Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category
Plug in the Hispanic Internet
Working models for communicating with Hispanics through online venues can guide businesses over the threshold into the new age of technological advancements and a way to connect to online Latino shoppers.
By Lucía Tovar-Matthews, for Latin Trends Magazine
I’ve seen it before and it still surprises me. The insights of an underdog open unexpected doors for Internet consumers and yank the rug right out from under the dominant providers of the day. Remember – AOL, Microsoft, MySpace, and Yahoo. Falling prey to their own complacency about a fast changing Internet culture these powerhouses failed to address the needs of their own audience. And in walked – Apple, Facebook, and Google – providing services that consumers didn’t even know they wanted. Well, you know the rest of the story … for now.
Online Latino Shopper
The Internet audience is changing – fast. More than many other groups, Hispanics go online to socialize, find good deals and purchase new products. Latinos are the fastest growing demographic on the Web, the heaviest users of wireless access to mobile phones and laptops, and 80 percent of Latinos socialize online.
According to Nielsen, Hispanic shoppers spent $125 billion on consumer packaged goods products last year. This shopping power will soon translate online, as the buying power of Hispanics in the U.S. and Caribbean will increase twice as fast as the U.S. general market in the next few years.
These factors create a lucrative opportunity for businesses that want a closer connection with online Latino shoppers.
Cultural Relevancy
Businesses targeting online Hispanic consumers should take into account specific cultural differences and ethnic preferences. For example, according to the Pew Hispanic Center’s National Survey of Latinos, more than half of Latinos ages 16 to 25 identify themselves first by their family’s country of origin, and an additional 20 percent generally use the terms “Hispanic” or “Latino” first when describing themselves. They are satisfied with their lives, optimistic about their futures and place a high value on education, hard work and career success. A valuable market indeed.
Digital Divide No Más
In walks CompraLatino. Founded in 2008 by online technology entrepreneur Eddie Batiz, this e-commerce company has strategically planted its Internet roots in the fertile soil of the online Latin shopping culture.
Batiz foresaw that Hispanic would consume more Internet than the general market. Through a partnership with Casiano Communications, they have built CompraCaribe (www.compracaribe.com), a uniquely Hispanic online marketplace forum where shoppers can find and purchase top-branded products and services from Latino Businesses.
Based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Casiano Communications is the island’s number one media company online and in print. The company publishes several newspapers and magazines, which are distributed throughout the Caribbean, United States and in twenty other countries.
Batiz has formed the leading edge of the next wave through cyberspace by addressing an underserved and fast growing online community.
Casiano and Eddie Batiz’ CompraLatino did not need to wait for the release of the Census data to understand that the Internet is important in Hispanics’ daily lives. This year, 29.6 million Hispanics—nearly 60% of the Hispanic population—will go online at least once a month. By 2014, 39.2 million Hispanics will be online.
“Mercado Central Meets Amazon.com”
CompraCabibe.com focuses even more on simplifying and enhancing the user’s shopping experience by offering a bilingual market populated with personalized e-stores that sell products and services from brands.
Based on the “Mercado Central” Hispanic shopping tradition, CompraCaribe’s Latino-focused marketplace helps businesses find customers and each other. The bilingual online community offers businesses a way to sell worldwide and offers an easy creation of business directories and online stores.
More businesses are incorporating online communities within their corporate strategy. As these arenas increasingly become a fundamental component for professional success, businesses should look to experts like Eddie Batiz on the forefront of this industry to understand the extent of the benefits e-commerce tactics have to offer.
Batiz created the first live cyber recruitment platform for the U.S. Navy and quadrupled their online recruiting efforts. The chat technology that he developed and implemented is so popular with the armed forces that the Marines, Army and Air force soon added their own online recruitment platform. This technology attracted the attention of companies such as 1-800-Mattress, which generated over $7 million in sales the first year, the fastest growing sales channel in the 30-year history of the company.
A Brave New Web
Eddie Batiz pioneering development of the Latin E-Commerce Internet and to create the largest Hispanic online market place on the Web earned him national recognition. He was selected businessperson of the year in 2008 for the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the largest Hispanic chamber in the U.S. representing over 600,000 businesses in the state of California.
Recognized as one of the Latin Internet’s e-commerce pioneers by business groups and media across the nation, Batiz has been at the forefront of online communities and e-commerce.
Entrepreneurs such as Eddie Batiz have been aware of the vitality of communicating with Latinos through technology for years. He has built his career around empowering people through technology, and information particularly among Hispanics.
Online Hispanic shoppers will continue to be an important part of the economic system. Latinos’ affinity for technologies that ease communicating across geographic boundaries, allow interaction, build communities for like-minded individuals will affect the way businesses approach e-commerce.
Experts such as Eddie Batiz with established working models for communicating with Hispanics through technologies, such as CompraCaribe, can guide the business world over the threshold into the new age of technological advancements and a way to connect to online Latino shoppers.
Lucía Tovar-Matthews is a Board Member for the San Diego Community College District Oversight Committee and the Executive Director at DIÁLOGO, an award-winning public relations firm that focuses on the U.S. Hispanic and Latin American markets.
Generation Ñ, The New General Market
The U.S. Hispanic market has reached a tipping point. Current trends suggest expanding influence will blur the lines and Hispanic and general markets will collide. The resulting merger will reveal a new, younger American consumer market with a heightened element of Latino flair.
By Richie and Lucía Matthews, PODER Hispanic Magazine
Approximately one in six Americans is of Hispanic descent or origin. More than half are under the age of 26 and by 2020, the number of Hispanic teens is expected to increase by 62 percent as compared to 10 percent growth in the number of teens overall. Hispanic youth are a powerful consumer force underlining the Latino presence in general consumer market culture. Typically English speaking, or at English preferred, socially connected and heavy technology users, Latino teens, “Generation Ñ” are leading the way in general market infiltration.
However, one of the most startling facts is that for the first time, Hispanic births have surpassed the total number of Anglo births in many counties across the nation. The future of the general market may be upon us.
To keep up with the Hispanic baby boom, more businesses are courting young, tech savvy Hispanic consumers; incorporating online communities and social networks within their corporate marketing strategy. As these domains increasingly become a fundamental component for professional success, local companies are looking to experts on the forefront of this industry to understand the extent of the benefits Web 2.0 tactics have to offer.
Technology and innovation have been driving forces for increased inter-connectivity. Many young, socially connected Hispanics are on the forefront of this new society. Their affinity for Internet technologies will advance Latinos as business strategies are increasingly built within online models.
The growing impact of the Hispanic community online is an area requiring enhanced corporate attention. U.S. Hispanic purchasing power is projected to reach as much as $1.3 trillion by 2015. During the past decade, the rate of growth was more than two times the overall national rate. That is a rate worth targeting. The considerably young, up-and-coming Hispanic population has been dubbed media mavens for their avid technology and internet usage and thus can be successfully reached through online strategies.
Some entrepreneurs and consumer brands have been aware of the vitality of communicating with Latinos through technology for years. In June, Sprint rolled out EVO, the First 4G phone in the U.S. To lead this consumer technology race, Sprint has coupled the power of crowd sourcing and social media with Hispanic kids. Sprint is co-opting Latino youth to help propel EVO’s brand message. Sprint’s EVO efforts began with young Hispanic consumers by initiating interaction with their product. Since EVO’s HD video allows consumers to capture and share live video via the Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, social media maven took to the product immediately as ambassadors to other Generation Ñ influencers. By sourcing and leveraging young Latino consumers Sprint received better insight into the culturally relevant nuances ofGeneration Ñ and the overall Hispanic consumer segment.
Entrepreneur Eddie Batiz has built his career around empowering young people through media, technology, and information particularly among Hispanics. Through www.compralatino.com Batiz is tapping into the online retail market among Hispanic consumers by using a “Amazon meets Mercado Central” model. The Compralatino model is transparent and empowering for many of its users. Batiz has been at the forefront of online communities and social networks by not manipulating or degrading his customer’s conversation. His users receive positive word-of-mouth around their brand through a viral loop model: turning selected consumers into spontaneous carriers of the message.
Hispanics will continue to be a critical part of the U.S. economic system. This segment’s affinity for technologies that ease communicating across geographic boundaries, allow interaction, build communities for like-minded individuals and provide entertainment will affect the way companies approach business.
Marketers with established working models for communicating with Hispanics through technologies can guide the corporate world over the threshold into the new age of technological advancements.
Those who have a stake in understanding the U.S. market should pay enhanced attention to the nuances and complexities of the Latino population. U.S. Hispanics assimilate while maintaining strong ties to cultural traditions and value systems. The resulting assimilated segment is permeating boundaries and forever changing the American consumer market.
Latinos Taking Charge of Health
An increasing amount of Hispanic communities are working together to positively impact Latino health and wellness.
By Richie and Lucia Matthews for PODER Hispanic Magazine.
The U.S. Latino population suffers disproportionately from a range of health complications including diabetes and heart disease when compared with the overall general market. These dire health circumstances are the result of a complex web of social, cultural and economic conditions.
As the propensity for bad health grows, the issue has become an increasingly salient topic for Hispanic communities. More and more grassroots movements, businesses, and individuals are providing health and wellness information geared towards Hispanics. The philosophy behind these efforts is better, more culturally relevant information will lead to better health and wellness for Hispanics.
Health disparities among minorities are prevalent in the U.S. and across the globe. Diabetes is one of the leading causes the asymmetrical scenario for Hispanics. It has been reported that 21percent of older Hispanics have diabetes compared to 14.3 percent of Caucasians. Cardiovascular disease is another forerunner problem for Latinos. It has been estimated that one out of every four Hispanic male and one of every three Hispanic female will suffer from heart disease or stroke.
Lifestyle changes, prevention and early intervention services such as immunizations, cancer screenings and diabetes testing are solutions that could assist in ensuring a healthier Hispanic population. Diet and inactivity tendencies of Hispanics play a strong role in shaping the problem. Arguably, education and access are the principle barriers in assisting Latinos to revolutionize health patterns.
U.S. Hispanic citizens are increasingly gaining more access to health and wellness resources as individuals, the business community,and grassroots organizations come together to help educate and provide access to health resources.
It’s All About the Kids Foundation organizes monthly activities for children from a coalition of charities. They have recently joined forces with the Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce, a national business association, and with business executive leaders such as Ramon Toledo, CEO Busca Corp, a leading Hispanic digital entertainment network. Providing access to resources, these private and public alliances are an emerging trend within the Hispanic health and wellness community.
Focusing on education, The Association of Junior League’s Kids in the Kitchen initiative has partnered with Texas chef Michael Flores to help reverse the growth of childhood obesity and its associated health issues. Chef Flores has taken his own childhood passion for cooking and turned it into an evolving lifelong profession in the culinary arts. Despite his formal training at the Culinary Institute of America, Michael Flores focuses on providing simple solutions for encouraging families to get back to the table. Through the Kids in the Kitchen and other education initiatives he heads, Michael teaches children how to prepare practical healthy meals, through his bilingual recipes.
Communicating with Latinos is more than a translation issue. Not to negate the importance or the use of the Spanish language, but studies suggest U.S. Hispanics, as a majority, speak English. Findings from the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research organization dedicated to improving understandings of the U.S. Hispanic population, suggest 88percent of second generation U.S. Hispanic adults and 94 percent third generation are fluent English speakers.
The key to communicating relevantly with Latinos is to understand the significance of messages founded in cultural nuance. When speaking with Latinos, health programs, education, and other resources should move away from translating mainstream content into Spanish and towards resonating culturally. This will improve minority groups’ affinity towards and navigation within the U.S. health system.
Various online communities have developed over the years that seek to empower and enable Latinos to improve health conditions. Sana Health Group, Inc. is one such company with this goal in mind. They specialize in offering Hispanics manageable, trusted sources and resources that make staying healthy easier.
Sana Health Group recently launched HispanoSano.com to provide applications that offer access to bilingual information on everything from diabetes and cancer to fitness and diet. Latinos can seek out applicable information based on their particular needs or join community groups to interact with others in similar situations.
The Internet is an excellent platform to provide health information to Hispanics. Hispanics are technology mavens and savvy in accessing information and utilizing social networks online. Internet-based,tailored health information is an effective way to engage Hispanics both relevantly and culturally.
The current health status of U.S. Hispanics may appear glum, but the tides may turn as more organizations and individuals come together to provide access to relevant health education to the community.
DIÁLOGO wins the Best Mid-Size Business of the Year Award, from the San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
DIÁLOGO, San Diego’s largest Hispanic-focused public relations firm has won the 2010 San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Best Mid-Size Business of the Year Award at the chamber’s annual gala which was held on Saturday, September 18.
DIÁLOGO Wins Best California PR Agency Using Social Media to Reach Latinos Award
DIÁLOGO, the fastest growing Hispanic-focused public relations firm in California has won the Latino in Social Media (LATISM) Best California Public Relations Agency Using Social Media to Reach Latinos award at LATISM’s gala on Saturday, September 18. The four other finalists were Axis, Edelman Digital, RLPR and VPE PR.
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