Archive → Diciembre, 2011
NBC News Preps Latino-Focused, English-Language Site
By Laura Martinez (Multichannel News). NBC News in early 2012 will launch NBC Latino, an English Hispanic news and lifestyle website.
The site, which is currently live as a Tumblr feed (http://nbclatino.tumblr.com), focuses on English-language information that is relevant to U.S. Hispanics and promises a unique Latino angle on current news.
In addition to current NBC contributors, the site will be home to Hispanic perspectives and opinion pieces. On Wednesday (Dec. 14), the site featured an eclectic mix of topics, from immigration reform and the campaign of Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich to a recipe for Cuban eggnog.
According to the site’s “About Us” page, NBC Latino is edited by Chris Pena, a 16-year media veteran who has worked as assistant news director at NBC owned-and-operated station WMAQ in Chicago. Pena, a native of the Dominican Republic, has also worked at Telemundo-owned KTMD in Houston.
Other contributors include Betti Cortina, the former editorial director of Latina magazine; Maria Eugenia Alcon; Nina Terrero and former Fox News Latino producer Adrian Carrasquillo.
NBC Latino is only the latest of a series of websites attempting to tap into the growing demographic of English-speaking Hispanics. Fox News in October 2010 launched Fox Latino and Univision, the king of Spanish-language media, launched its own English-language news Tumblr site at http://univisionnews.tumblr.com/
The goal of the NBCLatino.com is to tell and reflect the Hispanic-American story with authentic voices, and make NBC the brand of choice for Hispanics across mobile, online and TV, a network representative said. The official site launch is planned for early 2012.
“NBC Latino will be able to tap into NBC News’ already vast collection of resources and platforms, including the close network partnership with Telemundo and msnbc.com,” the network said.
http://nglc.biz/2011/12/16/nbc-news-preps-latino-focused-english-language-site/
Prepárate: Marketing to Latinos Major League (Soccer) Style
Last month, we broke down all MLS teams and how they connect with the Hispanic audience. Some teams’ efforts were minimal, but those of other teams were highly effective. Leading the pack was Sporting KC. After reading our post, Sinhue Mendoza, Latino Marketing Manager at Sporting Kansas City Soccer Club, reached out to us to share his thoughts. And, a simple call quickly turned into a highly insightful conversation.
Prepárate (Get ready!)
Fútbol is without doubt the world’s number one sport. But in Latin America, no one loves the sport more than Latinos. However, in the US, fútbol has not quite lifted the masses spirits like in the rest of the world.
Knowing that US Hispanics would be more prone to attend fútbol games because of their family traditions, teams focused on building sales teams to reach out to the Latino audience. What they did not do was build Hispanic marketing and communication teams to best reach these audiences, who in the long run could become brand ambassadors and diehard fans. And where there are diehard fans, there is high flying dinero.
Eric Osuna Named VP of Spanish Broadcasting System – Los Angeles
Respected Executive Assumes Important Role as Head of SBS Los Angeles
Spanish Broadcasting System has appointed Eric Osuna to Vice President of Sales for SBS Los Angeles. Mr. Osuna will oversee all advertising sales and operations for KLAX 97.9FM- La Raza 97.9, and KXOL 96.3FM- Latino 96.3. He will also be responsible for growing and overseeing the revenue in all of the company’s divisions for the Los Angeles market. Based in Los Angeles, California, he will report directly to Donny Hudson, VP of Consolidated Sales for SBS.
Mr. Osuna comes to SBS with 17 years of advertising sales experience. Most recently, he worked at Univision Radio as the central team manager overseeing consolidated national revenue for the Univision owned and operated stations in California including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fresno and San Diego. Eric previously held a Sales Management position at Katz Media in Chicago and an Account Executive position at La Opinion.
Osuna is a Mexican native, born in Mazatlan, Sinaloa in Mexico and raised in Los Angeles, California. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising Communication from California State University at Fullerton in 1996. Among his passions, is his affinity for outdoor activities with his family.
Barcelona Soccer Team Partners With Chinese Internet Firm To Develop Its Brand
Spanish soccer team FC Barcelona and the Chinese internet company Tencent have agreed to work together to develop Barcelona’s brand in the Asian country. They will make use of Tencent’s many social media sites to grow the team’s presence and merchandising potential in China’s burgeoning market.
Tencent will develop a Chinese website for FC Barcelona and commercialize applications and mobile games using the brand, with all content subject to the club’s approval. The Spanish soccer giant already has a strong social media presence in western markets and is looking to extend that with the Chinese sites that Tencent owns. The country’s largest instant messaging platform QQ has 900 million users, social media site Qzone has 500 million, social network Pengyou has 130 million and the “Chinese Twitter” Tencent Weibo has 300 million users.
China’s promising market is being targeted by many brands and by combining all of these social media services, Barcelona would be able to greatly increase its web presence in the country, allowing the club to reach a massive audience and increase its revenue.
Cosmopolitan Magazine announces Hispanic Market strategy
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Cosmopolitan announced that the title is creating a strategy to help advertisers reach the growing Hispanic market.
“Today, Cosmo reaches nearly one in four Hispanic women in the U.S. over the age of 18 and is the number one monthly magazine in English that reaches Latinas,” said Donna Kalajian Lagani, SVP, publishing director and chief revenue officer of Cosmopolitan. “Advertisers are focusing sharply on the Hispanic market, but the untold story is that the new generation of Latina is consuming her media in English, and is looking for content that is just for her. We feel that Cosmo is uniquely positioned to help advertisers reach this audience.”
The magazine is creating a Cosmo-branded editorial package aimed at the English-speaking Hispanic audience that will include a twice-yearly stand-alone print and digital edition called Cosmopolitan Latina to launch in May 2012, as well as bonus content in targeted copies of the monthly edition of Cosmo.
Michelle Herrera Mulligan has been tapped as editor of the stand-alone edition. Most recently the managing editor of LasFabulosas.com.
“I’m thrilled to be part of this project,” said Herrera Mulligan. “By speaking our bicultural language, Cosmo shows that it’s in touch with the exploding Latino demographic. And who better to celebrate the indomitable Latina spirit than the Fun, Fearless, Female?”
“Launching new businesses that address the ever-changing needs of consumers is something that we do especially well,” said David Carey, president of Hearst Magazines. “Cosmopolitan is taking a smart step into the future by focusing on a growing segment of the population that is eager for media that speaks to them.”
http://hispanicad.com/cgi-bin/news/newsarticle.cgi?article_id=33388
Rock in Rio Connects Music Lovers and Advertisers
The 25 major sponsors included Heineken, Banco Itau — which underwrote zip-lining and a giant Ferris wheel, respectively — Coca-Cola and Volkswagen. Among the at-least 350 products licensed and heavily advertised: Rock in Rio-branded versions of Trident gum and the Volkswagen Gol, and a clothing line from local retailer Leader.
“The seven days of the music festival itself are the cherry on the cake,” said Rodolfo Medina, head-marketing and commercial of Rock in Rio. He and Roberta Medina now run the festival started by their father, who remains its creative head. The first Rock in Rio festivals were held in 1985, 1991 and 2001. The event moved to Spain and Portugal between 2004 and 2010, with Rock in Rio Madrid and Rock in Rio Lisboa. With this year’s success and the country’s economy booming, the next Rock in Rio is scheduled for Brazil in 2013. A strong brand now, it plans to introduce a namesake stage musical in Brazilian theaters next year, as well as a TV channel and radio station. The festival will also be the theme of a prominent samba school in the 2013 Carnaval parade. “Rock in Rio will become a permanent lifestyle line, always developing products in different segments,” said Ms. Medina, the company’s global spokeswoman. She also handles related sustainability and social projects, including raising funds for music instruction in poor communities. She gained celebrity in Portugal as a judge on a local “American Idol”-type TV show. The Medinas intend to continue the international expansion by taking Rock in Rio to at least two new countries in the next five years; they also hope to be in the U.S. within the next decade.
http://adage.com/article/special-report-hottest-global-brands/global-hottest-brands-rock-rio/231290/
Cuba develops its own Social Network
Facebook is without a doubt the dominant social network around the world, although there are certain countries where other networks predominate. Brazil has Orkut, China has Ren Ren and Russia has VKontakte. Cuba never had its own network until now, with the advent of Red Social. Created by the Cuban Ministry of Education with the aim of connecting universities around the country, the social network is only accessible through an intranet on the island.
News of the network was first reported on the Cuban blog La Chiringa de Cuba by Carlos Alberto Pérez Benitez. The site uses a Facebook clone address that is inaccessible from the United States (just try it: http://facebook.ismm.edu.cu/). It is also interesting to note that last year Cuba launched its own sort of Wikipedia, Ecu Red which offers a Cuban view of things (often with a strong political tone). Given the political uprising in Egypt earlier this year, which was fueled by participation on Facebook, closed regimes are nervous about the potential for political organizing on social networks. This may explain Cuba’s decision to start Red Social. And since only 2% of Cubans have internet access, it’s unlikely that Facebook will be pursuing legal action about the very similar designs and the use of their domain name any time soon.
http://www.reachhispanic.com/2011/12/05/cuba-develops-its-own-social-network/
Emilio Romano Is Named President of Telemundo
Emilio Romano, a former aviation-industry and Grupo Televisa executive from Mexico, has been named president of Telemundo by NBC Universal. He starts in October and will oversee Spanish-language TV network Telemundo, Telemundo International, Telemundo’s Digital Media group, and cable channel Mun2, reporting to Lauren Zalaznick, chairman NBC Universal Entertainment and Digital Networks and Integrated Media.
Mr. Romano, 45, is president-CEO of Air Group Latin America, an investment holding company in the aerospace industry, according to his LinkedIn profile and his bio on the website of Brazilian airline TAM Linhas Aereas, whose board he joined in 2009. At the time, TAM said Mr. Romano was president-CEO of Grupo Puerta Alameda, a real-estate development and investment company with operations in the U.S. and Mexico.
NBC has been conducting a search for a president since the retirement of NBC veteran Don Browne was abruptly announced in April 2011 soon after Comcast took over NBC.
Mr. Romano began his career in the Mexican Foreign Ministry and later worked for Mexican media giant Televisa, where he was director of mergers and acquisitions and later VP of international operations in the late 1990s. He also co-managed Mexican cable network Cablevision. From 1995 to 1998, he was on the board of directors for Univision Communications, in which Televisa is a major shareholder as well as the largest program provider.
He was CEO of Mexican airline Grupo Mexicana de Aviacion from 2004 to 2007, and was responsible for the airline’s largest financial restructuring and sale to an investor group; the airline later entered bankruptcy and went out of business in 2010. He was also behind the launch of Mexico’s first low-cost carrier, Click Mexicana, now called MexicanaClick.
Mr. Romano lives in Miami with his wife and two daughters.
http://adage.com/article/hispanic-marketing/emilio-romano-named-president-telemundo/229933/
The Big Auto Opportunity
Hispanics love their trucks. Trucks are rugged, versatile, useful and dependable. So Hispanic auto purchases are dominated by pickups, right?
Well, no. In its 2011 Polk Insights report, automotive marketing firm R.L. Polk named compacts as the leading Hispanic purchase segment, at 20.35 percent. No. 2 was standard midsize cars, at 15.5 percent. Large pickups came in third, at 8.85 percent.
This depends on what part of the country you’re in and who’s doing the talking, of course. Hispanics in oil country want trucks, and don’t flinch when gas hits $4 a gallon, as Ralph Gray points out in his story on Page 18, while car buyers in Denver and South Florida favor Ford Fiestas and Toyota Priuses. The top domestic brand in the Hispanic market is Chevrolet, according to Polk.
“Chevy has had an exceptional YTD 2011, seeing an increase of 37 percent in sales to Hispanics,” says General Motors spokeswoman Nina Price. She attributes the rise in sales to increased relevance of Hispanic consumers, “and the very successful launch of the Chevy Cruze” in the competitive compact car segment. The Cruze is Chevy’s No. 2 nameplate among Hispanics.
Strategic Visions, a San Diego company that studies how consumers make buying decisions, says in its 2011 New Vehicle Experience Survey that the top three things Hispanic consumers look for in a vehicle are image, manufacturer reputation, and exterior styling. Cost, monthly payments, interest rates and credit terms all rate low on the list.
“Something that is really important for a Hispanic consumer is that a car makes a statement,” says Alvaro Cabal, multicultural communications manager for Ford. “Something that says, ‘This is my car.’”
Also big on the list is technology such as MyFord Touch with SYNC. “(It) allows you to link any type of smartphone to your car and allows Hispanics to be connected with their families,” he says. And don’t forget a personalized sound system. “We love that,” he says. “I can download everything in my car, and I can say, ‘Play Shakira.’ And I can say it in Spanish: ‘¡Toca Shakira!’”
The Market Share
Asian automakers are tops with Hispanic consumers, according to Marc Bland, head of diversity and inclusion at Polk. “The group that has the largest Hispanic share right now is Toyota” with 17.26 percent. However, he says, “The brand to watch would be Chevrolet.” Chevy’s share increased by 1.04 percent between January and August 2011, while Toyota’s dropped by 3.11 percent.
But Japan isn’t panicking just yet. “We see no major outflow to other brands, especially domestics,” says Joe Tetherow, national manager of product communications, Toyota Motor Sales USA. “Toyota has been the No. 1 brand among Hispanics since 2004.”
Although the Hispanic auto market share is down from a high of 10.6 percent of the market in 2006, according to Polk, the Hispanic market is recovering from the Great Recession faster than the U.S. market as a whole.
After hitting bottom between 2008 and 2009, “the industry bounced back and grew another 15.4 percent” between 2010 and 2011, Mr. Bland says. “The ethnic group outpaced the industry by 3 percent at 18.1, rounded. That ethnic group was led by Hispanics, which had a market-leading 22.7 percent growth year over year.”
The Hispanic market share grew from 8.61 percent in 2010 to 9.16 percent in 2011, he says.
Where Are the Trucks?
Big pickups are perennial big sellers among Hispanics. “The Silverado nameplate continues to dominate among the Chevrolet nameplates sold to Hispanics, with 23 percent of total sales,” says Ms. Price. Silverado owners are “known for keeping their trucks and passing them down generation to generation,” she adds.
“The Ram 1500 and Ram 2500 are among the best performing Chrysler nameplates among Hispanic consumers,” says Chrysler spokeswoman Eileen Wunderlich. The Ram 1500 alone accounts for 13.4 percent of Chrysler’s Hispanic market share, according to Polk.
To further capture the Hispanic market, Ram rolled out a multimedia bilingual ad campaign at the State Fair of Texas in October. “Texas is ‘the heart of the Hispanic market,’” says Fred Diaz, president and CEO of Ram Truck Brand and Chrysler de Mexico, Chrysler Group LLC.
Representatives from Ford were at the fair to promote their trucks, too. “The F-150 is still No. 1 in sales over pretty much any brand and any style,” Mr. Cabal says. “It’s a workhorse for the week and a sedan for the weekend.”
A Growing Market
By far the fastest-growing brand among young Hispanics, however, is Buick. From 2010 to 2011, the brand had a year-over-year volume increase of 73.9 percent among brands with at least 0.25 percent of the 18- to 34-year-old Hispanic market share, says Mr. Bland, followed by Chrysler at 58 percent and Kia at 50 percent. Top model for Buick in the age group? The Enclave SUV.
When asked what effect Hispanic consumers have on the auto market, carmakers agree that Hispanics are in the driver’s seat. “Hispanics command a huge influence on the auto industry,” says Mr. Tetherow. “With a total U.S. population of more than 50 million, Hispanics account for 9 percent of all U.S. buying power—$1.1 trillion.”
After the recession, “Hispanic consumers came back to buy cars and trucks faster and more aggressively than the general market,” Mr. Cabal says. “Automotive companies are looking at the Hispanic market, and they see a big opportunity.”
Mr. Bland says: “If the industry overall grew at the same pace as the Hispanic consumption of vehicles, that would result in an incremental 358,000 units.” At a “very conservative” $25,000 per vehicle, “that would have generated another $8.95 billion. It’s a philosophical thing, but I put it out there to get people to understand how important the ethnic markets are.”
http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/2011/12/1/the_big_auto_opportunity.htm
Disney’s Los Muppets Soundtrack Released in Spanish
ALBUM FEATURES BELOVED CHARACTERS SINGING BRAND NEW SONGS AND UPDATED MUPPET CLASSICS
Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy and the whole Muppet gang are back and ready for their felt-frenzied close-up, as Walt Disney Records is set to release the Spanish language version of the soundtrack to Disney’s Los Muppets, the brand new big-screen adventure starring Jason Segel, Amy Adams and the beloved Muppets. Featuring songs written by Bret McKenzie (“Flight of the Conchords”), updated versions of Muppet classics and familiar hits given the Muppet treatment, the Spanish language soundtrack arrives in stores and at online retailers December 6, 2011.
McKenzie, who created, co-wrote, executive produced and starred in the hit HBO television series “Flight of the Conchords,” is the music supervisor, as well as the writer/producer of four original songs, including “Life’s a Happy Song,” “Let’s Talk About Me,” “Man or Muppet” and “Me Party.” McKenzie also produced “Pictures in My Head” and “Rainbow Connection.”
“Music was always an integral part of the ‘The Muppet Show’ and Muppet films,” McKenzie said. “It’s hard to think of the Muppets without thinking of songs like ‘Rainbow Connection’ or ‘Mah Na Mah Na.’ The Muppets don’t sound like anyone else and that’s what’s great about them. It was a huge honor to work on ‘The Muppets’ and I took the job very seriously, even when I was recording a man pretending to be a penguin.”
The Muppets turn in new renditions of “The Muppet Show Theme” (co-written by Jim Henson, the song opened and closed “The Muppet Show” for five seasons in the US and UK, from 1976-1981), the treasured Muppet classic and Academy Award-nominated “Rainbow Connection,” (penned by Oscar-winning composer Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher) as well as the original 1969 version of “Mah Na Mah Na.” The felt gloves come off in new Muppet interpretations of Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
Also included are the original versions of Paul Simon’s 1972 hit “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” and Starship’s 1985 chart-topper “We Built This City.” The album also features 15 dialogue interstitials from the film.
The following is a complete song list:
- “The Muppet Show Theme” – Performed by The Muppets, this is an updated version of the theme beloved for decades.
- “Life’s a Happy Song” – Sung by Gary, Mary and Walter the Muppet, this is one of the key tracks in the score that onscreen grows from a simple tune to an epic production number. “I wrote this in New Zealand when I was in a particularly good mood,” says McKenzie. “I sat down at the piano and it came out very quickly.”
- “Pictures in My Head” – Kermit the Frog takes a solo turn in this sweetly humorous ballad, in which he remembers only the good stuff about his glory days with his fellow Muppets.
- “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” – Paul Simon’s immortal hit from his 1972 self-titled solo album, perfectly captures the spirited fun of the film.
- “Rainbow Connection (Moopets Version)” – Written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher, this is perhaps the best-known, best-loved Muppets song of all time. Here it is utterly twisted up by The Moopets (Fozzie Bear’s tribute band to the original Muppets).
- “We Built This City” – Starship’s #1 smash hit from 1985 makes the perfect backdrop as the Muppets strive to save their studio.
- “Me Party” – Destined to become a classic, Miss Piggy and Mary team up for this upbeat, disco diva throw down.
- “Let’s Talk About Me” – One of the soundtrack’s most pleasant surprises is this die-hard hip-hop track, performed with charming malevolence by Tex Richman.
- “Man or Muppet” – Performed by Gary and Walter, this power ballad is sung during one of the film’s emotional high points.
- “Smells Like Teen Spirit” – The Muppet Barbershop Quartet of Rowlf, Beaker, Link Hogthrob and Sam the Eagle, takes on the timeless Nirvana hit. Kurt Cobain probably never imagined his music could be Muppetized.
- “Forget You” – Wildly popular and often copied as Cee Lo Green’s classic may be, it’s guaranteed that no one has ever heard a clucked-up rendition like this one from Muppets Camilla and the Chickens.
- “Rainbow Connection” – Here it is, the Oscar-nominated ballad from “The Muppet Movie” (1979) sung by the beloved Muppet gang.
- “The Whistling Caruso” – Noted whistling virtuoso Andrew Bird puckers his way through this delightful, wordless interlude, performed in the film by Walter.
- “Life’s a Happy Song Finale” – The entire cast teams up for a reprise of the opening number, in a joyous finale that audiences will not soon forget. Shooting the scene shut down Hollywood Boulevard for two nights and featured 80 dancers and 300 extras.
- “Mah Na Mah Na” – The memorable track from the original “The Muppet Show,” performed by Mahna Mahna and The Snowths.
On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world’s biggest Muppet fan, his brother Gary (Jason Segel) and Gary’s girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets’ former stomping grounds. To stage a telethon and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate. With a screenplay by Jason Segel & Nicholas Stoller, the film is directed by James Bobin. Featuring signature celebrity cameos, Disney’s “The Muppets” is in theaters now.
Disney’s Los Muppets Spanish language soundtrack will be available wherever music is sold on Dec. 6, 2011. For more information on Walt Disney Records’ releases, please visit Disney.com/music, become a fan at Facebook.com/disneymusic or follow us at Twitter.com/disneymusic.
http://www.hispanicprblog.com/hispanic-culture-news/the-muppets-en-espanol.html