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We’ve Moved!

In celebration of our 30th anniversary, the SJG blog has officially moved to a great new space.  All of our latest insights can be found at http://blog.thesanjosegroup.com/

As of December 8, 2011, this site will no longer be updated.  We look forward to seeing you at our new location!

 

The San Jose Group has worked with numerous non-profit organizations in their marketing initiatives over the past three decades, and in honor of our 30th anniversary, we are celebrating by extending our services to support three non-profit organizations in their effort to create stronger awareness among diverse multicultural communities.
 
From now until December 19, non-profit organizations can register and vote to participate in the “SJG Giving as we Grow” program. The three organizations with the most votes and best short essay will receive free professional time of The San Jose Group’s public relations or creative marketing services. The first place organization will receive $30,000, and the second and third place organizations will receive $20,000 and $10,000 worth of services, respectively.
 
HERE’S HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
• Visit www.sjadv.com/30celebration
• Register your organization (including your 501(c)(3) number, the URL to  your website and a  digital file of your logo)
• Submit a short essay (500 words or less) that describes your organization’s mission and why it needs support in reaching the multicultural audience
 
Upon your accepted entry, your organization will be featured on The San Jose Group’s website where your supporters can vote for your organization once daily.
 
The deadline for entry submissions and voting is December 19. A panel of judges at The San Jose Group will determine the three most deserving organizations based on the number of votes received and the short essay submitted. The winners will be announced the week of January 2.
 
We hope you will join us in the opportunity to work together towards making a difference in the multicultural communities that are so vastly underserved. For further information about The San Jose Group, please visit our website at www.thesanjosegroup.com or contact Julie Sestan at 312-565-6446 or jsestan@sjadv.com.

Tony D’Andrea, PhD

Director of Research and Planning – The San Jose Group

If you want to understand and even influence new forms of behavior “on the go”, then Hispanics are a group to watch. They engage with mobile and online technologies at levels that often overindex the general market. According to Comscore and Emarketer data, Latinos excel in a variety of digital activities, such as instant messaging and photo sharing (120-plus index points), video watching (140-plus), online gaming (160-plus), etc. In entertainment, they listen, download and transfer videos and music via mobile phones above the national average (160-plus index points). Likewise, while leading in smartphone ownership, Hispanic households are the most wireless group in America: 35% compared to the national average of 23%, according to government’s CDC Wireless Report. Simply put, Hispanics are at the vanguard of the digital consumer revolution in the streets and homes of America.

As they use new technologies for entertainment consumption, we see some really dynamic behavior. For starters, almost 30% of heavy movie goers in America are Latinos. In connection, they rely on smart phones to gather information and make choices about films and theaters. In fact, Latinos decide “on the go” and within less than 4 hours before showtime. Being the youngest ethnic group in the country (a 27 median age compared to 40 for Non-Hispanic Whites), their reliance on digital mobile to make entertainment decisions is even sharper among younger adults (between 18 and 24), as over 60% of these Hispanics use smart phones to make on-the-spot entertainment decisions.

But this is not a one-way information stream from movie apps to consumers. Latinos not only search information on their cell phones but quickly share their opinions with friends and relatives by texting and social media updates. Moreover, digital Latinos are quite open to mobile advertising, as nearly 40% say they are influenced by mobile ads, banners and search findings compared to the 31% national average.

In sum, as the emerging mobile culture creates havoc in people’s schedules which are updated contingently with last-minute texts while “on the go”, their shopping patterns become disrupted too, based on more spontaneous, improvised, and on-the-spot decisions. This opens up opportunities to flash promotions, particularly if integrated with engaging conversations with brands. In other words, marketers capitalizing on the immediate, near ubiquitous power of digital technologies will enjoy a competitive edge in the Hispanic marketplace.

The San Jose Group is a premier multicultural marketing agency celebrating over 30 years of experience in helping clients’ brands connect with people. For more information on this article’s topic, please email sjgpr@sjadv.com or visit us at www.thesanjosegroup.com

Tony D’Andrea, PhD

Director of Research and Planning – The San Jose Group

 Originally a 1890s American invention, granola bars are now associated with notions of “on the go” healthy nutrition. Given that U.S. Hispanics are attached to the delicious culinary traditions of their ancestral homelands, it may be surprising to learn that 78% of Hispanic children and 60% of Hispanic adults regularly consume granola bars in America. While currently generating $120 million in grain snacks revenue annually, the 51 million Hispanics residing in the U.S. nowadays are a consumer base that provides fantastic opportunities for business growth in this category.

Yet, there are big differences in how Latinos consume cereal bars that have important marketing implications. For example, although U.S. Hispanics appreciate convenience as an important product attribute, they tend to eat cereal bars at home rather than on the go, work or school, which is predominantly done in the general market.

Moreover, while the general market focuses on the nutritional aspects of granola bars, for Hispanics, taste remains the primary attraction. Likewise, taste is one of the main barriers for non-consumers who avoid the product as they perceive them as old-style hard candy. Overall, it is worth noting that Hispanics have limited knowledge about the product. This provides a great entry-way for building a Hispanic consumer base already proven to be more attentive to advertising information comparatively to the general market.

The price of granola bars also matters to Hispanics, but it operates in non-linear ways requiring special consideration by cereal marketers. Paradoxically, the higher their income, the more price-sensitive and promotion-driven Hispanics are in relation to the granola bar purchase decision-making. In general, unacculturated, lower-income Hispanics prefer bulky value purchases at discount stores, whereas acculturated, higher-income Hispanics look for promotional and nutritional options in grocery stores. In sum, even as price behaves counter-intuitively, Hispanics are rational holistic shoppers, regularly balancing brand loyalty with promotional opportunities.

The main lesson here is that Latinos consume and perceive products, such as cereal bars, in unique ways. Issues of taste, price, promotion and information need to be integrated in marketing strategies that make cultural sense to this market segment. As such, an insensitive, mass markets approach could prove to be quite disappointing. Expertise from a multicultural marketing team, either internal or external to the marketer, is a necessary asset for succeeding in the Hispanic segment.

The San Jose Group is a premier multicultural marketing agency with over 30 years of experience helping clients’ brands connect with people. For more information on this article’s topic, please email sjgpr@sjadv.com or visit us at www.thesanjosegroup.com

To celebrate 30 years of accomplishing unprecedented marketing results for its clients, The San Jose Group (SJG) is launching a pro-bono program, “SJG Giving as we Grow,” extending its services to three non-profit organizations to support their efforts in creating stronger awareness of their cause among diverse multicultural communities.

From now until December 19, non-profit organizations can register to participate and encourage their supporters to vote daily. The three organizations with the most votes and best short essays will receive free professional time of SJG’s public relations or creative marketing services. The first place organization will receive $30,000 worth of services, followed by $20,000 and $10,000 worth of services for the second and third place organizations, respectively.

“For this major milestone in our agency’s history, we wanted to honor those non-profit organizations that day in and day out help our communities through their unselfish efforts,” said George L. San Jose, President and COO of SJG. “Whether it’s traditional creative content development, public relations support or marketing strategy, our team is excited and ready to extend our strategic and tactical areas of expertise to an organization that supports the local community.”

Non-profit organizations can register on SJG’s website at www.thesanjosegroup.com. Entries must include the 501(c)(3) number, the URL to the organization’s website, a digital file of the logo, as well as a 500 word or less short essay describing the organization’s mission and why it needs support reaching multicultural audiences.

The deadline for entry submissions and voting is December 19. A panel of judges at SJG will determine the three most deserving organizations, and the winners will be announced the week of January 2.

For more information about SJG, please visit www.thesanjosegroup.com.

Good luck!

Tony D’Andrea, PhD

Director of Research and Planning – The San Jose Group

If you take the subway, chances are that you will see many Latino commuters accessing the Internet by means of their smartphones. According to Comscore and Emarketer studies, Hispanics overindex in many Internet activities: instant messaging and photo sharing (120-plus index points), video watching (140-plus), online gaming (160-plus), etc. And if you go to a Hispanic household, you may not find a landline phone: 35% of Hispanic households have gone wireless compared to 23% national average, according to government’s CDC. In sum, not only are Hispanics going digital, they are also engaging a lot.

 

Upon this lively digital demographic, there is a new type of blogs addressing Hispanic women using a modern bilingual style. Run by highly educated Latinas (“las blogueras”), websites like Mama Latina Tips, Latina on a Mission, Modern Mami, and Spanglish Baby provide dynamic platforms where women can discuss topics of interest. For example, founded in 2006, ModernMami.com is self-fashioned as “a lifestyle blog from the perspective of a Latina working mother.” Its topics include parenting, social media, Latino culture, and anything concerning the working mother with a focus on work-life balance. Its editor is an industrial engineer, originally from Puerto Rico, currently living in Orlando, Florida. This profile is very similar to other leading Latina blogs.

 

Each of these blogs receives about 20,000 monthly visitors, mostly Hispanic women looking for practical information on improving their quality of life or just learning tips about a new product in the market. Along with this readership base, Latina blogs have been developing interesting placement partnerships with brands which Hispanic moms may find a natural connection. Common brand categories often displayed on these blogs include educational and insurance services, fashion, and house cleaning, among others.

 

If marketers want to get their brands involved in an engaging conversation with Hispanic consumers, they will need to participate in the Latino blogosphere. Tactical forms of engagement may include interactive promotions, partnerships and sponsorships, which should be aligned with conventional media channels both above- and below-line. In many cases, multicultural marketing expertise is recommended to ensure that successful conversations also translate into effective business results.

 

The San Jose Group is a premier multicultural marketing agency with over 30 years of experience helping clients’ brands connect with people. For more information on this article’s topic, please email sjgpr@sjadv.com or visit us at www.thesanjosegroup.com.

The make-up of the American marketplace is constantly changing and evolving.  Today, the Hispanic population has climbed to more than 50 million, and companies are beginning to realize the importance of this powerful market segment.  If one can develop brand loyalty with this booming consumer segment now, just imagine what the possibilities could be down the road.

One way to begin is through consumer loyalty programs.  Many companies have programs which reward their consumers for sticking with their brand.  Giving away rewards such as airline miles, cash and discounts on future purchases invoke strong and positive emotions towards the company and have made rewards programs a vital aspect of marketing campaigns, no matter how big or small.  Loyalty programs seek to increase customer awareness by raising satisfaction and value [2].  Therefore, by creating loyalty programs specifically tailored towards the Hispanic population, and their wants and needs, companies can begin the process of not just capturing, but maintaining this ever growing market segment.

The Hispanic market presents huge upside and massive potential in regards to loyalty programs:

– According to a recent study, an astounding 38% of Hispanic consumers credit loyalty programs as the reason they choose a brand or company over another, compared to only 27% of the general population [6]. 

– In addition, over the last two years, participation in loyalty programs rose over 14% in the Hispanic market. 

– Hispanics also tend to find loyalty rewards programs far more relevant than the general population.  On a scale of 1-10, from “not at all relevant” to “extremely relevant,” Hispanics scored highest with an average of 6.9 compared to other market segments which scored as low as 5.7 [4]. 

– Hispanics have also shown that their involvement in loyalty programs is extremely high.  40% of Hispanic participants stated extreme involvement with loyalty programs [3]. 

– A Yankelvich study reported that 58% of Hispanics agree “it is risky to buy a brand you are not familiar with” [1] this means that it is extremely important to establish brand loyalty and trust with the Hispanic population. 

All of these numbers and statistics lead to one simple solution: that customer loyalty programs are a great tool for brands to develop and grow relationships with the Hispanic market.

Several companies have already taken steps to market their loyalty rewards programs tailored to the Hispanic segment.  In 2009, American Airlines AAdvantage program, one of the most successful loyalty programs, launched an 18 month campaign targeting Hispanics.  Their campaign included TV, radio, print, online and social media as well as a sponsorship with MLS (Major League Soccer) to promote the loyalty program on Spanish-language TV channels [5].  U.S. Bank, the fifth largest bank in the United States, has also been taking advantage of the growing Hispanic market.  This year, U.S. Bank began a partnership with Avianca and TACA Airlines, offering credit cards that offer customers airline miles for each purchase they make using their cards. 

The San Jose Group has worked with numerous companies on many loyalty rewards programs and campaigns over the past thirty years.  For example, SJG worked with grocery store Dominick’s to create a new and culturally relevant platform.  The campaign, “Un Mundo de Frescura”, successfully helped promote a discount program, the Fresh Values Card, that registering thousands of new Hispanic card holders all across the Chicagoland area.  When the Disney Vacation Club needed help targeting Hispanics, The San Jose Group worked with their membership programs, creating a campaign that directly helped broaden their appeal to the Hispanic market.

In the U.S. today, there are over 1.3 billion customer loyalty memberships.  In a marketplace flooded with numerous programs and in many cases where one consumer might belong to multiple loyalty programs, in order to stand out and break away from the masses it is important to appeal to the wants and needs of each segment, rather than clumping everyone together.  George L. San Jose, president and COO at The San Jose Group, explains that, “In order to capture and maintain the growing Hispanic market, it is important that companies offer loyalty programs and rewards that directly appeal to the Hispanic population.  If you make your consumer feel like this is a program that has been designed specifically for them, they are much more likely to stick with it.”

Loyalty programs offer companies a phenomenal opportunity to drive and create new business, while maintaining and strengthening relationships with their current customer base.  In today’s supersaturated marketplace, the key to engaging Hispanic consumers in loyalty programs is by creating meaningful and relevant programs focusing on the individual needs of the Hispanic consumer.

The San Jose Group is a premier multicultural marketing agency with 30 years of experience. For more information about the agency and the campaigns mentioned in this article, please email sjgpr@sjadv.com or visit us at www.thesanjosegroup.com

Sources:

[1] “African Americans’, Hispanics’ Brand Loyalty Strong.” MarketingVOX. 16 Aug. 2006. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. <http://www.marketingvox.com/african_americans_hispanics_brand_loyalty_strong-022425/>.

[2] Bolton, Kannan, and Bramlett. 2000. “Implications of Loyalty Program Membership and Service Experiences for Customer Retention and Value.” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 28 (1): 95-108.

[3] Ferguson and Hlavinka. “Planet SegmentTalk: the difference engine: a comparison of loyalty marketing perceptions among specific US consumer segments.” 25 February 2008. Web. 15 September 2011. <http://www.me.titech.ac.jp/~wata_lab/2008/pdf/86-M.pdf>.

[4] “Hispanics value Reward Program Communications much more than the average U.S. Consumer.” Portada – The Leading Source on Latin Marketing and Media. 29 April 2010. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. http://www.portada-online.com/article.aspx?aid=6164.

[5] Odell, Patricia. “American Airlines Seeks Loyalty Among Hispanics.” PROMO. 1 July 2009. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. http://promomagazine.com/incentives/news/american-airlines-seeks-hispanics-0701/.

[6] Quayat, Ricardo. “Unleashing the Financial Purchasing Power of the Growing US Hispanic Population Part Two.” Hispanic Marketing and Public Relations Website and Podcast. 19 May 2010. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. <http://www.hispanicmpr.com/resources/articles/unleashing-the-financial-purchasing-power-of-the-growing-us-hispanic-population-part-two/>. 

[7] “U.S. Bank and AviancaTaca Launch New LifeMiles Credit Cards as Part of Renewed Loyalty Program.” HispanicTips. 1 June 2011. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. < http://www.hispanictips.com/2011/06/01/u-s-bank-and-aviancataca-launch-new-lifemiles-credit-cards-as-part-of-renewed-loyalty-program/>.

 

Like many other foreign-born consumers living in the United States, Hispanics tend to have a strong appreciation of what the “American Dream” represents.  Often times coming from difficult situations in their native countries, their past experiences shape how they define the concept.  American Family Insurance, in partnership with The San Jose Group (SJG), explores this in its latest Hispanic market advertising campaign, “American Dreams.”

Consisting of television, radio, print and online executions, the campaign utilizes inspirational factors and messaging.  “Our research uncovered that the American Dream for foreign-born Hispanics in the United States pertains to a dream being realized, and has a much stronger significance for them than for their American-born counterparts,” said Jim Legg, executive vice president of leadership and innovation at SJG.  “Being able to work, provide for their family, give their children a good education and having opportunities is their interpretation of the American Dream.”

The foundation of the campaign is that all things are possible for those who dream.  The creative focuses on a father and his teenage son, who dreams about the excitement and glory of being a racecar driver.   In the different executions, the father brings his son back to reality while an American Family Insurance agent conveys the message that the company offers protection for every family’s dreams. 

“The campaign ties together the possibility for prosperity, and how American Family Insurance is an avid supporter of dreams and protecting them with our policies and services,” said Telisa Yancy, advertising director at American Family Insurance.  “One example highlighted in the creative is our Teen Safe Driver program, which can help reduce risky teenage driving behavior by up to 70 percent.” 

To view the “American Dreams” campaign TV spots, “El Soñador” and “Joven Conductor,” please click on the hyperlinks below:

El Soñador

Joven Conductor

For more information about this topic please email sjgpr@sjadv.com. For more information about the San Jose Group please visit http://www.sanjosegroup.com/main.html

Whether you’re a college student, CEO, or anywhere in between, there have most likely been multiple times in your life where you have needed to present information to others for one reason or another.  Whether to a group of four or 4,000, below are some keys to success as well as things to avoid when building a presentation.

Tips that will make a presentation powerful:

Understanding the BIG picture: Before building a house, there are many important factors to consider: budget and timeline, size of the lot, composition of the soil, size of the house, getting approval from the city, etc.  Giving a presentation is no different and requires thought and consideration as well.  Think big picture:

- Who are you presenting to? Is the audience large or small?  

- What kind of media/technology are you going to use?  

- What is the purpose of the presentation? Do you want to sell and persuade, or inform and educate?  

- When is your presentation scheduled and how much time will be required for you to put everything together and prepare?  

- Do you need approval from anyone before presenting? 

Capture Their Attention: In a 20 to 30 minute presentation, for example, you have only the first few minutes to capture the audience’s attention and set the tone of your presentation.  Develop a unique way to captivate listeners.  Most likely the people in the room will have other things on their mind such as their to-do list, lunch or the weekend.  How are you going to grab their attention away from that tuna sandwich and focus it on your information?

Infotainment: Information + entertainment = Infotainment.  Plain and simple, people like to be entertained.  Regardless of what information you’re presenting, combining it with entertainment will help engage the audience.  In order to capture and maintain their attention, you may want to consider use some sort of entertainment.  Show how the content of your presentation is exciting and amusing through using a video, anecdote or even just in your tone of voice and body language. 

 

Things that will kill a presentation:

Chunky Paragraphs: Including too many words on a slide is boring, overwhelming and does not engage. Put key points on the slides, but learn the content and practice delivering it so the audience focuses on you and not on the screen.

Cliché Stock Imagery: It all comes down to creativity! Clip art and stock imagery are often seen as tacky.

Complicated Diagrams: Don’t make their heads spin.  People like simplicity. Avoid complicated charts and endless diagrams by including as few as possible to get your point across and keep your audience focused.

Redundant Logos: If you find yourself adding your company’s logo on slide 25 of your presentation in order to remind your audience of who you are, you have completely missed the point.

For more information about this topic please email sjgpr@sjadv.com. For more information about the San Jose Group please visit www.sanjosegroup.com

We are all by now fully aware of the emerging Hispanic and multicultural market.  It seems as though everywhere we look we are seeing statistics on how the Hispanic population continues to rise; we also know that as marketers, we cannot ignore this booming segment.  The question then becomes how can you reach them and create that all important brand loyalty?

 

The Yankelovich MONITOR Multicultural Study conducted in 2010 discovered that roughly one-third of Hispanic and African American consumers are more likely to choose brands and companies that support the causes they believe in and the communities where they live.  According to Jim Legg, executive vice president of leadership and innovation at The San Jose Group, “It is important to play a significant role and have a positive and engaging impact within the community in order to have any chance of winning over the multicultural market, and to make them loyal to your brand.”  The study also showed that an overwhelming 79% of Hispanic respondents agreed with the statement, “companies that make sincere efforts to be part of the Hispanic/African-American community deserve my loyalty.”

 

While cause related marketing and community relations are not new topics, many Hispanics feel as though they are seen as an afterthought for their demographic.  The same 2010 research indicated that 62% of Hispanics agreed that there is an extremely small amount of brands and companies that truly care about the condition of their communities.  Marketers must be aware of these perceptions if they are to have any chance of capturing a significant portion of the Hispanic and multicultural markets. While the majority of the Hispanic population does not believe that there are many brands in the marketplace that are making a conscious effort to play a role in bettering their community, there have been many success stories where companies have won over consumers through cause related marketing and community outreach.

 

For example, Coors sponsored the tour of the Mexican pop band, Maná.  The beer-brand also donated $125,000 towards college scholarships for students from theUnited States, Puerto Rico andMexico.  Similarly, earlier this year the Staples Foundation for Learning, a not-for-profit arm of the office supply chain, Staples, sponsored the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, donating $100,000 towards the foundations Hispanic Heritage Teacher Award, which honors teachers throughout theUnited Stateswho have had a positive impact on the lives of children in Latino communities.  In 1985, McDonald’s founded HACER, a scholarship program which provides financial assistance for Hispanic youths across the country.  HACER has become one of the largest scholarship programs in the country, and has awarded more than $20 million in scholarships to nearly 14,000 Hispanic students. Western Uniondeveloped a community relations campaign, aiming to bridge the cultural gap which was titled, “¡Sí!Western UnionHelps Make Dreams Come True.”  The campaign asked Hispanic consumers to share their life stories and give examples of how helping others helped make their own dreams come true. 

 

 

Since 2008, The San Jose Group has assisted U.S. Cellular in its Calling All Communities campaign which awards $1 million each year to schools across the country to help enhance the learning experience for thousands of students.  This year, the third annual campaign includes exciting enhancements such as increasing the number of winners from 10 to 18 schools.  Public and private schools, kindergarten through high school, are eligible to win a share of $1 million that can be used any way the schools see fit.  Past champions have said that while the money was an educational boon for the schools, the campaign to win stimulated an equally rewarding and lasting sense of community.  The campaign voting is live from now through Oct. 6, and anyone 18 years or older can visit any U.S. Cellular store and ask an associate for a code to vote for their favorite school at uscellular.com.  No purchase is necessary and you don’t have to be a U.S. Cellular customer to vote. The winning schools will be announced in October and November.  Campaigns such as these allow brands a way to connect with their consumers on levels beyond traditional advertising.

 

Using community relations and cause related marketing is a great way for marketers to show consumers that they care and that they stand for more than just the almighty dollar.  Some advantages to this approach are that it helps establish credibility, and creates personal relationships between the brand and their consumers.  With thousands of choices at consumers fingertips it is critical that marketers do all that they can to make their brand stand out and break through the clutter.  With a growing, and highly brand loyal Hispanic population, it is becoming more critical for marketers to reach out and grab the attention of this emerging market.  By implementing cause related marketing campaigns a brand can help differentiate itself from the competition, and through community outreach within the Hispanic market, they can help establish trust, positive feelings and the all important brand loyalty.

 

For more information about this topic please email sjgpr@sjadv.com. For more information about the San Jose Group please visit www.sanjosegroup.com

 

Sources Cited

 

  1. “Social Responsibility Weighs Higher in Purchase Decisions for Hispanics and African Americans.” Hispanic PR Blog – Your Complete Source for Hispanic Public Relations, Social Media & Marketing News. 15 Sept. 2010. Web. 25 Aug. 2011. <http://www.hispanicprblog.com/hispanic-market-white-papers-research/social-responsibility-weighs-higher-in-purchase-decisions-for-hispanics-and-african-americans.html>. 
  2. “Multi-Cultural II.” Cause Marketing. 25 July 2007. Web. 25 Aug. 2011. <http://causerelatedmarketing.blogspot.com/2007/07/multi-cultural-cause-marketing-ii.html>. 
  3. “Bromley Communication PR Campaign for Western Union Wins Top Multicultural PR Award from TexasPR Association.” Hispanic PR Blog – Your Complete Source for Hispanic Public Relations, Social Media & Marketing News. 15 Feb. 2010. Web. 25 Aug. 2011. <http://www.hispanicprblog.com/hispanicmulticultural-pr-briefs/bromley-communication-pr-campaign-for-western-union-wins-top-multicultural-pr-award-from-texas-pr-association.html>.

 

 

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