Online Hispanic Trends

Public-Private Collaboration to Increase Latino Academic Achievement

Univision, the Department of Education and the Gates Foundation have recently teamed up on an exciting three-year, multi-platform national education initiative called "Es El Momento" (The Moment is Now) aimed at improving academic achievement of Hispanic K-12 students. The campaign is focused on improving the high school graduation rate, which is currently at 55 percent for the Hispanic population as compared to 69 percent for their non-Hispanics peers.

In addition to PSAs, TV and radio, the campaign is offering a comprehensive web presence and mobile resources, including questions and answers with the popular motivational radio personality Dr. Isabel, a school locator widget and weekly mobile text alerts with relevant educational tips. Visitors will also be able to find local resources through website feeds in the future. 

This is a terrific example of public private partnerships creatively coming together to address the pressing needs of the community. We should see more of this happening on a regular basis.

Check out the online presence here or by clicking the image below.

Source: Hispanicad.com

Univision Launches New Vertical Site "Cocina"

Univision Communications just launched a new vertical called Cocina in response to the fact that the U.S. Hispanic audience spends a significant part of its budget on groceries and is interested in cooking and trying new recipes.

Per the Portada article, "...more than 11 million U.S. Hispanics report that they really enjoy cooking and trying new recipes."  And "Nearly 12 million U.S. Hispanics live in a household that spends $100+ on groceries in a week, that's 54 percent of all online Hispanics ages 18 and older."

The site will feature recipes, cooking tips from experts, videos, personalized content, user-generated content, a searchable database of recipes, and the Cocina widget that users can embed on their blogs and websites.  

General Mills is an exclusive sponsor of the Cocina widget and has category exclusivity in a number of its key areas - baking, snacks, and cereals to name a few.

Source: Portada

FEMA launches a Revamped Spanish-language Website

An article in Federal News Week highlights the debut of FEMA's revamped Spanish-language website, which offers news about disasters, preparedness assistance, a family registry and a locator service in Spanish.

Craign Fugate, FEMA admistrator said “We are happy to announce this updated Web site, which will ensure that communities across the country continue to have the tools necessary to be prepared before an emergency or disaster strikes.”

FEMA follows the  U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, which launched a Spanish-language site with interactive features in September.

The list of other federal agencies who offer Spanish-language sites includes GobiernoUSA.gov - a Web portal to multiple federal agencies, the Social Security Administration, and the Veterans Administration, which offers part of its information on benefits in Spanish.

 

Source: Federal Computer Week and Scott Johnson of Rockcreek Strategic Marketing

Walmart Focuses on Supporting Education for Hispanic Heritage Month

As part of Hispanic Heritage month, Walmart has launched a new campaign entitled "La Mejor Herencia es una Buena Educacion," ("the best heritage is a good education") with the goal of providing information and assistance to help Latinos gain access to higher education.

One component of the program will focus on enhancing www.AhorraMasViveMejor.com by creating a section that will connect parents and students with individuals committed to helping Hispanics achieve a higher education.

The portal will provide information and tools related to standardized tests and college placement exams, scholarship and financial aid, steps on choosing a college, and tips on writing admission essays in both English and Spanish and will be accessible throughout the year.

Read more about the campaign at Reuters.com

Retail Banks Improving Outreach to Spanish-Speakers Online

A recent article in Reuters summarizes interesting research done by Corporate Insight.  The research indicates that 71% of retail banks have added foreign-language content to their websites and are actively reaching out to Spanish-speakers.

Recognizing the growth and increasing affluence of this group and the need to reach out to new markets in a competitive market, a number of banks are taking steps to better serve this market.

As Doug Miller, Senior Analyst for Banking and Cardsat Corporate Insight, says ""Recent immigrants to the United States are often identified as `under-banked, which is unsurprising since most banking information and services have traditionally been offered almost exclusively in English. As the
Spanish-speaking population of this country has grown in both size and affluence, top retail banks have come to recognize the importance of serving this group through Spanish language site content, customer service support and account statements."  

Bank of America and Citibank lead the pack when it comes to having fully functional Spanish-language websites. 

View additional details on what other banks are doing in the original Reuter's article. 

Harley Davidson Reaching out to Harlistas

Harley Davidson recently launched a new section on its website to reach out to Latino Harley riders or "Harlistas."  Site visitors can post videos, pictures, share their stories and sign up to get audition locations for an upcoming documentary.

Click on the image below to visit the site.

Lance Armstrong Foundation Launches Spanish-language Site for U.S. Hispanic Community

As part of its multimedia campaign, the Lance Armstrong Foundation has launched a Spanish-language version of its website to provide practical tools and useful information for cancer survivors, their families and caregivers within the Hispanic community in the United States.  

 

Read Juan Tornoe's interview with the Lance Armstrong Foundation on their Latino outreach efforts.

Discovery en Español Making a Difference on Earth Day

In celebration of Earth Day, Discover en Español, in collaboration with La Onda Verde of the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), is launching a multifaceted campaign to increase awareness of the state of our environment and get people to take action to make a difference.  Their campaign, called 3 Pasos, 3 Personas, will drive viewers to an innovative Web 2.0 site with the goal of getting each person to take commit to taking three actions and then inspire three friends to do the same.  Using a variety of social media platforms and email, participants will be able to see the number of total commitments in each area – water, energy and recycling.

It will be very interesting to see the results of this very innovative campaign!

Check it out and spread the word by clicking here: 3 Pasos

Smithsonian Latino Launches Latino Virtual Museum in Second Life

The Smithsonian Latino Center launched the Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum, an avatar-based 3-D virtual world featuring immersive learning activities, this week in Second Life.

According to Artdaily.org, "The program includes a welcome video using the latest in virtual-world filmmaking technologies known as “Machinima” that guides users through key areas of the museum."

"Tour sites include the “placita”; the Sin Fronteras Café; the Afro-Cuban instrument room; the “Son Clave” music lounge, featuring award-winning digital collections from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings; the amphitheater and the Smithsonian Expedition Wing, where users can learn about key archeological expeditions in Mexico through the work of Matthew Sterling; and the Olmec Legacy Collection at the National Museum of Natural History."

Read complete article at www.Artdaily.org

AOL Making Significant Investments in the U.S. Onine Hispanic Market

It's been a busy month for AOL in terms of launching new sites and content for the U.S. Online Latino audience. This activity seems to be a strong indication that AOL is making serious investments in this growing market.

This week AOL People Networks announced the launch of its Bebo U.S. Latino site in collaboration with Hearst Magazines Digital Media and AOL Latino.

Bebo's Lifestream Platform allows users to connect with other users and with content from multiple sites, including Flickr, MySpace, Facebook and others.  Users can connect with existing friends or others who share common interests and tastes.

AOL Latino will contribute music and entertainment content and Hearst Magazines Digital Media will provide other interactive content, including content for young girls planning their quinceñeras - http://www.bebo.com/mis_quince.

Source: Finchannel.com

AOL also launched another Spanish language resource called TecnoPadres.com, a site designed to help less technically savvy parents navigate the web. The site aspires to help parents monitor their childrens' use of the Internet and keep them safe and the site will license and translate content from the OnlineMom, a site/blog that was created by a tech-concerned mother, according to the Hollywood Reporter.