Agency

When you think about it, isn’t food the real social network of the ages? Food is, and always has been, that special bonding agent that connects family and friends—with no electronic device necessary! Whether we gather for holiday celebrations, special occasions or the traditional family dinner, food, plain and simple, brings people together. And, as the U.S. economy experienced one of the worst downturns in recent history, consumers showed a renewed focus on back-to-basics in-home cooking.

With Black Friday rapidly approaching, parents may want to get up early Friday morning to find deals, as a recent survey shows their kids are eyeing some wallet-stretching electronics this holiday season.

The holiday shopping season is underway and American consumer interest in home technology products continues to expand. Scarborough Research examined households planning purchases of several key home technology products: HDTVs, Smartphones and MP3 players.

Our research presented at the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies annual conference last month provides a glimpse into the private Internet lives of Hispanics ages 12-34 today. They follow the larger cultural trends of their age group, viewing the Internet as essential as food, air and water, but they also bring their unique cultural perspective as well.

The U.S. population is becoming increasingly diverse, and while statistics aren’t really necessary to confirm the obvious, the soon-to-be-released 2010 U.S. Census figures likely will support the multicultural boom over the past decade. Last week, national advertisers and marketers convened at a conference to discuss the implications of today’s broad and progressively more complex marketplace. Identifying “best practices” for communicating with multicultural consumers, some presenters indicated that a singular insight focused on commonalities between cultural segments should drive marketing strategy; however, the voice of Hispanic-specialized agencies, the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA), disagrees with this one-size-fits-all approach.

Available at HispanicCMO.com

While some stores differentiate themselves based on prices, others attract customers through unparalleled service, or uniquely trained sales personnel. As Americans increase their online shopping and their reading of product reviews and discussions online, will the in-store shopping experience ultimately become obsolete?

If you’re bilingual (Spanish and English), or even know a little Spanish, and have attended the back room of focus groups in the United States you probably have heard weird words like “troca” and “pompa.” The former originates from “truck” and the latter from “pump.” Neither of those words are actually Spanish words, but they have become part of Hispanics’ everyday lexicon. Use of these made-up words in marketing and advertising is arguable, but for those purists out there- like me- remember that our beloved Spanish, even in its purest form, is deeply flawed. By Miguel Gomez Winebrenner / Cheskin TO READ MORE CLICK ON EL BLOG>

El Pollo Loco, Inc. announced that it has retained the services of SelectResources International (SRI) to conduct an advertising agency review on its behalf. The new assignment will cover strategic marketing and communication needs for the flame-grilled chicken chain, including English- and Spanish-language creative (broadcast and digital), in-restaurant merchandising, and local restaurant marketing. The review will focus on advertising agencies with established offices in Southern California and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2011.

Despite the economic crisis in the U.S. which has put many out of work and forced others to accept decreased benefits and pay, two in five Americans (41%) say this Thanksgiving they feel that they have more to be thankful for than a few years ago. Another two in five (41%) say they have about as much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, compared to a few years ago and just over one in ten (13%) say they have less to be thankful for this year; 5% say they are not sure.

Teen girls spend a significant amount of their media time online. While texting and listening to music take up a bit more time each day, according to July 2010 research from Varsity, nearly a quarter of girls ages 13 to 18 spend at least 3 hours a day online, and another 37% are on the web for an hour or two daily.

At the end of the year the US Census will begin releasing data from the 2010 Census. The answer s to ten questions will have a profound impact on how we see ourselves as a nation. Across the nation you can expect to see headlines like: “Hispanic Population Grows 42%; Non Hispanic Only Grows 5%”. The coverage will be on every news outlet. In your inbox you can expect an email from your CEO with a link to one of these articles with the question, “What is our strategy?” Not “What is our Hispanic strategy?” The census will show we’ve moved beyond that. Marketing to Hispanics will now be an integral part of every marketing strategy. By Mary Zerafa is VP of Strategy and Integrated Marketing for impreMedia.

Available at HispanicCMO.com

Cargill launched its first Rumba brand on-pack promotion, “Warmth of Home” or “Calor de Hogar.” The program reaches Hispanic consumers during the holiday season when specialty meat consumption is at its highest, as is consumers’ desire for savings.