Hispanic Holidays: Cinco de Mayo

March 21, 2008 — themedianetwork

Do Mexicans celebrate Cinco de Mayo?  YES!

Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican patriotic celebration that has been adopted in the United States as a Festive Holiday for both the Hispanic and the General markets. The day celebrates the victory of the Mexican army over the French army at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.  Cinco de Mayo is commonly mistaken as the Mexican Independence Day, which is celebrated on September 16th.

However, Cinco de Mayo is also a date that represents a symbol of Mexican and Latin American unity and patriotism. In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated with parades, carnivals, civic events and even with live representations of the battle. In the U.S., the celebration was adopted in the early 1930’s. Cinco de Mayo became a celebration in southwestern towns and cities with a high Mexican population. During the 1960s, the Chicano Movement adopted Cinco de Mayo as a celebration of Mexican culture. Since then, Cinco de Mayo evolved into a bi-cultural festivity that expressed the Mexican-American identity.

During the 1980s a big commercialization process took over the Cinco de Mayo celebration, when the alcohol industry began to market it as an excuse for celebration and heavy drinking among all segments of the U.S adult population, and especially among young people.

For Spanish-dominant Hispanics, Cinco de Mayo represents an opportunity to celebrate their patriotism and identity. Across the country carnivals, street celebrations, and concerts take place on May 5th, and in some cases they last for more than two days. Examples of these events are: Celebración del 5 de Mayo en la Placita Olvera (Los Angeles), The National Cinco de Mayo Festival at the National Mall (Washington D.C.), and the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta (Portland, Oregon). 

Every year before the Cinco de Mayo celebration, big advertising campaigns are launched promoting alcohol consumption targeted for both the general market and the Hispanic markets. Thus, Cinco de Mayo represents a gateway for brands such as Miller, Budweiser or Coors to reach the Hispanic population.

cinco_lady1_sm.jpg 

Image source: http://www.marumontero.com/cinco.htm

Posted in hispanic marketing. 1 Comment »

Hispanic Holidays: Semana Santa (Holy Week)

March 13, 2008 — themedianetwork

dscf1169.jpg 

Photo source: http://www.burningwell.org

In most Latin American countries where Roman Catholic is the predominant religion, Easter is one of the most celebrated holidays in the year. The observance of Easter lasts a week, referred as Semana Santa (Holy Week), starting with Domingo de Palmas (Palm Sunday) and ending with Domingo de Pascua (Easter Sunday). The celebration of Semana Santa represents an opportunity for Hispanics for spiritual renewal, usually achieved by attending to mass and following Roman Catholics traditions or sacraments.

At the same time, Semana Santa is also a time used to gather and travel with immediate and extended family members. It is not uncommon to find an entire town or region on vacation.

In Mexico, for example, it is customary for employers to grant time off during the days of Semana Santa so that families can take this time to travel to beach destinations within the country.

For younger generations, in particular, Semana Santa is a time to travel and have fun with family and friends, a tradition that it is maintained even when living abroad.

From a marketing perspective, Holy Week represents good opportunity to promote social messages that could be linked to family values, personal improvement, and travel.

Posted in hispanic marketing. Leave a Comment »

Pitching to Hispanic Media

March 4, 2008 — themedianetwork

778122_news_texture.jpg

A couple of days ago, I helped prepare Natalia, a colleague, for her Hispanic media pitching debut. After a brief chat, I drafted the following email:

 As we discussed, the following are some personal recommendations when pitching to Hispanic media outlets.

1.-Double-check the name and info of the journalist before sending a release. Do some research through Vocus (and Bacon’s) or by visiting the publication’s Web site, to make sure that you are sending the information to the right person and if possible read what he/she has published in the past. Look for topics, style, tone and interests, this will help you “sell” your story better.

2.-Send a personalized e-mail that briefly explains the press release and copy the text of the release in your message. Some journalists wouldn’t open a message from an unknown source if it contains attachments.

3.-Always include your contact number, Hispanic journalists always want to have a real and reachable person to answer questions.

4.-Use a catchy subject line that both grabs the journalist attention and provides him/her an idea of the content of the message. Avoid using simple or generic subject lines like: “Comunicado de Prensa” (Press Release) “Informacion importante de….” (Important information), you risk your message to be lost in the clutter, or confused as spam.

5.-Make a follow-up call.

-If you are fortunate enough to talk to the journalist, keep in mind that you will have between 30 to 60 seconds to catch his/her attention. Consider that a press release may not be a hot topic, so try to find angles for a possible story.-If you leave a Voice Message (VM) you will have to communicate everything in 30 seconds, let him or her know that you have sent an email with the information. For a VM, I would recommend using phrases like “This information would be of great interest to you readers” or “You can provide a valuable service to you readers”. Leave your phone an email at the end of the message (repeat it at least once)

-If you were able to talk to the journalist, send a follow-up mail thanking him/her for their time and letting them know that you can be available for questions or help while writing the story. This way you will have a contact you can rely on for future efforts.

6.-For some smaller publications, be prepared to talk for a long time. Some editors and journalist are real talkers, and will want to chat with you about topics that matter to Hispanics.

7.-Always smile while talking over the phone…and try to have fun!

Two hours later, Natalia had nailed down her first placement in Miniondas, a weekly newspaper in the Los Angeles DMA with a weekly circultation of 45,000 copies.

Posted in hispanic marketing, hispanic media, hispanic public relations, marketing. Tags: , , . Leave a Comment »

Adapting messages: Correct usage of Spanish Language (Part II)

March 4, 2008 — themedianetwork

Second and final part of Gonzalo’s presentation…enjoy!

III. Adapt the Message

A.-Remember “who” is your target market.
Be careful of cultural differences and regional sensibilities.

i.e., Salsa music is not Mexican, Chileans and Argentineans do not eat rice and beans, Burritos are not Mexican, and pupusas are not the same as arepas.

B.-Remember your demographics:

i.e., Miami Cubans, Newyoricans, Chicanos, Mexicanos and others. First generation, second generation….

C.-Think different! Hispanics are a different public. Do not try to use literal translations from English.

Quiz: How do you translate Got milk or Got eggs?
A: A direct translation could be interpreted in a different way. You have to adapt as “Tome leche” (Drink milk) or “Compre huevos” (buy eggs).

D.-Same words have different meanings.

Guagua: in South America means baby (from quechua); in the Caribbean it means bus (spanglish from wagon). Corn in South America is known as choclo, while in Mexico and Central America is known as elote.

E.-Watch out for double meaning. Some words may be interpreted as “dirty” by some Hispanics.

i.e., Bolsa (hand bag) in Dominican Republic means testicles; chaqueta in most Latin America means jacket while in Mexico means to masturbate. Pelotas (balls) En pelotas (to be naked) Pelotas (stupid) (Chile) Pelota (group C.R.)

F.-Do not rely on Internet translation pages or software (Altavista… etc.)

Example: “The Media Network is a full-service public relations, advertising, and social marketing agency” was translated in Altavista as:

“La red de los medios es relaciones públicas de un lleno-servicio, publicidad, y la agencia social de la comercialización,”which back in English reads as:

“The net of media is public relations of a full service, publicity and the social agency of the commercialization”

G.-Do not rely on Microsoft Office spell check. Microsoft HQ are not located within the Spanish Royal Academy building.

H.-Use simple language. Avoid “SAT” or “GRE” vocabulary. Yes, we already know you are very smart.

IV.- Where can I get more information?

National Association of Hispanic Journalist Style Book (recommended): Can be bought from: http://www.nahj.org/nahjproducts/stylebookrequest.pdf

Spanish Language Royal Academy (the final authority): http://www.rae.es/

El Mundo Newspaper Dictionary: http://www.elmundo.es/diccionarios/index.html

El Pais Style Manual: http://estudiantes.elpais.es/libroestilo/dic_a.asp

Posted in marketing, translations. Leave a Comment »

Adapting messages: Correct usage of Spanish Language (Part I)

March 3, 2008 — themedianetwork

Gonzalo Salvador (aka González), a PR colleague, just shared with me a presentation with great advice and insights that should be consider when adapting any English document or message into Spanish.

I. Assumptions to Avoid

A.-Not every person who speaks Spanish is an expert in the Spanish language.

B.-Not all Hispanics are equal. Usage of the Spanish language among U.S. Hispanics depend on different factors such as country of origin, generation, region of residence. Each group has its own vocabulary and its own colloquialisms.

If you are thinking about asking…

Q: What are the differences between Hispanics and Latinos and what is the right word to use?
A: This question could create a long discussion. Just as a reference in the East Coast is more widely used “Hispanics” while in the West Coast is “Latinos.”

Q: Is there a standard Spanish I can use?
A: No. But you can use neutral words and you can use the Real Academia Española (Spanish Royal Academy) dictionary as a reference. Remember to always use language appropriate to you target audience.

II. Common Grammatical Mistakes

A.-Try avoid the use of gerunds (-ando, -endo).
Example: Use “salta” (to jump) instead of “saltando” (jumping).

B.-Use active verbs when possible: Try to avoid the translation of the have + verb form into Spanish. Example: He has jumped (el ha saltado), might sound better as (el salta or el saltó)

C.-Avoid commonly misused words.

Quiz: Are the following translations correct?:

Protester: Protestante
A: Incorrect. It should be “manifestante.” Protestante means protestant (religious denomination)

Facilities: Facilidades
A: Incorrect. It should be “instalaciones.” Facilidades is related to easy.

Aplication: Aplicación
A: Incorrect. It sould be “solicitud.” Aplicación means “to apply towards…” such as to apply force.

Act: Ley
A: Correct. “Acta” in Spanish is a document.

D.-Always try to use alternatives to gender.
i.e. Avoid using she/he (ella, él)

E.-Check for the order of words in a sentence. (Nuevo Carro, Carro Nuevo)

F.-Avoid using too many articles (la, el). (leísmo)
Example: Women’s Health Center as Centro de la Salud de las Mujeres. It is better to use: Centro Médico para Mujeres.
By the way, the comas (,) are always located outside marks. (i.e. “”, not “,”)

To be continued…

Posted in hispanic public relations, marketing, translations. Tags: , , , , . Leave a Comment »