Archive → Junio, 2011
Sales Leads: BB&T, Chrysler, AT&T, MasterCard…
A weekly summary for Media Sales Executives and Advertising Agencies to see what clients are moving into the Hispanic market and/or targeting Latin consumers right now.
- Bohemia
Although Bohemia beer has been around in the U.S. market for decades, it has traditionally kept a very low marketing profile. Not anymore. The Heineken-owned Mexican brand is expected to announce this week that it has partnered with the Frida Kahlo estate to launch a Limited Edition Frida Kahlo-themed Bohemia packaging in the U.S. featuring the iconic, world renowned Mexican painter.
Read our interview with Felix Palau, VP Marketing Bohemia Beer at Heineken.
- BB&T
BB&T is mobilizing its retail banking efforts to launch a comprehensive outreach to its Hispanic neighbors and clients. BB&T developed customized financial tools and services, established partnerships, offered seminars and community-based resources to help meet the diverse needs of Spanish-speaking audiences. These include bicultural and bilingual financial service associates, Spanish-language educational programs, bilingual customer support lines, community partnerships, and advertising and marketing campaigns that connect with Hispanic consumers and small business owners.
“At BB&T, relationships are built by offering personalized attention; providing tools that help navigate a better financial path,” adds Jorge Moller, Multicultural Markets manager. ”This approach enables us to create solid relationships with our Hispanic customers who confide in us to make informed financial decisions. One of our best performing financial centers is in Washington D.C. where 2010 Census reports a 21.8 percent increase in the Hispanic population.”
- Chrysler
Chrysler Corporation/Group is in the process of recruiting for several positions around the U.S. and is looking for a diverse set of applicants. The number of actual positions could possibly range up to 1000 positions in various classifications engineers, marketing, finance, etc. They are specifically targeting qualified Hispanic candidates in several different areas, a lot of them mid to upper level positions in the various departments. Identity, Chrysler agency, is looking to implement a digital display (and possibly search) campaign that will target Hispanic Adults who are currently seeking employment in the fields mentioned.
- AT&T
AT&T will collaborate with the Mexican group Mana who will participate to the Latin concert tours “Drama y Luz”.
- MasterCard – Univision Communications Inc.
MasterCard and Univision Communications Inc. announced a partnership with popular Mexican singer-songwriter Paty Cantú to deliver priceless experiences and exclusive access to Univision MasterCard Prepaid Card (Tarjeta Prepagada Univision MasterCard®) cardholders.
- Red Sox
The Boston Baseball Team launched a Spanish-language website last Tuesday, complete with video greetings from players David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez. Most major league teams, including Kansas City and Seattle, have had separate websites for Spanish-speaking fans for years. Now fans of “Los Medias Rojas” will get their own Web page. Team spokeswoman Susan Goodenow said the team has 300,000 Spanish-speaking fans on Facebook, so this move to court the Spanish-speaking market seemed like a logical next step. The new page will offer translations of feature stories and headlines from the main Red Sox website.
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota
With more than 60 percent of Minnesotans overweight or obese, and many racial or ethnic groups suffering disproportionately from obesity and its related health conditions, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota’s (Blue Cross) do Campaign now offers its motivational “do” physical activity messages in Spanish. Through television commercials and community programs, Blue Cross’ do Campaign has raised awareness about the importance of physical activity and healthy eating since 2004. To download the new Spanish posters visit the do-groove.com website and click on “do at work” and “do posters.”
http://www.portada-online.com/article.aspx?aid=8180
McIlroy: Golf’s next marketing superstar?
A more ‘authentic’ personality, global branding could reap rewards
Now that Rory McIlroy seems to be on the road to becoming golf’s next superstar, will it be hello Gatorade and AT&T, goodbye
Jumeirah and Oakley?
The curly-haired kid from Northern Ireland with the fair skin, boyish smile and picturesque swing is likely to get dozens of endorsement offers after setting the scoring record at the U.S. Open over the weekend and trouncing his competitors.
Don’t be surprised if McIlroy shows up at his next tournament with different companies emblazoned on his cap and shirt, said Matt Heinz, president of Seattle-based Heinz Marketing. While the Jumeirah logo spread across McIlroy’s cap helps the luxury hotel chain, it may be a better move for the young golfer to pick a more renowned brand, Heinz said.
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy kisses the trophy after winning the 2011 U.S. Open.
“I think he’s got every advantage in front of him right now,” he said. “He and his agent, they could turn it around in his next tournament and he could get whatever he wants.”
The astounding, eight-shot victory by MclIroy, 22, at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., conjured images of the first major tournament won by Tiger Woods, when he conquered Augusta National in the 1997 Masters Tournament with a 12-stroke victory at the age of 21.
Woods’ first big win 14 years ago brought him millions in endorsement deals from such brands as PepsiCo.’s /quotes/zigman/238082/quotes/nls/pep PEP -1.03% Gatorade and Nike /quotes/zigman/235840/quotes/nls/nke NKE -1.25% shoes. That snowballed into a virtual empire, making Woods worth nearly $1 billion, according to various estimates.
But don’t expect McIlroy to take the same path in the marketing world as Woods, experts say. He won’t necessarily assume the same sponsors as Woods. But he may have his pick particularly among those such as AT&T /quotes/zigman/398198/quotes/nls/t T -1.59% and the Gatorade brand, which dropped Woods after his 2009 marriage scandal.
“This guy is sort of the anti-Tiger Woods,” Heinz said. McIlroy seems more approachable, more affable than Woods, who could be moody when it came to media appearances, though his image was much more polished before the scandal.
Woods’ first big win 14 years ago brought him millions in endorsement deals from such brands as PepsiCo.’s /quotes/zigman/238082/quotes/nls/pep PEP -1.03% Gatorade and Nike /quotes/zigman/235840/quotes/nls/nke NKE -1.25% shoes. That snowballed into a virtual empire, making Woods worth nearly $1 billion, according to various estimates.
But don’t expect McIlroy to take the same path in the marketing world as Woods, experts say. He won’t necessarily assume the same sponsors as Woods. But he may have his pick particularly among those such as AT&T /quotes/zigman/398198/quotes/nls/t T -1.59% and the Gatorade brand, which dropped Woods after his 2009 marriage scandal.
“This guy is sort of the anti-Tiger Woods,” Heinz said. McIlroy seems more approachable, more affable than Woods, who could be moody when it came to media appearances, though his image was much more polished before the scandal.
“Kids want to golf like Tiger, but they want to be friends with Rory,” Heinz said.
McIlroy’s win came on the heels of impressive performances in the last three majors — a dominant performance in which he led the first three rounds of this year’s Masters before faltering in the fourth, and third-place finishes in both the PGA Championship and the British Open last year.
David Carter, executive director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California, said McIlroy first needs to make sure he can stand up to the pressure. Media outlets will be clamoring for interviews with him, larger crowds will follow him on the course, and more will be expected of him.
- Rory McIlroy celebrates after winning U.S. Open on Sunday.
“At the age of 22, he’s a work in progress,” Carter said, but he has an authenticity to his image, unlike the more-polished Woods.
Though he may not compare to Woods in physical attractiveness, McIlroy’s authenticity may be exactly what the doctor ordered after Woods’ image took a beating. Prior to his scandal, Woods had carefully crafted his public image, while the gangly McIlroy seems more authentic, Carter says.
“I think that role [good looks] will be minimal when you think about golf’s global reach,” Carter said. “He appears to be who we believe him to be.”
- Giancarlo Molero, COO of DLB Group Worldwide
Giancarlo Molero, chief operating officer of the ad agency DLB Group in Miami, says that although Woods probably has more charisma and a more polished image, McIlroy could pull ahead of him in endorsements.
But the young golfer needs to establish some more consistency and avoid difficult rounds like the last one at Augusta in April, Molero said. McIlroy led or tied for the lead in the first three rounds and was four strokes ahead at the end of the third at 12 under par. Then he collapsed on the back nine in the fourth round and ended up with a score of 80 to finish at four under.
“It’ll take two or three more majors before he can be an asset to global brands,” Molero said.
McIlroy probably will be endorsing more products outside the U.S. and may not necessarily be seen as much in this country as Woods, Molero said.
He also may choose more upstart brands rather than those already established, perhaps choosing Coca-Cola’s /quotes/zigman/222647/quotes/nls/ko KO -1.91% Powerade instead of Gatorade as a sponsor. McIlroy could choose to highlight the differences between himself and Woods as he chooses a marketing strategy.
“Tiger is not necessarily the kind of guy who is open and smiling at everybody,” Molero said. “[McIlroy] looks like an easygoing guy. That’s what the market will appreciate the most.”
LGD Latino opens in Miami
Len Dugow, President & Chief Creative Officer of acclaimed advertising agency LGD Communications announces the opening of LGD Latino, a new division focused on expanding the agency’s established expertise in hospitality, tourism and real estate advertising into Latino markets.
LGD Latino is headed by Rafael Torres, General Manager. Mr. Torres, an industry expert with over 20 years of experience, has been the top consultant to Latino ad agencies, media companies and global brands since the 2006 sale of his Hispanic ad agency, SCR Marketing. Mr. Torres states, “When I started SCR Marketing in 1996, we were the first to provide targeted online marketing to US Hispanic communities for major clients such as Apple Computer, Panasonic and Estée Lauder, among others. Since then, online marketing has greatly evolved and now social media has become an integral and essential component of the interactive mix.”
Mr. Torres was drawn to LGD for its prowess in Social Media. “They have designed algorithms and created proprietary CMS tools to drive and track thousands of unique visitors, virally, to their clients’ websites–all the way through conversion,” he elaborates. “It is the only marketing communications company that I have found that has converted social media from a novelty (which all businesses think they should be in) to a results-oriented marketing machine.”
By establishing affiliate offices throughout Latin America, LGD Latino is able to reach target consumers in those markets, as well as Latino consumers in the United States, with insightful, effective messaging deployed across all media platforms. It is LGD’s reach into these markets, together with an in-depth knowledge of the hospitality and real-estate industries, now combined with unrivaled interactive and social media capability, that lifts LGD above the fray of ad agencies vying for hotel, tourism and real-estate accounts that target Hispanics living in the US or Latin America.
http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/lgd-latino-opens-in-miami/
Local brewery taps into Latin culture, flavors
Founders bring their craft dream from Mexico
An hour before Chicago’s newest craft brewery, 5 Rabbit, launched its inaugural event last month, co-founder Isaac Showaki was trying to remember how to be a brewery owner.
It was just the fourth time he had connected a CO2 tank to the blue plastic cooler that dispenses the beer he and his partner, Andres Araya, quit their jobs to create. Soon, a sellout crowd of 80 that had paid $35 each would file into the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen to drink that beer.
Without the CO2, it would come out flat.
“Let’s see if I can remember,” Showaki said, pliers in hand and fiddling with tubes snaking between the tank and cooler. “Randy knows everything. He showed us how to do this.”
Randy is Randy Mosher, a longtime Chicagoan and well-regarded beer teacher, author, label artist and home brewer. It’s his experience Araya and Showaki rely on as they make the transition from Mexico City marketing guys to Chicago beer guys.
Mosher, a minority owner, wrote the recipes for 5 Rabbit beer, designed the bottle labels and is the brewery’s institutional knowledge. Araya, 33, and Showaki, 27, are the ones staking their young careers on something new not only to Chicago, but the nation — Latin craft beer.
Araya and Showaki met five years ago while working for an international consulting firm in Mexico City. They joined forces on several accounts, including one of Latin America’s largest breweries. On a 2007 work trip to Panama, talk turned to opening a brewery of their own, but they envisioned something smaller and, frankly, better than the giant they worked for. In Spanish, the term they batted around was cerveza artesanal — artisanal beer. In the United States, it’s called craft beer.
Showaki is from Mexico — though he looks like the Syrian-Turkish-Polish hybrid he is — and Araya is a thickly bearded Costa Rican. Though they considered launching a brewery in those countries, the monopolistic natures of both landscapes made them look north.
Wanting a city with a significant Hispanic population, burgeoning beer scene and affordable living, they chose Chicago over Los Angeles, New York, Miami and Austin, Texas. Now, with the rollout of 5 Rabbit beer imminent, the duo spend their days crisscrossing their new hometown visiting bars, meeting with their distributor and hosting events like the Mexican art museum party.
That evening went well: Each of their three beers (a light golden ale, a cloudy, slightly tart witbier and a mildly sweet, mildly spicy dark ale) came out paired with stunningly crafted ceviche, gazpacho and guacamole prepared by Araya’s mother-in-law. The newly arrived Mexican consul general was there, and so was a crew of well-dressed, high-end beer drinkers who nodded approval of the beer in their glasses.
While most new breweries start with the same old styles — golden ale, pale ale, India pale ale, porter and so on — 5 Rabbit is mining its Latin roots with ingredients like ancho chili, piloncillo sugar and passion fruit. After a Dia de los Muertos specialty beer (whether a mole bock or Mexican chocolate coffee stout is yet to be determined), an LPA is likely next — Latin Pale Ale. Even they’re not sure what that means yet.
The novelty seems to be taking root. At a meet-and-greet at the venerable Map Room bar last month, the line trailed out the door.
“It was like the Latin Map Room — it was really cool,” said Laura Blasingame, Map Room co-owner. “The craft beer scene is mostly white men to be honest, and I’m really excited about that changing. These are Latin guys using Latin flavors, and their beer isn’t super-complicated; it will reach out to a group new to craft beer.”
For now, 5 Rabbit is contract brewed by Argus Brewery on the city’s far South Side. Araya and Showaki hope to open their own facility within a couple of years, though as new business owners, uncertainty still looms.
“It will be cooler to have our own brewery — a physical nexus where people can take tours and fill growlers,” Mosher said during a down moment at the Pilsen event.
“We’ll need it if we make it,” Showaki said.
“When we make it,” said Mosher’s wife, Nancy Cline.
In the meantime, Araya and Showaki rent a mostly empty 4,000 square-foot warehouse on the West Side. It houses the furniture Araya shipped from Miami, a few empty kegs and the “beer corner” — their indispensible blue cooler and recently-bought home brewing equipment. If they’re going to own a brewery, they figure they should understand the process.
There’s also a beer refrigerator housing stuff made by others. Among the brews on a Tuesday afternoon was Ska Brewing’s Mexican Logger — a bad pun on Mexican lager — that is the Durango, Colo., brewery’s attempt at a craft version of Corona.
Araya cracked open a can, poured the golden beer into plastic cups, smelled and sipped. He nodded a mild enthusiasm.
“Better than I thought it would be,” Araya said. “But it doesn’t have that nice, dry, bitter finish like our golden ale.”
Showaki, getting the hang of brewery ownership, went a step further.
“Ours is better,” he said.
Tasting the beers
- 5 Rabbit beer will be available in about a dozen bars in mid-June (a list is at 5rabbitbrewery.com). They also plan to brew seasonals, one-offs and other year-round products, but for now, look for:
- 5 Rabbit: light, crisp golden ale modeled on Bohemia
- 5 Lizard: cloudy and slightly tart witbier with passion fruit
- 5 Vulture: “Oaxacan-style dark ale” with piloncillo sugar and ancho chili (will be limited until fall)
73% of CEOs think Marketers lack Business Credibility: They can’t prove they generate Business Growth.
73% of CEOs think Marketers lack business credibility and are not the business growth generators they should be: they are still too far from being able to demonstrate how the cross-channel marketing strategies and campaigns they deploy grow their organisations’ top line in terms of more customer demand, more sales, more prospects, more conversions or more market share.
That’s one of the key findings The Fournaise Marketing Group, one of the global leaders in Customer Acquisition through Marketing ROI, identified through its 2011 Global Marketing Effectiveness Program in which it interviewed more than 600 Large corporation and SMB CEOs and decision-makers in the US, Europe, Asia and Australia.
The top issues CEOs have with their Marketers are:
(1) They keep on talking about brand, brand values, brand equity and other similar parameters that their top management has great difficulties linking back to results that really matter: revenue, sales, EBIT or even market valuation (77%)
(2) They focus too much on the latest marketing trends such as social media, because they believe they represent the new marketing frontiers – but can rarely demonstrate how these trends will help them generate more business for the company (74%)
(3) When asked to increase their Marketing ROI, they tend to understand it as cost cutting through better economies of scale or negotiations with their third-party partners and agencies, instead of top-line growth generation: more revenue, more sales, more prospects, more buyers (73%)
(4) They are always asking for more money, but can rarely explain how much incremental business this money will generate (72%)
(5) They bombard their stakeholders with marketing data that hardly relate to or mean anything for the company’s P&L (70%)
(6) Unlike CFOs and Sales Forces, they don’t think enough like businesspeople: they focus too much on the creative, “arty” and “fluffy” side of marketing and not enough on its business science, and rely too much on their ad agencies to come up with the next big idea (67%)
The worrying part: while 73% of CEOs think Marketers lack business credibility and are not effectiveness-focused enough to generate incremental customer demand, 69% of the Marketers Fournaise talked to feel their strategies and campaigns do make an impact on the company’s business, even though they can’t precisely quantify or prove it – confirming the great CEO-Marketers disconnect.
“Until Marketers start speaking the P&L language of their CEOs and stakeholders, and until they start tracking the business effectiveness of all their strategies and campaigns to prove they generate incremental customer demand, they will continue to lack credibility in the eyes of their CEOs and will continue to be seen more as a cost centre than an asset” said Jerome Fontaine, CEO & Chief Tracker of Fournaise.
International Boxing Hall of Fame Names Tecate Official Beer Sponsor
Image from: www.fotolog.com
Tecate, cerveza con carácter, announced today its support of the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) to celebrate the sport’s history and character as the organization’s “2011 Official Beer Sponsor.” Tecate’s sponsorship will kick off during the 22nd Annual Hall of Fame Weekend in Canastota, N.Y., from June 9-12, and will continue with a variety of programs and activities throughout the year.
“We are proud to sponsor an organization that is dedicated to commemorating iconic athletes and personalities who have helped build the carácter of boxing. By highlighting their careers and contributions, the IBHOF helps inspire future ring champions and ultimately grow the sport,” said Felix Palau, vice president of marketing for Tecate. “Tecate’s involvement with the IBHOF is another toast to the boldness of boxing, its fans and all individuals involved in keeping it alive.”
Inductees to the 2011 class reflect the innate determination, passion and talent of the sport’s greatest, and include three-division champion Julio Cesar Chavez (Mexico), junior welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu (Russia/Australia), heavyweight champion Mike Tyson (USA), trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain (Mexico), referee Joe Cortez (USA) and screenwriter Sylvester Stallone (USA). They will be honored during the Official Enshrinement Ceremony at the Hall of Fame Museum on June 12.
“Since 1989, our mission has been to applaud those who have made an impact on boxing, whether in or out of the ring. Along the way we have been witness to the importance of committed supporters of the sport, such as Tecate,” said Edward Brophy, executive director of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. “We are thrilled to have Tecate in our corner and look forward to celebrating the character of this year’s Hall of Fame inductees.”
Tecate will be present at the various events planned by the IBHOF throughout 2011. Details on these activities will be shared with fans on the brand’s Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/TecateBoxing.
About the International Boxing Hall of Fame
A not-for-profit organization, the International Boxing Hall of Fame opened to the public in 1989 in Canastota, New York and is located at Exit 34 of the New York State Thruway. Hours of operation are Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, please call 315.697.7095 or visit www.ibhof.com.
Kraft switches ad firms to market Mio
- Image From: www.alfa-editores.com
Kraft has awarded Mio, a first-of-a-kind liquid-water enhancer that the company has said represents its “biggest investment on a new business in the last decade,” to WPP’s Taxi, according to people familiar with the matter, just a few months after Dentsu’s McGarryBowen created advertising to launch the product.
Other agencies believed to be involved in the review include Interpublic Group of Cos.’ DraftFCB and indie shop Cramer-Krasselt. Kraft’s media agency, Publicis Groupe’s Media Vest USA, was not affected.
Kraft said in a statement to Ad Age: “We are very pleased with the work that McGarryBowen provided to help launch this new brand. Mio is doing great — exceeding our initial expectations — and we are inspired by what lies ahead. As the brand continues to grow, we are growing with it, taking it to new places that are, as of yet, uncharted. We believe Taxi is the right partner for the next leg of this journey.”
One person familiar with the matter said McGarryBowen chose to part ways with the account. McGarryBowen and Taxi declined to comment, referring calls to the client.
The Mio assignment gives Taxi, an agency acquired by WPP in November now housed in the Young & Rubicam Brands unit, a place on the Kraft roster. (Ad Age reported yesterday that Taxi and Y&R had won most of Revlon’s global business.)
Other WPP shops in the Kraft stable include Ogilvy & Mather, which works on Capri Sun, Country Time, Kool-Aid and Tang; Blast Radius, which handles digital marketing on Crystal Light; and Hispanic agency Bravo Group.
Kraft in the last two years has made significant agency-roster changes, shifts that benefited McGarryBowen. In 2010 the Dentsu shop added Chips Ahoy, Fig Newtons and Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs — brands previously at DraftFCB — to its existing Kraft roster, which includes 2009 wins Lunchables, also previously at DraftFCB; Kraft Singles and Philadelphia Cream Cheese, both formerly at Nitro; and Oscar Mayer, Crystal Light and Maxwell House, all formerly at WPP’s Ogilvy & Mather. MDC’s CP&B last year had won Milka, which came from Ogilvy & Mather; and Macaroni & Cheese and Jell-O, which were at DraftFCB. Indie agency Droga5 made its way onto the Kraft roster in 2010 with Athenos, a brand that previously had no agency of record.
Though DraftFCB’s Kraft assignments have dwindled, it remains the global agency for one of the marketer’s biggest brands, Oreo, as well as Club Social crackers and Kraft cheese. Still in review are the A-1 Steak Sauce and Bull’s Eye barbecue sauce brand, both of which have been handled by DraftFCB.
Kraft executives have pledged to make a major investment in Mio, the food giant’s first new brand in 15 years. “We believe Mio represents the future of how people will drink that water,” Tony Vernon, exec VP-Kraft Foods North America, told analysts in February. “We are backing this initiative with the biggest investment Kraft has made on a new business in the last decade.”
During an earnings call in May, CEO Irene Rosenfeld said Kraft has “high hopes” for Mio. “People are just beginning to get it in their hands,” she said, adding, “we’re just getting started.”
Jeff Cioletti, editor in chief of Beverage World, said it’s too early to gauge the success of Mio. Kraft, he said, looks to be trying to seize on the rising popularity of enhanced-water offerings such as Coca-Cola’s VitaminWater. “People want more out of their beverages in general but specifically they want their water to do more. And that’s sort of what Kraft is banking on with this,” he said. By offering it as a liquid additive, Kraft could also be following the trend of more consumers choosing tap water over bottled water as they deal with economic hardships, he said.
Mio, which launched at the end of March, retails at $3.99 per 1.62 fluid ounce bottle — enough for 24 servings — and comes in six sugar-free flavors such as berry pomegranate and mango peach. Kraft in March alone spent $3.4 million on marketing Mio, or about 4.1% of its total domestic measured-media budget for the month, according to Kantar. Kraft in 2010 spent a total $833.1 million.
With a tagline of “Make It Yours,” TV ads currently running feature close-ups of the brightly colored flavors squeezed into glasses of water while the song “That’s the Way (I Like It)” plays in the background.
Path to Sustainable Latino Homeownership Sweepstakes
Image From: www.activerain.com
REL understands that under current market conditions many agents will face challenges if they decide to incorporate a Spanish branded website in their business plan. By entering REL’s “Path to Sustainable Latino Homeownership Sweepstakes,” real estate professionals get a chance to win a free website and a complete REL marketing package that can help increase their business in the local Latino market.
A custom-made website includes all the tools an agent will need to ignite his or her local online market. The agent website features real estate education articles and local resources that along with lead capturing forms on every page, will ensure a successful lead-capturing strategy. “Need extra online exposure? You got it,” says Bill Arce, founder of REL. The winners will also receive a full year membership with RealEstateLatino.com. The certified membership provides real estate professionals an innovative online marketplace en Español where agents can list their properties for sale, promote their bilingual services, and receive phone-verified real estate leads.
About RealEstateLatino.com:
RealEstateLatino.com, based in Jacksonville, Fla., is the nation’s leading provider of real estate resources and information, with a mission to increase homeownership opportunities within the Latino community. Launched in 2004, RealEstateLatino.com was founded by William (Bill) Arce to answer Latinos’ real estate concerns about purchasing homes. The future is getting brighter for the Hispanic real estate community, as RealEstateLatino.com partners with trusted real estate professionals to make it the premier source of real estate information nationwide. For more information please visit http://english.realestatelatino.com/sweepstakes
Hollywood’s preimer Latino PR Guru, Gabriel Reyes
Reyes Entertainment is one of the most prominent and pioneering Hispanic/Latino driven public relations and marketing groups in the Country. The company is based in LA was founded by Hispanic/Latino public relations Guru, Gabriel Reyes.
Reyes started out as an actor but found his true calling in PR and marketing after a disastrous meeting with a casting agent back in the ’80s. He said, “I remember having an epiphany one day: These casting directors sit in a room all day with a camera and see 200 to 300 guys for a 30-second commercial. I walked in and I realized that, as I was doing my audition, the casting director wasn’t even looking at me.
She was having her lunch. I think that the issue is that American mainstream media doesn’t have any idea of who Hispanics really are. Hispanics ourselves have an image problem. So I thought that the way to do this is for me to get some kind of career in communications, so that I’m able to work on behalf of Hispanics.”
By 1997 Reyes was one of the leading publicists in Hollywood and a Hispanic-market expert. He founded Reyes Entertainment in an effort to offer clients bilingual, all-inclusive campaigns across Spanish and English-language markets. Gabriel says, “The Reyes Entertainment mission: To transcend cultural and language barriers and secure maximum visibility and value for clients and projects.”
Reyes Entertainment’s list of clients includes the Disney-ABC Television Group, where Reyes designs Hispanic PR initiatives for programs such as George Lopez, Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, Lost, and Disney Channel programs High School Musical, Handy Manny, Johnny & The Sprites, and The Wizards of Waverly Place. Additionally, in 2007 Reyes Entertainment organized the first ever Hispanic Media Junket at Disney-ABC Television which was geared specifically to expose the company’s talent to Hispanic media.
Gabriel Reyes was named one of Hollywood’s “50 Most Influential Latinos” by The Hollywood Reporter and the company has received two Prism Awards for Excellence in Multicultural PR Campaigns, as well as five Marcom Awards for Excellence in Public Relations. One of his first clients was Latina Magazine where Reyes was the magazine’s publicist for five years and was responsible for landing Jennifer Lopez her very first magazine cover
Other clients serviced by Reyes Entertainment are CBS Nickelodeon Networks, Telemundo Networks, Twentieth Century Fox Filmed Entertainment Fox Atomic, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Columbia Pictures as well as many independent film and video releases. This includes “The Other Conquest” whose executive producer was opera legend Plácido Domingo.
Reyes said he is doing his part to unmarginalize Latinos working in Hollywood and share their accomplishments with both Spanish and English language media.
Herald de Paris Deputy Managing editor, Dr. Al Carlos Hernandez, who teaches University Public Realtions management, was honored to speak with Reyes about post modern public relations.
AC: What, in your early years, attracted you to the entertainment business? How did your family react? Who was your greatest supporter?
GR: I was attracted to the arts from an early age but I did not decide to pursue a career in the Arts until I was in college. I believe I am an artist at heart and artistic pursuits make me the happiest.
Like many Latinos, my parents were not keen on my pursuing a career in show business but they knew little of my life since I left home at 18 and they were not an obstacle to me.
I’ve had great supporters later in my career but very few that I can remember as a kid or teenager. Growing up in South Texas in those days, a gay kid who liked music and dancing could expect to have very few friends or “supporters.”
AC: You were a professional dancer, do you still dance? Tell us about your drawing and painting. You also write under pseudonyms – what kind of writing do you like to do?
GR: I started dance classes while still in high school. I continued in college and performed in several classical ballets as well as Modern and Jazz concerts and musicals. When I lived in NYC, I had the life of a “hoofer,” going to dance class every day and auditioning for Broadway, off-Broadway and summer stock. I performed in several off-Broadway shows both as an actor and a dancer and I never wanted to do summer stock because I did not want to leave NYC.
I still give myself a class at least three times a week consisting of a 10 min. warm up and 30 mins. of combinations across the floor. When I don’t dance, I do yoga or go running. My weight is my nemesis.
I’ve always liked to write and consider myself a decent writer. I enjoy writing about the subtle “back stories” taking place behind our human and institutional facades. I enjoy the Sci Fi genre as a convention because when you take the action out of the known world, you are free to explore closely-held taboos that no one is allowed to speak of.
AC: Why did you give up performance and make the transition to the business side of things so early in your career?
GR: I gave up performing early in my career because I felt that being seen as a “Latino” actor was limiting and I decided to pursue a career communicating to American media the truth about who Latinos really are and especially our American-ness, which has always been and continues to be questioned in the national conversation. I guess I felt I had a “bigger” calling.
AC: As a former performer, does this help or hinder your relationship with the artists with whom you work?
GR: I find that being someone who knows what it feels to get onstage and perform is infinitely helpful to my relationships with artists I work with. It allows me to speak to them in the language of the craft and exercise an empathy that I don’t think they get from someone who’s never done it.
AC: Do you regret not continuing as a performer? PR people are often considered the wind beneath peoples wings and the real unsung heroes. Don’t you miss the adulation?
GR: Sometimes I regret not continuing as a performer but it’s never too late. I can still be a “hoofer” in my old age.
And yes, I am and have been the wind beneath many peoples’ wings in my PR career but I think that’s what a good PR person does and so I don’t consider myself an unsung hero.
I don’t miss the adulation because it doesn’t drive me. Helping others is what drives me and I daresay I get plenty of adulation for my work and what I accomplish in my career.
AC: Why public relations and not artist management and/or producing?
GR: Because I’m a good publicist and am very successful at it and I’m doing what I’m good at. Although, I don’t discount the other two.
AC: Who was your first big client? When was the moment you knew that your company was going to be successful?
GR: My first client was Nely Galan and her production company Galan Entertainment. She’s still one of my dearest friends and mentors to this day.
And, of course, Latina Magazine. I’m proud to have been the magazine’s first publicist and continued on their masthead for over five years. Latina’s founder, Christy Haubegger, is one of my best friends in the world to this day.
AC: You were the one who helped put Jennifer Lopez on the map. What did you see in her that told you she would be big? Who is the next J-Lo?
GR: I met Jennifer Lopez back in the early 90’s when Galan Entertainment was developing an independent film and she was attached to it. I was first struck by her tenacity and strength of character as a rising young actress, navigating the world of show business. She was doing a summer series for CBS called “Second Chances.” Then, I saw her in Gregory Nava’s My Family/Mi Familia. Her performance was so intense and heartfelt and her face was a vision of loveliness up on the big screen. She has that sparkle in the eye that’s unmistakable star quality. When it came time to choose Latina Magazine’s first cover, I felt she was a clear stand out and I’m glad Christy and her editor agreed!
It’s hard to say who is the next J-Lo because Jennifer is a triple-threat and veryfew stars have the ability to act, sing and dance very well like she does.
I’d like to add that this year Jennifer’s career has hit a new apex with her appearance as a judge on American Idol. She has given America a chance to meet and know the real Jennifer and it been a great benefit for the show.
AC: You work on many platforms: film, TV shows, film festivals. Which platform do you like the most and which are the hardest to facilitate?
GR: Early on in my career, I decided that I wouldn’t be limited to one category but would try to master several in the entertainment and media spaces. Each one is a world unto itself and each discipline has its own set of dedicated media so it’s important to go wide as well as deep.
I love all media and don’t have a favorite platform. Although the internet’s versatility and accessibility is undeniably a strong contender. I would say they are all difficult to facilitate because of our relentlessly competitive 24/7 news cycle, which often rewards sensationalism over substance with plenty of air time. As publicists, we are always looking for that link between the news of the day and the client we are promoting.
AC: Early in your career you made the decision to specialize in Latino/Hispanic markets. Why? How has this US based market changed over the years? Good/Bad?
GR: I chose to specialize in the U.S. Latino markets because Latinos were being grossly underserved by mainstream media. Even today, the national conversation is generally negative towards Hispanics and rampant with the stereotypes pushed by media and entertainment. I would say that while there are many more Latinos working in entertainment and media, our image in the national consciousness is more negative today than even a decade ago.
AC: You have always campaigned for changing the way Hollywood views Latinos and for the integration of Hispanics into main steam media. How has that changed over the last 15 years? What needs to happen to make things equitable?
GR: I’ve been working in the Hispanic media and entertainment space for over 15 years. Whereas we’ve seen much more integration of Hispanics into mainstream media, I find that we are still absent from much of the national conversation and when most Americans do think of Hispanics; it is not in a favorable light.
As an example: At last year’s Rally to Restore Sanity, Jon Stewart, the darling of political correctness and someone who should know better, opened his speech by noting that the audience “looks like America: 75% white, 20% black and 5% other.” I’m sure he had heard about Latinos being the largest and fastest-growing “minority” group in the U.S., he just forgot, you see. Latinos just were not on his mind, even when talking about the make up of the U.S. population. Invisible.
AC: How did it feel to be considered one of Hollywood’s most influential Hispanics?
GR: It felt great to be chosen one of Hollywood’s most influential Hispanics and I’m grateful to those who consider it so. I also know that, like everything else, it is just for the moment and tomorrow someone else will have that honor. It’s all good.
AC: How has new media, especially the social networks, changed the way public relations is handled? According to Mark Levine there are only two speeds: Fast and Dead. What do you think?
GR: It is true that technology and the advent of social media have changed the practicing of public relations but even before this phenomenon, our growing 24/7 news cycle demands content and it is up to publicists to “think on their feet” to take advantage of every conceivable opportunity to gain awareness for our clients.
I also think that competition for attention leads many to playing loose with facts and serve up misinformation.
AC: What is a typical day like for you? Why do you have offices in several states?
GR: On a typical day, I start out by answering emails and updating social media pages. I check in with clients on the day’s projects and progress and follow through on phone calls. I usually have a business lunch and a yoga or dance class break. I spend my afternoons returning phone calls, emails, talking with clients, journalists and attending to the business of the day.
On evenings when I don’t have a business dinner or an event, I wind up my day with a light dinner and catching up on readings or doing a bit of writing, drawing or painting.
AC: Do you think that by specializing in Latino/Hispanic media it has limited you or has excluded you from more mainstream projects? Have you, like many actors, been typecast?
GR: In some instances I’ve been typecast as a “Latino” publicist and many have thought that, because I’m Latino and speak Spanish, I only deal with Spanish-language media. That’s a misconception. The most important reason I started my business is to tell our story into the mainstream media world. However, this is the pervasive mindset that still exists today: People think that because we clamor for our place in the sun, Latinos want to be separated as a group, but just the opposite is true. We clamor for a place in the sun, ALONGSIDE the rest of Americans and NOT separate.
AC: What are some of the positive signs Hollywood is showing Hispanic talent? What are some of the lingering negatives?
GR: Almost everyone in Hollywood now knows about the Hispanic market and wants to get into it but there are not enough Latino writers so that the Latino characters in sitcoms especially, can go beyond stereotypical. More advances have been made in dramas than in comedies where your biggest Latino stereotypes are still alive and well.
AC: What are some of your goals for your company? What would you say is your biggest success to date?
GR: My goals for my company are:
1. We want to be around for many more years to come;
2. Secure more Fortune 500 brands as clients;
3. Expand our social media and online communications platforms;
4. Do more business with Latin American brands who want to enter the U.S.Hispanic space and vice-versa.
The biggest success for Reyes Entertainment to date has been our longevity and reputation for excellent work. We are pioneers in this space and were here before the term “Latino” or “Hispanic” was commonly in use and consider our efforts key in the development of the market.
AC: Tell us about your teaching responsibility at UT at Austin? How do you view the post modern student when it comes to their understanding of public relations?
GR: In the Spring of 2011, I taught at a course at The University of Texas at Austin entitled “Integrated Communications in Latino Entertainment.” The course was meant to teach students PR and communications skills, promoting Latino entertainments towards both English and Spanish media.
The post modern student is wired for technology and also has a very short attention span. I also notice that women outnumber men in areas of university life these days.
AC: What kinds of things are you working on and what kinds of things would you like to do?
GR: Currently, we are gearing up for the launch of mun2’s new reality series “Beauties & The Boss.” We are also looking forward to the 12th Annual NY Intl. Latino Film Festival. Reyes Entertainment is the festivals agency of record for four years running. This year, the festival takes place Aug. 16-21. We also promote the amazing programming on PBS, as well as work Hispanic media for WWE and consult with Warner Bros. Pictures on the production of press assets for their films.
AC: What kind of advice would you give someone who wants to go into public relations?
GR: My advice for someone entering the PR field:
1. Learn to write a compelling story/press release;
2. Be a media junkie and know what everyone’s doing on their show, column or byline.
3. Learn how to pitch your story via phone in 10 seconds or less.
4. Learn to write a great email pitch.
5. Learn the art of writing an effective email Subject Line
6. Learn tact and manners.
7. Immerse yourself in your clients’ world. Be one of them.
8. Know why you are doing this.
AC: What are some of the things, both personally and professionally, on your “Bucket List” that you have yet to achieve?
GR: My personal and professional bucket list:
1. Spend a month travelling through Asia, Africa and Latin America;
2. Teach more young people the art of PR and Hispanic Market;
3. Produce a hit series and/or a hit film.
http://www.heralddeparis.com/hollywoods-preimere-latino-pr-guru-gabriel-reyes/136008
Miller Lite Takes Soccer Fans to the Stands at 2011 Gold Cup
Image From: www.spritandsanzone.com
Miller Lite, the exclusive beer sponsor of the 2011 CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American, and Caribbean Association Football) Gold Cup, is bringing soccer fans closer to the tournament action this summer.
This summer’s Miller Lite Taste Points promotion gives legal-drinking-age fans a chance to win an assortment of soccer-related prizes, including a VIP trip for four to the Gold Cup Final game. Consumers must text an official code found on specially marked packages and their date of birth to 80153 in order to receive their Taste Points. They then combine their Taste Points with friends to enter for a chance to win prizes. Fans also will be eligible for discounts of up to 20 percent off of Gold Cup tickets through in-store promotions featuring mail-in rebates in certain markets.
“We’re thrilled to be able to offer soccer fans unprecedented access to the Gold Cup,” said Al Patel, senior director of multicultural marketing at MillerCoors. “We encourage beer drinkers to ‘Taste Greatness’ and that’s exactly what we’re helping them do through our continued support of this great tournament. Only Miller Lite gives you the chance to win a Gold Cup experience that will make you the envy of all your friends.”
Miller Lite’s involvement with the Gold Cup will be apparent both on and off the field. In addition to signage and announcements throughout the stadium, Miller Lite will also present the “Miller Lite Man of the Match” to the top player in each game as selected by the media, as well as the “Miller Lite MVP” to the player voted the best in the tournament. The brand will be on site at games recruiting fans to sign up to be a designated driver, furthering the MillerCoors campaign to recruit one million fans to pledge to drink responsibly and always designate a driver or take a taxi when necessary. Off the field, the Gold Cup will be featured prominently in advertising, on packaging and on point-of-sale materials. The brand will create limited-edition commemorative cans and a related television spot to celebrate its role in the tournament.
The high-stakes tournament concludes with a championship game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., with the winning team earning a berth in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup as its regional representative. Gold Cup games will be played June 5 through June 25, 2011.
“Miller Lite’s partnership has proven to be a foundation for a fruitful and long-term relationship. We are looking forward to them bringing their fans into the action this season and experience the Gold Cup first hand,” said CONCACAF Deputy Secretary General Italo Zanzi.
Over the years Miller Lite has partnered with the Gold Cup in 2005, 2007 and 2009 further establishing the brand’s expanding presence and commitment to soccer. Miller Lite is also the official U.S. beer sponsor of the Chivas de Guadalajara, the premier team in Mexico’s Primera Division.
About MillerCoors
Built on a foundation of great beer brands and more than 288 years of brewing heritage, MillerCoors continues the commitment of its founders to brew the highest quality beers. MillerCoors is the second largest beer company in America, capturing nearly 30 percent of U.S. beer sales. Led by two of the best-selling beers in the industry, MillerCoors has a broad portfolio of highly complementary brands across every major industry segment. Miller Lite is the great tasting beer that established the American light beer category in 1975, and Coors Light is the brand that introduced consumers to refreshment as cold as the Rockies. MGD 64 completes the company’s premium light beer portfolio, offering consumers fresh, crisp taste at just 64 calories. MillerCoors brews premium beers Coors Banquet and Miller Genuine Draft; and economy brands Miller High Life and Keystone Light. The company also imports PeroniNastroAzzurro, Pilsner Urquell, Grolsch and Molson Canadian and offers innovative products such as Miller Chill and Sparks. MillerCoors features craft brews from the Jacob Leinenkugel Company, Blue Moon Brewing Company and the Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company. MillerCoors operates eight major breweries in the U.S., as well as the Leinenkugel’s craft brewery in Chippewa Falls, WI and two microbreweries, the 10th Street Brewery in Milwaukee and the Blue Moon Brewing Company at Coors Field in Denver. MillerCoors vision is to create America’s best beer company by driving profitable industry growth. MillerCoors insists on building its brands the right way through brewing quality, responsible marketing and environmental and community impact. MillerCoors is a joint venture of SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company.