premium to reach.

Something tells me that we should remind advertisers about the importance of the growing Hispanic market and the value made possible through engaging this important demographic. We'll just be blunt...Advertise on Univision! It's good for your brand.

Compare Tuesday's episode of "Soy Tu Dueña" to "NCIS: L.A.," for example. "Soy Tu Dueña" had 3.7 million viewers (out of 5.8 million overall) in its 18-49 demo, while "NCIS" only had 2.7 out of 11.3 million. NBC's "Saturday Night Live: A Very Gilly Christmas" was the closest with 3.1 million viewers in the demo out of its 6.2 million overall — 21% less than the telenovela.

It's not the first time the series — which centers on a woman named Valentina Villalba (Lucero) who vows never to fall in love again after being left at the altar, until she meets José Miguel (Fernando Colunga) — has topped the key demo. In June, it climbed to the top for the first time, and has a handful of times since.

"Univision is committed to becoming the #1 television network in the United States among adults 18-49, regardless of language, within the next five years and our ability to deliver top quality programming like 'Soy Tu Dueña' allows us to further advance on this goal,” Univision Networks President Cesar Conde tells The Hollywood Reporter.

Read the full article here.

Engaging Latinos and Building Trust in Today's New Media Landscape

Latinos are an important segment of the internet populace. Statistics confirm that Latinos are trend-setters, pioneers, and influencers with powerful market potential. Recognizing the important role of cultural dynamics and the fact that Latinos are not restricted to being just a "market" but rather an important group with the potential to lead change, progress, and impact beyond any defined industry is key.

I was recently invited to do a workshop for M.E.Ch.A.'s statewide conference at CalPoly San Luis Obispo on social media and Latinos:

Engaging Latinos and Building Trust in Today's New Media Landscape

View more presentations from HUB 81.

Truly the possibilities for engagement are numerous.

Latino2 Conference Is Here!

It's official...we are underway at the L.A. Marketing Tribe, the first stop of the Latino2 California Tour!

Updates and key insights to follow!

LATV to Meet Atlanta's Demand for Hispanic Programming in Deal with Prism Broadcasting

LOS ANGELES, July 20 /PRNewswire/ -- LATV Networks, the 3-year old national Hispanic television network, announced today a distribution deal with Prism Broadcasting Network to air on WANN-TV in Atlanta, the nation's 2nd fastest-growing Hispanic market. The deal expands LATV's reach to 37 markets, representing 10 million U.S. Hispanic television households.

LATV's move into Atlanta, the USA's number 21 Hispanic television market with 162,000 Hispanic households, places the network in 49 million total television households, including 21 of the top 25 Hispanic DMA's (Designated Market Areas). LATV projects coverage of 53 million homes by year-end 2010.

"With Atlanta's incredible Latino population growth in the last decade, LATV is thrilled that its alternative programming will be part of that cultural wave," said David Morales, LATV's Vice President of Distribution & Sales. "Prism has an incredibly strong promotional machine to support LATV in the market and they are being very aggressive with programming to minority groups."

LATV is the only remaining Latino-owned TV network in the Hispanic television space. Its programming primarily targets US-born Latinos, with content that features a combination of originally produced shows as well as licensed content that has never before been seen in the U.S. LATV's fully-owned subsidiary, American Latino Syndication, produces and distributes "American Latino" and "LatiNation," two award-winning, Latino-themed TV programs that are broadcast on general market stations in over 100 cities nationwide as well as the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/latv-to-meet-atlantas-demand-for-hispanic-programming-in-deal-with-prism-broadcasting-98823389.html

Latinos by Country of Origin

A first in a series of data snapshots...

Latinos by Country of Origin
All Hispanics 46,822,000
1 Mexicans 30,746,000
2 Puerto Ricans 4,151,000
3 Cubans 1,631,000
4 Salvadorans 1,560,000
5 Dominicans 1,334,000
6 Guatemalans 986,000
7 Colombians 882,000
8 Hondurans 608,000
9 Ecuadorians 591,000
10 Peruvians 519,000

The ten largest Latino population groups by country of origin (based on self-described family ancestry or place of birth).

Source: http://pewhispanic.org/

Hispanics and Arizona's New Immigration Law

Arizona last week passed a law authorizing local police to check the immigration status of anyone they reasonably suspect of being in the United States illegally.1 The law has generated sharp debate between advocates who say it is needed to combat illegal immigration and opponents who say it is an infringement on civil liberties and an invitation to racial/ethnic profiling of Hispanics by the police. In addition, some say the law will create tensions between police and Hispanics that will hinder general law enforcement.

Below are a set of recent findings from the Pew Research Center and Pew Hispanic Center that provide background on a range of issues raised by the new Arizona law. The findings are drawn mainly from nationwide surveys conducted in 2008 and 2009.

-- Americans see Hispanics as the racial/ethnic group most often subjected to discrimination.

A 2009 survey by the Pew Research Center found that nearly one-in-four (23%) Americans said Hispanics are discriminated against "a lot" in society today, a share higher than observed for any other group. This represents a change from 2001, when blacks were seen as the racial/ethnic group discriminated against the most in society. Then, one-in-four (25%) Americans said blacks were discriminated against "a lot," while 19% said the same about Hispanics.

For the full publication by the Pew Hispanic Center, click here.

How to be a Cholo

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There are movements and then there are full blown cultural shifts making way for a new arena of creativity, innovation, and artistic expression. Certain groups stand out and survive the test of time. Enter the cholos. A diverse group and subculture influenced by the smooth, expressive, and unique demeanor of the 1940's Pachuco.

 

Cholos have engaged in a unique form of self-expression for quite some time now. From tricked-out fully-customized lowriders and baggy jeans to their unique musical tastes, cholos have impacted the cultural fibers of our society. The level of individual expression, creativity, and richness that exudes from this subculture gives us all a lesson on true engagement and influence.

 

As digital pioneers and modern day new media gangsters, we have the potential to inspire, impact, and create value.

• Be a game changer.
• Be yourself.
• Leverage your unique capabilities.

If today's brands were to grasp the value of these rich cultural dynamics and methods of true impact there would be no need to spend your time shifting position but rather focus on the values and real life charactersitics of today's Latino.

 

Step your game up.

Going Beyond the Data | The U.S. Hispanic Market

We've read the report about half of U.S. Advertisers missing the trillion dollar Hispanic market and we're fully aware that Latinos are active online. However, let's focus on the bigger picture for a few moments. Let's consider the immense potential for impact, innovation, and creativity.

Information is beneficial and helps to provide interested parties with insight and intelligence. The jury is in and the Hispanic market is real and not going anywhere according to all the recent reports, blog posts, and tweets.

Here are the facts:

50 million and counting.

One trillion dollars in spending power.

Fastest-growing population segment in the U.S.

The census is helping to validate the importance and size of the Hispanic market. However, it's time for us to go beyond validation and into the arena of application, progress, and momentum.

The time for questions and idea incubation is now.

How are we going to use this data to impact Latinos in America as opposed to just targeting and treating this important segment as a potential sale?

Forward movement and positive progress are built on a solid approach to engagement and influence.

Hispanics Are Technologically Savvy

Source (A study by AOL Advertising & Cheskin: Why and how are Hispanics using the internet in their daily lives?)

Contrary to common stereotypes, the most acculturated Hispanics are not necessarily the most technologically savvy. The data shows that Hispanics are indeed early adopters.

If you are looking to connect with today's Latino audience, look no further than the ongoing conversations that are taking place all over the internet. Acculturation is an important factor to consider but not necessarily a determinant of technical ability.

Your comments are welcome.

A Mess of Social Media?

A recent post titled, "Social Today Feels Like Search a Decade Ago: Lots of Noise and Lots of Spam", over at TechCrunch helps to reiterate the fact that the internet is a crowded space. There is indeed lots of noise on the internet but right now the truth of the matter is that Latinos are making a loud statement.

 

The recent emergence and solid growth of Latism (Latinos in Social Media) provides us with exciting proof that we the Latino online audience are just getting started. We understand the importance of genuine engagement and relationship building. We are rich in culture and plentiful in aspiration. For us the internet is the ultimate platform to unleash our creativity and inner desire to let everyone know "Si se puede!"

 

We don't spam or fill your inbox with junk but instead you'll find honest emotion, true sincerity, and a genuine interest to help grow this sphere of influence we call Latinos in Social Media.

 

 

The Positive Potential for Multicultural Collaboration

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The internet is a popular destination for many publishers, aspiring entrepreneurs, thought leaders, designers, creatives, and technology enthusiasts. The ability to connect and build empowering relationships leads to an enormous opportunity for mass collaboration.

Today, we have a unique array of content generators who each have their own agenda in terms of marketing, branding, creativity, knowledge-sharing, trust building, image enhancing, promotion, networking, and the list is indeed quite enormous.

As social media and the online environment continue to evolve, some key questions arise as to how individuals, organizations, and groups adapt and thrive.

Several areas come to mind that when we really think about it shed some light on the potential for very positive possibilities.

• Online collaboration and knowledge sharing in niche areas
• Purpose-driven engagement
• Innovation and ideation initiatives

As Latinos continue to grow in influence, impact, and positive engagement the need for knowledge sharing and game-changing collaboration becomes evident. It's one thing to build up a large audience or create a movement and another to capitalize on the strength, synergy, and symbiosis of individuals with a common purpose.

You are invited to share your thoughts about the future and necessary direction of Latinos in social media and beyond.

Beyond Language | Connecting with Latinos Today

The U.S. Hispanic market is acculturating making it important for individuals interested in this important segment to accept the fact that being Latino in the United States is much larger and more involved than any one spoken language.

The race is on to understand the true nature of bi-cultural consumers.

According to Latinum, a successful attempt to tap into the U.S. Hispanic Market is quite challenging often leading to a vicious cycle.

I agree and feel that today's marketers have plenty of opportunity to evolve and truly connect with Latinos today.

Latinos and Education

Key findings of a recent report by the Pew Hispanic Center on Latinos and Education:

Nearly nine-in-ten (89%) Latino young adults ages 16 to 25 say that a college education is important for success in life, yet only about half that number-48%-say that they themselves plan to get a college degree.

Data based on a national survey of 2,012 Latinos ages 16 and older by the Pew Hispanic Center conducted from Aug. 5 to Sept. 16, 2009.

Education is a bridge to advancement and professional growth opening up many doors of opportunities.

What can we do to improve these numbers?

Through active engagement with these youth to motivate them to pursue Higher Education.