Sell it in Spanish Hispanic Marketing

San Francisco, CA. – ALPFA SF, SHPE, NHORA, and CHispPA in partnership with Jose Cuervo Tequila joined forces in an effort to inspire collaboration and unity among Latino Leaders in the area. The Platino Leadership Awards, hosted at Cigar Bar on the evening of May 2, 2012 welcomed over 170 guest getting together to recognize influential, energetic, passionate, and committed Latino role models.

The community was invited in nominating Latinos whom they believe were deserving of this recognition. Nominations closed on April 18, at which point representatives from ALPFA, SHPE, NHORA, and CHispPA, convened to determine the winners. The Latinos recognized were:

Miguel Garza – A Native San Franciscan with 27 years of experience in multimillion-dollar civil, environmental, wetlands, and IDIQ program management projects Mr. Galarza has grown Yerba Buena Engineering from $350,000 in sales to current project revenue of  $25 Million dollars in sales, and employing 105 people in seven states. Aside from his successful career, Miguel is involved in the community and serves in the board of several organizations in the Bay area including the Inner City Advisors, the San Francisco Human Rights Commission Local Business Advisory, and the San Francisco District Association of General Contractors.

Arcelia Gallardo – Born in Los Angeles to immigrant parents from Colima, Mexico. Her passion for chocolate, Mexico, and social justice have led Arcelia to open her very own hacienda-inspired boutique store in the heart of Berkeley – Casa de Chocolates. She is in the process of building relationships with cacao growers in Mexico, Belize and Peru to ensure not only the quality of the product but the equitable treatment of farmers.  Arcelia also serves as the Program Director for Casa Joaquin Murrieta a residential program targeted to help first generation, low income and under-represented Latino students succeed at Cal.

Orson Aguilar - Born and raised in East Los Angeles, Aguilar has advocated tirelessly on    behalf of communities of color and youth for nearly 20 years. Orson joined the Greenlining’s Institute as a program manager at age 25. His skills and vision led to a series of promotions over the next 10 years, and in 2009, at age 35, he was unanimously selected by the institute’s board to succeed retiring founder John Gamboa as the organization’s second executive director ever.

Diana Navas, Vice president of ALPFA San Franciso, the Association of Latino Professional in Finance Accounting, and Business related fields, gave an outstanding intro speech:

“Tonight we gather in a spirit of unity to celebrate Latino leaders and role models.

This event is an example of the power of creating community and joining forces. You have 4 of the top professional organizations in the bay area coming together being supportive of one another to create connections, strengthen our community, encourage partnerships and recognize the leaders and role models paving the way.

The Latino community continually faces challenges and there is an increase demand to the larger society to recognize our efforts, our impact, our importance, and our accomplishments. Yet, how often do we recognize our own? It’s time we start doing so…

And the goal of tonight and this award is just that celebrate the leaders of our community today, as we reaffirm our commitment to creating the leaders of tomorrow.

To all our nominees, We thank you for being an influential role model and for showing continuous, direct, and effective involvement in the Latino Community. Your leadership has made a lasting impact.”

This successful event proves the power generated when Latinos get together and collaborate.

Arena, sol y el mar azul…no fueron las únicas razones por las cuales cientos de hispanos de todos los Estados Unidos visitaron la ciudad de Miami del 10 al 13 de abril.

La tercera conferencia anual Hispanizice tuvo lugar en el JW Marriott Marquis Hotel de Biscayne Boulevard, que por cuatro días consecutivos ofreció a sus participantes más de 80 sesiones, talleres y actividades simultáneas referentes a publicidad, relaciones públicas,  mercadeo, tecnología, entretenimiento de c

ine y blogs.

El objetivo de la conferencia fue servir de plataforma a la comunidad  y reforzar su presencia en todos los mercados del país, abriendo un diálogo que incluya las últimas tendencias de productividad y redes sociales enfocados en la cultura latina.

Los famosos; el empresario y productor Emilio Estefan , ganador 19 veces del premio Grammy, María Elena Salinas, periodista de Univisión, el exitoso empresario entrenador de perros Cesar Millan y la emprendedora Nely Galan estuvieron presentes en la conferencia y fueron galardonados por su iniciativa empresarial e innovación.

Otra actividad excitante fue la proyección de la película original Scarface, que tomó lugar en la mansión Villa Vecchia ubicada en Miami Beach, marcando el fin de tan impresionante cadena de sucesos donde los asistentes de Hispanicize tuvimos la oportunidad de compartir con algunas de las estrellas de dicha película. Dicho eso, las estrellas relucientes durante toda la semana fueron las docenas de blogueras latinas las cuales en conjunto abarcaron varios temas de interés para la mujer contemporánea como lo son moda, cocina, familia y negocios. Mis bloggeras favoritas fueron: Adriana, Farah, Ezzy, Letty, Lina y Fabi.

El evento, reunió marcas, medios de comunicación, agencias publicitarias, cineastas y blogueros. Más de 43 grandes patrocinadores tales como @RadioShack @Univisión, @Chevy, @Target, @Dove, @McDonalds, @Diageo, @Disney, @Clorox, entre otros; hicieron que Hispanicize fuese un éxito rotundo.

“Estados Unidos depende cada vez más de la fuerza de los Latinos. Este acontecimiento se ha convertido en un catalizador cultural importante para inspirar y para propulsar a Latinos hacia el éxito en culaquiera que sea su campo del interés e industria.”, explicó  Manny Ruiz, Director creativo y organizador del evento.

Hispanicize inspiró un ambiente de verdadera colaboración entre hispanos. Más que una conferencia, Hispanicize 2012 ha dejado una marca en la historia como un lugar en donde cientos de hispanos se reunieron a compartir, aprender, a reir, a inspirarse y hacer nuevos amigos.

Sigueme en Twitter @sofiakeck

Are you effectively reaching the Hispanic community? Now in its third year, Hispánicize 2012 is the iconic annual event for Latino trendsetters and newsmakers in social media, marketing, entertainment and innovation. Hispanicize 2012 brings brands, media, marketers, celebrities, filmmakers, innovators and bloggers together in a unique creative environment focused on creative ideas and best practices. The conference is a launch pad for creative endeavors, new products, technologies, marketing campaigns, films, books and more targeting Latinos.

The Mexican Museum, initially located in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District, was founded in 1975 by San Francisco resident and artist, Peter Rodríguez. The Museum was the realization of Mr. Rodríguez’s vision that an institution be created in the United States to exhibit the aesthetic expression of the Mexican and Mexican-American people. Today, our vision has expanded to reflect the evolving scope of the Mexican, Chicano, and Latino experience.

In 1982 the Museum moved to Fort Mason Center where it has amassed a permanent collection of over 12,000 objects. This spectacular collection is unique in the nation and includes Pre-Conquest, Colonial, Popular, Modern and Contemporary Mexican and Latino, and Chicano Art.

The Museum is currently preparing for the completion of our permanent home which will be built in downtown San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Arts District. The Museum continues to offer educational and public programming throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Please join us for La Catrina: Keeping the Spirits Alive on Saturday, October 29, 2011

A centuries-old celebration of life and death comes together with La Catrina, Keeping the Spirits Alive, a new fundraising event for The Mexican Museum. The benefit for the Museum, will take place on Saturday, Oct. 29 from 6-11 p.m. at the Concourse Exhibition Center, at 7^th and Brannan Streets, in San Francisco. The evening’s festivities includes cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, dancing, entertainment, and a costume contest.

Attendees of La Catrina, Keeping the Spirits Alive will enter a colorful village environment where vendors will offer an array of dishes featuring delicious cuisine. As they walk further in the zocalo, guests will see and experience the many traditional altars created by local artists to remember departed loved ones. Private altars such as these are traditionally decorated not only with the deceased loved ones’ favorite foods and drinks, but also with a glass of water so they may quench their thirst after the long journey. Marigolds are also part of the celebration, and the aroma of these colorful flowers fill the air, creating a path for the souls to find their way home.

And for the living, the night will be filled with the sounds of Mariachi Femenil Orgullo Mexicano and the cumbia and salsa sounds of Grupo Los Ejecutivos. But, attendees who choose to dance to Mariachi Femenil’s lively Latin rhythms best keep an eye out, as they may be joined on the dance floor by La Catrina, the flirtatious skeleton always dressed in her finery and whose smile invites us to seize the moment. La Catrina, created by the artist José Guadalupe Posada, represents the joy of life in the face of our inevitable death.

The iconic figure of La Catrina is an integral part of Día de los Muertos celebrations in Mexico and throughout the United States. On Día de los Muertos it is believed that the souls of those who have died return to visit the living. It is a Mexican holiday that has been celebrated for centuries, tracing back to a similar ritual observed by the Aztecs. It is now celebrated in certain parts of the United States on Nov. 1 and 2. The underlying theme for this holiday is that it is a time of great celebration, not mourning.

Tickets for The Mexican Museum’s La Catrina, Keeping the Spirits Alive benefit on October 29^thfrom 6pm-11pm are $100 per person for general admission, or $150 for VIP admission. To purchase tickets online, go to http://themexicanmuseumsf.eventbrite.com / or by calling (415) 202-9700.  All proceeds go to The Mexican Museum.

Use discount code SOFIA for $40 off.

With the Hispanic population growth rate being six times faster than that of the entire United States population, the Hispanic Market is a piece of the pie that you can no longer afford to ignore. Every day that you don’t market to Hispanics you lose money.  Between 1990 and 2008, the Hispanic population has increased by 107% compared to 14% for the non-Hispanic population. In case you weren’t aware of the demographic statistics for Hispanics, here are a few key figures:

• The 2006 American Community Survey shows that one out of every seven people who reside in the U.S. is of Hispanic origin. Three out of five Hispanics residing in the U.S. were born in the United States and approximately half of all U.S. immigrants are from Latin America.
• According to the U.S. Census Bureau there are an estimated 44 million Hispanics in the U.S. as of 2009. This means that the United States is home to the world’s third largest Hispanic population (trailing Mexico and Colombia.)

This growing Hispanic market is not only strong in terms of population growth, it is also young and becoming more affluent at a rapid rate. Hispanics are investing in technology and they have a big online presence. According to HispanTelligence.com, the U.S. Hispanic market purchasing power is projected to reach 1.3 trillion dollars by the year 2015.  Hispanics are great online consumers.  They are extremely active in online activities and more receptive to new technology than non-Hispanics. Additionally, Hispanics are more prone to refer products or services to friends and family, making your marketing efforts much more efficient.

Today, at least 61% of Hispanics are online and they account for over 14.5% of the total online market.  If your business does not market to Hispanics because you don’t speak Spanish, no worries. The Pew Hispanic Center reported in 2010 that 47% of Spanish-dominant Latinos use the internet, compared to 74% of bilingual Latinos and 81% of English-dominant Latinos. Most Hispanic consumers speak English and still appreciate being marketed to with an eye towards cultural relevance, whether in Spanish or not.

The U.S. Hispanic population is projected to grow exponentially to over 100 million people by 2050, which will be approximately one quarter of the total U.S. population. Successful start-up companies and established corporations are actively marketing to Hispanics today. If you haven’t done so yet I suggest you get moving.

Want to learn more about the Hispanic Online Market? Check out BizTech Hispanic and Meet executives from Coca-Cola, Twitter and Univision, Tuesday, Sept. 13 in San Francisco starting at 6PM- REGISTER HERE  http://biztech-hispanic-2011-web.eventbrite.com/

The 2010 Census asked the perennial question that was first introduced in the 1970s: Is this person of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin? The available check boxes were as follows:

• No, not of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin
• Yes, Mexican, Mexican American, Chicano
• Yes, Puerto Rican
• Yes, Cuban
• Yes, another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin—print origin—for example: Argentinean, Colombian, Dominican, Nicaraguan, Salvadoran, Spaniard, and so on. ___________________

For the 2010 Census, this question was asked of individuals living in the United States and their response was based upon self-identification. Additionally, the Census clarified the fact that race and ethnicity are separate and distinct concepts, and therefore two different questions were asked. To be Latino or Hispanic is a matter of ethnicity not race. Also, the Hispanic or Latino origin question is not a question about place of birth. For example, people of Mexican origin may be born in Mexico, the United States or other countries, and this is true for all of the detailed groups. This question also excludes people from Brazil and aims specifically at people’s origin from Spanish- speaking countries.

Difference between Latino and Hispanic

Even though the terms Latino and Hispanic are usually used interchangeably, many people have a stronger preference of one over the other. The term Hispanic may refer more to the heritage, nationality group or lineage. It can also refer to the person’s country of birth or that of the person’s parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States. A person who identifies him or herself as Hispanic may be of any race. In fact, the definition of Hispanic or Latino used in the 2010 Census was as follows: “Hispanic or Latino” refers to a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.

The term Latino may refer more to a cultural aspect. The Latino culture encompasses multiple characteristics such as language and traditions. Usually, people identify themselves as Latino when they have been born and/or raised in the United States while their parents, grandparents or ancestors were born in a Latin American country. Also, the term Latino is strongly adopted by people who believe they are bi-cultural.

Why is it important to know who is Hispanic or Latino?

This data is necessary for research that underlies many policy decisions at all levels of government to implement and evaluate programs, or enforce laws, such as the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, the Equal Employment Opportunity Act and more. Both public and private organizations use Hispanic or Latino origin information to find areas where groups may need special services and to plan and implement education, housing, health and other programs that address these needs.

According to the 2010 Census, 308.7 million people resided in the United States on April 1, 2010, of which 50.5 million, or 16 percent of the total population, were of Hispanic or Latino origin. Please note, that these numbers may not include all the people that reside in the United States but may not have completed the Census. The Hispanic population increased by 15.2 million between 2000 and 2010, accounting for more than half of the 27.3 million increase in the total U.S population.

Which term should we use: Hispanic or Latino?

Since it is a matter of self-identification, it can be difficult to choose what term to use when referring to this population. Interestingly enough, people battle over more than these two terms. To play it safe here are some pointers:

1. Don’t assume people are Hispanic or Latino based on their looks. Before you even chose what term to use, the most important thing is not to assume people are Hispanic or Latino because they “look” ” like it. Looks can no longer solely define someone’s origin.
2. Do not refer to all of them as Mexicans. Even though in 2010 people of Mexican origin comprised the largest Hispanic group, representing 63 percent of the total Hispanic population in the United States, it is important to acknowledge that the remaining 37 percent of Hispanics are not (or do not identify themselves as) Mexicans.
3. Usually, it is safer to use the term Latino more than the term Hispanic because the term Latino may encompass much more than the place of origin. To be Latino/a means being part of a community and a culture. It is more than belonging to a geographical location.

At the end of the day, don’t worry too much about these terms, as long as you come from a good place with good intentions, you will not offend someone by referring to them as Hispanic or Latino. We all know these terms are confusing. That being said, if you really feel conflicted about it the best advice I can offer is to ask the person what term he or she prefers, and then you’ll know.

http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-04.pdf