Read the rest of this entry »

Read the rest of this entry »

On April 21, Miami based Burger King Corporation launched Tu Ciudad, Tu Música in Harlingen, Texas which will conclude June 23 in Miami, Florida. This is the latest Hispanic marketing platform from the fast food giant who is enjoying great success in the general market with their strategic shift in target.

Kudos to Brommley (Hispanic AOR) for fighting and developing an autonomous communication strategy that is significantly different, but not conflictive with that of the general market. Not that BK’s general market advertising is not genius because it is…and I’m a big fan. It’s just that the tone and manner of the general market campaign is much too “in your face” and arrogant for the Hispanic masses. But it’s awesome and if sales are any indication…the communication shift has made a huge impact on the business. So was going public which they did last year as BKC in the NYSE.

Read the rest of this entry »

Chonga Defined

A chonga is a woman of Hispanic origin (mostly Cuban), characterized by the utilization of excessive hair gel, usually leaving two strands of hair hanging while the rest is pulled back, especially seen accessorized with giant hoop earrings and necklaces with their names written on them. They can be seen wearing tight short shorts and anything that will provide the excessive exposure of cleavage (or booty), especially, but not limited to, tank-tops. Chongas generally have names rooted in the post-Castro era such as Marisleysis. Hialeah, Florida is chonga capital of the world; however, they are known to migrate. Chongas have a distinctive dialect involving both the Spanish and English languages, merging to create what we now know as our version of “Spanglish.”

Read the rest of this entry »

The Billboard Latin Music Conference & Awards, now in its 18th year, took place April 23-26 in Miami. The conference had a reported attendance of over 1000 sponsors, press and powerful music industry executives, and features showcase performances by over 20 artists, panel discussions on important industry issues.

Parties, educational sessions, cocktail receptions, networking events and the 5th annual Billboard Bash, which features awards presentations and performances all make up what they are now called Latin Music Week. The move to make this a week long event allow for more sponsorship opportunities which I’m sure is welcome. This is very similar to the strategy employed by the Latin Grammies with their street parties.

The Billboard Latin Conference ended in style with the Billboard Bash, the official pre-awards show party was on April 25, followed by the prestigious Billboard Latin Music Awards on April 26, which aired live at 8pm EST on Telemundo.
Read the rest of this entry »

Associated Press

MIAMI, Florida (AP) — Indie rocker Eric Monterrosa checks his ElHood.com Web page at least three times a day, answering fans, surfing for other new Latin artists and keeping in touch with friends from his native Colombia.ElHood is sort of a bilingual MySpace promoting the latest in Latin music, and for Miami-based Monterrosa, it has become a personal and professional lifeline. It is also the latest in a wave of Hispanic social-networking sites building links across the U.S., Latin America and Spain, all hoping to capture coveted advertising dollars.

“A lot of Latin artists are plugged in,” Monterrosa said. “So if you want to find them it’s easy. If you go to sites like MySpace, you have to go through all sorts of genres, types of music, and languages.”

About 56 percent of Hispanics in the United States use the Internet, compared with 71 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 60 percent of non-Hispanic blacks, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project. But the number of Hispanics online jumps to 67 percent among 18- to 27-year-olds — the group most likely to visit social-networking sites and one coveted by advertisers.

The online gathering spots allow users to post profiles and keep in touch with friends, as well as expand their circle of acquaintances. Ads and partnerships that help spread new music keep the sites afloat.

ElHood’s easy-to-use tools make it a breeze for first-time surfers — artists and fans — who often mix Spanish and English in their profiles.
Read the rest of this entry »

From AHAA Conference: Google Enters Market and Social Networking Is Hot Topic

By Laurel Wentz

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) — The fast-growing audience of online Hispanics — and how to market to them — was the hot topic at the spring conference of the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies last week.

The number of Hispanics using broadband at home grew from 40% of online Hispanics to 61% last year, while their use of social network sites soared by more than 200%, researcher Tamara Barber from Forrester Research told the 500 people who attended the AHAA conference April 26-27.

Minutes online, page views
Last year, the total number of Hispanics online grew by 11% to 16.3 million, while the total number of minutes they spent online per month grew by 34% and total page views by 49%, said another panelist, Jack Flanagan, exec VP of ComScore Media Metrix.

And Google has finally discovered the U.S. Hispanic market. Sarah Carberry, a conference panelist and Google’s senior account executive-consumer packaged goods, now works part time on multicultural efforts and will become the company’s first multicultural manager later this year.

Ms. Carberry, who is Cuban-American, described a campaign supermarket chain Albertson’s did with Google for products for quinceañeras, the party traditionally held for a Hispanic girl when she turns 15. The campaign used keyword targeting and display ads to draw families planning quinceañeras to Albertson’s bakery, paper products and flower departments in heavily-Hispanic areas.

“We test both languages [Spanish and English], and we’re also testing Spanglish,” she said.
Read the rest of this entry »