Monthly Archive for March, 2008

Dining out is now a luxury

Published
by
Matt Reyes
on March 31, 2008
in Economy and In-Store Marketing
. 0 Comments

Buying milk at gas stations lately? Well, at least some customers are doing so.

Recent fluctuations in the economy have caused customers to rethink where they eat, drink, and have fun. With food prices rising nearly 5% in 2007, people are becoming increasingly price-sensitive to goods and services.

Consequently, retailers are looking for incentives to keep their customers in their stores.

Enters the opportunity: In-store marketing!

Brands must cater to customers who are price-sensitive to their products in ways that will be contextually pertinent (entertainment, buy/get offers, etc.) for its customers.

As Becky says,

in-store marketing has the power to persuade, the power to motivate, and the power to create brand experiences on a very personal level day in and day out.”

Let that power work for you!

¡Dos Pulgares Arriba!

Published
by
Matt Reyes
on March 28, 2008
in Latino Cinema
. 0 Comments

Click here to watch the trailer! 

Baseball team targets Hispanics

Published
by
Grecia Montelongo
on March 28, 2008
in Business Solutions and Sports
. 0 Comments

diamondback.gifHispanics are being sought after by the Diamonbacks in an effort to expand their fanbase. In a state like Arizona, where the Hispanic population has reached 29.2%, they are key for the baseball league to improve their incoming revenue.

The Diamonbacks hope to achieve the same success that was attained by the LA Dodgers when they hired lefthanded pitcher Fernando Valenzuela , whose popularity with fans become known as “Fernandomania”. Since Diamondbacks can’t count on the next Valenzuela to draw in Hispanic fans, their efforts will have to take another form.

So how can the Diamondback cater to the Latino public?? According to president Derrick Hall, “You have to have bilingual signs. You have to have bilingual employees.” They are currently hiring Spanish speaking ticket booth operators “So if they’re not comfortable communicating in English, there is someone they can speak with.” They also try to find Spanish-speaking operators and tour guides, but they are “hard to keep” because they are in such high demand in the area.

Other efforts done by the Diamondbacks include reaching out through Hispanics through their media with special promotions, working with Univision and Spanish language newspapers such as La Voz and TV y Mas. The Diamondbacks broadcast all 162 regular season games on radio in Spanish. They also offer the largest Spanish TV package in Major League Baseball with 50 games shown on a Phoenix UHF channel. For the past two seasons they have staged Hispanic bands for post game concerts, which Hall said has drawn “huge crowds”.

Hall said one mistake that’s often made by baseball teams is to promote only Hispanic players to the Hispanic fans. Although they might have special connection to certain players, Hispanic fans are committed to the entire team.

Hispanic Youth Culture Fashion Trends Influence the U.S. Landscape

Published
by
Angelica Rosales
on March 26, 2008
in Demographics and Latino Fashion
. 2 Comments

From Label Networks Global Youth + Street Culture Intelligence:

cr15533021.jpgLabel Networks’ Hispanic Youth Culture Study 07’ uncovered new results on how the growing demographic of 13-24-year-olds in the United States is impacting the future of fashion in the youth culture in terms of top brands, influences, spending patterns, lifestyle traits, and trends.

With Hispanics being the 2nd largest population group in the United States, and the fastest growing demographic of young people overall, it is important to note what is influencing their fashion trends. The study looks at the Hispanic youth culture as a profile compared with other demographics; top new brands are unexpectedly considered favorites. The source for finding out about these new styles is greatly influenced from the streets over other fashion mediums.

Stores have been seen as not being as influential because many young people do not think that they represent their lifestyle. The internet is also an important fashion source for 15-17 year olds. The brand name has interestingly been discovered to not be as influential in terms of buying a specific brand among Hispanic youth culture and instead aspects of style, comfort, and fit outweigh the brand name itself.

In global youth culture studies, the question, “Which country do you think is producing the freshest fashion trends today?” was asked:

· 40.3% overall in the Hispanic Youth Culture Study believe that the USA is producing the freshest fashion trends.

· Of these, 56.1% of males and 29.3% of females have a real sense of nationalistic pride for the USA producing the freshest fashion trends.

The spending patterns related to fashion in general as well as denim, T-shirts, and footwear, represent a market opportunity for new brands to make headway as well as a renovation of fresh ideas for older brands. Look out for Hispanic youth inspired fashion in the very near future!

Latinos represent in SXSW music fest

Published
by
Grecia Montelongo
on March 26, 2008
in Latino Music
. 0 Comments

chiquita violentaThe SXSW Musicchiquita violentachiquita violenta Festival was in full swing in Austin on the second week of March.

Among the Latin offerings this year were shows from Allison, Delux, Panda, Mala Rodriguez, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Circo, Ceci Bastida, Montenegro, David Garza, Monareta, Upground, Sussie 4, Fobia, Chikita Violenta and more.

Chikita Violenta were among the most raved about with their Indie, new sound unlike the others. Their new record, Stars and Suns Sessions, was produced by David Newfeld of Broken Social Scene in Toronto and his influence clearly shows. Their sound is heavily driven by keyboard and synthesizer. They also chose to sing in English instead of their native language, which clearly shows a desire to break out in the general market.

Check them out!

chiquita violenta