Roxana Lissa is CEO of RL Public Relations. She offered her insights on Latinos and travel in this week’s PRWeek Insider Blog. The article is also featured in its entirety here.
Whether it's a trip to my homeland Buenos Aires for the holidays or a quick getaway to Catalina Island on a weekend, there's one thing that's certain: Latinos are not staying indoors.
They are adventurous and they love to travel and visit new places. It makes me wonder: Has the sluggish economy really had an impact on Latinos and travel?
During recent outings with family, I was one to scan my surroundings. The young couple holding hands in Aruba? Latinos. The family of four laughing up a storm while sharing a slice of pizza at Legoland in San Diego? Latinos.
According to the latest statistics by the US Travel Association, there are roughly 16 million Hispanic adult leisure travelers. They took a combined 50 million domestic and outbound trips, spending nearly $59 billion on travel. This number is expected to skyrocket as the Latino population continues to rise. Not only do we work hard, but we play harder.
The overwhelming numbers shouldn't come as a surprise. Hispanics value time spent with friends and relatives; it can be as simple as a carne asada on a Sunday afternoon at the park to more luxury vacation spots in Europe. After all, this is how we bond and create memories. Growing up, most of conversations with mama began with “Remember when …”
Through my travels with my family, I spread the joy of being a Latina. At the same time, I'm contributing to the economy's piggy bank by way of airlines, hotels, car rentals, theme parks, and much more.
Advertisers are taking notice. And because we're the fastest-growing minority market, there's future business ahead. As more Hispanics gain increasingly disposable wealth, they are more prone to leisure activity. The Hispanic buying power in California alone is about $228 billion. How many trips can that buy you?
Let's crunch more numbers. Recent stats suggest that US Hispanic spending growth dwarfs the general market. While the general public as a whole continues to tighten their belts, Hispanics continue to loosen their wallets including a 14% increase in entertainment spent on fees and admissions.
Do you know where will you be next weekend? There is a lot to do and see, and we, mi gente, are going by the masses … Somos latinos y nos gusta vivir nuevas experiencias!
August 30, 2010
August 9, 2010
Bloguera Power!
For thousands of female bloggers who descended upon the streets of New York City last week, BlogHer 2010 had the buzz and feel of the “big dance,” the Super Bowl.
That’s because BlogHer is the largest blogging conference for women who breathe all things social media through vehicles like blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr, among many, many others. This yearly extravaganza brings together an army of women with names like New York City Mama, SpanglishBaby and Bilingual in the Boonies – influential bloggers valued by PR firms for their ability to act as ambassadors to a brand.
Since first reaching out to the so-called mommy bloggers more than two years ago, I’ve witnessed firsthand the Latina social media explosion and ever growing presence of Blogueras on the blogosphere. I remember the surprise of one Latina mommy blogger when I invited her to a Licuado/Milkshake event after reading about her children who she endearingly called: Mexipinitos. Apparently, she had never been approached by a PR firm because she responded with a, “You’re inviting me, really?” Today, she’s seen as one of the founding Latina mommy bloggers.
These ladies, wielding their laptops, blackberries and iPhones to tell a story, have become a strong force to be reckoned with. Today, these Latinas are celebrating their success outside of the World Wide Web and attending conventions like BlogHer, being interviewed by major newspapers, and acting as guests on TV where they talk about the way they’ve shaped marketing to women.
On the first day of the three-day conference I spoke with Ana Flores, the woman behind http://www.spanglishbaby.com/. She had just enjoyed a stint on the Today Show wearing a bright red shirt complemented by a toothpaste smile. She had come along way, but she’s not alone. Latinas are outpacing the general market in the growth and use of social media. Plus, they are now seeing much more interest and engagement from big-name brands and companies. Still, she tells me, I was “her first.”
Ana was one of seven prominent Latina bloggers who were fully sponsored to attend this year’s BlogHer conference in the Big Apple. This, she said, represents the most bloggers from any market ever sponsored by ONE single company. Blogging has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Nowadays, there is money to be made, fame to be earned and influence to be gained.
At BlogHer 2010, the Latina influence was palpable, very prevalent with more Latinas attending than ever before; In fact, BlogHer featured its first-ever all Latina panel and it was no coincidence that it also included a big social fiesta hosted by Latinas in Social Media.
Why is all this happening now -- According to Sophia Mind, Hispanic women in the U.S. are one of the fastest-growing online demographics, and more than 85 percent of Latinas visit social networks on a regular basis. U.S. Hispanics are tech-savvy and love the Internet. The AOL Hispanic Cyberstudy reveals that online Hispanics tend to be young, affluent, with large households and are “more enthusiastic about the benefits of the Internet than [is] the general market.”
And if you’re still asking yourself, why PR practitioners including those at RLPR yearn to be featured in stories by Latina mommy bloggers, that’s because word of mouth is king among Latinas. More than 90 percent of all consumers report that the recommendation of a friend, family member or expert is the leading influence on their purchase behavior. And with 77 percent of Hispanics engaging in some kind of online socializing, social media is quickly becoming the battleground in which brand allegiances are won or lost.
So who are the Latina Bloggers that received the full “scholarship” to the big dance?
• Ana Lilian Flores – SpanglishBaby
• Carol Cain – The Adventures of a NYCity Mama
• Carrie Ferguson Weir – Tiki Tiki Blog
• Melanie Edwards – ModernMami.com and 40weeks Plus
• Rory Lassanske – Mamá Contemporánea
• Roxana A. Soto – SpanglishBaby and MimosBlog
• Silvia Martinez – Mamá Latina Tips
This blog is dedicated to you FABULOUS SEVEN. Thank you for continuing to help brands spread the word in English, Spanish and Spanglish con sabor.
That’s because BlogHer is the largest blogging conference for women who breathe all things social media through vehicles like blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr, among many, many others. This yearly extravaganza brings together an army of women with names like New York City Mama, SpanglishBaby and Bilingual in the Boonies – influential bloggers valued by PR firms for their ability to act as ambassadors to a brand.
Since first reaching out to the so-called mommy bloggers more than two years ago, I’ve witnessed firsthand the Latina social media explosion and ever growing presence of Blogueras on the blogosphere. I remember the surprise of one Latina mommy blogger when I invited her to a Licuado/Milkshake event after reading about her children who she endearingly called: Mexipinitos. Apparently, she had never been approached by a PR firm because she responded with a, “You’re inviting me, really?” Today, she’s seen as one of the founding Latina mommy bloggers.
These ladies, wielding their laptops, blackberries and iPhones to tell a story, have become a strong force to be reckoned with. Today, these Latinas are celebrating their success outside of the World Wide Web and attending conventions like BlogHer, being interviewed by major newspapers, and acting as guests on TV where they talk about the way they’ve shaped marketing to women.
On the first day of the three-day conference I spoke with Ana Flores, the woman behind http://www.spanglishbaby.com/. She had just enjoyed a stint on the Today Show wearing a bright red shirt complemented by a toothpaste smile. She had come along way, but she’s not alone. Latinas are outpacing the general market in the growth and use of social media. Plus, they are now seeing much more interest and engagement from big-name brands and companies. Still, she tells me, I was “her first.”
Ana was one of seven prominent Latina bloggers who were fully sponsored to attend this year’s BlogHer conference in the Big Apple. This, she said, represents the most bloggers from any market ever sponsored by ONE single company. Blogging has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Nowadays, there is money to be made, fame to be earned and influence to be gained.
At BlogHer 2010, the Latina influence was palpable, very prevalent with more Latinas attending than ever before; In fact, BlogHer featured its first-ever all Latina panel and it was no coincidence that it also included a big social fiesta hosted by Latinas in Social Media.
Why is all this happening now -- According to Sophia Mind, Hispanic women in the U.S. are one of the fastest-growing online demographics, and more than 85 percent of Latinas visit social networks on a regular basis. U.S. Hispanics are tech-savvy and love the Internet. The AOL Hispanic Cyberstudy reveals that online Hispanics tend to be young, affluent, with large households and are “more enthusiastic about the benefits of the Internet than [is] the general market.”
And if you’re still asking yourself, why PR practitioners including those at RLPR yearn to be featured in stories by Latina mommy bloggers, that’s because word of mouth is king among Latinas. More than 90 percent of all consumers report that the recommendation of a friend, family member or expert is the leading influence on their purchase behavior. And with 77 percent of Hispanics engaging in some kind of online socializing, social media is quickly becoming the battleground in which brand allegiances are won or lost.
So who are the Latina Bloggers that received the full “scholarship” to the big dance?
• Ana Lilian Flores – SpanglishBaby
• Carol Cain – The Adventures of a NYCity Mama
• Carrie Ferguson Weir – Tiki Tiki Blog
• Melanie Edwards – ModernMami.com and 40weeks Plus
• Rory Lassanske – Mamá Contemporánea
• Roxana A. Soto – SpanglishBaby and MimosBlog
• Silvia Martinez – Mamá Latina Tips
This blog is dedicated to you FABULOUS SEVEN. Thank you for continuing to help brands spread the word in English, Spanish and Spanglish con sabor.
April 21, 2010
A Mover Se Ha Dicho!
My passion for music was nurtured at a very young age. I can still recall marimba music blaring at family gatherings. The sounds and rhythm filled every room of our Visalia, CA home. The music created new memories and at the same time took us back to family memories of Guatemala. Today, the instant I hear marimba, I am transported back in time as my head fills with great memories of tias, tios, primas y primos. It is the rich culture of the music during my childhood that has made music such an important part of my everyday life.
From The Scenestar blog to FILTER magazine, I consume all things music. As PR practitioners, it is our responsibility to have our finger on the pulse of popular culture – and the music industry is a big part of that. Our clients rely on us to be experts. As such, it is part of our job to follow emerging trends and keep up with what’s current.
I am the epitome of today’s Latino and their taste of music; I express myself through different genres – far from being one-dimensional. Brands in the PR industry understand this. Such was the case with longtime RLPR client Heineken USA. One of the programs our office executed was bringing DJs together to blend songs and beats from Latin genres and mash them with today’s mainstream music including reggaeton, hip-hop, electronic and funk. The mashups were a way for Latinos to identify and to celebrate being multicultural.
I recall when I first moved from my small agricultural town to one of the cultural meccas in the world, Los Angeles to attend UCLA. My first concert in the City of Angels was the cumbia, funk, reggae-infused band Ozomatli at the Grand Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles. That concert was a light-bolt moment that led me to discover the power of music as a universal language that transcends boundaries and bonds people.
It’s been said that music has the power to break barriers and bring people together despite culture, gender or even age. I’m listing a few of my favorite sounds and hope that it will do just that. Enjoy!
1) Kinky – Soun Tha Mi Primer Amor (Mexico): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_wvxbu3vWg&feature=related
2) Ozomatli – Como Ves (US): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TtFaRtvR6g
3) Buraka Som Sistema – Sound of Kuduro (Brazil): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CkXhtw7UNk
4) Nortec Collective presents Bostich+Fussible - Tijuana Sound Machine (Mexico): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAkk3MqxOY8
5) Marimba Ferrocarril de los Altos (Guatemala): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0VGODoRy9o&feature=related
How does music play a role in your life?
From The Scenestar blog to FILTER magazine, I consume all things music. As PR practitioners, it is our responsibility to have our finger on the pulse of popular culture – and the music industry is a big part of that. Our clients rely on us to be experts. As such, it is part of our job to follow emerging trends and keep up with what’s current.
I am the epitome of today’s Latino and their taste of music; I express myself through different genres – far from being one-dimensional. Brands in the PR industry understand this. Such was the case with longtime RLPR client Heineken USA. One of the programs our office executed was bringing DJs together to blend songs and beats from Latin genres and mash them with today’s mainstream music including reggaeton, hip-hop, electronic and funk. The mashups were a way for Latinos to identify and to celebrate being multicultural.
I recall when I first moved from my small agricultural town to one of the cultural meccas in the world, Los Angeles to attend UCLA. My first concert in the City of Angels was the cumbia, funk, reggae-infused band Ozomatli at the Grand Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles. That concert was a light-bolt moment that led me to discover the power of music as a universal language that transcends boundaries and bonds people.
It’s been said that music has the power to break barriers and bring people together despite culture, gender or even age. I’m listing a few of my favorite sounds and hope that it will do just that. Enjoy!
1) Kinky – Soun Tha Mi Primer Amor (Mexico): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_wvxbu3vWg&feature=related
2) Ozomatli – Como Ves (US): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TtFaRtvR6g
3) Buraka Som Sistema – Sound of Kuduro (Brazil): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CkXhtw7UNk
4) Nortec Collective presents Bostich+Fussible - Tijuana Sound Machine (Mexico): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAkk3MqxOY8
5) Marimba Ferrocarril de los Altos (Guatemala): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0VGODoRy9o&feature=related
How does music play a role in your life?
March 4, 2010
Walking in My Shoes…
¡Chamaca Condenada! My mother would yell as she chased me out of her bedroom. Partly angry but fully amused. I’d gotten into her make up and high heels again. I was only 4 or 5, but I remember like it was yesterday. I would watch her get dressed and meticulously run a dark line from one side of her eye to the other. Beautiful and bold.
January 13, 2010
When did Diversity become the same as Multicultural?
When I began working in PR in 1993, the terms “multicultural” and “diversity” were rarely used. I was aware of their meanings of course, but the words themselves did not come up in conversation often - if ever. It wasn’t until I left the smaller PR firm scene and entered the big agency world in the late 90’s that I was exposed to these terms more frequently, specifically in the business realm.
Growing up in Brooklyn in the 1970s, I clearly knew what multicultural meant, but it was my everyday life – something you lived without thinking … it wasn’t an “initiative” or a target market, or even a word in your vocabulary. In fact it was not until I went to college in the Midwest that I realized how culturally diverse my life was. I can still recall missing the energy, restlessness and variety that I took for granted in New York, after I landed in St. Louis (at Washington University) where all three of those characteristics were alarmingly absent.
Once I began working at GCI Group (now Cohn & Wolfe), I learned simultaneously about the practice of multicultural marketing, and the lack of diversity in the PR industry. Those two concepts were etched into my mind as distinct and not interchangeable: multicultural marketing was reaching out to different ethnic groups, and diversity was what was (or wasn’t) going on internally – in our industry and in our company. I believe it was back then – pre 9/11 – that HR departments began their official diversity initiatives, and big agencies began putting out their “diversity reports” – all aimed at raising awareness of the obvious lack of diversity in our industry in an effort to show that they were doing something about it.
Now that I specialize in multicultural public relations and proudly work at a company that many would call “diverse” given it is owned by an Argentine woman and staffed by brilliant folks from all over the world, these two terms live comfortably together. However, these terms still mean to me what they meant before. I am simply uniquely positioned to be living within both. I am one of the lucky ones.
The unlucky ones in my opinion are still working at companies that have to have diversity taskforces. These companies may offer multicultural marketing services, or they may still focus on the (shrinking) general market. But they will most likely all tell you that they have an interest in and commitment to representing and reflecting the changing make-up of our country. Just look at PR Week’s annual Diversity Study and see what our industry leaders are saying.
But what seems to be confusing me of late is that these two terms, used distinctly in our business, are becoming increasingly diluted - slowly melding into one. PR executives and company decision makers are patting themselves on the back for their increase in diverse hirings, which, they will also say in the same breath, allows them to tap more effectively into the multicultural communities. Does that mean they are becoming more conscientious in their hirings in order to excel in new business practices? Now that wouldn’t be very PC, would it?
This all really came to head a couple weeks ago when PRSA decided to consolidate its Diversity Committee and Multicultural Section. It had been my understanding that the Diversity Committee focused on helping promote the hiring and growth of “multicultural” PR professionals, while the Multicultural Section was a community of people who specialized in that discipline. These two segments are not the same, and yet now it seems in the mind of PRSA, they are.
I find this unfortunate and frustrating, but I suppose I am not too surprised. For those of us who specialize in reaching different ethnic populations, it has always been difficult to explain the importance of having awareness, sensitivity and insight when working with niche audiences. PRSA’s decision may simply be showcasing that they still don’t get that. If our industry’s most prominent national organization can’t figure it out, is their hope that the hundreds of public relations agencies (and other marketing businesses for that matter) will? I’ll be an optimist for once and hope that the 2010 Census will be a wake-up call for the surprising many who are still sound asleep. Rise and shine folks and take a look around: things are changing.
Melissa Smith is Executive Vice President at RL Public Relations + Marketing. She can be reached at melissa.smith@rlpublicrelations.com.
Growing up in Brooklyn in the 1970s, I clearly knew what multicultural meant, but it was my everyday life – something you lived without thinking … it wasn’t an “initiative” or a target market, or even a word in your vocabulary. In fact it was not until I went to college in the Midwest that I realized how culturally diverse my life was. I can still recall missing the energy, restlessness and variety that I took for granted in New York, after I landed in St. Louis (at Washington University) where all three of those characteristics were alarmingly absent.
Once I began working at GCI Group (now Cohn & Wolfe), I learned simultaneously about the practice of multicultural marketing, and the lack of diversity in the PR industry. Those two concepts were etched into my mind as distinct and not interchangeable: multicultural marketing was reaching out to different ethnic groups, and diversity was what was (or wasn’t) going on internally – in our industry and in our company. I believe it was back then – pre 9/11 – that HR departments began their official diversity initiatives, and big agencies began putting out their “diversity reports” – all aimed at raising awareness of the obvious lack of diversity in our industry in an effort to show that they were doing something about it.
Now that I specialize in multicultural public relations and proudly work at a company that many would call “diverse” given it is owned by an Argentine woman and staffed by brilliant folks from all over the world, these two terms live comfortably together. However, these terms still mean to me what they meant before. I am simply uniquely positioned to be living within both. I am one of the lucky ones.
The unlucky ones in my opinion are still working at companies that have to have diversity taskforces. These companies may offer multicultural marketing services, or they may still focus on the (shrinking) general market. But they will most likely all tell you that they have an interest in and commitment to representing and reflecting the changing make-up of our country. Just look at PR Week’s annual Diversity Study and see what our industry leaders are saying.
But what seems to be confusing me of late is that these two terms, used distinctly in our business, are becoming increasingly diluted - slowly melding into one. PR executives and company decision makers are patting themselves on the back for their increase in diverse hirings, which, they will also say in the same breath, allows them to tap more effectively into the multicultural communities. Does that mean they are becoming more conscientious in their hirings in order to excel in new business practices? Now that wouldn’t be very PC, would it?
This all really came to head a couple weeks ago when PRSA decided to consolidate its Diversity Committee and Multicultural Section. It had been my understanding that the Diversity Committee focused on helping promote the hiring and growth of “multicultural” PR professionals, while the Multicultural Section was a community of people who specialized in that discipline. These two segments are not the same, and yet now it seems in the mind of PRSA, they are.
I find this unfortunate and frustrating, but I suppose I am not too surprised. For those of us who specialize in reaching different ethnic populations, it has always been difficult to explain the importance of having awareness, sensitivity and insight when working with niche audiences. PRSA’s decision may simply be showcasing that they still don’t get that. If our industry’s most prominent national organization can’t figure it out, is their hope that the hundreds of public relations agencies (and other marketing businesses for that matter) will? I’ll be an optimist for once and hope that the 2010 Census will be a wake-up call for the surprising many who are still sound asleep. Rise and shine folks and take a look around: things are changing.
Melissa Smith is Executive Vice President at RL Public Relations + Marketing. She can be reached at melissa.smith@rlpublicrelations.com.
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