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Corporations Push to Buy Spanish Keywords and Hispanic Online Display…

Major corporations are adapting their strategies and buying search and online display advertising. Sarah Carberry, Sr. Account Executive at Google, recently told Portada about the features of a recent geo-targeted campaign retailer Albertson’s did around the “Quinceañeras” theme.

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Major corporations are adapting their strategies and buying search and online display advertising. Sarah Carberry, Sr. Account Executive at Google, recently told Portada about the features of a recent geo-targeted campaign retailer Albertson’s did around the “Quinceañeras” theme.

Albertson’s bought Spanish-language and English-language keywords on Google and display online advertising on different websites that Google partners with. The campaign was geo-targeted to internet users in the Southwestern U.S. Albertson’s is planning to do a similar campaign in the future. Acento Advertising is Albertson’s Hispanic Advertising Agency of Record. (For more information read on www.portada-online.com: “Marketers Search for Keywords that will make Hispanics “click,” Portada Nr. 20, March/April 2006; and “U.S. Advertisers place in Latin American Websites to target U.S. Hispanics,” Portada Nr. 22, Sept-Oct 2006.)

…TOYOTA YARIS EXPLAINS A HISPANIC INTEGRATED MARKETING CAMPAIGN

Conill Advertising’s challenge was to take Yaris from an unknown entity to the most recognized entry level subcompact in the Hispanic community in one year. Here is how they did it.

Sandy Mayer, Interactive Director at Connill Advertising, Ana Rodriguez, Director of Client Services at Connill, Laura Reyes Semple, Strategic Planning Director at Connill, and Karen Treydte Executive Media Director of the same agency discussed at the AHAA Agencies’ 22nd Semi Annual Conference (Chicago, 25- 27 April) discussed how they targeted young bilingual and bi-cultural Hispanics through a television, print advertising and online campaign. The media buy included Telemundo, Univision, Mun2, SiTV, Urban Latino and Batanga. The website MundoYaris.com was the epicenter to connect the different campaign elements to one another. “It was the hub that integrated everything Yaris,” Sandy Mayer noted.

The website allowed users to create virtual representations of themselves in a virtual world and contained chatrooms including the “groovy lounge, rooftop pool and dance floor.” Its content was intended to connect with the lifestyles of young bicultural Hispanics who see themselves as integral in the creation of a new multicultural world.

Most of Mundoyaris.com’s traffic came through online advertising units and a significant amount also originated from Toyota.com. There also was a substantial crossover with general market audiences. Most users who opted in to the website were between ages 18-34 and 70% of responses were in Spanish. Online sweepstakes had a higher response than the mobile offerings, although the ringtones were also popular.

The executives at Connill said that Toyota will launch four other cars to the market in the next 12 months.


TELEMUNDO TRACKS U.S. IPs ON
YAHOO! MEXICO

Citing the large volume of U.S. internet users that visit Yahoo! Mexico, Borja Perez, vice president of business development for Telemundo/digital media says the company is targeting U.S. IPs on the Mexican website to promote content appearing on Telemundo’s U.S. properties.

“We noticed that Yahoo! Mexico was being visited by a large number of U.S. Hispanics, and saw the opportunity to let them know what was going on in their local U.S. market,” says Perez. (For related articles read on: www.portada-online.com: “Google to provide search engine technology and advertising to Latin American Newspapers;” “Todofut Gets its Retail Footing through Geo-targeting”).

MCDONALD’S TARGETS HISPANICS WITH MOBILE CONTENT

McDonald’s launched a new mobile campaign to promote its Filet o’ Fish sandwich, and is actively going after the Hispanic market.

The campaign started just before Lent, when many Christian groups reduce or cut meat out from their diets altogether.

While general market consumers are instructed to send the message “FOF” to the short code 37438, Hispanic consumers are told to send the message “FOF 1” to the same code. Participants will receive Filet o’ Fish related ringtones and wallpapers, and will also be able to access games made available by I-play, a mobile game company that is providing content to the fast-food chain. I-play’s vice-president of marketing and public relations Mike Breslin says that targeting Hispanics on their phones is a great approach, as many do not own personal computers, yet over-index in mobile phone usage
 

…THE GROWING BUSINESS OF HISPANIC MOBILE CONTENT

An increasing number of players are tapping into the business of creating mobile content for Spanish-speaking audiences.

Batanga, the US Hispanic brand of Hispanic Media, Inc. (HMI) and one of the fastest-growing online publishers in the US Hispanic market, recently signed a deal to offer its Latin music news, reviews and interviews via Barrio Mobile, a content brand of Lagardere Active North America.

Barrio Mobile is a Latino mobile content destination, providing cell phone users with unique ringtones (reggaeton, Latino hiphop, dance and rock en español), and urban Latino-themed wallpapers. Barrio Mobile is currently distributed in the US through Sprint/Nextel, Boost, Cingular/AT&T and T- obile.

Barrio Mobile was launched in the spring of 2005 offering original, exclusive music from luminary artists such as Tego Calderon, Cuban Link, Pitbull, Don Dinero and Louie Vega, along with new original tones from Latin entertainment industry mogul Emilio Estefan.

According to a study by Forrester Research, 70% to 75% of Hispanics living in major US cities and 86% of Hispanic teenagers in New York and Los Angeles own mobile phones. U.S. Hispanics spend 10% more on their mobile telephone bills than the national average. As many content aggregators and service providers are discovering, U.S. Hispanics are younger than any other group, are the most intensive users — 12% more than whites— of cutting edge features such as color screens, Bluetooth headsets, and hi-end camera phones.

NEW REVENUE STREAM FOR NEWSPAPERS: SELL CONTENT TO SEARCH ENGINES

Yahoo! News and The McClatchy Company announced that they will team up to offer international news coverage from a range of international geographic regions on Yahoo! News. The project, called “Trusted Voices” was launched early in the second quarter and offers in-depth perspectives and coverage from McClatchy foreign correspondents based in select regions, including Latin America, Iraq, the Middle East and China. The coverage includes traditional news stories from McClatchy newspapers and further taps the regional expertise of the correspondents through exclusive blog reports designed to guide readers in understanding the news from these regions.

“The daily blog contributions from the international correspondents, combined with their traditional news reports, offer our readers an on-the-ground perspective unavailable from traditional news outlets,” said Scott Moore, head of news and information, Yahoo! “World News is among the most popular categories on Yahoo! News, and partnering with The McClatchy Company will significantly expand Yahoo!’s coverage of the world’s most important regions.”

Yahoo! regularly displays foreign news from a number of outlets including Reuters Group PLC, The Associated Press and Agence-France Presse, as well as National Public Radio and the Christian Science Monitor. Yahoo! also has links to stories in other outlets and lets readers pull in news from outside sites that use an online syndication tool called RSS feeds.

While Dow Jones does not disclose the terms of its agreements, Jennifer Ametrano, managing director of sales for The WSJ US Hispanic and Latin American markets, did say that ad-sales will be handled by Yahoo! Telemundo.

JOSE CUERVO UNLEASHES 2ND ANNUAL CUERVOTON CAMPAIGN

Jose Cuervo launched its second annual Cuervoton campaign, a multi-faceted reggaeton- themed effort that combines online video pop-up ads with a sleek micro-site.

The thrust of the campaign is the search for the next big reggaeton group.

Performers are invited to upload their original material to the site for consideration by the panel of judges, while regular users can browse the uploaded material and download MP3s. The winning performer or group walks away with a recording contract from BMI records.

The video pop-up that appears on Batanga’s lifestyle channel, among other places, is a high-energy clip that features some live footage of reggaeton performers doing there act in front of a lively audience.

The tagline for the campaign is: “It’s your shot, make it count,” which refers simultaneously to the contest and to the method that many consume the potent liquor.

In 2006, tequila sales to the Hispanic market topped all other spirits, according to Nielsen Scantrack/Liquor Track. Jose Cuervo’s agency of record is WingLatino.

MERCADO BILINGÜE LAUNCHES WEBSITE TARGETING BILINGUAL AUDIENCE

Mercado Bilingüe, the (circ. 75,000) published by Redan Bilingual Media, recently launched a new website. The site is divided in three parts. “Learn,” where users can find useful howto information, including tips and advice on finance, health, immigration issues; “Earn,” a source for bilingual job-seekers and entrepreneurs; and finally, “Save,” were users find coupons, special offers, contests and promotions.

Brent Murphy, publisher of Mercado Bilingüe tells Portada that his company has signed several agreements to drive traffic to the new websites. Partners include Univision TV, Univision Radio, La Estrella and “a good number of regional and national advertisers who see value in our approach.”

In 2005, Redan Media had plans to publish the print edition of Mercado Bilingüe in other markets. When asked if his company still had those plans, Murphy answers “possibly —a lot depends on how our strategic partnerships play out. The aim of the site is to drive national traffic so if this works better for our advertisers our print focus will remain regional and our online focus will go national.”

NY’S EL DIARIO CONTIGO FOLDS

New York’s El Diario la Prensa (Impremedia) has discontinued its homedelivered weekend product El Diario Contigo (200,000, Spanish, Weekly). Volatile advertiser demand was responsible for cessation.

The home delivered weekly edition reached 200,000 homes in the Queens/Bronx areas of the city. The paper published its last edition on Sunday, April 9th. Other home delivered products in the New York market include: Hoy Fin de Semana (now published by Impremedia after its acquisition of Hoy-New York) and Hora Hispana, published by The New York Daily News.

SCHOLASTIC AND TARGET TEAM UP FOR SUMMER READING BUZZ

Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company has teamed up with big-box retailer Target to get kids reading with Scholastic Summer Reading BUZZ!. The 4-month, multi-media campaign is designed not only to motivate kids to read but also to promote the important role parents, educators and librarians play in helping kids find books that will keep them reading all year long.

Target and Scholastic will launch an interactive online destination at on May 15th, for kids, parents, teachers and librarians.

Spanish-language online ads will be hosted at and which will link to lectorum.com, Scholastic’s Spanish-language books distribution channel. The 4-month, multi-media campaign is designed not only to motivate kids to read but also to promote the important role parents, educators and librarians play in helping kids find books that will keep them reading all year long.

ABSENT FINANCIAL STATEMENT, AMERICAN MEDIA UNABLE TO SELL MIRA!

American Media at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The filing sheds light on the status of the sale of Spanishlanguage tabloid Mira! (Spanish, biweekly, circ. 120,000, mostly newsstand sales).

According to the statement, American Media has been unable to move forward with plans to sell Mira! (as well as Muscle & Fitness, Muscle & Fitness Hers, Flex and Country Weekly because it has not been able to provide financial statements for the titles due to its long-delayed restatement efforts. American Media says the titles have total revenues of $67.6 million and operating incomes of $24.9 million. American Media’s management considers these titles “non core publications.” For a Portada estimate of Mira!’s value, check out and read: (June 26, 2006).

On March 23, American Media filed its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006, as well as its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the third quarter of the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006.

The lengthy filing, in addition to highlighting the finances of the company and its magazines, also shows that revenue and operating income for the company declined between 2004 and 2006.

The company says in the filing that its financial statements for fiscal years 2004, 2005, and 2006 contained errors and that the SEC is conducting an investigation of its operations. The company said it had to subtract $16.6 million in revenue from its 2004 earnings for the improper crediting of newsstand rack costs, and had to subtract another $19.3 million from its 2005 earnings for incorrect circulation revenue.

The company’s total annual revenues increased from $486.1 million in 2004 to $496.1 in 2006. But its operating income fell from $100.9 million in 2004 to a loss of $108.7 million in 2006.

DE BOCA A BOCA

Boston area word-of-mouth advertising firm Bzz Agent is bringing its program to the U.S. Hispanic market. The way Bzz Agent works is by pairing clients’ desired demographic objective with “agents” in its database that match that demographic profile. The agent is then sent free samples of the product to try and to distribute amongst friends. At this point the agent sends a report back to Bzz Agent with his/her feedback.

Director of Communications Joe Chernov says the benefits for the client are two-fold: “First, they get real people talking to their friends about the product. Second, they get real-time feedback on those products.”

Bzz Agent currently has over 260,000 agents in North America, 14,000 of which have self-identified as Hispanic. Clients that have specifically targeted the Hispanic market include Clamato and Levis. A smaller campaign will involve anywhere from 2,000-70,000 agents.

What’s in it for the “agents,” themselves? Depending on the depth of the reports that they submit, they receive points that are redeemable for trinkets like Bzz Agent water bottles and other small items.

Amazingly, only 13% ever redeem their points for anything, says Chernov. “They do it more for the experience than for compensation.”

MILLER GROUP EXPANDS INTO HISPANIC ADVERTISING

Los Angeles headquartered The Miller Group is expanding into the Hispanic market. “More and more clients are understanding the importance of addressing the multi-cultural market,” says Renee Miller, president and creative director of the agency. “With the launch of our Hispanic division and the opening of our new office in Dallas, we’re here to help clients find innovative ways to make noise in this evergrowing marketplace.”

Luis Martinez of Punto Rojo, will act as account director for the agency’s new multicultural division. Bill Williams, a 25-year advertising veteran, heads the agency’s Dallas office, tells Portada that “We are just getting set up now in Dallas, Our Hispanic division will be based in Los Angeles and Dallas. No accounts.” Williams adds that the agency did some work targeting the Hispanic market with a client from the insurance sector.

“Nearly 25% of Dallas’ population is foreign-born, and its largest minority group is Hispanics,” Miller explained. “Because of its diversity, Dallas is becoming the ultimate destination for innovative marketing opportunities. We’re proud to make a mark for our clients in this integral market center.”

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