Archive → Diciembre, 2010
Press Release: MyCotorra.com Launches New Daily Deal Site in Miami Targeting the Local US Hispanic Market
As a new form of advertising emerges, a new US Hispanic daily deal site launches and promises its “flock” (a colloquial reference to large number of people) a great deal every day. As a new form of advertising emerges, the consumer is offered an amazing deal on local products and services that are only available for 24 hours at www.myCotorra.com (myCotorra: a colloquial Hispanic reference to someone who repeats and spreads the word, as in word of mouth marketing).
MyCotorra.com plans to take the daily deal experience to a new level by offering their “flock” deals in their very own back yard, and offering them a platform where they can give back to their community while also getting a “good deal.”
myCotorra.com promises that it knows their audience and what they want. With their Hispanic flair, deals will be relevant and exciting and this is what will make them different and successful. “Too many competitor daily deal site deals are spread out over the city and the deals become not relevant to the consumer,” says Alice Roque, Sales and Marketing Manager for MyCotorra. “MyCotorra’s target, the local, Hispanic influenced, community minded and family oriented consumer is different than the average on-line daily deal consumer and therefore has different interests. Instead of a limousine rental for a night out on the town, myCotorra.com will offer a limo deal for a daughters 15’s (“quinices: colloquial term for a Hispanic girl’s coming of age party”).
The model is a win-win for everyone involved. The local merchant are finding a new, innovative and lucrative way to market their products and services to thousands of local’s in the community every day . With no risk or upfront cost to them, myCotorra.com gives them 24 hours to advertise themselves while offering an amazing deal on a product or service to get people in the door. “These buyers are locals who might not otherwise try something but at a great deal, they will try something new and possibly become a life-long customer to a local business”, says Alice.
With its charity component, myCotorra.com, a Miami based, Hispanic and female owned company, gives away $1 for every deal, every month, to a local charity nominated by its “flock.” “Our charity component is very exciting because it allows our subscribers to get a great deal and the opportunity to nominate their favorite local charity while giving them a platform where thousands will learn about their cause,” says Roque.
No Wukkas: Girl Scouts Seeks One Smart Cookie for Senior Brand Manager Gig
Girl Scouts of the USA is looking for a senior brand manager to lead all Hispanic marketing initiatives for the premier organization. Those with expert knowledge of Latino culture will truly excel here, managing external communications to prospective members and adult volunteers, as well as internal communications of the Hispanic initiative throughout the company.
If hired, you’ll also be responsible for the direct marketing and generation of volunteers and members and volunteer and member engagement strategies. You’ll help develop short- and long-range marketing priorities, activities, materials and programs for the Hispanic market, while working on media planning and placements.
The ideal candidate will have a minimum of seven years of marketing and/or advertising experience; three years of experience in Hispanic marketing; and at least two years of integrated marketing and/or social networking experience. Bilingual applicants with strong strategic communication skills are highly preferred. There’s also a bit of travel involved with this gig, so you should be up for that, too. Interested? Apply here.
Mexican acquisition will strengthen Grupo Bimbo’s position in US confectionery market, analyst
Grupo Bimbo has completed its acquisition of Mexican confectionery firm Dulces Vero, a deal that should strengthen its position in the US hispanic confectionery market, according to market analyst Jonathan Thomas
inancial terms of the transaction, which was first announced in mid-June, have not been disclosed. Dulces Vero, which produces a range of confections including lollipops, gummies, caramels and marshmallows, had 2009 sales of approximately Mex$1.1bn.
Grupo Bimbo said that Vero’s products complement its subsidiary company Barcel in the US Hispanic market, and also furthers the company’s strategy of reaching across all socio-demographic segments. “Along with sales and cost synergies, Vero’s strength in the wholesale channel, combined with Barcel’s extensive retail distribution network, will provide a strong platform for continued growth,” said the company.
Strengthened position
Jonathan Thomas, principal market analyst at Leatherhead food research told ConfectioneryNews.com last week that the acquisition would strengthen the position of the merged entity in the “fairly fragmented” US sugar confectionery market.
The analyst said this was due to the wide range of products on offer there.
One of the benefits Dulces Vero brings to Grupo Bimbo is that it already exports its sweets outside Mexico, both to the US and further afield to Europe and Asia, according to Thomas.
In addition, he said that the merged company was likely to benefit from Bimbo’s “considerable resources” in terms of distribution and marketing.
“As a result of which its share of the US sugar confectionery market can be expected to increase in the near future,” he said.
Hispanic foods in the US
Thomas said that Hispanic-inspired flavours, such as chilli and cinnamon have been well to the fore within the US sugar confectionery market over the last few years.
“So much so that manufacturers such as Hershey and Mars have been experimenting with them, or establishing partnerships with companies based in Latin America,” Thomas said.
“Some of these flavours have also been apparent within the chocolate sector, as consumers have moved towards more premium products incorporating different and/or novel ingredients,” he added.
The analyst said he did not expect the implications to be so widely felt further afield, “at least not in the near future,” since tastes in the US differed to those in the European markets.
However, Thomas said it is worth noting that the European market for lollipops is pretty much dominated by the Chupa Chups brand. “It is possible that this latest development may go some way towards increasing competition within this sector should Bimbo decide to expand beyond the Americas region,” he said.
Restrepo returned to his roots, found success
CEO of EurekaFacts left career in Colombia
"When you do the things you love to do, you don't get tired," says Jorge A. Restrepo, CEO of EurekaFacts.
After earning his business degree in Colombia, Jorge A. Restrepo did well enough in his career to head the commercial analysis department of Cadenalco, now Exito-Cadenalco.
But the itch to return to the Washington, D.C., area, where he was born, was strong.
“My brother had just returned to pursue his master’s in the area, and he kept sending me the jobs sections of the Sunday paper,” said Restrepo, 49. “I was doing well in Colombia. … But I wanted more professional growth.”
So he returned to this area in 1989. After paying for a plane ticket and expenses, he had about $453 left. He rented a room near College Park with his brother.
“He was pretty much in the same situation, except that his field of study was actually literature, so I had to chip in for rent and food,” Restrepo said. “After a couple of months, I no longer had money to buy a return ticket even if I had wanted.”
With the 1990-91 recession on the horizon, it was hard to find a job.
“My brother had a typewriter, and I don’t remember how many résumés and letters I sent out,” Restrepo said. His brother introduced him to his supervisor at Europ Assistance USA, which lends aid to travelers. He soon was hired.
“We took hundreds of calls a day,” Restrepo said. “The environment was great because there actually were a lot of people who spoke various languages, but it was a lot of hard work. … But with my college degree, citizenship and lots of determination, things worked out.”
Things have worked out well enough for Restrepo that EurekaFacts, the Rockville marketing research and analysis firm he founded, has grown from a home business in 2003 to a 10-employee company. His company has done work for everything from large federal agencies to small nonprofits, and he has been a leader of a number of business and community organizations.
As chairman of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Montgomery County, Restrepo was able to increase the organization’s credibility and provide other benefits, said Carmen Ortiz Larsen, vice president of the organization and CEO of Aquas, a Bethesda engineering and information management company.
“He is a person of integrity, a dedicated small-business colleague and an innovative professional in the market research sector,” Larsen said.
Staying focused
A key part of EurekaFacts’ growth is its focused mission, said Restrepo, its CEO. “Our strength is in engaging the government and nonprofit social market.”
Although his business is growing, Restrepo declined to cite specific figures, saying they are “not the most meaningful measures of our company. … We grew significantly in revenue, as well as the more important measures of magnitude, relevance and impact of our studies.”
Besides the full-time employees, numerous consultants are hired on for various projects, Restrepo said. The company’s services include survey research, statistical analysis, focus groups and data collection. Clients include federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the Peace Corps, nonprofits such as the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, and private companies such as Westat and Booz Allen Hamilton.
For the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation of Alexandria, Va., EurekaFacts is evaluating the impact of an advertising campaign called “Take Me Fishing” that encourages people to participate in recreational fishing and boating. The company also is reviewing a program called Angler’s Legacy, in which anglers introduce newcomers to fishing.
EurekaFacts has been doing that kind of program and advertising evaluation for several years, and the current annual contract with the foundation that runs through March 31 is valued at $80,000, said Michelle Lampher, vice president of marketing at the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation.
“It’s been a very worthwhile effort,” Lampher said. “EurekaFacts has helped us identify which messaging is most successful in a number of different categories, and for different audiences.”
Restrepo has conducted projects for other nonprofits and government agencies where Lampher has worked in the past 15 years, she said. “For research, there is no one I’d rather work with,” Lampher said.
Runs in the family
Soon after he returned to the U.S., Restrepo pursued a master’s in general administration with a concentration in marketing from the University of Maryland University College in Adelphi. He later became chief marketing officer for the Association for International Practical Training, a nonprofit in Columbia that conducts international training exchanges, among other positions. Then he decided to branch out.
“My thought process is very entrepreneurial,” said Restrepo, whose father and grandfather began their own businesses in Colombia.
Within a year, EurekaFacts gained enough business to move to its own office, then to larger space in 2007. A key aid was Restrepo’s heavy involvement in business and community groups. Besides chairing the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Montgomery County, he has served on the board of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. He is on the board of work-force development nonprofit Career Transitions and the Montgomery County Committee for Ethnic Affairs, as well as the advisory board of the Maryland Small Business Development Centers and the county Latino Affairs advisory group. He is active in professional associations, such as the regional chapter of the American Marketing Association.
Restrepo encourages staff members to perform similar service, believing it not only gives back to the community, but that’s how “we stay current.”
An avid reader of history books, Restrepo and his wife, Cristina, live in Gaithersburg with their two daughters.
So how does he find the time to run a business and serve on so many boards?
“I have to wake up early,” Restrepo said.
His usual workweek extends to about 60 hours.
“I commit about four hours a week to some sort of nonprofit effort, but this depends on whatever is going on,” Restrepo said. Setting priorities and delegating responsibilities are other key factors, he said.
Doing work he really likes is the ultimate incentive to get to the office every day, Restrepo said.
“When you do the things you love to do, you don’t get tired,” he said.
http://www.gazette.net/stories/12102010/businew202603_32537.php
GLR Networks launches Salud y Familia
It’s a new health topic vignette hosted by Dr. Elmer Huerta that will start airing in January GLR affiliates nationwide. In Salud y Familia, Dr. Elmer Huerta answers listeners’ health concerns and offers advice on how to prevent the most common conditions that affect Latinos in the US in a quick and energetic way.
The :90 feature airs 3 times a day Monday to Friday, between 6 to 9 am, Noon to 3 pm and 5 to 7 pm in each market. Its agile length makes it ideal for FM and AM stations in any format.
For the past two decades, Dr. Huerta – first-ever Latino physician that was named President of the American Cancer Society– has been committed to improving the quality of life for Latinos by giving his listeners detailed information and advice on health issues.
In 2007, Dr. Huerta joined forces with GLR Networks to host “Cita con el Doctor”, GLR’s daily one hour health-topic show that provides help to Hispanic families across the nation.
http://www.rbr.com/radio/radio-programming/glr-networks-launches-salud-y-familia.html
Batanga Network Becomes the First Hispanic-Focused Network to Join the Network Advertising Initiative
Top-Ranked Network Committed to Development of Industry Best Practices for Rapidly Growing Hispanic Online Market
Batanga, Inc., the leading Hispanic-focused online media company based in Miami, Florida, today announced its membership in the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI), a self-regulatory association representing companies in the online behavioral advertising marketplace. To date, Batanga Network is the only Hispanic-focused online network to have joined the NAI.
As a member of the NAI, Batanga Network commits to abide by the NAI’s self-regulatory principles for online behavioral advertising, a code of conduct that has governed members of the trade association since 2000. The NAI’s goal is to promote online transparency and choice that fosters both the protection of consumers’ privacy interests and the benefits of online advertising.
With marketing dollars increasingly shifting toward targeting the Hispanic community, precision and relevance are increasingly important. The understanding of this community is what has consistently positioned Batanga Network at the top of comScore’s ranking of Hispanic networks since the company’s inception in 2009 with over fifteen million unique visitors per month.
“At Batanga Network, we have been working to do everything in our power to ensure that our efforts to provide advertisers with the most relevant online placements meets consumers’ expectations,” said Rafael Urbina, chairman and CEO, Batanga, Inc. “We see membership in the NAI as an important part of this process. For example, the NAI’s opt out platform provides consumers with a single place where they can review their status in all major networks and opt-out of any targeting, if they so choose.”
Recently, there has been growing concern and awareness among consumers and lawmakers regarding the need for easy-to-use tools that allow consumer choice about behavioral advertising. The industry has recognized the need for continued development of best practices to promote consumer confidence and trust.
“We are continuously working with members such as Batanga Network to promote and protect responsible online marketing practices,” said Charles Curran, executive director of the NAI. “As an organization, we strive to protect consumers’ privacy by developing standards and policies that reward responsible marketing. We welcome Batanga Network to the NAI and applaud their efforts to promote responsible data use and the long-term growth and viability of the Internet.”
“As the Hispanic community continues to be a top target for brands and marketers, the inclusion of Batanga Network on the NAI list of member networks is the next step in gaining recognition for this large portion of the US population,” said Urbina. “We are happy to be a part of the NAI and look forward to working with other networks to promote self-regulation that provides consumers with meaningful choices about online behavioral advertising.”
About the NAI
The NAI (Network Advertising Initiative) is a cooperative of online marketing companies committed to building consumer awareness and establishing responsible business and data management practices and standards. As increasingly sophisticated online advertising technologies evolve, consumer concerns about their impact on online privacy mount. The NAI is prepared to meet these concerns with both effective industry self-regulation and sensible protections for online consumers. To learn more, visit www.networkadvertising.org.
About Batanga, Inc.
Batanga, Inc. is the leading U.S. Hispanic-focused online media company. The Batanga Network reaches the most U.S. Hispanics online, across all categories and all demographics. Utilizing market exclusive targeting technologies, the network effectively aggregates and delivers online audiences within culturally relevant online environments. Batanga.com, one of its premier online destinations, has consistently been one of the top online destinations for U.S. Hispanics over the past ten years. Batanga, Inc. maintains offices in Miami, New York and Mexico City. For more information visit www.batanganetwork.com.
Universal Names Castro & Watkins VPs of Multicultural Marketing
Universal Pictures has named Fabian Castro and Talitha Watkins Vice Presidents of Multicultural Marketing, the studio announced on Wednesday.
Castro and Watkins will work across all of Universal’s marketing divisions in an effort to reach African-American and Hispanic audiences, whom the duo will be customizing existing and developing new strategies, marketing and outreach efforts for.
A graduate of UPenn’s Wharton School, Castro will concentrate on marketing to the Hispanic population. He recently served as Director of Brand Development for Hearst’s Food Network Magazine and previously spent eight years working for various Time Warner publications, including Entertainment Weekly and People en Espanol.
Watkins’ work is oriented toward African-American moviegoers. She joins Universal from Telepictures Productions, where she was responsible for overseeing operations, sales and marketing for five female-focused digital properties in the Warner Bros, portfolio, including websites for shows hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, Tyra Banks and Bonnie Hunt. Watkins graduated from Temple University and has served in several marketing positions at various companies, including Lifetime and A&E.
The new hires will report to Michael Moses, Universal’s Co-President of Marketing.
“With a moviegoing audience that is growing more diverse, we want to continue to develop consistent, culturally relevant outreaches to multicultural consumers,” said Moses. “Fabian and Talitha are incredible professionals whose insights, energy and experience have already influenced our work on upcoming campaigns with exciting new dimensions.”
Latino Link Uncovers Great Ways to Gain Hispanic Customers Online
Funny how some ideas can stare businesses in the face, but the response from leaders never truly changes over time.
In 2004 and 2005, Anita Campbell wrote briefly on Latin American immigrants sending money to their home countries - “In 2004, immigrants to the United States sent home US $30 billion (yes, that’s billion with a “b”).” A year later she wrote that banks that had at first left this market to mom-and-pop outfits decided to court Latino customers again.
Fast forward to today. I learned about another pan-regional opportunity, this time from Joe Kutchera (@joekutchera ) through his new book Latino Link: Building Brands Online With Hispanic Communities and Content. The book, which delivers vital guidance, is distinctive not only because of its insights about Hispanic consumers, but also because of its tips containing nuanced analytic implications for how a business evaluates its online opportunities. I reached out for a review copy from the publisher, Paramount Market Publishing, a small business press based in Ithaca, New York.
Learn what it means to say “Bienvenidos, estamos abiertos para negocios”
One thing you will learn is whether universal or local Spanish should be used for your site content. That choice is not trivial. Latino Link focuses on Mexican and U.S. Hispanic consumers, and explains how an imbalance in Internet infrastructure investment has inadvertently created a pan-regional effect for Latinos online consumers.
“Spain…invested $960 million in online advertising. For U.S. Latinos or Mexicans online, it means when they search in Spanish, many sites from Spain appear in their results…Spain invests four or five times more in content than other Spanish-language markets.”
This impacts online behavior analysis and can lead to a missed opportunity to encourage customer visits to physical stores. For an example, read the polarizing tale of two Spanish-language e-commerce sites from Best Buy and Home Depot.
An enlightening fact Kutchera details — Mexicans shop at U.S. retailers to the tune of $10 billion annually (yes, that’s billion with a “b”). That figure “does not include capital expenditures such as cars, houses or even computers.” Another sobering fact: Mexico’s middle class is larger than the population of Spain, re-emphasizing the irony that “search engines can send your potential U.S. Hispanic customers to businesses overseas … Thus a U.S. company may reach customers from other countries that they would otherwise not attract.” The pan-regional effect is a startling contrast to widespread posts encouraging businesses to gain customers locally through location-based social media.
Furthering his point about infrastructure and demographics, Kutchera shows that while Spanish-speaking users are among the fastest-growing Internet segment, Spain is not the largest within the Latin segment; the Dominican Republic is. Kutchera predicts, “By the time computers, smartphones or tablets cost $100 or less, the Internet will much more resemble the list of top spoken languages in the world.”
Gain guidance that leads to action and connects with the community
One important cultural point: Much of the featured research centers on a US Hispanic-Mexico consumer perspective. But Latino Link does provide nuanced commentary to guide small business owners and marketers in attracting and serving a diversity of Hispanic customers. For example, you’ll read about the contrast between one global site with language settings & IP specific pages (globalization) vs a series of country-specific sites (localization).
“If you sell an intangible service, like airplane tickets, music or consulting, the global .com approach might work better for you…If you offer country-specific information, or sell products via distributors…a country-specific website would be best.”
Case studies cover a helpful gamut of the ways localization and globalization can give your business an advantage, such as geo-marketing with online maps and how Hispanics use social networking sites. One chapter is dedicated to attracting Latina customers online, while other chapters cover developing content communities, launching a website in Spanish and organizing teams.
The points raised are enhanced by personal perspectives from contributors such as Elizabeth Perez, Digital Insights Analyst, regarding the in-language vs. in-culture concept of pushing a birthday person into a cake as they bite it, chanting “Que le muerda! Que le muerda!”:
“A non-Hispanic might wonder why we would do that or think that we ruined the person’s party by doing this. However, in reality, that is part of our tradition and one very much looked forward to … For reasons such as this, when I have the option to obtain news coverage about Hispanics from non-Hispanic or Hispanic media outlets, you will more likely see me turn to the Hispanic outlet, as it will be the one I will relate to the most.”
What’s truly cool about Latino Link is that some analytics perspective peppers its comparison between online behavior and respect for the intended audience — companies that combine acumen and data reach the insights that truly indications the needed business decision. Kutchera also mentions some Latin American companies alongside US-based companies, so that readers can broadly envision the best applications while discovering long established successful companies in Latin countries.
A welcome and much-needed guide to digital Latino marketing
Latino Link is a convincing application of social media, marketing, and analytic concepts to real cultural and customer behavior dynamics. I closed the book feeling that readers will quickly think how to best create a solid strategy. They will invest in Latino Link again and again as an actionable guide to serve Hispanic customers with genuine care.
http://smallbiztrends.com/2010/12/latino-link-gain-hispanic-customers-online.html
Mango Languages Launches Mango Passport®
Mango’s Newest Product Appeals to International Travelers Who Want to ‘Talk the Talk’ While They’re Walking the Walk
From: www.hooverlibrary.org
Mango Languages today unveiled Mango Passport®, its latest language learning product designed specifically for people who enjoy international travel and want to be able to effectively communicate in the country’s native language. Beverly Cornell, director of marketing for Mango, made the announcement.
Created to provide the conversation skills that a traveler needs to successfully communicate and engage with the local population, Mango Passport® also assists the user in gaining an understanding of the new language and culture.
Mango Passport® is designed specifically for use from an individual’s home or office computer or laptop. It differs from other at-home language learning software programs because it goes beyond teaching grammar, vocabulary and conjugation and also provides engaging content, intuitive interactive tools and a comprehensive learning methodology. Users not only learn individual words and phrases but also how to use them in real-life situations. These types of fundamental conversation skills greatly improve a traveler’s ability to navigate an unfamiliar area and interact with the local population, thereby enhancing the entire travel experience.
Commenting on the launch of Mango Passport®, Chief Executive Officer Jason Teshuba said, “The segment of the population that enjoys travel continues to grow, and much of that travel takes place internationally. In fact, last year, United States residents made more than 61.5 million trips outside of the country. Mango Passport® is designed to serve that market. This product gives those international travelers the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of their own home or office. Mango’s lessons are written and developed by native-speaking teachers who understand the nuances of the language, as well as the culture. Also, since Mango focuses on conversational speaking skills, users will start speaking after just one lesson and will be able to deal with everyday situations — get directions, order a meal, make new friends — after spending only a few hours with the program.”
Mango Passport® is currently available in five languages, including French, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin and Greek. Additional languages will be added in the coming months. Mango Passport® will be available in 29 languages by the end of 2010.
The downloadable Mango Passport® course features 10 chapters and is available for $150 per language. Mango Passport® On The Go! (MP3 audio version with PDF companion guide) is available for $100. The Mango Passport® Bundle, which features all the fun of Mango Passport® plus the convenient audio version of Mango Passport® On The Go!, is available for a discounted price of $200.
Specific languages can be purchased from the main website, but Mango also offers a gift certificate option for the holidays. The certificate enables recipients to choose any language and is available at: http://www.mangolanguages.com/store/gift.
A complete list of languages and more program details can be found on Mango’s website at www.mangolanguages.com.
Founded in 2007, Mango Languages is recognized as a leading provider of foreign language learning programs. Designed by a team of linguists, teachers, software developers, human interface specialists, writers, voice talents and designers, the company’s award-winning language learning system has drawn acclaim from prominent national and international reference groups, educational resources, Web organizations and travel guides. For more information, visit www.mangolanguages.com or follow Mango Languages on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mangolanguages.
Alma DDB supports Creativity & Innovation during Art Basel Miami.
For four days every year, the international art world makes Miami the center of the universe during Art Basel. But Miami artists are producing incredible work the other 361 days as well.
Alma DDB is marking the end of this year with a celebration of the creativity and innovation that keep the Miami-based advertising firm passionate about its work. The firm is sponsoring HOTBED Miami 2010, a four-day challenge to young art students to surprise and elevate the world’s notion of what a Miami artist is.
An initiative of the Wet Heat Project documentary filmmakers, the action will all take place daily from a premier booth at the avant garde Fountain Art Fair in Wynwood during Art Basel week. Four emerging geniuses selected from the New World School of the Arts, from mixed cultures and disciplines, each have one day to showcase an interactive installation to engage the local-meets-international dynamic of the audience.
The art installation can be viewed 24 hours a day, December 2-5 via live-cam at <http://www.almahotbedproject.com>. From this site, visitors can also follow the development of each work and the artists’ thought process and inspiration drawn from the crowd, at the linked Wet Heat Project’s scrapbook site.
“From the very start of our agency, we have believed in giving creative people a first chance,” said Luis Miguel Messianu, President and CCO at Alma DDB. “Our agency has always been a ‘Hot Bed’ for young talent. This project is right up our alley and it makes us proud to be able to propel these four young artists on an international stage!”
http://hispanicad.com/cgi-bin/news/newsarticle.cgi?article_id=30978