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LINKAGE: Identity Crisis? Have a Donut!, Hyundai’s and Volkswagen’s Fifa efforts, Hollywood hunting Hispanics…

Content

A recap of major news on the Marketing and Media front from around the web compiled by Portada Digital Media Correspondent Susan Kuchinskas.

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Hyundai and Volkswagen Target Hispanics during FIFA World Cup

There’s more evidence that marketers are waking up to the economic and social power of Hispanic consumers, with car companies making plays at FIFA World Cup starting tonight in Brazil. Meanwhile, is the whole Hispanic thing in danger of fading away? Both global automakers plan advertising blitzes during the FIFA World Cup, according to Automotive News. VW will run commercials in English and Spanish on ESPN and Univision, while Hyundai has made its largest-ever Spanish-language TV buy to reach young Hispanic males, while promoting the hashtag #BecauseFutbol. In the U.S., football may be bigger than futbol, but the month-long World Cup actually garners Super Bowl-sized audiences over its entire run. And Hispanics spent $39 billion on new-car purchases last year.

T-Mobile to Put Univision in Your Pocket

Can you say “captive audience?” Univision and T-Mobile made a bold play to keep Hispanics in their pockets — or, really, it’s the other way around. Univision Mobile is a wireless service that will offer subscribers a mobile portal into content, including special exclusive offerings. Subscribers also get 100 minutes of calls to Latin America. They specifically target Hispanic customers with families overseas, and all include 100 minutes to call a mobile or landline number from the US to Mexico and Latin America. It’s a win for consumers with family or friends south of the border, and the phone and service are one non-stop ad for Univision.

Hollywood Hunting Hispanics

That’s per a panel of movie industry execs appearing as part of the Produced By conference in Los Angeles last week. The head of the National Association of Theater Owners said Hispanics are their most important consumer, and Univision’s Peter Filaci backed that up by saying that Hispanics represent 17.5 percent of the population, but contribute 19 percent of U.S. box office revenue.

And that’s with a dearth of movies featuring Hispanics. Think how much money they could make with a few casting tweaks. Said writer Gwynne Watkins, “Hispanic audiences have turned out en masse for movies that feature the rare Latino star or director. If the movies started to better reflect their audience, just imagine the possibilities.”

Are Hispanics Fading Away?

A flurry of soul-searching began last week after a study showed that 10 million Americans changed their race on U.S. Census forms between 2000 and 2010. The largest number of those who changed their race/ethnicity category were 2.5 million Americans who said they were Hispanic and “some other race” in 2000, but a decade later, told the census they were Hispanic and white — although they were balanced somewhat by 1.3 million others who hopped onto the Hispanic bandwagon. So … why?

A major factor is the pressure — and the growing opportunity — to blend into society and to identify with the majority, writes Mary Sanchez in the Kansas City Star. Click through to read her thoughtful analysis of race and ethnicity in America.

But Nate Cohn at the New York Times notes that this could be not so much an identity crisis as simply the result of a change in wording on census forms.

At least one thing is clear, at least: Folks in the U.S. prefer “Hispanic” to “Latino.” All this matters — a lot — to anyone trying to get a message to this desirable demo.

atdunkinlatina

Dunk On

Last week, Dunkin Donuts launched a new Twitter handle, @DunkinLatino. According to Latin Times, the franchise will do more than just pump out promos in Spanish; it may create new flavors that are “on trend in the Hispanic community.” Dulce!

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