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The holiday season is a time for gathering and celebrating with friends and family, gift-giving, reflection and thanks. To commemorate this time of year, the U.S. Census Bureau presents the following holiday-related facts and figures from its data collection.

Retailers are seeing an increase in both the cash value amount and use of gift cards among Hispanics.

According to Comdata Stored Value Solutions’ (CSVS) fifth annual gift card survey, Hispanics received gift cards with the highest average value among all ethnic groups at an average balance of $71, compared to $41 for Caucasians and $60 for African-Americans. The Hispanic total was a 33 percent increase over last year.

Internet users, more than ever before, are multitasking and incorporating different and new media types into an interconnected experience, according to a recent survey by Burst Media. The study found that over four-fifths (82.4%) of respondents are involved with another media, activity, or device while online. Among these multi-taskers, nearly one-quarter (23.6%) are “super-taskers” juggling four or more tasks while online. Watching television (58.3%) is the most common offline activity connected with Internet consumption.

According to a new study by BDO Seidman, LLP, almost three-quarters (73%) of chief marketing officers at leading U.S. retailers believe discounting and promotions will be more plentiful this holiday season compared to 2006 due to the current credit crunch.

A few weeks ago, a column by Cory Treffiletti (“A Little Advice on Presenting and Selling”) served those of us in sales an insightful reminder of the preparation required to conduct a positive sales call experience. Cory’s column was also a bit disturbing as he gleefully detailed how he kicked a salesperson out of his office for failing to prepare properly.

AT&T Inc. announced the introduction of three Spanish TV advertisements featuring famous Latino celebrities. Mexican actress Angelica Vale, Grammy winner Gloria Estefan and entertainment reporters Raul de Molina and Lili Estefan — from the show “El Gordo y la Flaca” — lend their talents to the humorous and musical vignettes.

The ANA (Association of National Advertisers) today announced the winners of the 2007 Multicultural Excellence Awards. Now in its seventh year, the awards recognize ANA member companies and marketers for producing outstanding multicultural advertising campaigns that ran between June 2006 and May 2007.

Dell launches access to personalized computing through dedicated Spanish-language sales and support, along with a financing program.