Kos Conventional Wisdom on Hispanic Vote Was Wrong

Kos blogs today that the conventional wisdom (CW) that Obama will have trouble with Hispanic voters is wrong. He cites data, new and old, suggesting "Obama [is] poised to absolutely crush McCain."

Blacks Around the World Find Hope, Joy in Obama Candidacy

Obama is apparently inspiring people of color all around the world. See today's New York Times article about the phenomenon in France. This is a theme the Times has been carrying in a lot of its coverage, including this June 5 piece on the Black community in the U.S. But is Obama in step with African views on social issues. I found this interesting column in the International Herald Tribune.

Google and Yahoo! Propose 10-Year Deal for Advertising

The Associated Press and other news organizations reported today on the huge announcement that Yahoo! will rely on Google advertising on its sites to boost its own profits. This is a gigantic announcement even though the various search engine companies have at times relied upon or partnered with each other. 

According to the AP: 

Yahoo Inc.'s efforts to revive takeover talks with Microsoft Corp. have reached a dead end, prompting the Internet pioneer to hire online search leader Google Inc. to handle some of its advertising sales.

It's still unclear to me whether this means Google keyword ads and other ads will come to dominate all of Yahoo! sites. If so, it kind of makes sense because the Google advertising system milks more profit out of every advertising dollar spent, at least that's my impression.

I have always found Google to be the better advertising system with the greatest return.

Here's the Google press release. This is as if the Los Angeles Lakers were now authorized to use all of the resources of the Boston Celtics. Two top competitors now working together, profiting more from the relationship. It's a win-win for these guys. But you have to wonder what's next? Perhaps a Google takeover of Yahoo!

And here's excellent analysis from BusinessWeek.

Obama Launches fightthesmears.com

TIME.com reports that Sen. Barack Obama's campaign has launched an online anti-rumor war-room, "a Web-based rumor clearinghouse, located at fightthesmears.com, in which it hopes all the shady stories about Obama's faith, his family and his rumored connections with controversial figures can go to die."

The rules of Internet campaigns are being re-written again in 2008. Obama saw the enormous success of online fundraising and voter mobilization and now wants to see this technology and community put to use to stamp out lies in the blogs, emails and even in traditional/mainstream media.

Supporters may find this unified effort empowering.

NBC/WSJ Poll Shows Obama With Huge Lead Among Hispanics

Even as some Hispanic Democrats are putting pressure on Sen. Barack Obama today and as Sen. John McCain grabs attention for some Spanish-language ads, the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released in the paper this AM shows Sen. Obama with a commanding lead over Sen. McCain among Hispanic voters (62-28%). McCain faces a significant uphill climb among Hispanic voters in this political environment. The survey finds Obama with an 6-point national advantage among all voters (47-41%).

WSJ reporter Jackie Calmes reports:

Some good news for the likely Democratic nominee: Despite suggestions during the nomination contest that many Hispanics and Hillary Clinton supporters wouldn't support him, the poll shows both groups overwhelmingly do.

More Calmes:

To Sen. Obama's advantage, the Journal/NBC poll results seem to debunk two widely held conclusions from the Democrats' nomination contest. Exit polls of Democratic voters suggested many of Sen. Clinton's supporters wouldn't vote for Sen. Obama in November if he is the Democratic nominee. In particular, pro-Clinton Hispanics were generally thought to be cold to Sen. Obama.

In the poll, however, voters who chose Sen. Clinton in the primaries said by a 3-to-1 ratio, 61% to 19%, that they plan to vote for Sen. Obama over Sen. McCain in November. "Hillary's embrace of Obama really made a difference," Mr. Newhouse says.

By 62% to 28%, Hispanic voters support Sen. Obama. "That does not bode well for Republicans" in the Southwest, the Republican pollster added, in swing states such as Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado, where Hispanic voters are numerous enough to tip the result. Sen. McCain, who comes from a state with a large Hispanic population and has favored liberalizing policies toward illegal immigrants, has hopes of matching Mr. Bush's record of winning more than 40% of Hispanic voters.

Gebe Martinez Column Cites Hispanic Voter Project

Veteran Capitol Hill Writer/Reporter Gebe Martinez has full-page column on Spanish-language media and the 2008 presidential campaigns' outreach to Hispanic voters in today's Politico.

It's a very nice piece and it cites my latest research for the Hispanic Voter Project at Johns Hopkins University including the fact that a record of more than $4 million was invested in Spanish-language TV advertising beyond the first half of the presidential primary season.

If I had to provide one critique it would be that the article is so long it's a shock Gebe didn't get around to quoting anyone from Barack Obama's campaign or strategists close to his efforts at the campaign or within the Democratic Party.

Image linked from the article at Politico.com.

McCain/GOP Launch Huge YouTube Advertising Push for User-Generated Video

McCain manager Rick Davis issues a call for user-generated videos for GOP convention:



and here's the first submission, the most exciting 18 Hispanic Republican in America (ok, kidding):

Three Hundred Thousand and Counting, Pro-Obama and Anti-War Video on YouTube

I can't get over the power of these pro-Obama videos that are pulling in hundreds of thousands of views. Here's Andres Useche's "Si Se Puede Cambiar."

I gave an interview to Hispanic Business Magazine today about the Latino vote in 2008 and mentioned this type of messaging.



I'm really trying to understand who's going to jump on YouTube and other sites with pro-McCain videos that has this kind of artistic, mass appeal. Is it possible nobody will?

The McCain campaign is posting supportive testimonials like these, but they help to further underscore the challenge the campaign faces in the age of YouTube and an excited electorate with more young people than in recent presidential campaign cycles:

Podemos con Obama

"Podemos con Obama" is a must-see. Seriously, it's stuff like this that leads me to believe that technology and young people are going to help Obama dominate the Hispanic vote in the general election. A quarter-million people have already seen this video in the week since it was posted.

The pro-Obama music video features Paulina Rubio, one of the leading Spanish pop-artists (her music is great and she performed at a major event I produced in 2004 at the Democratic Convention in Boston, so I thought it was great she was included)



Thanks to NDN for posting on this video.

Obama Has Wide Lead Over McCain Among Hispanic Voters

A new poll shows presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama with an enormous lead over John McCain among Hispanic voters. Before accepting it as gospel, it's worth asking how accurate and representative this Gallup poll is.

Regardless, I have no doubt Obama is going to win the Hispanic vote in 2008, the real question is by how much.

Here's Peter Wallsten's article in the Los Angeles Times today about the new poll.

Karl Rove had a column in the Wall Street Journal aimed at exposing weaknesses of the two leading candidates. One section suggests Obama is in trouble with Latinos. But given the new Gallup poll, the following excerpt from Rove's column may not be relevant: 

"Mr. Obama's support among Latino voters was a tepid 34% in the 13 primary contests with an appreciable number of Hispanics. He carried a majority of the Hispanic vote in only one state – his home state of Illinois, which he won by the slim margin of 50%-49%."

McCain's New Radio Spot Aimed at Hispanics in Nevada and New Mexico

I received a bunch of calls today from reporters asking about McCain's outreach to Hispanic voters. The calls were spurred by the McCain campaign's release of a new :60 Spanish-language radio. It's always smart politics to release these things early in the primary season because it gives political writers something to focus on early and then re-report on throughout the season.

The spot's ok, not amazing. But it does get out a centrist message and takes on the Democrats on some of the issues they debated in the primary season. Nevada and New Mexico were chosen for obvious reasons; they'll be important for McCain to win in November if he's going to win the White House.

Telemundo Yanks Cada Dia

I always felt great about placing a client on Telemundo's morning program "Cada Dia." But it never felt nearly as good as placing a client on Univision's AM show "Despierta America."

The biggest reason should be obvious, Despierta's viewership was larger (perhaps as much as 8 to 10 times) on most days. And Despierta inspired far more phone calls to client organization hotlines than Cada Dia.

Yet I was really saddened to hear the Cada Dia bubble has been burst. Cada Dia was lively and a hybrid of sorts bringing the fun and culture of Spanish-language TV along with the news and celebrity of NBC's Today Show format.

But money drives almost everything in television and Cada Dia was not bringing in the big advertising bucks.

The Los Angeles Times had a fairly thorough report on the matter, recently:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fi-telemundo31-2008may31,0,2707858.story

Marketing y Medios reports on a complete realignment in news that goes far beyond just that one major program:
http://www.marketingymedios.com/marketingymedios/noticias/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003810307

Layoffs:
http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2008/06/adios_cada_dia.php

Obama and the Hispanic Vote

Sen. Barack Obama is going to run hard for the Hispanic vote and this is going to be a very exciting general election. I told Bloomberg news that I think Obama will win the Hispanic vote in this era of solid Hispanic support for the Democrats.

But John McCain is going to work just as hard and is probably the Republican best positioned to peel away Hispanic votes from the Democrats.

But tonight's speech by Obama and the massive crowd are reminders that something unique is happening in the political arena and this momentum may very well bring along many people in the Hispanic community who previously supported Senator Clinton.

Here's Sen. Obama's final Spanish-language TV spot of the primary season:

Spanish-language TV News Under the Microscope

La Opinion interviewed me for this piece that ran last week. Topic: Spanish-language TV networks/stations and their news coverage. In my interview, I argued that for the most part Spanish-language TV stations do a great job with their news programming, providing major news coverage of local, regional, national and international events. And that basic idea came across in the piece published May 1st. Incidentally, The Washington Post published a major column on the front of today's Outlook section (the Sunday stand-alone opinion section) by Joe Mathews, a fellow at the New America Foundation. He argues that in Los Angeles and other media markets, the best local news programming is on the Univision and Telemundo stations. The piece makes the point that the Spanish-dominant viewers of these programs are therefore better informed. It was terrific placement and I think much of the argument he makes needs to be heard by the traditional media and policy makers. Sure, Spanish-language TV stations have not always done a perfect job meeting FCC requirements for use of the airwaves, but to ignore the outstanding news reporting that comes from Spanish-language media would do a disservice.

A production of The 2050 Group

HEAN National Bike to Work Day 2008 Preview
The Health and Environment Action Network is a project of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health

McCain Launches Hispanic Voter Outreach Effort, Spanish Website

Senator John McCain's presidential campaign kicked off its general election Hispanic voter outreach today on Cinco de Mayo, the popular Mexican holiday. New site; http://www.johnmccain.com/espanol/

Committed Hispanic outreach is a good sign and means there will be a nice competition with the Democratic nominee (either Obama or Clinton) come this summer, even if the Dems start with a huge advantage.

McCain spoke in Phoenix and his campaign headquarters was decked out for a launch event. Lots of encouraging signs about the importance of this outreach effort within the campaign.

Media eats it up:

Associated Press reports (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iNxTApa2sQRu0Xx99P3jt2bEXw7gD90FL4OO0):

"Republican John McCain on Monday said the focus on illegal immigration during the Republican primary race harmed his party's image among Hispanics."

CNN reports (http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/05/mccain/):

"The senator from Arizona used Cinco de Mayo as a launching pad for a new Spanish-language Web site on Monday, and he emphasized his stance on immigration and border security as he tried to court the Hispanic vote."

"McCain also pledged to attend the National Council for La Raza's convention in July, the largest national Hispanic civil rights organization which seeks to improve opportunities for Hispanic-Americans."

Drudge gave it top-billing, wow (http://www.drudgereport.com):
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN0541135620080505?feedType=RSS&feedName=politicsNews&rpc=22&sp=true

Other coverage:

CBS News blog (http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/05/05/politics/fromtheroad/entry4072857.shtml):
"John McCain said today that Hispanic voters are tailor-made for the Republican message..."

Boston Globe blog:
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/05/mccain_courts_h.html

The Hill:
http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/mccain-courts-hispanic-voters-2008-05-05.html

U.S. Hispanic Population Continues to Rise Rapidly

I just did an interview with CNN Radio (national) about a U.S. Census Bureau report released tonight.

New data just released by the Census shows a Hispanic population that continues to grow quite rapidly. Hispanics, now the nation's largest minority population at 45.5 million, account for a huge percentage of overall U.S. population growth and this means America's future success will become more and more dependent on how well this population succeeds. The Hispanic population grew at 3.3% which is just slightly below the reported growth rate of 3.4%. Hispanics are now 15.1% of the U.S. population.

There are huge implications for this steady growth. Growth of the Hispanic, Asian and Black populations in the U.S. mean that by the year 2050, perhaps sooner, the U.S. will be a majority minority nation. Today a third of the U.S. population is minority and, if memory serves me well, some states like California and Texas now are already majority-minority.

Interestingly, today the National Alliance for Hispanic Health sought to draw attention to the fact that more than 15 million Hispanics are without health insurance. As the population continues to grow it will become more and more important that the U.S. government find a solution to this massive number of uninsured Hispanics.

I could write for hours on this, but simply put, we're going to need to meet the educational needs of this community to help ensure the U.S. continues to lead the global economy.

Putting my PR and corporate strategy hat on for a minute, continued growth of the Hispanic population (well over a million new Hispanics each year) continues to expand the Hispanic consumer market. And it doesn't take a genius to tell you that when a population continues to grow, the potential to serve the population and profit continues to grow.

Here are some of the first new clips on this Census data release:

The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/washington/01census.html

The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/30/AR2008043003397.html

Star Tribune (from wire services)
http://www.startribune.com/nation/18435529.html

AP story with quotes from NCLR, NALEO and friend Larry Gonzalez:
http://news.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=823800
Excerpt: "Some Hispanic advocacy groups predict about 10 million Hispanics will show up at the polls, motivated by the usual concerns about the economy, health care and the war and an added catalyst of dismay over attitudes from anti-immigration movements."

Impact felt from Boston to McAllen:
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/hispanics_called_fastest_growi.html
http://www.themonitor.com/news/car_10385___article.html/hike_light.html

More...

Here's the Census bureau fact sheet for Cinco de Mayo (May 5th):
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20080429/pl_usnw/u_s__census_bureau_facts_for_feature__cinco_de_mayo

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES SET RECORD SPENDING ON UNIVISION, TELEMUNDO STATIONS IN PRIMARIES

Initial Findings: Spanish-Language Advertising in the 2008 Presidential Campaign

The two leading Democratic presidential candidates spent millions of dollars on Spanish-language television ads, setting records for individual and combined Democratic expenditures in a presidential primary season. By combining original research, interviews and news reports, the Hispanic Voter Project at Johns Hopkins University estimates that the Democratic presidential candidates spent more money – at least $4 million – on Spanish-language television advertising this cycle, outpacing total spending in 2000 and total primary spending in 2004.

“Three factors have likely contributed to increased spending on Spanish-language appeals: a front-loaded calendar and extended process featuring states with large Hispanic populations, a very competitive Democratic contest, as well as record candidate fundraising and overall spending,” according to Adam J. Segal, founder and director of the Hispanic Voter Project at Johns Hopkins University.

The two remaining Democratic candidates, Senators Hillary Clinton (NY) and Barack Obama (IL) have continued to create and
air Spanish-language ads as the Democratic primary contests have dragged on, with attention now turned to Pennsylvania
(where both campaigns are airing Spanish-language TV spots) and eventually Puerto Rico.

Meanwhile, Republican candidates also aired Spanish-language ads during the primaries and the campaign of likely party
nominee’ Sen. John McCain (AZ) recently released its first general election Spanish-language TV spot.

This information is the result of a research project that involved interviews with TV station managers, visits to TV stations to
review the public political files, as well as Internet and news media research. The findings were released late yesterday at the
“Understanding the Hispanic Vote in 2008” Conference sponsored by the Center for Politics and Governance at the LBJ School at The University of Texas at Austin.

The full report is now available online in PDF form at http://advanced.jhu.edu/government/hvp

The Big Give

I think the ABC/Oprah show "The Big Give" is great and I try to watch every week.

But its biggest failing is that is has done virtually nothing to help build and promote the public movement that its always touting.

Why is there no update/report on what people are doing now that they have been inspired by the show?

There are zero interactive qualities to the weekly show and the program website. Perhaps the second season will incorporate all that, but I think ABC should learn from some recent movements that have take off people the public has been engaged as a partner.

If thought this brief from the Chronicle of Philanthropy was interesting:
http://philanthropy.com/news/prospecting/index.php?id=4270

Diversifying Campaign '08 News Commentary

Like most political strategists and researchers in Washington, DC I have noticed the huge cast of commentators on CNN and other networks this campaign season. Felicia R. Lee of The New York Times had a nice summary and analysis of the diversification of commentators/contributors in the paper this week.

She writes: "All the commentators appear when the networks need them, but are on television more than guest pundits from the outside. While a few are unknown to general audiences, they all come with extensive résumés that mostly include backgrounds in journalism, politics, academe, nonprofit organizations or business."

No doubt there has been a shift, and I have liked it and I bet it has helped secure larger and more diverse audiences, but I am left wondering if the very best minds are making it through to TV this season.

Here's the NYT story: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/arts/television/02pund.html?ex=1364961600&en=8ace7ab52b934216&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Are We Nearing Record Spending on Spanish-Language TV Ads in Dem. Primaries?

A couple months ago a reporter with a major national news organization called to ask what I thought about the fact so little had been spent on Spanish-language TV advertising in the months before the presidential primaries, given how much growth we had seen in recent cycles. He or she reminded me of a press release I distributed years ago that screamed record spending. My reaction was that it was way too early to assume a decline and that the story is probably best written after the primaries were held in states with huge Hispanic populations.

Well we're nearing that point. I was excited to see Ira Teinowitz's (of Advertising Age) scoop on this subject. His story, out tonight, reports:

"Hispanic Spending in Texas to Surpass $2 Million"

AND

"Together, the candidates spent nearly $2 million advertising to Spanish-speaking Hispanics in California, and broadcasters are saying spending ahead of the March 4 Texas primary could top that."

AND

"TNSI Campaign Media Analysis Group reports that before Texas, a total of $2.6 million had been spent on Hispanic media. Texas already has seen $400,000 and the broadcasters said total spending is fast moving up."

Wow. It's nice to have access to these data.

I'll have to look back at my records before I can say for certain, but gosh this seems huge. Is it evidence of record spending in the Democratic primaries yet? Hmmm, perhaps.

Regardless, this seems to predict it will reach record levels by the time the Texas primary is held during the first week of March (on the 4th).

A side topic is the campaigns' choices of media consultants. Teinowitz points out the Obama campaign chose a Texas-based consultant, perhaps providing unique state-specific insights.

Visit my Hispanic Voter Project page for data from past cycles:
http://advanced.jhu.edu/academic/government/hvp/

Asian American youth voters

TIME blogger points out interesting ad/viral video on Asian American youth voters. Highly targeted and gets right to the point. I like it and hope it helps.

http://time-blog.com/work_in_progress/2008/02/hot_asian_actors_want_you_to_v.html

HISPANIC PR MONOPOLY?

Is PR Newswire headed for a Hispanic PR monopoly? Is this is a sign of the continued emergence of the Hispanic economy or the Latinization of business?

Today, PR Newswire announced "its acquisition of Hispanic PR Wire, LatinClips, and Hispanic Digital Network."

I have used these services, at times, for the major clients of my agency, The 2050 Group, so I know them well.

For PR Newswire clients who want to reach Hispanics and Hispanic media I think this will be great because when they use the Spanish distribution service (which presumably will combine the strengths of the two services) they'll likely reach more people, and more of the right people, than ever before.

But for Hispanic PR Wire, LatinClips and clients of other services, I would be surprised if we didn't see a nice hefty price increase in the near future. These services have been pretty effective.

PR Newswire is really cleaning up in this narrow industry. Again, I use their services and they're great. But it looks like they're headed for monopoly status in both general public affairs news distribution as well as the Hispanic/Spanish news distribution. Who knows if that's good or bad at this point.

With all this said, nothing beats actually having terrific media contacts at Hispanic/Spanish-language media organizations and a press list of only those journalists who actually want to receive your news.

Web Campaign 2.008

The publiser of "niche social networking communities," Community Connect Inc., has been busy promoting its new clients and alliances. CCI claims 19 million members on its sites. As a PR professional I certainly appreciate the effort the company is making and I am impressed with the reputation some of its properties have achieved.

CCI says Senator Barack Obama approached the firm about its work and subsequently arranged for profiles to be placed on each of its major websites (BlackPlanet.com, MiGente.com, AsianAve.com, GLEE.com, and Faithbase.com). Now here's the impressive result:

"Since the profiles went live on October 5, 2007, the success of the campaign has become evident with Senator Obama's profiles garnering over 200,000 friends. In one week, his profile on BlackPlanet.com garnered more friends than his MySpace and Facebook profiles."

I'll be really interested in seeing what those sites can achieve during a general election effort. I believe Facebook and some of these other social networking sites can provide a massive two-way connection between people and the campaigns. Am I naive enough to believe that Obama will have a connection to hundreds of thousands of people? Of course not, but imagine if his campaign staff connected with these people and moved them to action (donation, volunteer, recruit, etc.). New tools on Facebook are popping up everyday, and lots of them have political and campaign '08 tie-ins. I hope the people and the campaigns find ways to make use of them.

Univision's Meet the Press

Next Month Univision television Al Punto (To the Point) the new Sunday morning "newsmaker discussion program" hosted by our friend Jorge Ramos the prolific author and anchor of the network evening news program "Noticiero Univision." (I know an intelligent, well-spoken and respected expert who'd be terrific for a regular panel of discussants!)

Univision is hosting a bash to launch the show at a prime location in DC. The program itself is likely to attract presidential candidates and leading figures in Washington.

The promotional website has a nice promo video which I presumed was utilized during this year's up-front presentation in New York.

Univision is scheduled to host a historic presidential forum series. The first is with the Democratic candidates on Sunday, September 9th in Miami. The Democratic candidates participating in the forum, in alphabetical order are: Senator Joe Biden, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Chris Dodd, Senator John Edwards, Senator Mike Gravel, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Senator Barack Obama and Governor Bill Richardson.

The Republican forum will be held Sunday, September 16. John McCain has said he will particiate, though Univision has not announced the participants yet.

Here's my analysis:

These events are historic for Univision and for the nation. They are, more than anything else, an opportunity for the Spanish-language juggernaut to flex it corporate muscles, draw more attention to its value as a political advertising destination, and of course provide the candidates with the best free connection to the nation's Hispanic voters...well at least the segment that watches Spanish-language television. There will also be a flood of mainstream media attention that will likely help the candidates' messages reach the English-dominant Hispanic voters who may be more likely to tune into English media.

Majority Minority America

It is no surprise to those of us who live in the Washington, DC region that minority community growth and migration is changing the demographic make-up of communities and entire counties here.

But it was still big news, just as it was in other places, that 1 in 10 counties are now majority minority or in other words there is no longer a single ethnic majority population in those areas. For example, for the first time, minorities are now a majority in Denver.

The U.S. Census Bureau released its latest report which captured tremendous national media attention.

The bottom line, as I see it, is that the U.S. continues to undergo dramatic demographic changes, is on track to become a majority minority nation by the middle of the century, and the movement toward that projection is being expressed more and more each year.

Click on the newspaper links below to read their coverage of the new census findings:
The Washington Post
The New York Times
Associated Press
Houston Chronicle
Dallas Morning News
Denver Post
USA Today

WILL DEMS HIT THE HISPANIC VOTE JACKPOT?

It looks more and more likely that the next Democratic presidential candidate, no matter who they are, will be able to count on the Hispanic vote jackpot. Two new stories out today are really in line with this thinking.

First, skilled political writer Susan Page at USA Today reported from San Antonio for a cover story on "Hispanics turning back to Democrats for 2008." The headline itself is somewhat misldeading -- My sense is that Democrats have historically enjoyed 56% or more of the Hispanic vote (if you think the exit polls are usually wrong you start at 60% or more). But the premise of the piece is absolutely accurate: Democrats are poised to receive the largest share of the Hispanic vote in years if all goes in their favor in the walk-up to the 2008 presidential election. And with the immigration bill blocked in Congress -- by the GOP is you ask Democratic Party leadership in Congress -- it'll be a very big up hill climb.

Page reports on a new USA Today poll which finds: "A new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll indicates that Hispanics, by nearly 3 to 1, say they're Democrats or lean that way. Of those, 59% support the New York senator [Sen. Hillary Clinton] over her presidential rivals — her strongest showing among any major demographic group and a huge potential asset for early contests in Nevada, Florida, California and other states with large Hispanic populations."

Page writes that Hispanic New Mexico Governor Bill "Richardson still has to introduce himself. Six in 10 Hispanics polled say they've never heard of the former congressman and Cabinet member, the first Hispanic to seek the Democratic presidential nomination."

Page gives the kicker quote to San Antonio advertising super-star, and a friend of mine, Frank Guerra. Guerra says Hispanic brand loyalty -- and political loyalty -- is up for grabs. We'll see.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports today out of Orlando, Florida that "Republican presidential candidates made a major miscalculation this week by skipping the nation's largest gathering of Hispanic elected officials, local party representatives and event organizers said."

Can you say intra-party problems: "The Republican candidates have blown off Hispanics in Florida," said state Rep. Juan Zapata, a Republican who helped bring the NALEO event to the state.

More: "With many Hispanics already concerned about some of the candidates' opposition to a bill that would provide a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants which failed in the Senate Thursday and anti-Hispanic rhetoric accompanying the debate, top candidates can ill-afford to alienate those loyal to the party, especially in a swing state like Florida, they said."

Right on. Ok, sure most Hispanics never hear anything out of this conference but if you're a supporter and your candidate is doing little to stimulate interest among influentials, particularly Republican Hispanic elected officials, you're really upset they're skipping the NALEO conference.

Update: I just heard from Alex Burgos at the Romney campaign. He says the former Governor will speak at the Republican National Hispanic Assembly's National Convention in Washington, DC on the morning of Sunday, July 22,2007

Now for your added enjoyment, here are some recent articles that quote me or reference my research on Hispanic voters, Hispanic political outreach and immigration issues:

- Agence France Presse (AFP)
- The Washington Post
- The Washington Post (II)
- National Public Radio (NPR)
- U.S. News & World Report
- Christian Science Monitor

Minority Population in U.S. Passes 100 Million

The minority population in the United States continues to grow rapidly, and while the nation is still headed for an enormous demographic shift by 2050, the shifts identified by the Census Bureau this year have big implications in the very near-term.

USA Today reports: "The nation's minority population has topped 100 million for the first time and now makes up about a third of the USA, a symbolic milestone that signals more challenges for communities adapting to diversity."

Lot's of regional implications according to these reports in The Washington Post and The New York Times. Also reports by Reuters and UPI.

Is the Digital Divide Narrowing?

BusinessWeek reports on a new study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project which appears to show a shrinking digital divide that for years had left African Americans at a disadvantage. The sub-headline of the article reads: "African Americans are snapping up broadband -- and closing the digital divide"

According to the article, "Surprise. In the past two years, African Americans have been devouring broadband technology--and the digital divide has shrunk significantly, at least for this group. The share of black households with a cable modem, DSL, or satellite Internet connection climbed to 40% this year, Pew says. That's almost twice as fast as the growth of broadband penetration for the general population, which grew to 47%."

ABC News Reports on the Health Environment Action Network

ABC News science reporter Ned Potter has an outstanding report on the new "Health Environment Action Network (HEAN)" launched by the National Alliance for Hispanic Health (a client of The 2050 Group), four regional partner organizations, and environmental countdown. See the launch press release. HEAN is empowering citizen scientists who will be researching and reporting on air and water pollution in four different regions of the country.

Uncle Ben "Gets a New Identity"

Today's New York Times has a fascinating Business section cover story on Mars company's effort to reintroduce Uncle Ben's rice and side dish products to the American consumer. The article points readers to a new website, unclebens.com, where the company has repositioned Uncle Ben as the chairman of the company.

I explored the site and found a calendar on Ben's executive office desk that has him speaking to the National Institutes of Health and meeting with a Senator You-Know-Who on a Friday in March.

It is a notable transformation of a brand character that has always carried with it the baggage of racial insensitivity that has also been associated with the brand and other brands such as Aunt Jemima's pancake syrup.

The Times was right to front-page this story. As advertising reporter Stuart Elliott writes in the story:

"The previous reluctance to feature Uncle Ben prominently in ads stood in stark contrast to the way other human characters like Orville Redenbacher and Colonel Sanders personify their products. That reticence can be traced to the contentious history of Uncle Ben as the black face of a white company, wearing a bow tie evocative of servants and Pullman porters and bearing a title reflecting how white Southerners once used “uncle” and “aunt” as honorifics for older blacks because they refused to say “Mr.” and “Mrs.”

Before the civil rights movement took hold, marketers of food and household products often used racial and ethnic stereotypes in creating brand characters and mascots.

In addition to Uncle Ben, there was Aunt Jemima, who sold pancake mix in ads that sometimes had her exclaiming, “Tempt yo’ appetite;” a grinning black chef named Rastus, who represented Cream of Wheat hot cereal; the Gold Dust Twins, a pair of black urchins who peddled a soap powder for Lever Brothers; the Frito Bandito, who spoke in an exaggerated Mexican accent; and characters selling powdered drink mixes for Pillsbury under names like Injun Orange and Chinese Cherry — the latter baring buck teeth."

This will certainly add a new layer to the discussion I initiate with students in my ethnic marketing course at Johns Hopkins University.

Click [here] to read the NYT article.

Asian Americans in U.S. Pop Entertainment?

New York Times writer Mireya Navarro had a Style-section cover story in the Sunday Times that delved into what some say is American pop culture's avoidance of potential Asian American stars; she writes some refer to it as "the Asian thing." It's an interesting article and worth reading.

Click [here] for the article.

FCC Penalty Demonstrates Spanish-Language TV Must Abide by Same Rules as Other Networks

According to a major front page story in Saturday's New York Times by media writer Stephen Labaton, Spanish-language television leader Univision is about to get hit with "the largest fine the Federal Communications Commission has ever imposed against any company."

And it appears Univision is ready, and in fact quite eager, to settle the issue and move on. The NYT piece, available through a permalink [here], is quite thorough and places the entire issue in the following context:

"Once the full commission approves it, as expected, Univision will be able to complete its $12 billion sale to a consortium of private equity firms."

So, while this is a major penalty and sets a historic precedent for the FCC, $24 million is a small amount to concede in order to ensure the government's support of a speedy sale of the company.

Some background... The Los Angeles Times' Jim Puzzanghera reports on the issue in Sunday's paper [here]. The Times' reports:

"Los Angeles-based Univision, the country's largest Spanish-language broadcaster, has agreed to the fine to settle complaints against 24 stations over a 116-week period from 2004 to 2006 for airing the children-focused soap operas, known as telenovelas, to fulfill the requirement for at least three hours of educational programming a week, according to a commission official who spoke on condition of anonymity because only the FCC staff, not the full commission, had approved the settlement."

The Times report from Saturday quoted Rep. Ed Markey:

“As the prime House author of the Children’s Television Act, I am pleased the commission is pursuing serious and vigorous enforcement of violations,” said Representative Edward J. Markey, the Massachusetts Democrat who heads the House subcommittee on telecommunications and the Internet. “This is a particularly egregious case and the level of the proposed fine reflects it. Rather than giving kids programming that is educationally nourishing, Univision elected to give them the Spanish-language equivalent of a soap opera.”

And the Times also reported that a politically active church filed the original complaint that led to the penalty:

"The case dates to the summer of 2005, when the United Church of Christ raised concerns about Univision’s programming lineup, complaining that it was failing to provide adequate children’s programs. The network claimed it was meeting its obligation by repeatedly rebroadcasting the same episodes of the telenovela. The commission’s staff found that 24 stations had violated the programming guidelines over a two-year period."

Finally, the Times identified the research of one of my academic colleagues Professor Federico Subervi of the School of Journalism & Mass Communication at Texas State University (who I've collaborated with on Hispanic voting research):

"In an affidavit accompanying the United Church’s complaint, Federico Subervi, a media consultant to such shows as “Dora the Explorer” and “The Misadventures of Maya and Miguel” said that “Complices” contained many adult plots and complex themes that were hardly suitable for young children."

"As further evidence that the program did not comply with the rules, Mr. Subervi noted that 80 percent of the advertising during the show was geared toward adults."

Here are some possible "lessons" that could come out of this case:

First, Spanish-language media must live under the same rules and regulations as all other media companies in the United States (for many reasons this was not clear before). And yes the FCC has finally realized it can effectively police the format. But for too long the FCC ignored Spanish-language media -- I remember the organization cracking down on indecency in English radio programs and then getting blasted for not doing the same for Spanish radio programs that were doing the same of worse.

But questions remain: Why was it outside research, and not the FCC's own original research and analysis, that convinced the commission there was a problem?

Every semester I teach my ethnic marketing course I share with my students a terrific Newsweek article about all the phrases that are lost in translation and how the FCC was essentially unaware of the the content of many Spanish-language radio programs.

Second, if you're a big media make sure you do good for the country and follow rules that were established to ensure you do. Profits often get in the way of this. And even now, it raises the question: Will a $24 million fine finally force a change at Univision?

The company has not commented publicly yet (best I can tell and according to the L.A. Times today), but might Univision announce, as one friend recommends, that it will invest at least $24 million in the development of new educational children's programming for U.S. Hispanic children? It would certainly be the right thing to do.

Third, if you're a big media company, make sure that you don't anger citizen groups who will file complaints as the UCC did. Groups that have gripes are more likely to spend the time and money on efforts to punish you if you have upset or wronged them in the past. If they work hard enough eventually they will find something that will stick.

ImpreMedia Buys Hoy's New York Edition from Tribune Co.

I just received the e-mail announcing the following development in the Spanish-language media business:

"ImpreMedia, LLC, the nation's leading Spanish-language newspaper and online news publisher, announced today it has agreed to acquire Tribune Company's New York publication, Hoy, and its related weekend publication in New York, Fin de Semana. The pending acquisition does not include the Hoy publications in Los Angeles and Chicago."

Hoy, which was plagued by the Tribune Co's circulation scandal a few years ago, has struggled to compete with the larger El Diario/La Prensa in the New York media market. Plus, ImpreMedia's leadership is driving one of the most energetic campaigns to create a national Hispanic print media empire, and so far it appears to be very successful.

Another rationale: "Based on Scarborough research, the combined readership of Hoy New York and El Diario La Prensa will allow ImpreMedia to deliver nearly twice the number of Spanish-preferred adults as New York's leading Spanish-language TV station, owned by Univision, and nearly three times more than New York's leading Spanish-language radio station."

As long as the quality of reporting and resources for consumers remains strong, perhaps the consolidation of the two papers is a good thing from the perspective of advertisers in the New York media market looking to reach the largest number of consumers.

I'll be on the look-out for reactions to this sale and will share them here on the blog.

Click [here] for the full press release about the sale.

- Adam

Goldman Sachs May Sink $50 Million into Agencies that Reach Hispanics

BusinessWeek magazine's Burt Helm reported this week on the Goldman Sachs plan to gobble up Hispanic marketing shops and may spend $50 million.

There are some unique and effective PR shops, including my own The 2050 Group, that specialize in reaching Hispanic media on behalf of clients and would be wise investments as the market and business demand continues to grow.

Click [here] to see the article on their site or see below:

BusinessWeek

February 5, 2007

MARKETING
It's Fiesta Time At Goldman

Every year at Hispanic street festivals across the country, millions of immigrant and U.S.-born Latinos throw back beers, enjoy live music, and feast on everything from empanadas to fresh mangoes. Now Goldman Sachs wants to join the fiesta. Over the next five years the company's merchant bank plans to spend as much as $50 million buying up marketing and advertising companies that cater to the growing Hispanic population in the U.S., even acquiring street fair operators along the way.

Virtually every ad conglomerate has a Hispanic unit. But Goldman will be the first to unite a group of Hispanic marketing and entertainment outfits into a holding company that will serve as a single stop for big brands hoping to navigate the promising but increasingly complex market. Even some competitors concede Goldman is on to something. "Clients are all asking for integrated services," says Carl Kravetz, president of the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies and CEO of Los Angeles-based cruz/kravetz:ideas.

At the outset, Goldman is looking to snare one of the 30 to 40 independent Hispanic ad agencies that annually generate between $25 million and $100 million each in billings, plus a research firm and a festival producer. Goldman will be majority shareholder with management handled by Latin Force, a marketing consultancy. The idea is to tap into second-generation Latinos. Young and bilingual, they consume mostly English-language media but still retain aspects of their parents' heritage.

By 2010 the number of these "New Generation" Latinos could reach 15.4 million, according to the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, D.C. Practically all growth in the coveted 18- to 34-year-old demographic comes from Hispanics, according to Pew. "The Hispanic market is getting so complicated and confus-ing," says Goldman Managing Director Kevin Jordan. "That's the reason to build a company like this."

Mexican Regiona Hits New York

One of the nation's top-rated Spanish-language morning radio programs has hit the NYC media market. “Piolín por la Mañana” (“Tweetybird in the Morning”) has hit the Univision-owned WZAA, which according to Saturday's edition of The New York Times, became "the first FM station in New York offering a format known as Mexican Regiona, which includes genres like ranchera, banda and norteña music."

Times reporter Seth Kugel reports that, "In most Hispanic hubs of the United States, the arrival of another Mexican regional station would have been nothing unusual. According to the Arbitron ratings service, the format attracts a 19.4 percent share of the Hispanic market, making it the most popular Spanish-language format by far. A recent Arbitron report shows that it is also the fastest-growing and that there had not been a single station playing a Mexican regional format from Maine to Pennsylvania in 2005."

Each semester I devote an entire class session to ethnic radio in my Master's course in Ethnic Marketing. It's great that the Times continues to shine light on the power of radio programming that reaches deep into ethnic communities better than other media forms.

Click [here] for the full article.

Hispanic Ad Spending Continues to Rise

ADWEEK reports on the announcement from media tracking agency TNS that they're projecting 5.4% growth for Hispanic advertising this year.

According to the article posted [here] on ADWEEK's site: "The Hispanic market is continuing to look very strong," said Steven Fredericks, president and CEO of TNS Media Intelligence. "The overall outlook for 2007 is relatively conservative at 2.6 percent, and the growth forecast for Hispanic media is more than double that.

Hispanic media buys have been smart investments for so many companies who have effectively reached into the Hispanic consumer market.

And many of the major investors behind Hispanic media ventures have seen their investments swell. This is exactly why Univision was able to sell itself for an astronomical amount of money to a team of investors. The Hispanic market continues to grow both in dollars and consumers and this is part of what makes tracking this market so exciting.

The Story Behind Pepsi's Early Marketing to African Americans

The Wall Street Journal today ran a lengthy excerpt from the new book by Stephanie Capparell titled "The Real Pepsi Challenge: The Inspirational Story of Breaking the Color Barrier in American Business." The Journal, which is published by the Journal and Free Press (a division of Simon and Schuster), published the excerpt on the front of its Marketplace section.

Capparell writes that Pepsi hired an all-black marketing sales division to go after the Black consumer market which she reports was valued at more than $10 billion. Her narrative covers the experience and historical significance of this sales team and reports on the ethnic marketing strategies they and the company employed.

She writes, "The mission of the black sales representatives at Pepsi-Cola was to win over loyal new customers - first by making personal appearances, then by placing ads in the black press and setting up displays at mom-and-pop stores in black communities."

The marketing team "visited bottlers, churches, 'ladies groups,' schools, college campuses, YMCAs, community centers, insurance conventions, teacher and doctor conferences, and various civic organizations."

[Here] is a link to the book on Amazon and [here] is the description on the Simon and Schuster site.

I'm excited to be able to alert to this and share it, in the form of a case study, with my ethnic marketing students at Johns Hopkins University.

Pizza for Pesos at Texas Restaurant Chain

In a killer publicity stunt, Texas based pizza shop chain "Pizza Petron" announced it will begin accepting Mexican pesos as currency at its U.S. shops along with U.S. currency.

Pizza Petron launched as the pizza chain that aimed to attract unprecedented numbers of Hispanic American consumers to the popular American food and it has not been shy in trying to attract Spanish-dominant consumers. The company says its stores are "based in Spanish speaking or predominately Hispanic neighborhoods."

The Dallas Morning News reported on the announcement [here].

Ethnic marketing exec Juan Faura, whose book I have assigned in past semesters for my graduate course in ethnic marketing, tells the Dallas paper:

"If you're not in a border town, I don't see the functional benefit," said Juan Faura, president and chief executive of Cultura, a Dallas-based marketing and advertising firm.

He and others saw the program more as a marketing effort than a badly needed service.

"I would see it as a move by the chain to communicate unequivocally to the Hispanic market that they are for them," Mr. Faura said.

"I don't see any other reason for it."

He's exactly right. This is a huge publicity stunt more than anything else. A good publicist might squeeze an extra couple days worth of attention out of this by helping attract a protest outside corporate headquarters or the various store locations. Free publicity can be enormously valuable.

Click [here] for the company's official announcement.

Guess the Quickest Way to Anger Asian American Consumers?

Can you guess the most expedient way Toys R Us could pick to turn off and anger Asian American consumers and other customers?

This is a good one: choose an Asian American for an enormous prize and then revoke the award because her mother is not a legal resident of the United States. Oh and do it a month after opening the first store in Shanghai, China which is in the same coutry where the vast majority of the chain's products are made.

As far as ethnic marketing disaster case studies go, this is one of the best.

Saturday's New York Times has the full story [here - permalink] by immigration writer Nina Bernstein. The Times report - which is accompanied by a photo from the World Journal because the Times could not reach the family - comes after the story hit the bigtime in popular Chinese-language daily The World Journal and made its way around the Internet via a e-mail notification campaign.

Can a major corporation win by being perceived as anti-immigrant? I doubt it, that's why I think this was strange business decision and applaud the Times for reporting on it. By the way, the Times says the winner was a "black American" and that another runner-up mother, whom I presume was disqualified as well, was born in El Salvador.

Southern Blacks in Major Leadership Roles in Congress for First Time

The Wall Street Journal published an article by staff writer David Rogers on Wednesday on "Southern Blacks' Ascent to Top Posts in Congress." Great piece and it's a reminder that a change in the control of Congress not only can shift policies and priorities, but it can also change history. African Americans and Hispanics have great allies and stronger direct representation with this new Congress - and I hope this translates into greater progress on many important issues.

Click [here] for the Wall Street Journal piece.

Historic: First Black Governor in Massachusetts

Deval Patrick was sworn in yesterday as the Governor of Massachusetts. It makes him the first Black to lead the state government and it makes me proud of my home state.

Click [here] for a Boston Globe story on what this means for African Americans.

News Report: Ford Reaffirms Value of Ethnic Marketing Strategies

An excellent Washington Post article today by staff writer Sholnn Freeman reports on Ford's latest campaign which is "devoting considerable energy to attracting niche customers." The article reaffirms what I have been teaching my students at Johns Hopkins University and telling my clients: ethnic or multicultural marketing strategies can be highly effective.

While the article itself reads like a corporate promotional piece, I love it because it makes for a great case study for my Master's degree course in ethnic marketing.

The story quotes a professor at the College of William and Mary who delivers quite an understatement. There has been evidence that the largest minority groups in the U.S. over-index the mainstream consumer on auto purchases and remain more brand loyal. So it is really a no-brainer that automakers reach out to these consumers. The biggest challenge continues to be how to create a message and brand/product line that is in-culture or fits well in-culture. This is not to say company's like Ford can not help drive the culture a little as well - afterall they spend billions of dollars on consumer advertising. But the Post story reports that Ford is borrowing from some of the most notable figures and media organizations that are strong among ethnic audiences and tying their brand to them.

Freeman writes that, "While many other customers have fled, lots of African Americans have stayed local to carmarkers in Detroit. African American and Hispanic artists celebrate American car brands in music and culture. Hip-hop and R&B have given Cadillac new life with lyrical backing of the over-the-top Escalade SUV and the flashy Cadillac brand itself."

She reports that: "Ford will sponsor a sweepstakes on Spanish-language Univision.com..."
and that "Ford's marketers also think they've got a strong shot with Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese people..."

Click [here] for the article.

'Slap in the Face' for Blacks

How can a search for a nanny end up like a slap in the face for Blacks?

New York Times writer Jodi Kantor reports in today's paper that, "Like hailing a cab in Midtown Manhattan, searching for a nanny can be an exasperating, humiliating excercise for many blacks, the kind of ordeal that makes them wonder aloud what year it is."

She finds "that many black parents do not have the same child care options as their colleagues and neighbors." And later she writes that, "The problem may be as much about class as race" and attributes the finding to a Harvard sociologist.

Click [here] to read the story.

The Hispanicization of American Catholicism

The New York Times Magazine has a major Christmas-eve cover story on "The Hispanicization of American Catholocism." From my initial quick read tonight, I find that the story puts heavy emphasis on the changes in the church in Los Angeles, but also paints a national portrait, including the following report from writer David Rieff:

"Nationally, Hispanics account for 39 percent of the Catholic population, or something over 25 million of the nation’s 65 million Roman Catholics; since 1960, they have accounted for 71 percent of new Catholics in the United States. The vast increase, both proportionally and in absolute numbers, is mostly because of the surge in immigration from Latin America, above all from Mexico, that has taken place over the course of the past three decades. Today, more than 40 percent of the Hispanics residing in the United States, legally and illegally, are foreign-born, and the fate of the American Catholic Church has become inextricably intertwined with the fate of these immigrants and their descendants."

Rieff explains these and other significant shifts in the church make-up and writes, later in the story that, "The question, though, is whether these changes represent something lasting. Is this a real turning point in the history of the American church that will lead to its enduring revival or, instead, only another cycle in that history? "

Rieff argues that, "The question, of course, is whether an increasingly conservative hierarchy, both in Rome and in the United States, will choose to allow it to remain so or will alter its course. It is this decision that will in the end determine whether the Hispanicization of the American church signals its rebirth or is a false dawn after all. "

I find it fascinating that this story is able to add another layer to the media's - and of course my own - growing interest in the Hispanic influence on America, and global issues as a result.

Click [here] for the article.

Top Shows Among African American TV Viewers

USA Today published Nielsen ratings data showing the top ten shows among African American TV viewers in mid-November:

Click [here] to see it on the USA Today website:

Spotlight: Tops among African- Americans

Avg. viewers (millions)

1 Dancing With the Stars (ABC) 3.1
* Dancing W/Stars results (ABC) 3.1
3 Day Break (ABC) 2.7
4 CSI: Miami (CBS) 2.6
5 Girlfriends (CW) 2.4
* All of Us (CW) 2.4
7 60 Minutes (CBS) 2.2
8 CSI (CBS) 2.0
9 Shark (CBS) 2.0
10 Grey's Anatomy (ABC) 1.9
Source: Nielsen Media Research, week of Nov. 13

Mexicans and Americans Thinking Together (MATT.org)

Nearly a year ago Lionel Sosa contacted me about a new non-profit organization he was putting together, from scratch. The group, which would become Mexicans and Americans Thinking Together, sought to become the first online non-profit organization to build a web portal devoted to dialogue between Mexicans and Americans.

MATT.org has grown into a tremendously successful organization in the months since it officially launched (the site launched on Cinco de Mayo - May 5th). Americans and Mexicans have visited the English and Spanish versions of the website, generating millions of clicks. Virtually all content and projects are posted to both the English and Spanish websites.

Here are a few of the terrific MATT efforts worth pointing out:

1.) MATT.org launched a micro-loan program that allows Americans to invest in Mexican small (or micro) businesses all with the goal of securing or creating jobs in Mexico. More jobs and job security in Mexico equals less desperation and hopefully less illegal immigration. Click [here] to check out a promotional video about the program and to learn more about the process and loan recipients.

In case you missed it, the Nobel Peace Prize this year was awarded the man behind the largest and most successful microloan programs in the world. MATT.org partners with Kiva and Mexico-based ADMIC for the program.

2.) MATT.org has a tremendously successful discussion board section where thousands of people from the U.S. and Mexico debate the important and sometimes less important issues facing our two countries and two peoples.

The comments are lively to say the least; they are noteworthy, sometimes controversial, and occasionally offensive depending on who's posting. Since the site is open to anyone the comments reflect that. Click [here] for the discussion section which feature 10 forums with about 35,000 posts and more than 16,000 members.

3.) MATT.org has begun to circulate a petition urging Congress to make it easier for American citizens to vote in national elections. Click [here] to review and/or sign the petition.

4.) The site features commentaries, news summaries and original reporting as well as statements from the MATT on important issues facing the two countries. I help lead the editorial team at the site and we're developing outstanding content and research projects for the coming months.

5.) And this might be the coolest development thus-far: MATT has established a new relationship with Quepasa.com a fantastic, growing online community with more than 350,000 members. The site has really taken off and is attracting a lot of national media attention and national advertisers.

Will Obama’s candidacy advance racial bridge-building?

Will Obama’s candidacy advance racial bridge-building? I am certainly excited when I think about the possibility. The New York Times has a profile which implies that Sen. Barack Obama has quite a different take on the challenges facing our country. His old mentor, the famed attorney Laurence Tribe, is quoted as saying he'll be hard to pin down on some issues because of his unique background and identity.

The New York Times’ Jeff Zeleny, formerly of the Chicago Tribune - one of Obama's hometown papers, wrote for Sunday’s paper that, “As the third African-American senator since Reconstruction, Mr. Obama represents a new generation of black leaders who are connected neither by lineage nor by personal experience to the monumental struggle for racial equality.” Zeleny goes on to analyze some of Obama's writings on this subject in the article titled "Testing the Waters, Obama Tests His Own Limits."

Click [here] for the article.

First Hispanic to Chair the Republican National Committee?

Liz Sidoti of the Associated Press breaks the news that Florida Senator Mel Martinez will become chairman of the Republican National Committee. Read the story [here]. Media Matters criticizes CNN's John King who apparently broke the story [here].

An "official" announcement has not been made yet, and tomorrow's stories will likely cite AP as the source. But it appears to be certain.

A few thoughts:

Senator Martinez will be the first Hispanic to chair the Republican National Committee.

The appointment of Sen. Martinez to Chair the RNC is an important step for the Hispanic community as it intimately ties one of the nation's leading Hispanic leaders to the strategy and policies of the Republican Party. When the RNC speaks, it will now speak with a Hispanic voice. And I think this will mean much more than speaking Spanish, it will mean speaking in a way that is at least somewhat attuned to the issues and concerns in the community.

But I assume some major Hispanic organizations will oppose the appointment because of Martinez's conservative position on life and other issues. It might be accurate to say that his personal position on major contemporary political issues are both in line with, and divergent from, the Hispanic community agenda at the same time.

Given the pummeling Republicans took at the polls in the competition for the Hispanic vote during the mid-term elections, this appointment is significant because it sends a message that the Party intends to be more in-touch with the Hispanic community in the walk-up to the 2008 presidential election.

I also think this is important because it sends a clear message about the role President Bush hopes the RNC will play in helping to support efforts to pass historic, comprehensive immigration legislation and to resuscitate the Party's image in the Latino community. When Sen. Martinez speaks about immigration, he speaks about his own personal experience.

News on the Year of the Black Vote, Black Candidates

This election year has been an interesting one for those of us that track political party outreach to minority voting groups. Here's the latest news on this subject:

Today, the Associated Press reports [here] on a poll conducted by AP and AOL Black Voices
which finds "GOP Outreach to Blacks Falters."

And, also today, Reuters reports [here] that "Many conservative blacks still vote for Democrats."

Yet, as AP recently reported [here], "Black Republicans Urge New Voter Habits."

This month's edition of Ebony Magazine has a well-written, major story (teased on the front cover) titled "The New Black Power." In the article, the magazine says "From Maryland to Ohio, Pennsylvania to Tennessee, nearly a half-dozen Black political candidates are competing for some of the highest offices in the nation. If many of them win, the victories could mean a historical increase in African-American political might. If most of them lose, it could send a discouraging signal to Black America." Ebony profiles prominent African American candidates from both parties, including Democrat Deval Patrick who is running for Governor of Massachusetts and is widely expected to be elected.

Here in Maryland, Republican Lt. Governor Michael Steele is running for Senate against Congressman Ben Cardin. The Washington Post recently reported that Cardin had a 10 point lead, and that's part of the reason this race has not been seen as among the most competitive in the nation and when national Republicans groups have spent so little supporting Steele.

But, the Los Angeles Times reported on this race in today's newspaper [here] and finds that "Once trailing by more than 10 points, Steele narrowed the margin to where the race is now considered by some to be nearly a tossup."

Steele, who is African American, received endorsements from a group of prominent African Americans from Prince Georges County recently. The Washington Post reports on the endorsements [here] and The Washington Times reports on it [here] and the Baltimore Sun [here].

Today, the Post also reports on the broader African American outreach efforts across Maryland this cycle, [here].

Some in the Democratic Party are warning that garnering support from Black voters will become more difficult for the Democrats in the future, but the AP poll out today appears to contradict those beliefs.

WSJ Report on Viva Piñata

Today the Wall Street Journal reports on the front of its Marketplace section about the new 4Kids™ TV show on Fox stations and the new Viva Piñata Xbox 360™ video game which Microsoft hopes will help it sell its new Xbox system.

And this is how WSJ frames it: "Microsoft Corp. said it will take a step to address a weakness of its original Xbox with a new game called "Viva Piñata" for its Xbox 360 console aimed at young gamers."

Visit http://www.vivapinata.com/

Will Michael Steele Capture the Black Vote in Maryland?

The Washington Post has a Metro section cover story on the Maryland U.S. Senate race today:
"Race vs. Party: Steele Catches the Eye of Frustrated Black Democrats In Prince George's, but Will They Cross Over?"

I think many will. But Rep. Ben Cardin has been aggressively courting Black voters, including visiting P.G. county voters with Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. John Kerry and others, as the Post notes.

Click [here] to read the article.

- Adam

U.S. Federal Reserve Bank Courts Mexican Immigrants

Wall Street Journal staff writer Miriam Jordan reports today on a unique program being marketed to Mexican immigrants, many of them illegally in the United States, by the Bush Administration and the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank.

It sounds controversial, and some critics have already raised concerns, but it could also been seen as simply another bank getting into th business of international remittances or money transfers.

From a marketing perspective (I teach ethnic marketing to Master's degree students at Johns Hopkins University), the story and the subject help provide terrific information for a case study into how banks are aggressively marketing to Hispanic consumers.

Jordan writes:

As U.S. leaders craft policies to curb illegal immigration from Mexico, the U.S. Federal Reserve is devising programs to extend banking services to undocumented immigrants. A new remittance program aims to bring Mexican migrants who send money home into the mainstream U.S. financial system, regardless of their immigration status.

Dubbed "Directo a Mexico," the remittance program enables U.S. commercial banks to make money transfers for Mexican workers through the Federal Reserve's own automated clearinghouse, which is linked to Banco de Mexico, the Mexican central bank.

She goes on to report that:

Critics, however, say the Federal Reserve Bank is coddling illegal immigrants and helping them engage in capital flight. "Anything that makes it easier for people to live in this country illegally is an inducement for illegal immigration," says Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, an immigration-restrictionist group. "On top of that, it is draining money out of our economy."

I found this link to some recent public events promoting the program in Texas. And this link to one held in St. Louis. And [here] is a link to a downloadable Directo a Mexico brochure in PDF format. And finally, [here] a page with a lot more information and downloads.

Click [here] to read the full article online or read it [here] if you subscribe to wsj.com.

PBS Reports on "Vigorous political organizing inside Latino churches"

The award-winning PBS program Religion & Ethics Newsweekly reports on "vigorous political organizing inside Latino churches."

This story, reported by Kim Lawton, is excellent and balanced. Rarely does a mainstream media organization devote so much time and thought to the issues of faith and politics in the Hispanic community and PBS should be applauded for the work on this piece. It's one of the important things I've been pushing for since I established the Hispanic Voter Project at Johns Hopkins University following 2000 presidential election.

She reports that, "However things shake down politically, experts agree the mobilization over immigration is creating unprecedented new alliances between various ethnic groups within the Hispanic world and between Catholics and Protestants."

Click [here] to read the transcript or watch the streaming video from the recent broadcast.

Hispanic Websites Spotlighted by Washington Post Business Section

This past Saturday, Washington Post business writer Alan Sipress wrote an interesting piece which reported that "Hispanics' Web Identity Grows As Ads Target Diverse Audience." Sipress did a nice job of reaching out to experts from around the nation to build a balanced piece, which identifies some of the biggest challenges marketers have when trying to reach Latino consumers online.

The Post story reports that, "Today, a contest over Hispanic identity is being waged on the terrain of the Internet. The proliferation of Web sites such as Batanga, which appeal to Latinos regardless of where they come from, is pulling in one direction, encouraging the emergence of a wider Hispanic identity that transcends the borders that long fragmented the group. But a countervailing trend, which taps into the endless specialization available on the Web, is pushing the opposite way, toward a narrower identity rooted in homeland and even in hometown."

Sipress goes on to quote my old friend and former EFE America correspondent Rebeca Logan:

"The Internet allows you to develop a greater identity, but you can still find out the weather in your parents' hometown," said Rebeca Logan, a former news producer at AOL Latino.

He writes that, "Motivated by commercial considerations, Web sites such as AOL Latino, Univision.com, Yahoo-Telemundo and Batanga are trying to capture as large an Hispanic audience as possible in a bid for advertisers."

Click [here] for the article.

Tavis Smiley Profiled by The New York Times

Felicia R. Lee profiles television and radio personality Tavis Smiley on the front of The Arts section in today's edition of The New York Times. The piece solidifies Smiley's standing as one of the most influential and thoughtful African Americans in the nation.

When he was with NPR I found his show to be one of the most thought-provoking on radio and he was willing to take on issues many other media organizations ignored. His book, The Covenant, is one I highly recommend to all of my students in ethnic marketing at Johns Hopkins University. It's a must-read for every single political strategist, candidate, and journalist whose work even remotely involves the African American communities.

Click [here] or [here] to read the article.

Washington Post: Blacks Increase Political Presence

The Washington Post recently reported on the growing clout of Black politicians in Montgomery County, Maryland. Please click [here] to read the article by Post staff writer Cameron W. Barr.

MTV Tries Again with Tr3s

MTV relaunched its old MTV en Espanol today as "MTV Tr3s" a souped up bilingual version of MTV geared towards the emerging acculturated American Hispanic youth. The audience share is likely to start small but New York Times reporter Mireya Navarro, whose feature on the channel ran today, interviews a bunch of people who seem to think it's the beginning of a powerful business that will benefit from the growing number of advertisers savvy enough to put their dollars into ventures aimed at bilingual or even English-dominant Latinos.

The "new" revamped cable channel, which will reach about 14 million people at launch, has partnered with Latina magazine and is co-sponsoring its national tour througbhout Hispanic heritage month. Click [here] for details.

As NYT's Navarro notes, other cable channels that have been recast successfully include Mun2 the bilingual cable channel owned by Telemundo. Both find themselves in the company of the successful cable channel SiTV.

I'm really excited about this new channel (though I'll have little if any time to actually watch it). The newly competitive environment is certainly shaping up to be a terrific case study for the Ethnic Marketing course at teach in the Master in Communication program at Johns Hopkins University.

Click [here] to read the positive spotlight piece in today's New York Times.

Click [here] to read the Billboard story on washingtonpost.com

Will Televisa Make a New Bid for Univision?

Andrew Ross Sorkin & Peter Edmonston report in the business section of today's The New York Times that, "A consortium of investors led by Grupo Televisa, Mexico's largest media company, is considering a plan to make a $13 billion bid for Univision Communications after losing an auction for the company this summer, executives involved in the negotiations said yesterday."

It's surprising given that the group led by media mogul Haim Saban appeared to have won the auction and was well on its way to Univision board approval only two weeks from today.

Click [here] to read the Times article.

- Adam

Naive... What else is there to say about Survivor's producer?

Washington Post columnist, Lisa de Moraes, who writes about television has written a devastating column which exposes the sad intentions behind the Survivor program on CBS which will feature a sort of battle of the races where racial or ethnic teams face off against each other. It appears to have only been about attracting ethnic viewers (big surprise).

Survivor's producer makes terribly naive comments about race and ethnicity in society which lead me to believe that there was little deep thinking that went into developing this season's show which I had hoped might be able to contribute to a discussion about race and ethnicity in American society.

Click [here] to read the article.

- Adam

New York Advertising Agencies Adjust to Reality - They Must Hire more African American Senior Executives

In a positive turn of events, New York's major advertising agencies have acknowledged that they have kept African Americans out of their senior ranks and are taking steps to change (or will accept punishment if they don't). Both the government and the agency clients have expressed frustration over the hiring and promotion practices at Madison Avenue agencies.

The New York Times, which has reported on this issue in the past, reports today on its front page that the agencies will make changes after pressure was exerted by the City's government leaders.

Given the stereotyping of African Americans and other minorities in corporate advertising it really should come as no surprise that these groups have not been active participants in the leadership decisions made about the direction of advertising.

It depresses me that students who I help train to take junior or mid-level positions in marketing and advertising may never be able to reach the higher levels of agency leadership simply because of a broken system that is out of step with the changing society and changing demographics of our nation. I continue to hope that, sooner or later, corporate advertisers will avoid agencies that avoid diversity at all levels, including the most senior positions.

Click [here] to read the Times' story by Dianne Cardwell and Stuart Elliott.

- Adam