Advocacy Among Diverse Communities

Photo via @VotoLatino

I had the opportunity to attend an event titled "Advocacy Among Diverse Communities" presented by Change.org and the Grassroots Professional Network. This was a great opportunity to hear how minority based organizations work on advocacy campaigns and how they are integrated into the bigger picture/mission.

Buzzfeed launched Pero Like

Just yesterday I presented on how to reach the Latino audience. So how do you? The answer is not that easy because it depends on a LOT of factors.

It's been no secret that Buzzfeed has invested a lot in hiring Latino employees and even Latino content. Just recently they launched a YouTube and Facebook content driven site called Pero Like. The platform will have “content that resonates with English-speaking Latinxs,” according to tweets announcing the project from staffers Alex Alvarez and Norberto Briceño. What did you notice there...Latinxs?

Myths and Realities of Engaging the U.S. Latino Audience

Tomorrow afternoon I get to speak at the Washington Nonprofit Conference. The session titled "Myths and Realities of Engaging the U.S. Latino Audience" is about just that: why it's important for nonprofits to engage with U.S. Latinos and horrible myths. Remember...a bad translation can really mess up your entire campaign.

A quick update from Navaja

So where have I been?

It's been months since I have written a post and years since I've regularly updated the blog. Probably not the best strategy. Since 2008 I've enjoyed accepting pitches and just regularly writing about anything of interest. Yes it is difficult maintaining a blog and finding new ideas so I welcome anything you think would be great to discuss!

2015’s States Where Hispanics Are Most Assimilated

According to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates as of July 1, 2013, there are roughly 54 million Hispanics living in the United States, representing approximately 17% of the U.S. total population, making people of Hispanic origin the nation's largest ethnic or race minority.

During every political season, Latinos seem to become more and more important. In fact, marketing to Latinos seems to be ore and more on everyone's mind. But then again some people have trouble marketing to Latinos because there are sub-groups. Is it the English dominant Latinos...or is it the parents that immigrated here?

Jorge Ramos fights back against Donald Trump

I'm a reporter. My job is to ask questions. What's "totally out of line" is to eject a reporter from a press conference for asking questions

— JORGE RAMOS (@jorgeramosnews) August 26, 2015

Sure it's been a while since I've been posting. And sure the things I post are mostly personal and have an opinion. But maybe it's about time I start writing again (I've heard that before).

FuelersTV: Online video content for Honda

Videos. We love them. We share them. We click on them. And that's pretty much what I've been seeing in my Facebook feed for a good month now. Anything longer than 1 minute and I am not interested.

So how do you keep people engaged with video? Do they have to be 30 seconds like a TV ad? Less? Social video like Vine and Instagram have been paving the way for more video content. I'm sure there are plenty of amazing examples but I recently came across one (old but I like them)  that combined a car retailer and tourism. Makes sense.

The State of Hispanic Business

The Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GPHCC) has released "The State of Hispanic Business" for the Greater Philadelphia region. "The report provides business and consumer insights about Latinos, the region's fastest growing and increasingly influential market segment," said Varsovia Fernandez, President and CEO of the GPHCC.

The report highlights various business factors around the region including advertising the the Latino consumer, buying power, increase of Latino-owned businesses, and social media.

So why the report?

Shakira's YouTube Mini-Series with Fisher-Price

Remember when we told you about Shakira's partnership with Fisher-Price? Well it also included a YouTube mini series.

Some of the video subjects include:

• Talking to Baby. 
• How Motherhood has Changed Her. 
• Working with Fisher-Price. 
• Milestones. 

Watch them all after the jump.

American Hispanics by the Numbers

As of 2013 Latino buying power stands at an impressive $1.2 trillion, with women driving the purchases. Right now, with 53 million Latinos in the U.S., one in six Americans is Latino. In three short decades, it will be closer to one in three. These are all facts.

But where else do we get our facts? The media? Television shows? These are all biased mediums that don't really showcase the passion and statistics. This is where a forthcoming book comes into play...Latino Stats: American Hispanics by the Numbers.

Shakira to team up with Fisher-Price

As if Shakira can't become even more inspiring, she's now officially teamed up with Fisher-Price.

According to the Associated Press, Shakira and Fisher-Price will release six products that were co-developed by Shakira in November. The singer reached out to the company about the team up and proceeds from sales will go to her Barefoot Foundation. Some of the toys include a bouncer that plays music, alphabet blocks and a musical soccer ball, an ode to her soccer-playing boyfriend Gerard Pique.

Where is the National Museum of the American Latino?

It's been almost three years since the national campaign for the National Museum of the American Latino was launched. Since then countless other campaigns, contests, supporters, and donations have been made in order to bring this idea to fruition.

According to an article in the Orange County Register, "It literally takes an act of Congress to establish another museum on the Mall, alongside famous sites like the National Air and Space Museum, National Gallery, National Museum of Natural History and National Museum of American History. Organizers say the museum would show the impact of Latino culture on American life throughout U.S. history, with exhibitions of fine art, artifacts, documents and oral histories."

Out and Proud: The Gran Varones Project

Labels. These are meant to categorize anything from foods to people. As humans, we like to label ourselves Latino, Black, African American, Transgender, Gay, Straight, Blond, etc. Some come with baggage but others would argue they don't come with baggage but with opportunities.

But what is it like to live and work in a community that isn't what we thought it would be? Launched in April 2014, Louis "Louie" Ortiz created "The Gran Varònes" project which "shines a light on what being “out” and “proud” means to us, our families, and our communities." The photos have been highlighted using social media platforms like Facebook, Instgram and videos. You can watch the video interviews on Vimeo.

Some quotes from the participants include the following:

• "I would love to be more in touch with the Latino gay community as much as I am with the black community because I feel that's where the strongest connection is."
• "People need to believe in themselves. A lot of gay Latinos hold themselves back from pursuing a dream or becoming something because they don't want to be judged. And I am not about that."
• "To some degree, i feel a disconnect as gay latino amongst other gay latinos. i don't always feel I have a place amongst them."

After reading most of the comments made by the participants, it really does make me angry but happy. Identity is something we all struggle. Just because we're Latino (or anything else) doesn't necessarily mean we have to have all Latino friends. It also doesn't mean we have to eat rice and beans...although I do love rice and beans. We let society attempt to stick us in a box on one path but when we go off track, somethings wrong with us. That's why I'm glad to see The Gran Varònes project highlight these Philly leaders. And no a leader doesn't mean they have to be a CEO of a company; just being highlighted and telling their own story makes them a leader in their own right. 

News You Can Use: #RespectTheÑ, Social Innovators, and more!

As Latinos, we come in all shapes and sizes. But if it's one thing we have in common, it's social media. Read more about social media innovators and the unfortunate misspelling of someone who has passed away.

• Time to #RespectTheÑ Again: English-Language Media Can’t Handle Ñ in Peña’s Death -- How did I miss this? 
• 6 Brands That Succeed At Understanding Hispanic Marketing - I completely agree with this list. 
• Elianne Ramos named recipient of Social Media Innovator Award by Maryland governor - So honored to have met Elianne a few years ago. She is an asset to our community. 
• Hispanicize New York-Tri State Group Launches as Unique Platform to Unite Latino Influencers in Blogging, Marketing, Journalism, Tech and Entertainment - Guess I know where I'll be at real soon :)

Videos: Wilmer Valderrama wants us to "wave one flag"

This passed Sunday, Wilmer Valderrama attended the Hispanic Choice Awards and was presented with one of the Living Legends Awards. Although I did not attend he captured a moment of his speech on Instagram (naturally).

There seems to be two battles Latinos face in the U.S. One against those who oppose immigration and call us "illegals" and the other against ourselves. I won't dive into it but below Valderrama mentions "wave one flag" to the audience. Self-explanatory right? See the two Instagram videos below.

Although born in Miami, FL he lived in Venezuela for a good portion of his childhood.

Video: Let's check out gringos attempt to roll their "Rs"

So why speak Spanish? Well according to the Pew Research Center, "Spanish is, by far, the most spoken non-English language in the U.S." Yep...that's very important.

I also think it's strange how we take a language up in high school (and sometimes college) for 4 years yet at soon as we graduate it goes down the drain. I'm at fault as well, I took French. Ask me to say my name is Eric in French...that's all I know. But the comedy, entertainment, and music website, Flama, took it upon themselves to create a video with "gringos" attempting to pronounce some of the most difficult words they could find. What you'll watch is pretty much hilarious.

Shakira spotlighting smiles with Crest

So it's not news that Shakira has been endorsing Crest 3D White Strips for a little over a year now, but what I do find interesting is facts/figures on Latinos and oral health.

According to a re-fielded national survey led by the Hispanic Dental Association Foundation (HDAF) and sponsored by Procter & Gamble (P&G) brand Crest, Latino's knowledge about oral health has improved since 2011. Take a look at some key findings below.

Brands and their Hispanic Heritage Month promotions

Well it seems as though Hispanic Heritage Month is in full bloom and I'm seeing more and more promotions from major corporations and brands.

Just recently I received and email from iTunes which is owned by Apple. The email stated:

For a limited time, chart-topping albums from great Latin artists like Romeo Santos, Selena, Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias, and Banda Sinaloense MS de Sergio Lizarraga are available for just $5.99.

And I must say I was really tempted to purchase the Enrique Iglesias album; especially after attending his concert with Pitbull at Boardwalk Hall. Alas, I did not purchase. I recently started listening to iTunes' variety of playlists. I even put on a Charlie Zaa playlist for my mom (during a road trip) and she asked, "How the hell do you have this music?!"

I did some quick Hispanic Heritage Month Twitter research and found a good number of brands/corporations capitalizing on Twitter. Are there any brands you'd like to recognize for their HHM outreach?

See the tweets after the jump.

The Hispanic Choice Awards honors PA, NJ and Delaware Latino professionals

Although Hispanic Heritage Month runs year round, in Philadelphia, there's no better way to close out the month with an awards show.

The Hispanic Choice Awards (HCA) honors Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware’s Latino professionals, organizations and businesses across all sectors via a three-part event: a red carpet entrance via media row, the televised awards ceremony featuring live performances from today’s top Latin music performers and appearances by local & national leaders and a VIP After Party. I've had the opportunity to attend a few of these award ceremonies and it's great to see local leaders honored.

This year's HCA's will take place on Sunday, October 11 at the Merriam Theater. Click here to purchase your tickets.

In 2013, Eddie Palmieri was honored with the Living Legend Award which is presented to a Latino icon who has touched, moved and inspired the world through an unrelenting commitment to their passions and dreams.

Netflix announces Spanish-language programming

Netflix. You're on the right track! The world’s leading Internet television network, announced today its first Spanish-language original series, a comedy from director Gaz Alazraki that reunites the team that made Nosotros los Nobles, one of the most successful Mexican box office hits of all time.

According to the press release, the 13-episode series from Alazraki Entertainment is set to premiere in 2015 and centers on a family feud among heirs of a soccer club after the owner’s death. Shooting entirely in Mexico and featuring a cast from all over Latin America, including Nobles star Luis Gerardo Mendez, the series offers a satirical, highly entertaining look into the world of professional futbol.

Let's see. Soccer and Mexicanos. That is probably going to draw a lot of attention within the U.S. Just think about Telemundo and Univision's programming strategy. Mexicans make up 33 million of the U.S. Hispanic population with Puerto Ricans coming in second at approximately 5 million.

Watch a preview to Nosotros los Nobles after the jump: