Companies are missing out on a trillion dollar Hispanic market.

What does a punk band know that a large company does not?
Here are two music videos by the punk band The Bronx
They are from their last two albums.
See if you notice a difference in the music.





Pretty big leap right?  For the last few years, multiple articles have pointed out that most companies are simply ignoring the fast growing Hispanic population of the United States. 

So why should companies care about targeting the Hispanic demographic?  Would your company like to tap into a TRILLION dollar market?  If it's so lucrative, why aren't most companies aware?
                                                                                          

The only thing I could think of was racism.  Racism blinds people to the opportunities of mutually beneficial relationships with those around them.  For instance, Nielson ratings has been accused of under counting hispanic and black audiences.

However, after reading this blog by Dian Hasan I've changed my mind.  Any company that wants to attract and retain loyal Hispanic consumers needs to do some in depth research.  If your company is looking towards targeting this market you should definitely read what Dian has to say first.

How would a RoboCop statue help Detroit's image?

So Detroit is in the process of trying to rebuild itself and it's image.

Check out this commercial for Chrysler featuring Eminem.

Pretty cool.  Wieden+Kennedy did an awesome job.

Well, what if their campaign looked more like this?!

According to a news story by Reuters, there is a group on facebook raising money to bring a RoboCop statue to Detroit.  Of course the mayor wasn't sold on the idea, but the group continues to raise money to make their dream come true.  Oh yeah, and there's at least 1,500 members in the group. 

What do you think?  Is this merely a funny stunt that should not be taken seriously or do you think it will it do more harm than good?

With the Detroit 1-8-7 coming out on ABC, I think they will have enough problems without having to resurrect Officer Alex J. Murphy.

Personally, I think that Detroit should highlight more of it's Motown history in it's future persuasive campaigns. 

Quit Hiding Behind Facebook!

When I was a kid one of my favorite movies was Jaws.
After that movie, I was fascinated and horrified by the concept of something I couldn't see coming up from the depths to devour my delicious body. Well I just came back from a PR conference put on by the awesome members of the local PRSSA chapter of DePaul University in Chicago and my mind has been blown away by new ideas and concepts.

For instance, almost every young professional we met encouraged us to increase our security settings on Facebook because employers will check your page to make sure you are not leading a double life as a foul mouthed pool hustler before they hire you.

But! What does your profile say about you when your interviewer looks at Facebook and runs into a profile that resembles Fort Knox?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, than what does your profile say when they can only see your profile picture?

For instance, which do you think would give an employer a favorable impression of this dude.

Burt Hendellman
or

Burt Hendellman
Kids: Gene, Matt, and Sally
Studied Engineering at University of Illinois

What do you think?

It's too warm, let's go to Chicago!

This wenesday I will be joining my fellow members of Eastern Illinois university's PRSSA as they go to DePaul University for a conference.  We also get the opportunity to tour one of Chicago's PR agencies.  I opened up my email the other day to find out I would be visiting none other than the legendary

 

As they were McDonald's first and only PR agency, GolinHarris has been an industry leader for decades.  They have worked with numerous large accounts and have earned multiple industry awards.

So after reading up on them, I thought well, let's see what their employees think.  I found this video on YouTube and thought it was kinda cool.

Christmas

It's a new year, and I plan on getting back into the world of PR news, but I've been mainly busy playing with the Photoshop software my sister got me.  Here's a picture I took in Italy this last summer.  Yes, a lot of people can use Photoshop, but it's still fun!

I know this is a blog that is usually reserved for the public relations realm but I had to post something my friend made for class the other day.

Great concept by Mr. Suchi

What  do you guys think?

PR FIRM ON THE RUN

Paul McCartney.  Enough said right?  Apparently not, as his PR firm DawBell won the Record of The Day's best independent public relations firm.

Of course like most people in America, I was like DawBell who? 

So I went to their site and found out that they represent many

British artists, mainly up-and-coming ones.

Paul McCartney's kind words about the company shows a trust that many companies strive for.

I was really interested in their company philosophy as an independent firm.

“Innovative Publicity With Passion and Integrity” is not just a corporate marketing slogan. Right now the media is going through the most exciting transition period it has known since the advent of newspapers. Traditional PR practices are changing fast and DawBell is at the heart of those changes. As a start up company we are in a position to adapt and evolve with the media, meaning we are the most competitive, cutting edge and unique company of its kind.  We are here to do an incredible job and anything less just won’t do.

As a student at Eastern Illinois University, I'm learning all about the ever changing world of PR,
and after reading about this company I am even more excited about the field I'm going into.

I think their approach to dealing with the media is exactly the right attitude,
and i am learning a lot from their strategies.

I decided to end with one of my favorite interviews with
Paul McCartney done by the late Chris Farley

PRSSA HALL OF FAME BABY!

When someone gets into the sports hall of fame, it's usually after taking millions in salary from the particular ball club.  When someone gets into the PRSSA's hall of fame, they have made their company millions.

Such is the case with Mike Neumeir, the APR for the Arketi Group.

He has already received the PRSA Bronze Anvil for architecting a demand-creation program resulting in a $13 million increase in sales.

13 million increase in sales during a recession?!


Believe it.  I decided to check out some videos of him on YouTube to see if he had any advice for students   like me.

 

 This video on media relations was really helpful.

 Ok, the last thing I want to point out about this story is his Master's degree.  Mr. Neumeir got his in Mass Communications.  I find this interesting after several fellow students were told not to do this by local PR pro's.  When it comes to career advice, I think I'll take the hall of famers.....

So congratulations to Mike Neumeir, I'm excited to see what he does next!

Neumeier

Facebook Goes Nuclear On Google

Forget the David and Goliath comparison, this is Armageddon!  

Today Mark Zuckerberg, unveiled a brand new messaging system that has been rumored about in the press as the "Gmail killer." The plan is to make Facebook an all-in-one stop as users will be able to message to email accounts outside of the Facebook network.  

My first thought was "Wow, sucks to be Myspace."  I recently did a blog on Myspace's rebranding effort and applauded their decision to target an African and Hispanic target market.

 I said though that Myspace always felt one step behind Facebook, and this feels like deja vu.  I really hope Myspace doesn't try to pull off a rushed sub-par clone as they have in the past with many Facebook features.


What got my attention was the fact that users will be able to view Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents even if they don't have them. For me this would make or break a message system.

I saw Social Network a few weeks ago and even if Mark Zuckerberg is the jerk portrayed, the youth in me loves his gall.  I love the internet's ability to shake up old power structures.  I guess it comes with being young and idealistic.

The Y generation might be the trophy generation but we have also dismantled old power structures and turned the push system into a pull system.

The future is ours!

American Sole

Today I just wanted to post a print ad I made for class.  I think the biggest lesson I learned here was that it takes hours to do something that looks so simple.   I also learned that whatever I start with evolves, and to go with your instincts. I'm working on the language, and also making the logo smaller. Our company is American Sole, and we are currently working on a web site and press kit.

!Dios Mio Dos!

There are digital ghost towns appearing all over the internet these days. Myspace has become the creepiest one of all. Almost overnight, Myspace became a place only populated by pedophiles, spammers, and terrible garage bands trying to make it big. Of course we know where everyone went, and can you blame us?


It seems like Myspace is constantly a step behind Facebook and it people noticed.



Well, finally they have woken up and have hired Lagrant Communications, and Valencia, Perez & Echeveste firms to help them with their re-branding. So why is this so interesting?

The two firms hired target mainly a Hispanic and African American audience. With the Hispanic population becoming a powerful economic force, it makes sense to target their dollars. I believe like Ford (kept pushing bigger SUV‘s when hybrids were the trend in the early 2000‘s.), the American broadcasters are suffering from arrogance and will suffer financially in the future.

Just recently in one of my previous blogs I looked at Univision’s rise in the broadcasting ranks due to it’s Hispanic focus. I think like Univision, having a specific demographic to target gives you greater success then trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator. While this has been the practice in the past, the internet has made it obsolete.

Will this re-branding bring people back to this one ghost town? I believe it will, just as when I was a kid I still had faith Apple would find it’s way again.  Of course not everybody agrees with me, so for a more pessimistic analysis check out what Niall Kitson thinks.

NERDS!!!!!!!!!

Damn the man, save the empire!  

When it comes to responding to their customers, video game developers are king.  If a game sucks, the players will let the public know and sales will suffer.  Just look at what happened recently to Electronic Arts.  Video game fail.


So what happens when the head guys get confronted by a run of a mill nerd who obviously takes the game too seriously?  They accept that they were wrong, and explain they are going to fix the mistake!  Recently at Blizzard’s gaming expo, a fan stepped up and pointed out a big flaw in their story line.  Apparently a main character just disappears for no reason.   When confronted the developers laughed sheepishly and then promised action.  If companies would realize that humility helps credibility we’d be better off.  Check out the confrontation of the now famous kid dubbed “the red shirt kid.” 



So what happened after this?  Did he go home to his parent’s basement and fade into obscurity?  No!  Not content with merely admitting they were wrong Blizzard went a step further and made him a character in the game!  Check it out!

This might not be a big deal to most, but to the 12 million players on World of Warcraft the kid has become a legend.  So they added him to the game with the name fact checker.  This demonstrates the companies humor, and desire to keep those who pay 15 bucks a month happy.

Dios Mio!

Reality.  Not everyone's is the same.  It's easy to believe that if it worked for us, it should work for others. We get caught up in our ethnocentrism, and that arrogance can be costly.  Just look at Ford from 1999 to 2006.  Their push for bigger SUV's while the popularity of hybrids was rising almost destroyed them.

Right now broadcasting companies have a real opportunity.  In the last ten years, the United States Hispanic population has increased by 45% and their dollars are talking.  One of the few networks targeting the Hispanic population is Univision.

Univision made a splash in the news as it became number 5 in the top broadcasting networks.  This has many in the field panicking as they see a trend they have yet to tap into.  Their CEO confided that their 14% organic growth (the big four networks only had 3%) was due in part to their shifting of money from English based shows to Spanish ones.

For me, America is about change and competition.  We suffer when a system in place too long, or one company dominates for too long.  From a social criticism perspective, I believe Univision's rise is a good thing.  I once heard our country compared to a salad.  The more you add to a salad the more flavor it is, the more enjoyable.

We construct our own social reality.  So why wasn't I aware of such a growth in the numbers of Hispanics in America?  Probably because they aren't adequately represented on the established networks, giving Univision a place at the table.

Basically, I believe companies do best when they are sleek, adaptive, and humble in strategy.  When I say humble, I point back to Ford Company.  Even when they saw the hybrid market booming, they felt the American people wanted bigger SUV's, even if their reality didn't match up with the publics.

I believe though that Ford and others are learning from their mistakes, which is good for both the company and the consumer.

A beautiful day for a blog

"Everybody does it."  When I was a child I was told this wasn't an exuse, or a reason to do something.  The older I get, the more I realize that has changed.  Blogs.  Everybody has one from the crazy guy in a shack somewhere in the mountains of Alaska to news anchors on cable tv.  At school, every professor professes the gospel of blogs.

Maybe they're right.

So what type of blog?  A political blog, where I can stand on my soapbox, or hand sanitizer bottle, and  preach to the choir?  A personal blog, where I can go on for pages about the struggles of being a white middle class college student?  No, that won't do.

The only thing I can think of is what someone much wiser suggested.  A blog on Public Relations.  Here I can explore current events, and gain insight and experience from what others in the field are doing.  As a student, I claim ignorance since I am constantly learning more everyday.

So sit back, grab a good cup of coffee and enjoy Cut the Krap!



-John M. Kraps II