This is one of the commercials that the team of AlcanceMG enjoyed most as its message is funny and intelligent at the same time.
We would like to share it with you so you can see how to combine the excellence of this car with easily learning Spanish.

I have a friend who wants to buy it already!

Marketing to Hispanics

Earlier this year, the 2010 Census figures were released. It was reported that the United States is now home to over 50 million Hispanics. That’s a 43 percent increase over the previous ten years. This year has also marked the fact that Latinos now account for $1 trillion in annual spending power. Those are some staggering statistics if you really think about it; I would assume that companies of all shapes and sizes would want to get involved in marketing to the Hispanic community. Yet, more than half of all companies consider this market to be undeserving of their advertising dollar.

You might ask yourself, “How could this be?” California, the state in which I call home, has a population in the range of 37 million people. Would any company in their right mind ignore advertising to the people of California for one reason or another? The answer is obvious. Companies can not assume that they are reaching the Hispanic market solely by advertising to the general market. There are many Hispanics who are educated, high-income earners, whose preference is to watch Spanish language television and browse Hispanic-themed websites. Hispanics have been known to be brand-loyal and companies that are not currently marketing to Hispanics would be wise to acquire their loyalty. It would only make sense that we eventually see this come to fruition, instead of talking about this same issue years down the road.

Volkswagen Darth Vader

The Cheeseheads are still savoring their 31-25 victory over the Steelers, and while Green Bay prepared for a ticker tape parade to celebrate their champion Packers, the rest of us home viewers are left to look back on the various ads that debuted during the big game. Which were memorable? Which were controversial? And what were the emerging trends, if any?

In an informal poll conducted among my family, a favorite ad was one of Doritos’ fan videos.  An increasing trend in recent years is for fans to create their own ads for their favorite products, and Doritos has embraced this trend. It was an intrepid fan who thought of a Doritos fanatic so in love with the taste of Doritos that he licked the cheesy bits wherever he could find them…even the fingers of his co-workers. Definitely cringe-inducing, but also memorable.

Each year, popular websites make the move to TV with Super Bowl ads. Last year it was Google; this year it was two hot group buying sites, Living Social and Groupon. Both were controversial. Living Social’s ads seemed to indicate that buying its deals will transform you…from a burly fisher to a lipstick-wearing cross dresser. It was very odd. Among four Groupon ads that appeared was one featuring actor Timothy Hutton, and what we think will be an ad about the plight of Tibetans instantly changes tone and promotes Groupon, where you can buy a meal for half off at a Chicago area Tibetan restaurant! For those who found the last ad in poor taste, know that Groupon is donating funds to a charity benefiting the Tibetan cause, along with others mentioned in the other Groupon ads that aired during the Super Bowl.

Social media and the internet certainly had an impact on the reception of the ads. Didn’t like a particular spot? You can take to Twitter and let the brand know how you felt. The makers of these ads know that they will receive instant feedback, both good and bad. The Volkswagen ad featuring a young Darth Vader was leaked online a few days before the Super Bowl, where it garnered some good buzz. So both before and after the Super Bowl, advertisers know that their ads will be criticized in real time through social media.

Holiday Shopping Online

Finally. Some good news. There hasn’t been a lot of good cheer in the media and retail businesses the past couple of seasons. This year has been different however. Strong online sales have continued to show that even Santa Claus has a practical side. This is indeed good news for the online world, which has shown strong holiday growth over time and is likely to continue the trend as people look for deals and enjoy the relative convenience of purchasing online.

The only possible downside looming over the online sales horizon is that state and local governments had a very bad 2010 (not to mention 2008 and 2009), and are looking for revenue from anywhere they can get it. Online sales tax has always been a menacing specter, and it’s not likely to be going away in 2011. The smart money is on the likelihood that the battle for more tax dollars will accelerate considerably, especially after the growth in online business continues to speed up rather than slow down.

Just like every other conceivable business and industry model (with the possible exception of religious organizations), that which generates revenue will ultimately be taxed. It is inevitable. Does convenience outweigh the additional dollars that the online purchase would then cost? That remains to be seen. What is clear however is that the revenue is again flowing and that’s a far site better than the coal we’ve been getting in our stockings the past several years!

Florida Latinos

308.7 million. That is the number of people living in the Unites States in 2010, or at least those that were counted by the Census (and it’s 308,745,538 to be exact). The U.S. Census Director, Robert Groves, held a brief press conference yesterday to announce the early findings of the Census, which was conducted earlier this year.  The early data show which states had the biggest and smallest gains in population.  The initial media buzz yesterday was that Republicans were the big winners of the Census, since traditionally Republican Congressional strongholds saw gains in population numbers. But it is perhaps once we see more detailed information emerge in February 2011 (when the ethnic breakdown of the population will be released) that we will learn more about the breakdown of the U.S. population.

For example, the state with the biggest boost in population was Texas, with a population increase of nearly 4.2 million, followed by Florida, with an increase of 2.8 million.  And the state of Nevada saw the biggest percentage increase in overall population, with an increase of 35% over the 2000 Census. Though we don’t yet have ethnic data yet, previous Census data have shown that these states have the highest numbers of Latino residents. Author Joe Kutchera told Fox News, “The results from the U.S. Census confirm that the states with a heavy Hispanic population are the ‘winners’ in terms of the number of house seats gained,” said Joe Kutchera, an expert on demographic trends and author of “Latino Link: Building Brands Online with Hispanic Communities and Content.” “The growth in the U.S. is centered in the South and Southwest, regions that are heavily Hispanic.” So while states like Texas and Florida have usually trended conservative, they will also trend Hispanic in the years to come.

Keep on Clicking

The economy is starting to show something of a consistent upward trajectory; that said, continued caution among advertisers and agencies will lead to a continued shift toward online advertising, according to recent forecasts by eMarketer.

eMarketer projects a 10.5% increase in U.S. online ad spending next year, followed by double-digit growth every year through 2014, when spending will reach $40.5 billion. This is very good news indeed for those marketing and media professionals who have stayed the course and held tight to their digital convictions during the recessionary turmoil of the past several years.

Ironically, marketers’ economic concerns and pragmatism seem to be the very things that are leading them to spend more for online advertising. This trend also seems to reflect how internet advertising is becoming more and more accepted and even preferred over most traditional media. The confidence is largely driven by the ability to more closely measure and monitor their advertising expenditures against results.

Big brand marketers spend more for online video advertising (the fastest-growing format throughout the period), small and mid-size businesses spend more for banner ads, search advertising and social media. Search gets the most total dollars.

Other eMarketer forecasts indicate increases in online spending to far outpace those for total media spending, which will inch up by 1.2% next year after rising 3% in 2010. In 2014, eMarketer estimates total media ad spending will be $188.5 billion, up from $168.5 billion this year. In the final analysis, faster growth online will help propel digital from 15.3% of total U.S. ad spending in 2010 to 21.5% by 2014.

Number 2 video of the year, Kesha Tik Tok Parody

YouTube recently released a list of the ten videos that received the highest number of hits throughout 2010.  The full list, with embedded videos of the top 10, can be found around the internet.  Perusing the list offers interesting insight to who is watching YouTube (or at least certain videos repeatedly) and what makes a video go viral.

What certainly surprised me is that while the trailer for the very popular Twilight movies is on the list, it is only at number 8.  Checking in at number 5 is the Old Spice Guy (we also learn that this viral video and tremendously popular ad campaign lead to Old Spice boosting sales a whopping 107%).  And the number one video of the year on YouTube, which as of this writing has 50,272,177 views, is an auto-tuned version of a local TV news report of a home intruder.  I had never heard of it until now.  So what is going on?

I suspect that there are three factors at play here.  The first is that, while older viewers may view a video once or twice, young people are the ones who, in large numbers, create, comment on, reply to and populate the YouTube universe.  The auto-tune element, along with the silliness in tone and facial expression of young Antoine Dodson in the video, clearly appeal to younger people.  Secondly, the story features an African-American protagonist, and we have previously commented on how certain memes go viral very quickly among young African-Americans.  And third, the video is a parody.  It took something that was already funny (to some people, not this writer) and added an extra element of craziness to it.  What were your favorite videos of the year? Let us know in the comments.

Discovery Channel

The Discovery Channel has a site “En Español” called Tu Discovery, which literally means “Your Discovery”. Discovery Communications has developed a series of sites focusing on different target audiences. Discovery Channel in Spanish includes DiscoveryKids, Discovery Familia and Experiencia Discovery. This brand name creates a sense of  comfort and ownership for the Spanish-speaking user. The sites offer access to a range of services, from health issues to kids entertainment and TV programming. Those interested in science and technology can find information, blogs and videos (called infovideos), as well as useful graphics (called infografías).

The most interesting site is, in my opinion, Discovery Home and Health, where you can find advice for parenting, relationships, beauty, home decor and style (a la Martha Stewart), among other topics.  The content in Spanish is well-written and organized, and the blog posts are also interesting and informative.

Discovery en Español will  take you to Your Discovery experience with well written and well-developed sites. Enjoy discovering!

Google Virtual Library

It appears that Google Editions will be launched soon. It was initially expected last summer, but technical issues and legal problems delayed the project.  What Google Editions offers is different from other digital bookstores like Amazon, since Editions will allow the purchase of books on Google through associated vendors, and not solely through its virtual store, as is the case with Amazon. Las obras adquiridas por los usuarios se añadirán a una biblioteca personal en línea a la que se podrá acceder a través de Internet o de cualquier otro dispositivo (teléfono inteligente, computadora o tableta).

Google will allow associated websites to sell the Google Editions catalogue directly and receive a commission for the sale.  The same thing will happen if the buyer reaches Google’s digital bookstore from a site that recommended the book.  The fact that Google doesn’t have its own e-reader (like Amazon’s Kindle) means that Editions will be available to multiple platforms.

Meanwhile, Google is continuing with its plans to digitize books in the public domain and offer them for free.  A project that has met with resistance from publishing companies, and which coincides with the news published by The Washington Post that describes how Amazon will sell publishing titles that can be consulted for free through Project Guttenberg.  Amazon has offered this project online for several years now, which contains digital versions of books in the public domain.

Latinos in Social Media- Influencing the Online Sphere

No surprise that the internet, TV and radio are the media of choice, and well ahead of print forms.

Ever since the 2000 census, which revealed just how large the U.S. Hispanic population had grown, marketers have been trying to figure out how to best target that demographic. Yet after all of this time, many misconceptions remain about Hispanics and their media consumption. They are still widely thought of as big newspaper readers, for example. However, as it turns out, Hispanics are big consumers of electronic media and only light consumers of print media, and they’re also big internet users.  This is according to a recent study conducted by the Associated Press, in conjunction with Univision, Nielsen and Stanford University.

Some of the findings were significant:

Newspaper and magazine usage is significantly lower, at 36 percent and 29 percent, respectively. In fact, ahead of both print media is the internet. More than 40% per cent of the respondents visit Spanish-language web sites weekly. Nearly 75 percent of respondents have computers at home, and of that number, some 90 percent have internet service and 86 percent of that number have a high-speed connection.

The survey sampling included more than 1,500 Hispanic adults aged 18 and older, making it possibly the largest study of Hispanic-American attitudes and behaviors ever in the U.S. Nearly half of the sample was born in the U.S. with another 25% or so having lived here for a decade or more. Less than 5 percent of the respondents had been in the U.S. for less than five years. 70% of repondents were U.S. citizens.

Another very interesting fact to come out of the study was the desire among Hispanics to maintain their cultural heritage. This was shown to be true in both English and Spanish-speaking households. Of course, a very important part of that means consuming Spanish-language media.

So if you are really, really trying to target Hispanic consumers, it would be wise to make sure your marketing programs include a heavy dose of broadcast and online messages — in Spanish!