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As the number of Hispanic mothers in the US grows, so does the demand for Spanish cards. Gone are the days of the tacky cards with the cheesy translations of the 80’s and 90’s. I recently read that Mother’s Day is the third-largest card-sending holiday in the United States, but ranks as the number one card-sending season for Hispanics, even higher than Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

Arlette Torres, Editorial Director for the Sinceramente line explains the role of mothers which are the latest inspiration for Hallmark Cards designs.

“Mothers are beloved, deeply respected, revered figures in the Hispanic community,” she says. “Her children view her as the source of goodness and love, affection, warmth and forgiveness. She is the idealized female figure, unequaled by other women.”

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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.

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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.”

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A huge step back for Hispanic women? Completely. Offensive and derogatory? On almost on every level. Shame on you TDoT.

But then I watched the general market version and I realized that these people were suffering an overall marketing death-wish and and a case of bad creative.

I wonder how the agency was able to sell this concept to the client. It must have gone something like this…”Our strategy is to remain top of mind by further stereotyping TX as home to beauty pageant rejects and Latina ho’s. Our secondary strategy is to isolate both of these segments by upsetting them so much they will never forget to register their vehicle again.”
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Tomorrow is May 5th, which to many Mexican-Americans commemorates the Battle of Puebla - the site where Mexican troops defeated the French army in 1862. Nothing really to celebrate since Mexicans celebrate “El Grito” - Mexican Independence Day on September 16th from Spain right?

Wrong, cinco de mayo has become big business for American companies especially in the general market. This Mexican holiday has joined the ranks of other “not-so-holidays” like St. Patrick’s Day and Fat Tuesday with American party-goers overindulging on Tex-Mex food and themed drinks. The holiday has become an urban legend of sorts which people celebrate, but don’t really know why. A great excuse to party. So again I ask the question…who is the party for?

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A new report from Forrester Research reveals that 51% of U.S. Hispanics who use the internet prefer Spanish-language websites, while 23% are Spanish dependant. The Hispanic Consumer Technographics report also states that 49% of Hispanic adults are online at least monthly, up from 45% in 2005.

Tamara Barber, a researcher at Forrester Research, reported that device ownership is growing among Hispanics. This includes mobile devices like PDAs and ipods. I have found various pieces of research that back these findings that show Hispanic out-indexing the general market in instant messages, rich media consumption and use of multiple devices at once. Other results of her research include the following:

Hispanics are more likely to listen to Internet radio than general market consumers.

• POV: I believe that this could be because Hispanics are springing up in remote markets with small Hispanic populations like NC, Seattle and Virginia. The Hispanic market is also more likely to want to listen to stations from back home. When I lived in Orlando, I got a kick from watching NBC-6, Univision 23 and listen to Y-100 (local affiliates and stations for you non-ad people)…and we’re not talking another country. Although Miami is technically another country.

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