Hispanic Broadband Access

According to The Hispanic Institute and Mobile Future Hispanics have a strong preference for mobile broadband access. While Hispanics trail other U.S. populations in overall Internet access, they are among the most avid users of mobile broadband. In fact, Hispanics and African Americans lead mobile broadband use
(53% and 58% respectively), with both communities far ahead of Whites (33%).

Hispanics are more mobile than the general U.S. population and, thus, rely more on cell phones. In fact, compared to Americans generally, Hispanics account for more minutes used and for a higher percentage of cell-phone ownership despite their relatively low incomes.

Given that roughly 40% of U.S. Hispanics are born abroad1, in countries where wireless service often is more common than landline phones, the American Hispanic community is more open to mobile broadband than many other population groups. This familiarity makes the leap to smartphones and other connected mobile devices a more intuitive step for many than turning to wired, home broadband adoption and computer usage.

In 2008, Hispanics outpaced the general population in accessing and downloading digital media (music, video, audio, movies, television programs, video games and podcasts), 42% to 35%2.

In many developing countries, there are relatively few traditional telephone landlines due to infrastructure limitations. As a result, cell phone use often eclipses landline usage in many parts of the world.

In Mexico, mobile phones have a 36% penetration rate, compared to only 16% for land lines, and in Chile penetration rates are 60% and 22%, respectively15, with similar rates in most Central and South American countries. As a result, many immigrants arrive in the United States with a propensity for mobile use. Transition to smart phones and other similar devices seems an easy step, which may partly explain why immigrants are more likely to have cell phones even if they have relatively lower incomes than the average U.S. resident.

Additionally, immigrants tend to be more mobile and have greater need for wireless services. Given that roughly 40% of Hispanics are foreign-born,17 it adds to the facility with which Hispanics have migrated to wireless and broadband devices and
services.

The Hispanic Broadband Access: Making the Most of the Mobile, Connected Future is a joint research project of The Hispanic Institute and Mobile Future.􀀁

Latino professionals Learn From The Winemaker by Adrian Perez

Dressed casually, as if going to a fall wine tasting event, Alex Sotelo walked around politely, introducing himself and listening to ways the 25 Hispanic professionals introduced themselves to him as they enjoyed a cup of coffee and exchanged business cards. The monthly meet-up event held by the Hispanics Mean Business group in San Francisco, California, was featuring Sotelo as the guest speaker to share experiences and tips for improving business. With the majority of attendees dressed professionally, Sotelo was not hard to miss. But it was his message that made him the star of the day.

"Good morning," he told the group once everyone was seated. "My name is Alex Sotelo, I am a winemaker that happens to be Hispanic."

His introduction left some in the room chuckling while others looked a bit puzzled.

"How you introduce yourself is very important," he told the now attentive group. "Many of you told me your name and didn't tell me what you do until after I asked. This is a missed opportunity."

For the next 20-odd minutes, Sotelo shared a variety of tidbits that not only made sense on making a sale, but explained how he got his wine to be served at the White House.

"Many people ask me, how did you get the White House to serve your wine? And, I tell them like I am going to tell you, they look for you," he says. "They get lots of wine sent to them, and they throw it away."

Instead, Sotelo says, he has allowed for people and his product do all the promotion for him. He does not have a wine tasting cellar, but does attend many events where he pours his wine and where key people have learned of his products.

"The key for me is having a good product and having the infrastructure ready to handle the load," Sotelo told the group. "But I did not release my product to Latinos first. Instead I sold it to a small network of people who enjoyed wine and I knew could help me grow. Today, Latinos make up 45 percent of my business."

Sotelo's initial strategy worked, getting him on the cover of the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle, eventually leading to some members of President Barack Obama's staff contacting him to be one of a few vintners whose products would be featured at the White House.

"Mr. Sotelo is a humble man and a good dancer," says Mayra Bautista, member of the Marin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and HMB. "I met him at an event and we danced. I introduced him to some friends as a great dancer when he told us he was actually a winemaker."

The Mexican-born Sotelo became a winemaker at age 25 after working in the industry since his teenage years. As he explains it, education is a very important foundation to have, but becoming a professional at what you do is more important. Providing a good product and service is good, but becoming unique is what helps promote any product or service.

The Hispanics Mean Business is led by Sofia Keck and meets monthly. For more information, visit www.meetup.com/Hispanics/.

For more information about Sotelo Wines, visit www.alexsotelocellars.com.

About the author - Adrian Perez is a writer and publisher of the only online publication dedicated to public policy and government from a Latino perspective, The Latino Journal. Adrian currently manages four daily updated blogs: The Latino Journal; The Latino Business Review; Vida de Oro/Life of Gold; and the Latino Med Journal, and publishes The Latino Journal E-News every week, reaching millions of readers in the U.S. and beyond.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis and Ambassador of Mexico Arturo Sarukhan celebrate the inaugural “Labor Rights Week” by Jessica Lopez

The U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis and the Ambassador of Mexico Arturo Sarukhan today celebrated the inaugural “Labor Rights Week” that will take place from August 30th to September 4th in 14 cities across the United States.

Labor Rights Week is an important opportunity to ensure that the Mexican community and Mexican workers in the United States are aware of their labor rights. It is a new initiative that brings together the Embassy of Mexico and its consular network in the United States, the U.S. Department of Labor, local authorities, unions, religious groups, and community based organizations with the common goal of better informing workers from Mexico and elsewhere of their rights. Framed around Labor Day, the Labor Rights Week will multiply outreach initiatives developed jointly by participating organizations (through leaflets, posters, press conferences and forums).

“In the past few years, a growing number of immigrant workers were subject to abuse under a mantle of fear that was created by unscrupulous employers that used immigration status to threaten deportation if workers reported discrimination, wage and hour or health and safety violations. We recognize the leadership of Secretary Solis in this issue and believe that joint efforts like Labor Rights Week will strengthen our ability to protect the rights of our nationals abroad,” said Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan.

“Today we renew our commitment to protecting all workers and welcome this continued partnership with the Mexican government,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “These efforts will help ensure that all workers are treated fairly and will empower them to seek assistance.”

Joe Hansen, President of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) said, “Our communities and neighborhoods are better, safer places to work and live when all workers know and exercise their rights. Semana de Derechos Laborales is a perfect way to empower Mexican national workers with information and promote full participation in the civic fabric of our nation. The UFCW has been a union of immigrants for more than 100 years and this weeks’ program helps ensure that a new generation of workers has the resources to have their voice heard on the job.”

Events for this inaugural Labor Rights Week will be held in the following cities: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Fresno, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and Washington D.C.

These events include: a National Opening event held today in Los Angeles where Secretary Solis was joined by local and community leaders; an information telethon on Labor Rights in Dallas; the unveiling of a permanent Labor Window in the Consulate of Mexico in Chicago with the presence of Joe Hansen, International President of the UFCW; the screening of a film related to labor rights in New York; Community Fair in Phoenix; and workshops on Labor Rights in most participating cities and consulates, among others.

Jessica Lopez
Comunicacion Social / Press Attaché
Consulate General of Mexico in San Francisco
jlopezm@sre.gob.mx
consulado.mexico.sf@gmail.com

"Latinos A Morir" (LAM) Means Business by Giovanni Gonzalez

The concept of Latinos A Morir started out as a gathering of friends at a house in Berkeley in 2001. Although the initial group of friends had different majors, ethnicity, and nationality, we all had a key values in common: ambition, care for our community, love of life and Latin American culture.

Now, LAM consists of 2,700+ members and we all come from very diverse backgrounds: country of birth, industry, age, hobbies, etc. However, we all share the same values from that initial group of friends back in 2001.

For this reason, LAM is adding opportunities for our members to interact at a more personal and professional level than just dancing. [Don't worry, that will never change!]

Latinos A Morir has partnered with Hispanics Mean Business to provide intimate events for those interested on personal growth, community improvement, and professional success.

Networking and Latino Business Owners

A few weeks ago I wrote about "Hispanics Mean Business - Professional Group." HMB was featured in today's E-News of the Latino Journal Magazine.

July 27, 2009 Issue No. 49

Latinos and the Economy

Networking helps Latino business owners stay afloat, grow
By Adrian Peréz

"With double-digit unemployment and businesses closing their doors throughout the nation, Hispanic business owners are learning the power of "teaming" and "networking" to create opportunities for one another and establish strong referral services to ensure continued prosperity. This isn't new for numerous Hispanic chambers of commerce that conduct business mixers and business matching services to their members. But, not all Hispanic business owners are members of chambers of commerce, allowing an opportunity for other groups to create networking opportunities. Such is the case for a small, but growing group out of San Francisco, California called "Hispanics Mean Business" (HMB).

Launched by Sofia Keck, a principal of Sell It In Spanish.com, HMB has grown legs among the many professionals and business owners seeking ways of staying in business. The organization meets, informally, on a regular basis and each member is encouraged to conduct a 20 minute discussion about their business or expertise and sharing what has and has not worked for them with those in attendance. The discussion leads to additional ideas and options that the presenter may not had thought of, including teaming with like businesses where mutual growth is promoted.

"The economy is pushing us to look for ways to remain successful," says Sofia. "Through referrals, teaming and self-promotion, we will find an effective way so you can implement your product or service continuously, and that is our goal."

HMB has become an exclusive resource for Hispanic professionals around Northern California to build connections and receive event invitations, receive presentations from experts in different industries and create opportunities to generate more business.

HMB members are leaders, business owners, entrepreneurs and influencers who are proactive in achieving personal growth, community improvement and business success.

The informal sessions allow the members to:

Promote themselves or products as needed, discussing "Why people should afford to work with you right now?"
Promote themselves or products as a solution, focusing on "Right now people need to survive and want to see fast results so they might not be thinking about long term investments."
Promote themselves or products as a support, understanding that having new ideas is great but right now people may not have the time and budget to "explore" those ideas, making it necessary to maximize time and effort invested.

"When you network you get a chance to shake hands with potential clients, potential partners and potential friends. To me, this sounds like a good investment," adds Sofia.

For more information, contact Sofia Keck by visiting www.sellitinspanish.com."

Spanish-Language TV Ratings by TeleNoticias

The latest news about Univision dominance in the 18-34 year-old demographic is another reason to be paying attention to the Hispanic market, if you’re not already doing so.

For the week of June 15, Univision beat out all other broadcast networks, English and Spanish, for ages 18-34 on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday nights. In the highly coveted Thursday 10 pm slot, Univision’s “Mujeres Asesinas” (“Ladykillers”) beat out the top English competitor CBS by 72% for adults ages 18-34. For primetime, Univision was #1 on Friday among adults ages 18-49. This week wasn’t the first time Spanish programs have beaten ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and the CW. In fact, Univision has been #1 on 33 Fridays during the 2008-2009 television season! Yes, 33 times!

Spanish-language programming has dominated ratings in the past, but it is happeing more frequently and its current success is a stark contrast with other major networks.

This season, English language broadcast networks are having some of their worst ratings ever. Meanwhile, this week brought Telemundo its highest novella ratings ever. These results extend to news as well: Spanish local news at 6 and 11 pm is averaging higher viewership than ABC, CBS and NBC`s local newscasts combined among Adults 18-34 in major U.S. markets.

Why is this happening? Go to complete post

Don’t make the same mistake others have, Sell it in Spanish!

"After marketing its Chevy Nova to the Spanish-speaking population, General Motors learned “Nova” literally translated into “It does not go.” Would you want to market an automobile as the car that “does not go”?

Hoping to highlight the elegance of flying with American Airlines, the company initially advertised its newly designed leather seats by asking Mexicans to “Fly in Leather.” Though the company delivered its message accurately to most people in Latin America, its “Vuela en Cuero” catch phrase had a different meaning in Mexico. In this country, American Airlines did not ask Mexicans to fly in leather, it asked them to “Fly naked.”

More recently, the California Milk Processing Board aired its catchy “Got Milk?” commercials to Spanish-speakers before realizing this phrase translated into, “are you lactating?” Most important, it learned that the dramatic skits that often accompanied its “Got Milk?” phrase were simply not funny for Spanish-speakers and that they considered comedy associated with the idea of running out of milk of poor taste. To reverse this message and to put a positive spin on its publicity, the California Milk Processor Board switched to a publicity campaign that revolved around “family, love, and milk.”

To avoid these types of mistakes in your publicity, contact Sell it in Spanish."

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ABOUT THE GUEST BLOGGER Julio Moreno, PhD., is an associate professor and Co-Director of the Center for Latino Studies in the Americas at the University of San Francisco. Dr. Moreno is the recipient of awards like the Fellowship for the Study of Advertising and World Culture from the Library of Congress where he received a position as a visiting scholar in 2003-3004. He is also the recipient of the 2009-2010 visiting scholar fellowship for the study of globalization at the Institute for Historical Studies at the University of Texas in Austin.

Dr. Moreno is author of articles and books, including Yankee Don’t Go Home!, a book on the impact of Mexican nationalism and American business culture in Mexico. He is currently writing two books: One looks at the fascinating history of Coca-Cola in Latin America and the other deciphers the nature of American business and diplomacy in Latin America during the Cold War.

Dr. Moreno is a noted presenter of topics related to Latin America, U.S. business and diplomacy in the region, and the Latino community in the United States. He has granted numerous interviews to various television and radio stations that include CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univisión, and Telemundo. Dr. Moreno has also offered many interviews to U.S. and Latin American newspapers and news agencies like the Associated Press. Additionally, Dr. Moreno has worked as a business consultant in marketing for Harcourt Publishers and has served as a subject matter expert for the Coca-Cola Company.

Providing a Small Business Service to Online Hispanics - by Hispanic Market Advisors

"Currently the largest minority group in the United States, Hispanics account for one of every five new workers in the United States economy. However, to describe them as a single minority group belies a complicated blend of various races, ethnicities, and cultures. Targeting this growing market can be difficult for the company uninitiated in the diverse set of needs and desires of the Latino community. This blog post will prove useful for those interested in finding new avenues of business and new opportunities to provide their product or service to an emerging spectrum of American society.

Providing a small business service, or even setting up a Hispanic online business, can be a daunting task with big rewards for the determined. Targeting Hispanic consumers involves more than the obvious language barrier. Employing a Hispanic market professional or agency, particularly in relation to setting up a Hispanic online business, can help point to those unexploited elements of the market. An easy example is the food market in the United States. Previously the Hispanic community was marginalized and fed mostly from its own secondary market of ethnic foods. However, with the increased influence of Latinos in American life comes a chance to market diverse food products not traditionally considered Hispanic. Additionally, Hispanic and Latino communities are increasingly becoming the object of government-subsidized endeavors. With increased political relevance has begun Spanish-language campaigns from Amtrak, the United States Postal Service and other government subsidiaries and affiliates. If your small business service is involved with government contracts, the expansion of your work into Latino and Hispanic communities can pay big dividends in renewed investment.

Perhaps the biggest factor to take into account when providing a small business service to online Hispanics is the increased disposable capital, as much as $45 billion, in the hands of Latino and Hispanic Americans. With their rise into the middle class has come an attendant desire for goods and services, such as luxury items, vacations, and electronics. Having a strategic partner who understands this factor can enable you to target your small business' services toward those segments of the minority markets that desire them most."

Read the complete article

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Hispanic Market Advisors is a boutique company focused on developing online Hispanic market-ready solutions to aid companies of all sizes to reap the growth of the Latin American and US Hispanic market.

By providing an unparalleled English to Spanish translation service coupled with a complete Spanish search engine marketing service designed to help small and medium businesses and professionals improve their online presence and position in the various search engines, Hispanic Market Advisors provides customers access to the online Hispanic market, specialized knowledge that is relevant to their businesses, and tips for saving your time and boosting their productivity.

U.S. marketers interested in the Hispanic market: Suggestions from our guest blogger Dr. José Alamillo

Our mystery blogger from “Cinco de Mayo Inc.” turned out to be Dr. José M. Alamillo, Associate Professor of Chicano/a Studies at CSUCI.

I asked Dr. Alamillo how marketers can take positive advantage of Cinco de Mayo and he was kind enough to share with us the following response:

“I agree ( with Sofia) that any Cinco de Mayo celebration needs to be culturally relevant and historically accurate. Many Americans falsely believe that this day represents Mexico's "Fourth of July." Very few understand the historical significance of the Battle of Puebla which took place on May 5th and the main lesson from this battle which is "Self-Determination." Unlike independence, self-determination means that despite overwhelming odds, Latinos and Latinas must continue to battle for education, political representation and social justice.

If U.S.marketers are interested in using Cinco de Mayo to reach the Hispanic Market and are considering an advertising campaign around this holiday, then let me make a few suggestions:

First, read Arlene Davila's "Latino Inc. the Making and Marketing of a People" to understand why media stereotypes about Latino/as continue to be very pervasive. This is a must read for anybody related to Hispanic marketing.

Second, avoid the direction of the U.S. beer and alcohol industry has taken with the Cinco de Mayo. Their “Drinko de Mayo” campaigns have only served to perpetuate stereotypes about Latinos and Latinas. There are aslo many examples of sexist billboards located in Latino communities throughtout the United States.

Third, colloborate with community organizations on how best to present your products and images so as not to offend consumers and attendees. Let me give you an example: Portland annual Cinco de Mayo celebration does a good job at balacing the commercialism with cultural celebrations. Although they do have company sponsors they do not dominate the scenery especiall the alcohol advertisements which are located in the periphery along with the beer garden. At this event they also present college scholarships for Latino/a students and stage a swearing in ceremony for new U.S. citizens. This festival is organized by the sister-city organization, Portland and Guadalajara, Mexico.

Although commercialism has made Cinco de Mayo (Mexican and Latino culture ) more popular and visible to non-Latino/as, it is the responsibility that we use this event as an opportunity to debunk myths and stereotypes about the Latino/a community and show off the long history of contributions that Latino/as have made to this country”.

ABOUT THE GUEST BLOGGER Dr. José M. Alamillo, Associate Professor of Chicano/a Studies at CSUCI. Dr. Alamillo earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Comparative Cultures at University of California, Irvine. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at University of California, Los Angeles’ Chicano Studies Research Center, he taught courses in Chicano/a Studies, Ethnic Studies, Immigration and Labor for nine years in the Department of Comparative Ethnic Studies at Washington State University.

Dr. Alamillo’s research focuses on the ways Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans have used culture, leisure spaces, and sports to build community and social networks to advance politically and economically in the United States. His family’s experiences in the lemon industry inspired his first book, Making Lemonade out of Lemons: Mexican American Labor and Leisure in a California Town, 1900-1960. His current research includes a transnational history of Mexican American athletes and the commercialization of Cinco de Mayo in the United States.
THANK YOU PROFESSOR.