Winningest Latino NFL Coach to be recognized

Tom Flores To Be Honored by National Council of La Raza.
Special To Vida de Oro

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Tom Flores, the first Mexican American to play quarterback for a professional football team, will be honored on Tuesday, July 26, 2011, by the National Council of La Raza with its Roberto Clemente Sports Award.

Flores, who has won four Super Bowl rings (as a player, assistant coach and twice as head coach of the Los Angeles and Oakland Raiders), will be presented the award at ceremonies being held in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, July 26, 2011. The event, which begins at 4:30 PM (Pacific time) will be streamed live from the National Council de La Raza web site as part of the organization's four day conference.

"The leadership team of the Official Tom Flores Fan Club, who nominated Tom Flores for the award, is extrememly proud and excited that Tom is being honored by this prestigious Latino organization," said Joe Ortiz, President of the fan club.  "Tom Flores is one of the greatest examples and positive role models for Mexican Americans and other Latinos for the greatness he has achieved in professional football," added Ortiz. "Not only for excelling as a professional quarterback and Super Bowl winning head coach, but for his commitment to youth throughout the nation, especially as the founder of the Tom Flores Youth Foundation based out of his hometown of Sanger, California." 

Among his many honors, the football field of Sanger High School has been named the Tom Flores Stadium. Flores has also been inducted into the American Football League's Hall of Fame, as well as the California Sports Hall of Fame, and has been honored by many other institutions including the City of Los Angeles.

"Tom has earned every commendation he has ever received," said Ortiz. "He has also earned the right to be inducted into the National Football League's Hall of Fame. All of his fans know this; it's only the voters of the Hall of Fame who have failed to acknowledge this reality and need to give him the honor he deserves."

"My personal opinion is that when the Oakland Raiders came up with that great slogan for their football team, "A Committment to Excellence," they had to be thinking of Tom Flores," Ortiz beamed.
Flores achievements are monumental, to say the least. He graduated from the University of the Pacific in 1958, but was unable to find a job in professional football. He was cut by the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL in 1958, and then by the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) in 1959. In 1960 Flores finally landed a position as a quarterback with the American Football League's Oakland Raiders, who began play in 1960 as a charter member of the league. Flores became the first Hispanic quarterback in American professional football. He became the Raiders' starting quarterback early in the 1960 season.

Flores had his most productive season in 1966. Although he completed only 49.3 percent of his attempts, he passed for 2,638 yards and 24 touchdowns in 14 games. Oakland traded him to the Buffalo Bills in 1967. After serving primarily as a backup, he was released by the Bills and in 1969 signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he was back up to Len Dawson on the Chiefs' World Championship team, where he earned his first Super Bowl ring. He retired as a player after the 1970 season. He was one of only twenty players who were with the AFL for its entire ten-year existence. He is the fifth-leading passer, all-time, in the AFL.

After stints as an assistant coach in Buffalo and Oakland (he won his 2nd Super Bowl XI ring as an Assistant Coach under John Madden), Flores became the Raiders' head coach in 1979, following John Madden's retirement. Flores then became the NFL's first minority (and Mexican American) head coach to win a Super Bowl, winning his third and fourth Super Bowl rings for Super Bowl XV and Super Bowl XVIII.

After a 5-10 finish to the 1987 season, Flores moved to the Raiders' front office, but left after just one year to become the president and general manager of the Seattle Seahawks. He returned to coaching as the Seahawks head coach in 1992, but returned to the front office following three disappointing seasons. Flores resigned from the Seahawks in 1994 following Paul Allen's purchase of the Seahawks.

Flores left Pro Football with a lifetime coaching record of 97-87 (52.7%), as well as an 8-3 playoff record, and with two Super Bowl victories. Flores, Jimmy Johnson, and George Seifert are the only eligible coaches with two such victories, who have not been selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Tom Flores has distinguished himself in so many ways in the pro football arena as a player, assistant coach, head coach, President and General Manager of an NFL Football team, and now as a commentator for the Oakland Raiders football team along with Greg Papa on KSFO (560 AM) during the radio broadcasts of Raiders games.

Maybe there are many other football players and coaches who have garnered more wins as a quarterback, or as an assistant coach or as a head coach, but very few professional football players and coaches (as well as fans) who have worked with Tom Flores among his many capacities in football or with numerous civic communities, can never say he isn't deserving to be inducted into the NFL's Hall of Fame!

This coming July 31, 2011, Tom Flores will also celebrate 51 years involvment as a member of professional football community in the United States (not including high school, college and a stint in the Canadian Football League), where he became the first quarterback to play for the old American Football League as the quarterback for the embryonic Oakland Raiders.

"I'm a Raider for life," said the iconic Flores.



 

15th Annual Latino Film Festival

The festival’s huge success in attracting visibility to Latino films in spite of some hard economic times, is an achievement in itself.
By LENIKA CRUZ, UCLA Daily Bruin

LOS ANGELES, CA -- On Sunday night, filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts gathered at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood to begin celebrating one of the summer’s biggest quinceañeras, kicking off the 15th Annual Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival.

The nine-day event, which opened with a birthday gala and a screening of the comedy “Aquí Entre Nos,” will feature a total of 76 films – including shorts, features and documentaries – from 14 different countries.

Official festival selections include “Without Men,” “A tiro de piedra (A Stone’s Throw Away),” “¿Alguien ha visto a Lupita? (Have you seen Lupita?),” “Granito: How To Nail A Dictator” and “Capsules.”

“When we first started, there was an initiative for the city of Los Angeles to create a festival that could cater to a fast-growing Latino community. Now we’re no longer a minority,” said Marlene Dermer, LALIFF’s co-founder and programmer.

According to Dermer, Latino filmmakers have risen to earn Academy Awards and direct critical smash hits such as “Y Tu Mamá También,” as well as Hollywood favorites such as “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.”

“I think these amazing creative artists have proven to the industry that … we are part of world cinema,” Dermer said.

Dermer also said that the festival’s huge success in attracting visibility to Latino films does not obscure the fact that simply reaching 15 years of putting on the festival, in spite of some hard economic times, is an achievement in itself.

The festival will close with the highly anticipated summer blockbuster “Cowboys & Aliens,” directed by Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”) and co-written and co-produced by Mexican-born Roberto Orci. However, for the most part, the films shown at LALIFF do not yet have Hollywood exposure, much less Hollywood funding.

“(LALIFF) gives the Los Angeles public the chance to see films they would otherwise not have the opportunity to see,” said Randal Johnson, interim vice provost of international studies at UCLA, former director of the UCLA Latin American Institute and professor of Brazilian culture and film. “It’s difficult for foreign films to enter the exhibition market in the U.S. so festivals become important as venues to see films that might otherwise not be available.”

Though this year will mark Johnson’s first absence from the festival since its inception in 1997, his connection and esteem for LALIFF remain strong, he said. Two years ago, Johnson served on the jury that pronounced “Sons of Cuba” best documentary. The film – which follows the training and lives of three young Cuban boxers with their eyes on the Olympics and national glory – went on to win several awards at festivals across the world, spurred on by its initial success at LALIFF.

Johnson said he admired the film so much, he brought it to UCLA for a screening. He also said that resources and inspiration are abundant at LALIFF and UCLA students who are interested in meeting creative film minds merely need to have the confidence to ask.

While LALIFF primarily focuses on Latino artists and themes, Johnson said it does not do so at the expense of cinema’s ability to provide a collective, transcultural experience.

“The best Latino filmmakers tell stories about Latino culture and society, but in a way that also expresses universal values,” Johnson said.

According to Dermer, the festival, while prefixed by the filter “Latino,” offers a visual collection that spans genre and subject matter.

“From historical movies to little independent films, to those dealing with transgender issues, comedy, films about surfing in Cuba … there really is a little bit of everything for everyone,” Dermer said.

She also said that LALIFF owes a great deal to the UCLA community, which has not only screened and held discussion panels on the festival’s films, but also provides the hands and hearts that fuel it. Every year, UCLA students and alumni join the LALIFF team that hangs lights, fields media requests and directs the films that make it to the festival screens.

The films at LALIFF may evoke a sense of cultural pride for L.A.’s Latino community, but they are also a chance for visitors to become open to the experiences of others, said Glenn Dicus, a UCLA alum and a production assistant at LALIFF.

“When you watch a Latino film, usually they don’t have a big $200 million budget, but they do have the stories, and that’s most important,” Dicus said. “That’s why we go see the movies in the first place.”

Enjoy the following promotional video:

Cuisine of Michoacan: Carnitas and Cabernet please...

Fundraiser to benefit AltaMed's mission to provide access to quality health care in underserved communities.

LOS ANGELES, CA -- AltaMed hosted the sixth annual East LA Meets Napa, one of the nation's most unique festivals that celebrates the Latino community's contributions to California's multi-billion dollar food and wine industry. The event pairs Latino- owned or operated wineries from the Napa Valley with Latino-owned or operated restaurants from the greater Los Angeles area.

The event was attended by more than 1,400 wine and culinary enthusiasts who enjoyed 60 plus pairing stations and live music by Jose Rizo's Mongorama. This year's event featured the flavors of Michoacan, considered by some to be Mexico's soul food.

"We are proud to showcase the regional cuisine of Michoacan, which played a major role in UNESCO's decision to place Mexican cuisine on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2010," said Castulo de la Rocha, AltaMed's President and CEO. "In addition many of our event's vintners hail from the state."

The event also launched AltaMed's publication In Their Own Words, which chronicles Latino's contributions to the U.S. wine industry. The book features the stories of 17 wine makers from the Napa Valley, some of whom began their careers as farm workers and have gone on to own or operate important wineries. Copies of the book were made available at the event and can be purchased at https://donate.altamed.org/book.

President and CEO Castulo de la Rocha's passion for good Latin Cuisine and fine wine inspired AltaMed's East LA Meets Napa, which has become an event that truly showcases the variety that exists within Latino gastronomy and viticulture. "We are proud that East LA Meets Napa has evolved into one of the most popular food events in Southern California," said de la Rocha, "we owe a great deal of thanks to our sponsors particularly Ken Jackson of Camfield Partners who was our Title Sponsor this year." Other sponsors included Richard Gomez of Total Corporate Solutions, Jack Cline Jr. of Lee & Associates, Ricardo Robles of La Reina, Hector Barreto of Barreto Rezinas (who will debut Tributo A Mi Padre a new tequila) and Robin and Jaime Guentert of Trader Joe's.

In addition, wineries, restaurants and chefs who donated their talent and fare included Alex Sotelo Cellars, Ceja Vineyards, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wine, Sequoia Grove Vineyards, Madrigal Vineyards, Robledo Family Winery Inc., Quintessa, Bodegas San Rafael, Cavas Valmar, and Vinisterra Winery, Chef Hugo Molina of Seta, Chef Daniel Salcido of Cities, Chef Alfonso Ramirez of Luna Restaurant and Lounge, Chef John Rivera Sedlar of Rivera Restaurant, Chef Jim Shaw of Loteria Grill, and new to this year's event Chef Robert Luna of Mas Malo, and Annette Starbuck of The Goodie Girls and winner of The Food Network show "Cupcake Wars".

All proceeds from the event benefit AltaMed, which provides critical services including primary medical care, dental clinics, comprehensive senior services, disease management programs, health education, youth programs, HIV/AIDS care, and substance abuse prevention and treatment.

AltaMed, a private nonprofit organization, is a major provider of health and human services in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. AltaMed is the largest Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in the State of California. The mission of AltaMed is to eliminate disparities in health care access and outcomes by providing superior quality health and human services through an integrated world-class delivery system for Latino, multi-ethnic and underserved communities. AltaMed began as the East Los Angeles Barrio Free Clinic in 1969, a volunteer-staffed storefront providing basic medical services. Currently, AltaMed provides more than 650,000 patient visits annually through its 43 sites in Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

SOURCE AltaMed

Sequel planned for Latino soap opera that inspires health

Associated Press survey showed that thousands of viewers called a help line to ask about issues on the show.
By: IVAN MORENO | Associated Press

DENVER, CO -- The titillating twists and turns of this Spanish-language soap opera captivated Colorado Hispanics.

But instead of stories of forbidden love and revenge, its plot twists involved health issues affecting Hispanics and the services the state provides — all told with the dramatic flair for which telenovelas are famous.

Think soap opera meets after-school special.

Health officials say they got a resounding response from 2009's Denver-area series, titled "Encrucijada: Sin Salud No Hay Nada," or "Crossroads: Without Health, There Is Nothing."

Three surveys provided to The Associated Press this week on its impact showed that thousands of viewers called a help line to ask about issues on the show, and most said they found the show beneficial. One night, 35,000 households tuned in, according to Nielsen ratings.

"We were overwhelmed with the response," said project director Anne Smith. "To receive the call volume that we did, when we weren't trying to give away pizzas. We were asking people to call about a pretty complex issue."

The success has inspired a sequel, "Encrucijada 2," which will begin filming in Los Angeles this fall. The Colorado Health Foundation, which owns the rights to the first season of the show, is trying to make it available in other states, said Kelly Dunkin, vice president of philanthropy at the foundation.

Hispanics are affected by diabetes, obesity and other health issues at disproportionately high rates. For example, they have higher rates of obesity than whites, African Americans, and Asians among children ages 2 to 14, according the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Hispanic adults are also three times more likely to die of diabetes than whites and two times more likely than African Americans.

Language barriers and, for many, living in a new culture, mean they're often hard to reach about their health options, making the telenovela an appealing avenue.

"I think we have to go where the people are," said Dr. Chris Urbina, the executive director and chief medical officer of the Colorado department. "Latinos, particularly first generation Latinos, like to watch telenovelas. I think it's part of our culture."

Other states are using radio soap operas to educate minorities about their health.

Last month, a radio show launched in Alabama titled "Promesas y Traiciones," or "Promises and Betrayals," that educates Hispanics about obesity and smoking. A radio drama for African Americans called "Living Well in Camberwell" also began airing in that state.

"We can help create a narrative that can inspire people to change," said Brenda Campos, the program director for Media Impact, one of the organizations that helped produce the shows.

In Iowa, a weekly radio series just concluded that sought to prevent unintended pregnancies.

"Practically speaking, most people would agree that entertainment is going to engage you more and you're going to pay more attention," said Connie Kohler, a professor of health behavior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Kohler worked on the Iowa program, titled, "La Noche Te Da Sorpresas," or "The Night Gives You Surprises."

The Colorado soap opera featured health workers as its protagonists. Along the way, viewers were immersed with plots they could relate to. There was the case of an expecting couple encouraged to seek prenatal care; there were characters without health insurance. A teenager learned a lesson about driving drunk after getting into a wreck that injured a boy. The boy's family learned he qualified for Child Health Plan Plus, known as CHPP, a Colorado program for uninsured children and pregnant women who can't afford private insurance but earn too much to qualify for Medicaid.

Most viewers surveyed said they learned "a lot" about diseases, including diabetes and cancer. Nearly all said the telenovela gave them ideas on how to improve their lives.

The 12-episode season aired on Denver's Univision affiliate, operated by Entravision Communications Corp., based in Santa Monica, Calif., with stars that included Roberto Medina, who appeared in "21 Grams" and "Frida."

"Encrucijada" sometimes drew comparable ratings to the Spanish-language version of "Desperate Housewives."

A toll-free number during each episode encouraged viewers to call about topics on the show. During its run, from May to December 2009, the health hotline received more than 2,000 calls, according to figures compiled for the Colorado Health Foundation.

One third of callers requested information about the CHPP program, and about a fifth called to learn about low-cost health insurance options. Others sought help for depression, domestic violence and diabetes.

Maria Dolores Jaquez De Silva, 63, was an avid viewer who learned about a place where she could get tested regularly for diabetes. She said she made sure to spread the program's message to her friends.

"Because that show was about advice, not about a soap opera," she said in Spanish. "They're such beautiful messages that the show should never end."

Dunkin, with the Colorado Health Foundation, said the "Encrucijada" sequel will focus on healthy eating and being more active. It will continue to emphasize the availability of public health insurance programs.

"We know that telenovelas are incredibly popular. We've heard that men don't watch telenovelas, but we know that they secretly do," Dunkin said.
___

Ivan Moreno can be reached at: http://www.twitter.com/ivanmoreno_colo

 SAMPLE OF SOAP OPERA:


ENCRUCIJADA - Sin Salud No Hay Nada from Olivia Preci on Vimeo.

Latina boxer sets sight on Olympic gold

Marina Ramirez is a young woman with a vision…an Olympic vision. 

By Adrian Perez

SACRAMENTO, CA -- With lightening speed, Marina pounds the punching bag as if to knock it from its hook at the Prime Time Boxing gym in Sacramento, California.  Anyone standing close by can feel the power punches in the stomach that the number 2 nationally Ranked boxer lands on the bag.  Stepping back, she pauses, looks at us, and flashes the smile of a pretty and shy girl.

Marina Ramirez is a young woman with a vision…an Olympic vision.  At five-foot even and edging 112 pounds, her 4-hour daily training and hard-body tells you she means business.  Her goal?  To make the 2012 U.S. Olympic Women’s Boxing Team.  So what motivates the 21-year old to become a boxer? 

“I really like it,” says Marina while beaming a smile.  “It’s what I want to do and I’m good at it.”

And, she’s convincingly believable in the ring. 

Born in the small community of Parma, Idaho, about 30 minutes outside of Boise, Marina grew up as an outdoor girl, riding horses (even a bull) and an athlete (running cross-country and playing basketball.)    But, it was getting bullied that drove her to learn how to box.

“I learned to box to stop the bullying and found that I liked the sport,” she says.  “I also beat up a couple of boys.”

Interestingly, the soft-spoken Latina does not pass as the image of a boxer, especially that created by other women boxers like Laila Ali, who has been inspiration for Marina.

“I work for the HardRock Café in Las Vegas,” says Marina.  “I need to provide for myself, and that’s where I live.  But, I’m a very nice person when I’m not in the ring.”

In fact, if anyone met Marina in the street, they would see her as a pretty and feminine young girl, unsuspecting of her real skills and power-punching abilities.

“I took karate, but I really like boxing,” she remarks.

Helping Marina in her corner is Cary Williams-Nunez, who is one of only three women in the nation trained to coach Olympic level boxing for women and owner of the Prime Time Boxing gym in Sacramento. 

“There are only three weight classes for the women in the Olympics, 112 pounds, 134 pounds, and 164 pounds,” says Cary.  “She’s fast and very determined and she’s our secret little weapon when we go to the Golden Gloves in Florida.”

Women’s boxing was added to the 2012 London Olympics by the International Olympics Committee, giving legitimacy to the sport, which has had limited exposure having been limited only to the professional ranks.

“I have dedicated my life to boxing,” says Marina.  “I used to drive 30 miles from where I lived (in Idaho) to a boxing gym when I first started.”

Marina won her first amateur fight, which gave her additional motivation to continue and has since collected 30 fights, raising the eyebrow of the U.S. Women’s Olympic Boxing team coaches.

“My parents and my friends support me, and that’s very important to me,” says Marina, also sharing that she owns a horse back in Parma where her parents live as well.

Upon turning 18, she moved to Las Vegas, seeking better training and an opportunity to be more competitive.  It was here where Cary saw Marina at an amateur tournament and asked if she wanted to train at her Sacramento gym.  Spending a week at Prime Time Boxing has helped sharpen Marina’s skills preparing her for the Golden Gloves.

“I think there is going to be a flood of girls, like Marina, who will be coming in when the sport is televised from the Olympics,” says Cary.  “I’ve seen a number of girls already and some will be showing up over the next few years with a lot of experience.”

"Team Marina" are still seeking sponsors.  Follow Marina’s career through www.primetimeboxing.com Facebook page.

Nuevo Hispania, 27th largest nation on the Earth

For decades, businesses and cultural institutions could afford to ignore the Hispanic market. Now, they are chasing it aggressively, because that’s where the money is.

By Jon Garrido

With more than 46 million people, Nuevo Hispania is the 27th-largest nation on Earth and the fourth largest in the Western Hemisphere. Its residents wield $1 trillion of buying power in the marketplace. Even as the rest of the economy contracts in the global recession, Nuevo Hispania remains a thriving, even booming, market that’s expected to grow by 48 percent in the next four years.

And it’s not even a real country.

The imaginary “Nuevo Hispania” is actually a substantial segment of the U.S. population. Hispanics now account for more than 17 percent of the U.S. populace as the nation’s largest minority group. And while other demographic sectors are growing only incrementally, the Hispanic population is exploding: The Census Bureau projects 30 percent of Americans will be Hispanic by 2050 and by 2097, 50% of all Americans will be Hispanic.

The Hispanic market’s growing clout comes even as the recession takes a harsh toll on Latino workers. The elimination of tens of thousands of construction jobs has hit the sector particularly hard, sending the national unemployment rate for Latino males to 11 percent.

For decades, businesses and cultural institutions could afford to ignore the Hispanic market. Now, they are chasing it aggressively, because that’s where the money is.

That poses a big challenge. Underrepresented for decades in U.S. commerce and media, Hispanic Americans long ago developed their own commercial, cultural and media channels. And that means companies and institutions can’t just throw open the doors and expect Hispanics to come in.

Those companies and institutions must go to the customer.

“For companies to grow in the coming years, it is critical to understand how to reach and connect with these consumers,” said Reinaldo Padua, assistant vice president for Hispanic marketing for Coca-Cola North America.

Identifying the audience crucial

The word “Hispanic” is misleading. Unlike many other minority groups, “Hispanic” is not a race — it is an umbrella word collecting people of Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican and any other Spanish or Latino cultural origin.

They are not united by culture or by history, said Jeffrey M. Humphreys, director of the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia, and Hispanics from different cultures tend to cluster in cohesive urban neighborhoods. What unites them, Humphreys argues in “The Multicultural Economy,” is simply the Spanish language.

That means a generic appeal is not enough, said Lorenzo Lopez, director of multicultural media at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

“It’s not a matter of checking the ‘Spanish’ box” and calling it a day, he said.

The goal is to connect to the culture in a socially relevant way and make sure each community’s specific needs is served. For Wal-Mart, that means tailoring individual stores to meet to the demands of the local market.

The company installed a tortilla machine in its store in Garland, Texas, a heavily Hispanic area, and built a Pollo Campero, a fast-food chicken chain hugely popular in Central America, in a store in nearby Rowlett. It put up bilingual signs, stocked produce geared toward Latino appetites and sold movies and music skewed toward Latino tastes.

More than the Spanish language

AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, began applying the same principle about seven years ago. Today, the organization has 1.2 million Hispanic members.

“Reaching the Hispanic community will continue to be a key focus for us, and we will continue to expand outreach efforts to this demographic,” said Emilio Pardo, AARP’s executive vice president and chief brand officer.

The crucial point, he said, is not just to translate existing programs, publications and services into Spanish. Instead, you have to “transcreate — to be in the community.”

AARP “transcreates” through its magazine Segunda Juventud, or Second Youth. Billed as “the only publication for 50+ Hispanic Americans,” the bilingual magazine tailors AARP’s five universal pillars — health, financial security, community, intergenerational issues and fun — to the needs of Hispanic communities.

Hispanics, for instance, tend to have “stronger intergenerational ties than the general population, with multiple generations living under one roof,” Pardo said. So the AARP’s caregiving and financial advice is geared more toward family-oriented caretaking at home, as opposed to more independent caretaking for its general audience of retirees living alone.

Similarly, as its Hispanic members tend to be younger, AARP may focus more on college advice and tuition management.

In addition to the magazine, AARP also uses an arsenal of podcasts, Spanish-language radio broadcasts and live events to get its message out.

In May 2007, AARP sponsored its first national Hispanic event, drawing 16,400 people to Feria de la Segunda Juventud (the “Festival of the Second Youth”) in Puerto Rico, a two-day event that featured 60 exhibitors, music, food and celebrity appearances by the likes of Gloria Estefan. A similar event is planned for this May in San Antonio, Texas.

“Nearly 8 percent of Hispanics are over 50, but what is much more important is that this number is expected to more than double by 2025, according to the census,” Pardo said. “The considerable population growth dictates that we look at it as a business imperative.”

Hispanic ad firms thrive

One of the biggest beneficiaries of the explosion in Hispanic buying power is the U.S. Hispanic advertising industry, which the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies estimates is growing four times faster than all other sectors of the ad industry.

“Marketers now see that the Hispanic market in the U.S. is a great business opportunity,” said Sergio Alcocer, president and chief creative officer of LatinWorks Marketing Inc. of Austin, Texas, whose accounts include Anheuser-Busch, ESPN and Burger King.

It’s a sharp contrast from only a few years ago, during the first wave of Hispanic advertising in the 1980s and 1990s, when companies invested in the Hispanic market “almost kind of like a good citizen-type thing.”

The competition is especially acute within the cell phone industry.

In 2006, industry research found that Hispanics “over-index” in almost every category: They use more minutes, make long-distance calls, text more and download more ring tones.

“Family and social bonds are stronger than in the general population, and Latinos communicate more with each other,” said Isaac Mizrahi, director of multicultural marketing communications for Sprint Nextel Corp.

Both Sprint Nextel and AT&T Inc. have a wide array of tools with which to attract the Hispanic user. AT&T, for example, has developed 716 Hispanic Intensity Traffic (HIT) stores, where all sales material and staff are bilingual, in high-density Hispanic areas.

In addition to a similar network of bilingual stores, Sprint Nextel last year sponsored the tour of the Colombian rock star Juanes. The company released singles for download before his album “La Vida ... Es un Ratico en Vivo” was released and provided video, ring tones, concert information and the ability to purchase tickets over its Sprint mobile devices.

For Hispanics, Coke is it

Perhaps no other mainstream U.S. company has been building bridges to Hispanic customers longer than Coca-Cola.

Coke’s forays in targeting Hispanics go back more than 30 years. It has been a worldwide sponsor of soccer’s World Cup since 1978, frequently features Latino players in its ads, and it had the advantage of having had a strong presence in Latin America: When immigrants came to the United States, they regarded the brand as an iconic representation of their new homeland.

This month, Coke is launching a marketing campaign centered on the “American dream,” emphasizing the company’s historic role in Hispanic America’s immigrant narrative. The ads will be bilingual, highlighting Hispanics’ growing acculturation and placing Coke itself as a bicultural product.

“As a company, we identified the burgeoning Hispanic market many years ago and have strengthened the bond that exists between Coca-Cola and Hispanics,” Padua said.

“Any company who wants to grow must look at the Hispanic market.”

Coalition of musicians announce boycott of CBS, Grammys

Organizer claimes the reductions unfairly target ethnic music and call the Academy's decision racist.
By Nekesa Mumbi Moody, Huffington Post 

NEW YORK -- A coalition of musicians that has protested the Recording Academy's decision to drop 31 categories from the Grammy Awards is stepping up the pressure, calling for a boycott of the Grammys' telecast partner, CBS, and hiring a lawyer to explore legal action.

"We will ask people to stop watching CBS, boycott their sponsors and then write them," said Bobby Sanabria, a Grammy-nominated Latin jazz musician and the leader of the coalition, in an interview Wednesday night. "We're at a critical juncture."

The changes have drawn complaints from the likes of Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon and Bill Cosby. They also have gotten attention from organizations like the National Institute of Latino Policy, which issued a statement Thursday in support of Sanabria's coalition.

Sanabria has claimed the reductions unfairly target ethnic music and called the Academy's decision racist.

In response, the Recording Academy said Thursday evening that while it respected the coalition's right to disagree, it rejected its allegations.

"The Recording Academy's board of trustees and its committees - made up of elected, qualified voting members from The Academy's 12 chapter cities around the country and a broad spectrum of music makers - spent two years researching and ultimately making the decision to restructure the Grammy Awards categories for reasons that had everything to do with recognizing excellence in music and the integrity of our awards and nothing to do with ethnicity or race," said a statement from the organization.

CBS is scheduled to broadcast the Grammys next February from Los Angeles. The network declined to comment, a representative said Thursday.

In a move that came as a surprise to some, the Academy announced in April that it was reducing the number of award categories from 109 to 78. While the changes involve mainstream categories such as eliminating the male and female divisions in the pop vocal category to one general field, the Academy also reduced specific categories, including some of the instrumental categories in pop, rock and country; traditional gospel; children's spoken-word album; Zydeco or Cajun music album; best Latin jazz album; and best classical crossover album. Artists in those categories will now have to compete in more general fields, making the process more competitive.

Sanabria said the Academy made the changes without the knowledge of its members and has not released minutes from its meetings regarding the changes.