Iconowatch » Latino

To Mexicans, Palmolive is a hair care brand, too

Iconoculture — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:42:17 +0000

by Abelardo de la Peña Jr.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Palmolive is for dishes, right? Yes, but it’s also a favorite for hair in Mexico. Palmolive Caprice shampoos and conditioners are being stocked on Wal-Mart shelves in stores serving predominantly Latino populations.
Colgate-Palmolive is banking on identifying products that Latinos miss from their home countries and importing them to the U.S. The brand’s Suavitel has attained a 12% share of the fabric softener category and Fabuloso household cleaner has 7% market share in its category (AdAge.com 6.28.10).
Some supermarkets and department stores were already stocking the Palmolive hair care products, diverted from Mexico. Now that it’s being imported, both Latinas and non-Latinas will have ready access to the product some know as the “Mexican shampoo” (LongNaturalHair.Blogspot.com 5.6.10).

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

Latinos immigrating to the U.S. bring their language, culture, heritage and product preferences. Brands that can put familiar and beloved products within easy reach and at a reasonable price have a ready-made market.

RESOURCES

Colgate Palmolive
Palmolive Caprice at Walmart.com

Ford takes info campaign route to attract Latino car buyers

Iconoculture — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:21:06 +0000

by Abelardo de la Peña Jr.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

U.S. vehicle sales are slowly recovering; during May 2010, 1.1 million cars and light trucks were sold, 19.1% higher than May 2009 (DetNews.com 6.28.10). To help get more cars into the hands of Hispanic-dominant Latinos, Ford is teaming up with SABEResPODER (Knowledge Is Power), an online educational network.
The four-month campaign — beginning July 2010 — will include the distribution of 65,000 in-language and in-culture guides called La Compra de un Automóvil, loaded with information to help empower U.S. Latinos in making informed vehicle-buying decisions (Portada-Online.com 6.28.10).
In addition, more than 13,000 educational spots will play through the SABEResPODER Empowerment Closed-Circuit Television Network on flatscreen TVs placed throughout Mexican consulates and communities in California, Michigan and Texas.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

The more information U.S. Latinos have about big-ticket items, the more empowered they feel. By linking up with a group whose aim is to help Latinos make informed decisions in a wide range of categories, Ford has a better chance of moving product off the lot.

RESOURCES

TRAVELING TEENS’ ITUNES

Iconoculture — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:23:19 +0000

When it comes to my youngest daughter, Alicia, I’m a soft touch. So when the driver of her clique’s post-high-school-graduation roadtrip flaked, good old Dad gassed up for the long, boring ride from L.A. to San Francisco.

Experience has taught me that the best way to avoid “Are we there yet?” syndrome is to keep the music flowing. The plan: Each passenger would get to plug in her individual iPod, which we’d switch every hundred miles or so. My expectation of the bicultural group was that we’d be bumping to a mix of Latino pop, Lady Gaga and alt rock.

Imagine my sorpresa. Melissa’s mix included Erykah Badu, Marc Anthony and Michael Jackson. Toni’s tunes were heavy with metal and hip hop, mellowed by classic Mexican boleros (ballads). Raquel’s road music: Motown oldies and big-voiced female singers. Alicia’s all-Beatles set sparked a sing-along that stopped only when we reached our destination.

Latino teens have a way of messing with preconceptions. They’re soaking up mainstream culture while cultivating their own unique passion points. These girls — ahem, young mujeres — aren’t exhibiting any stress from acculturation. They’re thriving. Music brands that recognize and reach out to this genre-play will get more tracks on more playlists.

Capital One turns teens into bankers at school branches

Iconoculture — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 01:10:58 +0000

by Abelardo de la Peña Jr.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Trying to stretch an allowance is challenging enough for high school students. At three New York City-area high schools’ student-run banks, money management is something to learn, teach others and put to use.
Harlem’s Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change, where the majority of students are black and Latino, is the latest participant in the Capital One Bank Student-Run Branch program (MyBankTracker.com 6.2.10). The in-school banks are functional branches where students and school staff can open and maintain savings accounts.
To become bankers, students participate in a 6-8 week summer program, train at a Capital One branch and spend a week at a local university. Student bankers run the branch and act as financial education ambassadors, teaching fellow students about money management.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

Blacks and Latinos are the most likely to be counted as unbanked or underbanked, meaning a household has no or limited access to banking services (MyBankTracker.com 6.2.10). A program like student-run banks is beneficial to the participants, their peers and family members as they make their way through the financial services system.

RESOURCES

Curling up to a good cuento (story), by the phone

Iconoculture — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:11:52 +0000

by Abelardo de la Peña Jr.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Not all familias hungering for children’s books in Spanish have access to the library. But chances are, they do have a phone. That’s why Pennsylvania’s Berks County Library System is collaborating with Kutztown University for a free call-in service connecting families with recordings of Spanish-language children’s stories (ReadingEagle.com 5.16.10).
Called Cuéntame Algo, the recorded stories include El Flamboyan Amarillo, a story about a yellow flowering tree from Puerto Rico. Other stories represent Dominican Republic, Argentina, Colombia and Mexico.
Stories are read and recorded by Kutztown professors and students, both native and non-native speakers. The volunteer readers use free audio software either on their home computer or at the university library.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

Children’s literacy begins by hearing stories being read. When books aren’t available, listening over the phone — in the language they feel most comfortable in — will help Latino consumers feel more at ease and willing to integrate into the community.
Technology allows people to give of their time and talent from the comfort of their own home.

RESOURCES

Cuéntame Algo: 610-378-9350
Kutztown University
Berks County Libraries
El Flamboyan Amarillo by Georgina Lazaro and Lulu Delacre, Lectorum Publications 2006

Consumers believe that Latinos face the most discrimination

Iconoculture — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:03:32 +0000

by Rocio Zamora Arzola

WHAT’S HAPPENING

In an AP-Univisión-GfK poll, 61% of people said that Latinos face significant discrimination, compared with 52% who said blacks and 50% who said women (AP 5.21.10).
81% of Latinos said they confront a lot or some discrimination; 59% of non-Hispanics agreed that Latinos confront a lot of or some discrimination.
Among Latinos, women are more likely than men to say Latinos suffer discrimination. In addition, Latinos from cities and rural areas are more likely than those from the suburbs to say that Latinos face a lot of prejudice.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

Treatment of Latinos has been the subject of headlines recently, including the continued battle over immigration reform, the murder of a Latino by white youths in Long Island and the Arizona law requiring local police to target suspects who entered the U.S. without documentation. Consumers are taking note.
Brands that include Latinos in general-market advertisements can help alter the image that Latinos are different than other U.S. groups.

RESOURCES

Latinos and coupons: Going beyond clipping

Iconoculture — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 12:10:07 +0000

by Rocio Zamora Arzola

WHAT’S HAPPENING

6 out of 10 Latino households use coupons, so it’s no surprise that retailers and brands are pushing the cost-savings envelope in new ways (RelevantInsights.com 1.27.10).
San Francisco’s Regalito Rosticeria, a small Mexican restaurant, uses Groop Swoop’s online coupons. Each of the restaurant’s four promotions has yielded about 50 coupon redemptions, where customers could get 25 dollars’ worth of food for $10 (MissionLocal.org 5.11.10).
Starting July 1, 2010, Univisión will be streaming ads into Dish Network DVR-equipped homes, offering households the chance to receive coupons (MediaPost.com 5.6.10).
A feature of General Mills’s newly re-designed version of QueRicaVida.com will be money-saving coupons for numerous General Mills brands (DrugStoreNews.com 5.21.10).
There are limits: Organizers of the St. Paul Cinco de Mayo celebration declined $9,000 in funding for their two-day fiesta because local groups didn’t want tobacco promotional coupons distributed (TCDailyPlanet.net 4.27.10).

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

Cultural barriers, lack of familiarity with the redemption process, different product preferences, low coupon face value and opt-outs by stores frequented by Latinos all contribute to historically low coupon redemption by Latinos (RelevantInsights.com 1.27.10).
The down economy, relevant promotional programs and continued innovation on the type and delivery method of coupons can move the needle on Latino usage.

RESOURCES

Handcrafted goods from all Latin America under one (online) roof

Iconoculture — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:03:58 +0000

by Abelardo de la Peña Jr.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Home decor in a Latino style can be an adventure or an exercise in frustration, especially if the homeowner wants to showcase the diversity of all Latin America rather than just one country or region. Ulalas.com is an online store bringing handcrafted products from different Latino nations together under one online umbrella.
Founder Sofia Gottfried, whose family is originally from Colombia, created the site that sells handcrafted sustainable tableware, linens, ceramics, art and accessories that can mix with a variety of home décor styles.
A bestseller: La Chamba pottery — baking dishes, soup bowls and servers formed from black clay dug near Colombia’s Magdalena River — which goes from oven to microwave to tabletop (HomeAccentsToday.com 5.11.10).

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

Latinos who treasure their roots, have a sense of pride in things made in Latin America, and value variety have much to love in a site like this.
Items that embody the rich colors and intricate handiwork of artisans from south of the border are welcome in contemporary households.

RESOURCES

Ulalas.com

Dallas conference: Where public relations and social media come together

Iconoculture — Mon, 17 May 2010 12:20:35 +0000

by Abelardo de la Peña Jr.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

What happens when Latino social marketing experts and public relations practitioners get together? They have a conference, like the one taking place in Dallas in May 2010.
Companies, government agencies and brands clamoring to know how to effectively harness Latino-focused social media for their organizations have a wealth of experienced professionals to guide them over the three-day Hispanic Public Relations and Social Marketing Conference (LaVozColorado.com 4.20.10).
Professional development sessions, keynote presentations and panels, including 12 on social media, will present case studies, talk about measurement strategies and have discussions like whether advertising or public relations is best suited for Latino social media initiatives.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

What’s the key to using social marketing to build brands among Latinos? That’s the billion-dollar question. As more Latinos get on the social media bandwagon, brand decision makers need to learn from each other’s successes — and failures — to ensure that their strategies are effective, authentic and relatable.

RESOURCES

Hispanic Public Relations and Social Marketing Conference takes place May 10-12, 2010

Latinos taking green initiatives, attitudes to heart

Iconoculture — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:25:46 +0000

by Abelardo de la Peña Jr.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

It may not be easy being green, but Latinos are giving it a try. That’s according to an Eco Pulse survey showing that Latinos are looking for greener products, having environmental conversations with their kids and feeling very responsible to change their purchasing habits in order to positively impact the environment, more so than other ethnicities (LatinaLista.com 4.15.10).
There’s a basis for their behaviors: A National Resources Defense Council poll finds that of 81% Latinos believe global warming is happening, compared to only 69% of non-Hispanic whites (Poder.com 4.10). Some 62% of Latinos said they thought climate change was “very bad,” while only 41% of non-Hispanic whites thought so.
In Denver, Latinos are putting their beliefs into action. Green Cleaning for Life, LLC, is a Latino worker-owned and -operated green cleaning cooperative. The business provides high-quality cleaning services with the use of green products and practices (LaVozColorado.com 4.21.10).

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

Many Latinos live in communities that aren’t the most environmentally secure. That makes them more aware that going green is not only good for the planet but also good for themselves and their families.
Latinos, particularly those with agricultural roots, have a deep tradition of environmental protection, and they approach the issue with less cynicism than other groups. The climate debate is less politicized in their home countries and reported in a more balanced way by Spanish-language media.

RESOURCES