Hispanics, especially those who are more recent arrivals, give higher ratings in product surveys than their non-Hispanic counterparts, according to a study designed by Jeffry Savitz, President of Savitz Research Companies and Professor of Marketing Research at the University of North Texas. The study found that Hispanics rate products higher than what they may actually feel. In the study, Hispanics and non-Hispanics were asked to assign a numeric value to five rating labels using a scale of 0-100 with 100 being the best. The rating labels, "Excellent," "Very good," "Good," "Neither Good nor Poor" and "Poor" are common in survey research. Hispanics consistently gave higher marks than their non-Hispanic counterparts to each label except "poor." The average difference was 5.9 making it statistically significant.

In this landmark study, Professor Jeffry Savitz a graduate of Columbia University, found that Hispanics rated Tylenol 85.7, significantly higher than non-Hispanics at 80.6 implying Hispanics favor the brand. However, after the adjustment of 5.9 points, the ratings were at parity. Among cellular providers, ratings of Verizon, 65.4 and 68.1, were similar. After the adjustment was applied, however, the ratings indicated that Hispanics do not like this provider nearly as much, 59.5 versus 68.1. In the soft drink category, Hispanics rated Fanta 80.0 versus non-Hispanics at 57.6, a highly significant difference. Even after the adjustment the result was still significant implying Hispanics are more favorable toward Fanta.

The results of the study have significant implications on multicultural advertising and marketing as well as which products and services should be offered to Hispanics. "This study finally sheds light on the reason some Hispanic research ends up with faulty conclusions or results. This 'cultural lift' must be taken into account," says Juan Faura, author of two books on Hispanic marketing. "Hispanics are taught from an early age that it is in poor taste or inappropriate to openly criticize or berate when asked their opinions." Savitz says, "The article discusses levels of acculturation, consumption of Hispanic media and country of origin, but more research is needed to measure the effect of the 'cultural lift' on various categories and other factors."

Hispanicad.com

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Will P&G lead the way In Social Media by reinventing Soap Operas?HispanicAd.com, April 29, 2009 For brands, doing social media right will be about telling stories. It will be about blurring the lines between advertising and content. And while there will be an opportunity for brands to attach themselves to stories people choose to share, it's even better when brands help by getting those stories started. This means taking advantage of an old-school marketing playbook: the soap opera.  Recently Dow Jones published a story titled "P&G Puts Added Focus On Digital Media As TV Soap Ends." What's most interesting is that P&G is not winding down its soap opera operations, but rather refocusing those resources on digital efforts. This got me thinking of all the similarities between successful social media marketing and the soap opera. Rather than inserting your brand into someone else's content, the best practices for social media thus far have been to create stories around your brand, making the integration more seamless. The difference, of course, between traditional soap opera and social media is that social media is "participatory." This means that brands won't need to produce stories, as much as they will need to create settings where people will feel compelled to tell their own stories. Another benefit of brands integrating themselves within the content is so they can easily take advantage of the pass-along nature of social media.  So where will the line of responsibility lie between brands and agencies for producing content and facilitating people telling stories? The answer will depend on who more quickly develops expertise and resources for managing social media efforts in an ongoing manner. Rather than looking at a singular campaign concept and staffing for the plan, with an execute and evaluate marketing model, marketers will evaluate how best to develop and manage conversations around their brands. Years ago P&G realized that it would be easier for the company to produce the content itself and then put it on because it gave them the greatest return. Will the story play out the same in social media?

By Joe Marchese, President of socialvibe.
Courtesy of http://www.mediapost.com

NBC/Universal premieres tonight a new cop series that has a striking similarity to a LAPD recruitment campaign that we did several years back. The innovative campaign we developed boosted the image of LAPD, significantly increased recruitment to new heights (today there are more cops in the LAPD than ever before) and delivered a state-of-the-art digital, cinematic and community campaign that remains alive today. Watch for yourself visit www.joinlapd.com.

By Todd Wasserman

Hispanic-themed advertising and marketing resonates best with “bicultural” Hispanics, according to recent research by a professor at Auburn University.

Veena Chattaraman, an assistant professor at the school’s department of consumer affairs, cited a recent study in which the school polled Hispanics in three groups: Hispanic-dominant, mainstream-dominant and bicultural. The latter group is considered one that “strongly identifies with the country of origin, while adopting values, traits and behaviors of the mainstream,” Chattaraman said.

The study found that “Hispanic-targeted branding has a greater impact on balanced bicultural consumers than the Hispanic- or mainstream-dominant segments. Hispanic-tailored promotions that cue the cultural identity in the consumer’s mind can further enhance the purchase intent for such targeted brands among the bicultural segment,” according to Chattaraman, who offered this advice: “If a store wants to sell more of its Hispanic relevant merchandise, then employing point-of-sale promotions that resonate on a deeper level with Hispanic culture and make the consumer ‘feel Hispanic’—can lead to positive effects across all three Hispanic segments.”

-- Interesting research which affirms that connecting with consumers is largely about understanding culture and presenting the right cues.  One point the article fails to mention, however, is that once you pinpoint a cultural strategy, language is less important and really is just a vehicle to dialogue with the consumer.  Marketers have to get beyond the language debate and embrace the notion that to make a connection with consumers you have to lead with culture -- that will get you awareness and ultimately consideration.  After that the rest is elementary ..... A

It appears that while everyone agrees that the global economic difficulties have affected Latin America, nearly 7 of 10 say it has only affected the region moderately.  And nearly half feel the region is even more attractive today than ever before. 

While this may surprise some but to others it’s recognition of the dynamic economies of the region and the investment opportunities that exist in countries that are politically stable and tied to free market principles such as Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.  This can also be tied to how these countries have nurtured their own middle classes. 

Are we seeing the first steps toward a more engaged global financial and investor community in Latin America?  You mean someone is actually paying attention to Latin America again.  Bravo!