“Numbers were up during opening week this season. Hispanics tuned in, continuing to build on the year-to-year growth we’ve experienced since the launch of the campaign in 2009,” said NBA Vice President of Multicultural Marketing Saskia Sorrosa.

But how big is this growth exactly?

Last time we spoke, NBA Hispanic Marketing: “Social Media a Key Component of Our Strategy,” éne-bé-a had more than 248,000 fans on Facebook and 1,800 on Twitter. Today, they have nearly 310,000 fans (25 percent growth) on Facebook and 5,600 on Twitter (211 percent growth).

One would think growth like this is due to a heavy social media ad campaign, but to our surprise, it was not.

“The growth we’ve seen on our social media assets is mostly organic. We have TV, radio and online ads that drive viewers back to our enebea.com page, but we don’t buy ads on Facebook anymore,” Ms. Sorrosa explained. “One strategy we’re currently focusing on is heavily cross promoting our éne-bé-a pages with our general market [English-language] pages.”

Ms. Sorrosa explained that 12 percent of the NBA’s (English-language) Facebook and Twitter followers – more than 11 million likes and 3.8 million followers, respectively – are Hispanic. Cross promoting allows the team to push culturally relevant content among bicultural, bilingual fans across the NBA, and drive them back to éne-bé-a social media assets for customized engagement. She also shared with us that they are keeping many strategies they have been using for years, like their “blog squad, videos, and Q&A sessions.” Overall, they are now focusing on cross promotion through the multiple online channels where they know Hispanic fans are consuming, while allowing social media to serve as their primary engagement piece.

We examined how éne-bé-a has driven an increase of fan engagements from an average of 70 per post during the 2011 season, up to 85 engagements per Facebook post so far in 2012. Ms. Sorrosa attributes the growth to the fact that “the content we are providing is better, and we are cross promoting on our English-language social media pages where we know Hispanic fans are also following our game.”

Ms. Sorrosa enjoys seeing Facebook’s new “Talking About This” tracker as well as Facebook Shares, which is now a feature that appears on each post.

“These features are incredibly important. They allow us to track how many stories are going viral, being shared, and sparking conversations,” Ms. Sorrosa said. “Since we are learning more from our audience, we (the éne-bé-á) know what (fans) want to see.”

And without further ado, here are the numbers:

Hispanic regular-season viewership was up 59 percent in 2010-11 in comparison to the previous season (vs. 27 percent growth in non-Hispanic viewership)

During Opening Week 2011-12, Hispanic viewership was up 26 percent on ABC, TNT, and ESPN, over-indexing in comparison to non-Hispanic viewership by 160 percent

Over the past three years, the growth of the NBA

The enebea grew by an incredible 211% on their Twitter page since November of 2010

The enebea Facebook page has experienced 25% growth since Nov 2010.

Facebook engagement has grown by 21% since last season, up to 85 engagements (likes, comments, or shares) per post.

Sales of Noche Latina merchandise at NBAStore.com was up 104 percent in 2011 in comparison to the previous year

Missed last years review on the NBA’s Hispanic Marketing?

Read “NBA Hispanic Marketing: A look inside the éne•bé•a”

Using the online listening power tool Radian6, we researched a quantity of over 60,000 online mentions¹ of brands that advertised during the Super Bowl to find which ones resonated most with Hispanics.  We analyzed conversations by Spanish dominant and bilingual Hispanics using sophisticated search method techniques, facilitated by the software.  By doing this we were able to capture not only the pure Spanish conversation, but also the English speaking Hispanics whom are increasingly important to brands in the US’s evolving American culture.

So lets dig into the numbers…

¿Tienes Hambre?  - Food Brands mentioned by Hispanics

Doritos led the food conversation among Hispanics during the Super Bowl. Most of the conversation took place on Twitter and the predominant language for this brand was Spanglish; “Doritos y dip no hay mejor combinación ” (Eng: Doritos and dip, there is no better combination). In comparison, powerhouse brand, M&M’s, only held 1.7% volume of conversation versus 97.7% for Doritos when compared head to head. Dannon’s Oikos Greek Yogurt commercial made a dent, but only garnered 0.6% of the total Hispanic conversation among the 3 food brands.

Hispanic mentions of 3 food brands: Doritos, M&M’s and Oikos (Radian6 graphic)

Which Beverages did Hispanics chat about?

Moving forward in our Super Bowl Ads analysis, beverage giants Coca-Cola and Pepsi equally dominated the conversation with 47.8% and 47.3% respectively. Here are a few verbatim from the high volume of posts for the two soft drinks: “¿Qué le dijo un refresco de cola a otro? I´m pepsi and I know it” (Eng: What did a cola soft drink tell to another? I´m pepsi and I know it) and,  “Me gusta el comercial de coca cola #podemosserhéroes” (Eng: I like the coca cola comercial #podemosserhéroes).

Trailing behind, beer giant Budweiser and Bud light represented the least amount of conversations with less than 5% combined, as our research showed that Hispanics were more prone to chat about soft drinks than beer.  The two dominant conversation forums among Hispanics were Youtube and Twitter as Facebook did not play a significant role when engaging fans into conversations.  This is not uncommon as Facebook users typically have private settings which would not be seen in our research.

Left: Percent of Hispanic beverage conversations by brand. Right: Conversation Cloud for Coca-Cola & Pepsi (Radian6 graphics).

So how do you think the carro industry was perceived by Hispanics?

Based on our analysis, two brands fully commanded Hispanic attention around the Super Bowl.  Cadillac came out on top with 36% of the total car conversation versus Chevy’s 34%.  For a report of all Hispanic mentions of car brands see the link to the full report below.

Let’s review how all the Chevy ads performed. The Sonic took the top spot at nearly 31% of all mentions among Chevy’s 4 commercials.  However, we can say that all four Chevy models, Volt, Camaro, Silverado and Sonic, shared a relatively equal amount of the Hispanic conversation.

Left: Car industry conversations. Right: Chevy's conversations by model (Radian6 graphics).

What about Latinas?

Let’s not take for granted the millions of female viewers. H&M presented “a muy caliente” commercial with David Beckham sporting his new underwear line, which had near 100% positive sentiment among Hispanic “chicas”: Que hombre chauuuuu OFFICIAL David Beckham Bodywear…(Eng: What a man byeeee OFFICIAL David Beckham Bodywear…

Surprised by these findings? Not me!

Also, let’s not forget the New York Giant’s Victor Cruz, who proves to be a favorite amongst Hispanics online, especially his end-zone salsa with the Latinas sharing comments of support.

Left: Conversation Cloud for Victor Cruz. Right: Tweet mentions for Victor Cruz (Radian6 graphics).

Your Thoughts

I would love to hear your opinion about all the Super Bowl Ads. Do you believe that Hispanics and other minority groups were ignored?  What no one can ignore is the fact that Hispanics are not only very active online, but also very eager to share their views about these large brands.

Want the Full Report?

Due to size restrictions, we only put several of the highlights of the report on this blog.  If you would like the full report please provide your information below and you will receive it by email.

¹ Online mentions gathered from dates 2/3/2012 – 2/6/2012

The National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Hispanic platform, éne-bé-a, which we featured in a two-part series last season, is off to a fast start. With growth numbers almost unrealistic to any brand, the éne-bé-a’s key to their organic social media growth is being a great listener.

The éne-bé-a’s new “Emoción” campaign was born directly from listening to their fans, according to NBA Vice President of Multicultural Marketing Saskia Sorrosa. With this effort the NBA is taking their reach to Hispanic audiences to the next level.

Captivated by the emotion Latinos brings to the game, the éne-bé-a team, with the help of their Hispanic ad agency, Bromley Communications, is aggressively going after this audience. And they are very proud of the outcome from the “Emoción” campaign, in particular their TV and radio creative, which is an extension of their successful “Pobre Garganta” campaign from the 2011 NBA Playoffs.

“The campaign did well during the time it ran. Fans embraced it, and more importantly, identified with it,” Ms. Sorrosa said. “It highlighted the passion that Latinos bring to our game in a dramatic way and used a popular song by Coldplay that connected with both Hispanic and non-Hispanic fans to make the spot universally appealing.”

Check out the éne-bé-a’s commercial featuring Coldplay’s hit song “Paradise” below.

Growing During the Lockout

If you don’t follow sports, you may not have been aware that the NBA had a near season-ending, 161-day lock-out this summer/fall/early winter. It affected many fans, cities, players and businesses, but the éne-bé-a team did not give up on their drive to communicate with their die-hard fans.

“Fans were engaged and ready to tip off the new season,” Ms. Sorrosa said. “We ended 2010-11 on a high note, with viewership and attendance numbers significantly up from previous years. The intensity of competition, athleticism and exciting play from 2010-11 built up a lot of expectations, and that momentum followed through during opening week this year.”

Such positive outcomes are not pure luck; the team worked around the clock monitoring conversations to make sure they kept their audience’s interest and passion at the forefront of their strategy. Indeed, their ‘emoción’ campaign and the use of social media with cross promotion had much to do with their success.

“Our éne-bé-a Facebook page and Twitter feeds were an important resource for us to connect with our fans during the lockout.” Ms. Sorrosa said. “It allowed us to understand the general sentiment among fans, continue our engagement, and communicate relevant information in a timely manner. Our social media team also developed a @nba_labor Twitter feed, with official news from the NBA that focused on providing accurate information and updates on the state of CBA negotiations. This feed was especially important for media, including our Hispanic media, to ensure the news that was reported was accurate and up-to-date.”

The éne-bé-a page posted highlights from past seasons during the lockout, such as this one from what is regarded as one of the best slam dunk competitions of all times

Interestingly enough, the NBA used a mixed media strategy to keep people ‘emocionados.’ They ran classic games and series on NBA TV, and then engaged fans online through social media as a reminder of why they loved the game to begin with. This worked to remind their audience ‘de los buenos tiempos’ (“the good ol’ days”) and of the greatness of the game, then and now.

“‘Fans loved reliving some of the best moments in the NBA,” Ms. Sorrosa shared. “Fans remembered the plays and commented about the matchups on our social media assets. It generated excitement, sparked conversation, and built anticipation for the new season to start.”

Latino Players and Latino Markets.

With the Big 3 in Miami, Carmelo in New York, and Chris Paul in L.A., the éne-bé-a internal team is looking toward the future of multicultural communications within these huge markets and across the country. To keep up with the opportunities, the group has transformed from a two-person team operated by Ms. Sorrosa, into a full-blown multicultural department targeting “Hispanics, African-Americans, Youths and Women.”

But even then, marketing to Hispanic sports fans can be tricky. As Victor Villalba, Manager of Spanish Language Broadcasting for the Dallas Cowboys, explains in Hispanic Marketing with ‘America’s Team,’ Hispanics are fans of a diverse group of players and, like many fans, they gravitate toward excellence.

“Fans are just fans of the game’s best players, not necessarily only the Latinos,” Ms. Sorrosa explained. “However, it helps strengthen the emotional reach. Having 27 Latino players, including those who are U.S. born, helps develop a deeper connection.”

For example, in Miami, Ms. Sorrosa explained, “48 percent of fans attending games are Hispanics, even before the Big 3” came together. Although she did acknowledge that it would “make it more compelling” for all fans, it is all about listening. Paying attention to your audience and responding quickly with the right message.

The Future. #LATISM. And Overall Success.

The éne-bé-a is already working incredibly hard at reaching Latinos in their native countries, which we will discuss in the near future. (Be on the lookout for our NBA Latin America story several weeks from now.)  A group we recommended for the NBA to follow was the Latinos in Social Media movement, better known as #LATISM.

“We’re not sure yet how we would partner with them, but it’s on our radar,” Ms. Sorrosa said.

What Ms. Sorrosa made clear throughout our interview is that the NBA is doing whatever possible to utilize available outlets and media channels to cross-promote their message to fans on both their English and Spanish-language social media assets. They observe conversations occurring naturally on Twitter and Facebook to gain insights about their fans all season round. Speaking with Ms. Sorrosa, it definitely feels as though there are big things coming for the éne-bé-a.

To share some perspective, here are some success numbers from Nielsen, one of the leading research groups in the country: Opening week of the 2011-12 season was up 26 percent in Hispanic viewership in comparison to the same time the previous year, which over-indexed in comparison to non-Hispanic viewership by 160 percent. Close to 6 million Hispanic viewers watched during opening week alone, not counting fans watching on ESPN Deportes.

We welcome you to share this story, as well as share your thoughts about any or all topics discussed in this story. Be on the watch for Part two next week with a focus on ‘The Numbers.’

About Saskia Sorrosa

Saskia Sorrosa, Vice President of Multicultural/Targeted Marketing for the NBA

As Vice President of Multicultural/Targeted Marketing for the NBA, Saskia Sorrosa is responsible for brand strategy, brand positioning, content development, event promotion, and advertising efforts targeted to the U.S. Hispanic, African-American, Youth, and Female segments. In October 2009, Sorrosa successfully launched the NBA’s first-ever integrated marketing campaign targeted to the bicultural, bilingual Latino fan, known as éne•bé•a (the pronunciation of the NBA in Spanish); followed in December 2010 by the launch of the league’s youth platform, NBA Hoop Troop.

Prior to assuming this role, Sorrosa launched and managed the Burson-Marsteller Medellin, Colombia office, where she was responsible for positioning and growing the firm in the Antioquia region, as well as broadening its client base.

As we promised you, here is part two of Sporting KC’s Hispanic reach through sales, marketing and, as you will learn today, social media.

If you haven’t read the story “Prepárate: Marketing to Latinos Major League (Soccer) Style,” here’s the quick recap.

Many sports teams have been trying to reach Hispanic consumers and talk to them through sales teams, but not many were thinking about speaking with their audience. Sporting KC brings in the brilliant Latino Marketing Manager Sinhue Mendoza, who puts several marketing plans in place to connect with his Hispanic audience. With small budgets, and insights on Hispanics and social media use, he utilizes mostly social media to reach out and connect. He turns Sporting KC to one of the most successful teams reaching to Hispanics, as well as turning those potential fans into diehard fans, by leveraging local hero, #99 Omar Bravo.

High engagement on a recent post from El Sporting KC about Omar Bravo being selected Latino of the Year

But what exactly is “successful?”

First, let’s look at the numbers as of date written on 12/10/2011 and note that all growth has been organic so far. Sporting KC has 364 fans on Twitter, 834 fans on Facebook and 1,607 views on YouTube.  The Facebook and Twitter channels have existed since early 2011 and the Youtube channel was created in October of 2011.   But we all know that numbers in social media can mean a whole lot of nothing, so we are also inviting you to see their interaction with fans first hand.

El Sporting KC Official Twitter
El Sporting KC Official Facebook
El Sporting KC Official YouTube

These numbers may seem humble (even when you consider that Kansas City has a total of only 42,000 Hispanics1), but they are growing fast, and the team is working around the clock to make sure everyone interacting with the team is addressed – even during the off season.

“We live tweet every game and interact with people following us or following the game on their own,” Mr. Mendoza said. “Now, we are expanding and posting videos from Latino players, as well as Latino related news released by the MLS.

Still people post mostly about Bravo, lots of likes and comments,” he added.

Although Mendoza has used social media as a great tool to spread his message and content, he says that keeping your official website up is still as important as ever.

“Our growth strategy has centered around awareness through our website,” Mendoza said. “We also cross promote links on our English Facebook page, since some of our fans are part of both.”

As we mentioned in our first story, Mendoza is also utilizing traditional media and partnerships. As Sporting KC partners with both Kansas City local Spanish radio and newspapers, Mr. Mendoza will cross promote Sporting KC events on their pages to get additional awareness.  He says, “Our (Kansas City) Spanish radio and newspaper have lots of fans.” By cross promoting on these two mediums, Mendoza is helping to make the brand look and sound more legitimate.

When game day approaches he uses all those media ad buys, post reminders and @mentions to sell more tickets directly to their fans. He feels that all the cross promotion really enhances the chances of his audience being reminded about the games and makes them feel part of the team, which then leads to ticket sales.

¿Y ahora qué? (Now what?)

Now, Mendoza is looking towards the future. He’s creating stronger relationships with local Hispanic radio stations, and he’s even working on a strategic text driven campaign, which is still in the works. He says next year they will be even better at reaching out to their audience and using social media to their advantage.

The year will not be without challenges as Mexican star Omar Bravo was dealt to Cruz Azul (Mexico) on December 12th around the same of time of this article being published.

“Although I recognize that a player like Omar Bravo helped tremendously when marketing to Latinos in Kansas City and we may lose some interest in our club from some new fans, I am prepared for the challenge and have already began strategizing for this change.”

Upcoming Semifinals and Finals matches for the CONCACAF Olympic qualifiers at LIVESTRONG Sport Park will likely bring fans of Mexico and other Central American teams

Sporting KC also has a tremendous opportunity to gain new fans this spring as the semifinals and Finals for the CONCACAF Olympic qualifiers will be at their own LIVESTRONG Sport Park.  Potentially, the Mexican national team may come to town as well as the Honduran and Salvadorian team which will peak interest with Kansas City’s growing central American population.

Mendoza has some strong thoughts for those teams (and brands) falling by the wayside “not engaging their audiences.”

“Technology has made that (engaging with audiences) possible, especially with the constant upgrade of better mobile devices and expanding social media networks,” Mendoza said. “But what used to be used as a teenage hangout, is now a legitimate business platform with key players really going after engaging and positive experience for their audiences.

We cannot fall asleep. We need to be ready and adapt to create better brands and positive sales,” Mendoza concluded.

Connect with Us

Here at Social Media Spanish, we have been leading the conversation with the Hispanic audiences for several years now. And it is very exciting to see many brands finally doing what works for their audiences. We invite you to connect with us, if you are in need of research, strategic planning, communication management or any other social media assistance, consulting or services, both Hispanic and non-Hispanic.   If you enjoy these articles, please subscribe with your email address above or become a fan of DK Web Consulting on Facebook or Twitter.

1 - Source: 2010 US Census Statistics: http://factfinder2.census.gov/main.html

[Intro] Last month, we broke down all MLS teams and how they connect with the Hispanic audience. Some teams’ efforts were minimal, but those of other teams were highly effective. Leading the pack was Sporting KC.  

Prepárate (Get ready!)

Fútbol is without doubt the world’s number one sport. But in Latin America, no one loves the sport more than Latinos. However, in the US, fútbol has not quite lifted the masses spirits like in the rest of the world.

Knowing that US Hispanics would be more prone to attend fútbol games because of their family traditions, teams focused on building sales teams to reach out to the Latino audience. What they did not do was build Hispanic marketing and communication teams to best reach these audiences, who in the long run could become brand ambassadors and diehard fans. And where there are diehard fans, there is high flying dinero.

But sports teams have to be ready

Ready to plan accordingly. Ready to invest in their audiences. Ready to speak directly to their audiences and keep them interested, involved and happy. That’s where Mendoza comes in.

Sporting KC, like many MLS teams, has a Latino Account Executive. But, while most MLS teams have no one there consistently planning, communicating and engaging with the Hispanic audience, that is not the case with Sporting KC. Today, anything having to do with the Latino market comes through Mendoza. And together with his colleague in the sales staff, their successes for the team are insurmountable.

Now, what makes this story really interesting is that instead of focusing on traditional media, Mendoza decided to go a different route. He decided to use social media to reach out to what are now loyal Latino Sporting KC fans. He began using the Sporting KC website in connection with the Latino MLS site in order to reach out to people. Soon after, he took the conversation to Facebook, but he realized that more had to be done.

After crunching the numbers on the amount of Latinos in social media networks, Mendoza expanded all of his campaigns; both branding and retail, into their website, Facebook, Twitter, and most recently, YouTube. The move has paid off quite nicely as Sporting KC leads all MLS teams in fan counts on every major Spanish language social media channel.

“I saw the numbers that said Latinos were on Facebook, and it (our social media presence) grew from that point.  Social media is a big part of our marketing plan,”  comments Mendoza.

(Note: This blog will go further in depth on Sporting KC’s social media strategy in Part 2 of the Sporting KC Story in December)

Bravo: (99 reasons to go social)

Since Mendoza began sharing all things Latino to his audiences on social networks, a new wave of fans have fallen in love with their now hero, Omar Bravo (#99). And they are also enamored with Sporting KC, whose decision to bring the Mexican national to their team was one of the smartest moves since the team’s brand change from the Kansas City Wizards to Sporting KC this past season.

Omar Bravo personally visiting La Sección 99 after a game this season.

Bravo’s presence, combined with Mendoza’s integrated social campaigns, has created a fan base so large that it now has its own seating section: La Sección 99 or Section 99 for our non-Spanish speaking friends.

And Mendoza says they are only getting started, “He (Bravo) is a legend, an icon where he comes from.  And La Sección 99 is especially important for him and Sporting KC.  Omar takes the time to go up there and take pictures with fans after the game and sign autographs in that section.”

Omar Bravo next to a cutout of himself in a KC area Hispanic restaurant.

Sporting KC also placed small cardboard cutouts of Bravo in small panaderías, taquerías, and other Hispanic establishments throughout the city.  They have proven quite popular and even the Kansas City Star wrote an article about their strong influence in the Hispanic community.

With their success mounting, Mendoza is even using social media to enhance their broadcast campaigns, which are getting larger following a successful season. To no surprise to their fans, the team overcame a slow start and made it all the way to the semi-finals, only one game away from going to the MLS Cup.

Although with the help of La Sección 99 and their steadily growing fan base, Sporting KC looks like a real contender for the 2012 season.

So get ready. Because when you manage to connect positively with your audiences (Hispanic and non), you will need to be ready to speak with them directly in a way they will feel welcome and part of the team’s experience and success.

Next Up

What are your thoughts on the work of Sporting KC and Sinhue Mendoza?  Will other teams emulate their success towards the Hispanic audience?  Share your thoughts in the comments below, and stay tuned for the next article coming out in 2 weeks with an in depth look at Sporting KC’s Spanish social media.

Bio of Sinhue Mendoza

Sinhue Mendoza is currently the Latino Marketing Manager for Sporting Kansas City Soccer Club. He works with the club’s marketing department during the overall planning process by determining strategies for promoting the club within the Latino community and serving as the primary club marketing liaison for Latino-owned businesses and community partners.

His work experience ranges from team Media Relations, Public Relations, Athlete Representation Marketing, multicultural marketing and political campaign management. Mendoza completed a dual Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism and Political Science from Syracuse University’s distinguished S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and studied politics from the renowned staff at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He currently resides in Kansas City, Missouri.

The first workshop in the “Professional Enhancement Series” provided an overview of the positive and negative aspects of social media.

“The Power of Social Media,” held Oct. 11 as part of the DLA Land and Maritime Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, explained social media,
security settings to protect yourself, and the do’s and don’ts of personal and professional profiles.

Instructor Natasha Pongonis, a native of Argentina who is fluent in four languages, has been the social media director at DK Web Consulting
since 2009. The company’s mission is to provide clients with modern and creative web solutions in a sustainable way.

Pongonis said the term “social media” refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive
dialogue. Social media and networking has become a versatile tool and can be accessed by anyone, she said, noting that one person can post or share information with hundreds, even thousands, of people across the world in a matter of seconds. Three out of four people in America use social media technology.

Some of the most popular social media forums are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+. Other social media forums include Que Pasa, Orkut, Hi5, MiGente and Batanga.

“Social media channels offers good opportunities to interact with people and build relationships largely due to the real time, interactive nature,” she said. “Everyone can communicate information in a flash, regardless of geographical location.”

Pongonis said Hispanics are a very social group with high usage of social media, with 61 percent of U.S. Hispanics online. She said Hispanics are 14.5 percent of the total online market and that 19 percent of U.S. Hispanics are Twitter users and 54.2 percent of Hispanics online regularly use Facebook.

During the workshop, Pongonis mentioned that 57 percent of Hispanics learn more about brands, compare prices and make final decisions online compared to 43 percent of the general market. The purchasing power of the U.S. Hispanic market is projected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2015, she added.

Pongonis said there are a lot of advantages in the use of social media, but added that people need to be “extremely careful” about the type of information they provide or share in social media websites. She told audience members to think before posting anything in any of the social media forums and recommended they create separate private and professional accounts, don’t share too much personal information, build quality relationships and respect the web community.

DSCC MWR marketing manager Jennifer Russell said she tries to stay on the cutting edge of social media trends.

“We were the first DLA MWR site to have a fully functional Facebook page. Now we have over 400 ‘likes’ and are continuing to grow,” she said.

Social media has served us very well; we use it every day to get new information out to our associates,” said MWR Office marketing assistant Dana Thornbury, who spoke briefly at the seminar about MWR’s social media outreach efforts.

The workshop series is an initiative of the DLA Columbus EEO Hispanic Employment Program (HEP) and the Morale, Welfare and Recreational (MWR) Office to help DLA associates achieve their professional goals.

The next workshop is “Professionalism in the Workplace,” which is scheduled for Nov. 8 in the Building 20 auditorium with speaker Robert Boggs, chief of the DLA Land and Maritime Human Perfomance Division. This workshop will address important aspects of professionalism such as interaction and communication with others.

In addition, a seminar on “Choosing Words Effectively” is scheduled for Jan. 18, 2012 in the Buckeye Room with HEP manager Maria Buch Castillo. This workshop will focus on techniques to improve word choice.

DLA associates interested in participating in these seminars can register online at www.dsccmwr.com/seminar. There is a limit of 60 people per seminar. For more information about the workshop series, call Castillo at 614-692-9704 or MWR Relocation Assistance Program manager Lisa Passalacqua at 614-692-7220.

PSA by Mislin A. Perez-Fernandez, Hispanic Employment Program Public Affairs Liaison

But playing good soccer is not all that Mexican international Bravo and Sporting KC does well.  They also have proven to be the savviest MLS team when it comes to reaching out to Spanish speaking Hispanics.

As we reviewed the MLS team websites we had in mind that the MLS, being a soccer league with teams in major Hispanic markets such as New York, LA, and Chicago, would definitely have a huge presence of Spanish language media forums.    We were surprised after reviewing all 19 MLS teams that only 3, (including Sporting KC), had Spanish language social media presence, while 4 US based teams had no Spanish presence at all.  Below is our complete review divided in 3 sections:

A. We Habla Español (Spanish website and social media.)
B. We Habla Poquito Español (Spanish website only.)
C. We Don’t Habla Español (No Spanish website or social media.)

We Habla Español

1. The MLS 

Spanish presence:  The MLS has launched an often updated Spanish news blog on its site.  It publishes several articles per day in Spanish on current MLS topics, as well as the Latino de la Jornada (Latino Player of the Week).  Additionally, the MLS has a very active Spanish Twitter page with over 5,400 followers.

Website: http://www.mlssoccer.com/es

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/Futbol_MLS

Facebook:  none

 
2. Sporting Kansas City

Spanish  presence: El Sporting KC has the most socially interactive Spanish media of all MLS teams.  They are active on both Twitter and Facebook in Spanish, and have 750+ fans and 300+ followers respectively.   Every website section in Spanish is updated regularly including ticket, sponsor, league, and contact information.

Website: http://www.sportingkc.com/espanol

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ElSportingKC

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/elSportingKC

3.  FC Dallas

Spanish presence:  The team has a Spanish news blog that is updated occasionally.  They also have a Spanish language Facebook page that is updated frequently during the season.  They have gained 499 fans to date.

Website: http://www.fcdallas.com/es/news

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/somosfcdallas

Twitter: No

 
4.  Portland Timbers

Spanish presence:  Although in only its first season, the Portland Timbers have a deep Spanish website compared to the other teams.  Website contains sections on news, sponsors, events, clubs and contact information in Spanish.  In social media, there is a semi-active Facebook page, however it seems to be unofficial at this point.  The Twitter page looks to be official, however, they have not tweeted yet.

Website:  http://www.portlandtimbers.com/español

Facebook:  has unofficial fan page–http://www.facebook.com/portlandtimbers#!/somostimbers

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/SomosTimbers

We Habla Poquito Español

1.  Columbus Crew

Spanish presence:  The Crew has a Spanish language news blog as well as event, club, sponsor, and news information in Spanish.  While no official Spanish social media, they do have an informal presence in Spanish on Facebook.

Website: http://www.thecrew.com/espanol

Facebook: a Spanish language fan club tracks them:  http://www.facebook.com/columbuscrew#!/TurbinaAmarilla?sk=info

Twitter: none

2.  Chicago Fire

Spanish presence:  Provides several Spanish language news articles per week.

Website:  http://www.chicago-fire.com/es/news

Facebook:  No

Twitter:  No

3.  Chivas USA

Spanish presence:  While sharing the same owner as the Mexican Chivas Club out of Guadalajara, Mexico, Chivas USA is limited to only Spanish news on its website.

Website:  http://www.cdchivasusa.com/es/news

Facebook:  No

Twitter:  No

4.  D.C. United

Spanish presence:  The team keeps a regularly updated Spanish news blog.

Website: http://www.dcunited.com/es

Facebook:  No

Twitter:  No

5. Houston Dynamo

Spanish presence:  The Dynamo maintain a well-updated Spanish news blog.

Website:  http://www.houstondynamo.com/es/news

Facebook:  No

Twitter: No

6. Los Angeles Galaxy

Spanish presence:  The team seldom updates their Spanish news blog.

Website:  http://www.lagalaxy.com/es/noticias

Facebook:  No

Twitter: No

7.  New York Red Bulls

Spanish presence:  The team seldom updates their Spanish news blog.

Website: http://www.newyorkredbulls.com/es/news

Facebook: No

Twitter:  No

8.  Philadelphia Union

Spanish presence:  The Union have an FAQ section, ticket information, stadium info as well as an occasionally updated Spanish news blog.

Website:  http://www.philadelphiaunion.com/es/news

Facebook: No

Twitter: No

9.  Seattle Sounders FC

Spanish presence:  The Sounders have a frequently updated Spanish language news blog.

Website:  http://www.soundersfc.com/Espanol/Noticias-en-Espanol.aspx

Facebook:  No

Twitter:  No

We Don’t Habla Español

The remaining MLS teams do not have known Spanish websites nor social media profiles.  Interesting as several of the teams (Colorado, New England, San Jose) are in major Hispanic markets.  Expansion Montreal has a French version of the site, of course.

1.  Colorado Rapids
2.  Impact Montreal
3.  New England Revolution
4.  Real Salt Lake
5.  San Jose Earthquake
6.  Toronto FC
7.  Vancouver Whitecaps 

 Your Thoughts

What do you think?  Do you think more teams will launch Spanish language social media like Sporting KC has?  Should other teams in larger Hispanic markets expect to gain even more fans on a Spanish social media forum?  Do you think most Hispanics would be satisfied with the ample English language social media?  Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Let me tell you a bit more about LATISM, the conference, and what tracks I will personally be attending.

The Basics

LATISM stands for Latinos in Social Media.  The group was founded as a non profit in 2009 dedicated to advancing the social, civic and economic status of the Latino community.  The group has grown fast and is recognized as the most influential online movement in the new multicultural Web.

Following #LATISM

A view of #LATISM on Twitter

LATISM enjoys one of the largest Latino network on Facebook and also is creator of one of the most popular hashtags on Twitter, the #LATISM hashtag, which captures over 10 million impressions on a daily basis.

People know that if you want the most current news on what is going on in Hispanic news, you simply need to look at the hashtag #LATISM on Twitter.  As you can see from the screenshot at right, a quick review of #LATISM will provide current discussions on immigration, Latino genealogy, and bio of a Latina innovator.

The Conference

A view of the Chicago Navy Pier, site of the 2011 LATISM Conference

The conference will be a 3 day event in Chicago.  It will be at the Navy Pier which Im pretty excited about.  Coming from Phoenix Im sure I will have a slight temperature adjustment but Im sure it will be well worth it.  I wont lie I’m also pretty excited for the after events that will take place where Im going to catch up with a few old colleagues, make some new acquaintances in Hispanic marketing, and hopefully dance poorly to a bachata or two.  As a director of the Phoenix LATISM chapter, I will also have a chance to meet with many of the other chapter directors from around the country.

The conference will have 3 tracks which I think fully represent the Latino social media landscape we have today.

Public Service Track

Use of social media to amplify the impact of public service in the Latino communities. Explore case studies in the areas of Health, Education, Economic Development and Civic initiatives.

Target: Non-Profits, Educators, Health Care Professionals, Government, Community Activists, Politicians, Corporate Responsibility Teams.

Business Leadership Track

Lessons Learned from Multicultural Marketing, Communication and PR leaders who have pioneered and tested social media campaigns with a Hispanic target.

Target: Multicultural PR, Corporate Communications, Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, Industry Leaders, Marketing.

Personal Influence and Community Track

The most successful Latino and Latina bloggers, influencers and entrepreneurs will share their knowledge and secrets about their strategy.

Target: Bloggers, Vloggers, Foodies, Professionals, Social Network Community Leaders, Entrepreneurs, Job seekers, Consultants.

Sessions Im attending

For my own growth, these are the sessions I will attend and why.

Nov 10th

9am: Public Service Track: Reaching Out for Health Through Social Media – Right down my ally, as having worked with the CDC and other government health agencies I am interested to see what will be presented here. 

11am: Business Track: The New Metrics of Social Success – I am expecting key metrics to look for as social media, especially Facebook and the new Google+ have shaken things up.

2pm: Community Track: The Riches Are In The Niches – As I work with many bloggers, I would like to hear more about the individual niches they are choosing and why.

4pm: Business Track: MultiCultural Social Media Campaigns That Rock – Best practices and case studies are always an eye opener at these conferences.

Nov 11th

9am: Business Track: Spanglish: From La Calle To Madison Ave – Which language to use for social media is ALWAYS the question for my clients.

11am: Business Track: Creating A Win-Win Brand/Blogger Relationship – Very interesting to see how brands interact with their blogger teams.

2pm: Public Service Track: The Social Media Movement for Civic Engagement – Many govies are moving to social media, I want to see how successful they are in gaining a presence with the public.

4pm: Community Track:  Using Google+, LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter for Community Building – I hope to learn more about how bloggers, who tend to be innovators are using Google+ and the other forums to build their community.

Will You Attend?

Let me know if you are planning on attending in the comments.  What sessions will you attend and why?  What do you hope to accomplish at the conference?

Victor Villalba, broadcasting for the Cowboys-Titans game in October 2010

The timing was perfect this week for a conversation about NFL Hispanic marketing. With the NFL kicking off full festivities for Hispanic Heritage Month including community events, Hispanic Heritage Leadership awards, and even mariachis performing outside of stadiums, the relevance of Hispanics to the NFL was on the tip of everyone’s tongue.

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to catch up with Victor Villalba, Manager of Spanish Language Broadcasting for the Dallas Cowboys. I approached Villalba, as it was obvious of his qualifications to discuss the team’s marketing and community outreach efforts towards Latinos having worked for the NFL team over 10 years, during two stints.

Villalba most recently returned to the Cowboys in 2002 to work with the Spanish radio broadcast. Soon after, Villalba was given the opportunity to do the Spanish language play by play which he does for every game, including this past Monday night’s game against the Washington Redskins.

I wanted to know what we all could learn from the most well known NFL team about marketing to Hispanics, community integration and the importance of knowing your customers. I have laid out my findings in the subsequent categories. Please review and add your comments and questions to the end, and also consider reading a similar article about the NBA’s Hispanic Marketing efforts.

How does the NFL lend itself to the Hispanic community?

In a recent article in the Phoenix Business Journal, Villalba was quoted as having said that, “The NFL product lends itself to popularity among Hispanics in the U.S. because most games are on Sunday, which meshes with traditional Latino family get-togethers and social gatherings.”
When asked to expand on this topic, Villalba added that, “Hispanic fans are very passionate about sports; we can see this passion in other sports they play as well such as soccer and boxing. NFL Sunday brings together the Hispanic experience to American football.”

The Cowboys understand this well, and they embrace Hispanic fans of all levels of American acculturation and Spanish language skills.
“We want to translate that passion that Hispanics, as a colorful group, like to embrace all other cultures regardless if they speak Spanish or not,” notes Villalba.
Interestingly, Villalba noted that his broadcasts are done in proper Spanish, castellano. “This means, we don’t use Spanglish terms during the play by play, such as Touchdown. I say Anotación,” adds Villalba.

The role of Hispanic Marketing with the Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys fans before Monday night’s game between Dallas and Washington. (Photo Credit - AP Photo/LM Otero)

When asked about the Dallas Cowboys marketing plan toward US Hispanics over the past few years, Villalba had much to say.

“Hispanic marketing with the Dallas Cowboys goes back to the ‘70’s when president Tex Schramm decided that it would be a good idea to broadcast games in Spanish,” comments Villalba, confirming the Cowboys reputation as having one of the longest running Spanish language broadcast histories of any professional American sports team.

Over the years, the Cowboys Spanish language broadcast has grown to the current position where regular season games are broadcast in 20 markets to reach Hispanic Cowboys fans living outside of Dallas, including those in certain parts of Mexico.

Additionally, the Cowboys can be found on Spanish TV. “There was a decision during the Jerry Jones era (current Cowboys owner), which began in 1989, in which to bolster radio with TV,” comments Villalba about the various TV Spanish programming which can be viewed for the Cowboys. Cowboy’s preseason games currently can be found in 15 markets regionally.

Villalba says that Mexico is also a very important part of their strategy. He concluded by saying that what is most important, is that the Cowboys give their fans an option to view and listen in English or Spanish.

A Mariachi dancer performing outside Cowboys Stadium, part of the festivities to mark Hispanic Heritage Month at Monday night’s game between Dallas and Washington. (Photo Credit - AP Photo/LM Otero)

Hispanic Heritage Month with the Dallas Cowboys

This past Monday night football game against the Redskins kicked off NFL Hispanic Heritage Month. We discussed further what activities the Cowboys do during the month which runs from September 15 to October 15.

It seems that for the Monday night victory against archrival Washington, the community relations department was indeed busy. “They had mariachis, bailes folkloricos (folk dances), Los Lonely Boys, and Grupo Intocable whom are huge around here. In addition we had former Cowboys Marco Rivera and Tony Casillas for the coin toss. Even standing room was packed, it was a full house!”

Villalba went on to discuss the Rookie Club, which is a program run by the Cowboys in which rookies on the team perform outreach in the community. The rookies make appearances at community events, hospitals and other locations throughout the season. “Rookies get a chance to learn about the importance of the community,” comments Villalba. “During Hispanic Heritage month there is a focus on interacting with the Hispanic community.”

Adelante Program

The Cowboys support other Hispanic community programs during Hispanic Heritage month as well. One of which is the Adelante program in which the Cowboys team up with Miller Lite for the good of the community. “The Adelante program is geared towards guiding students to continue on to college, and pursue higher learning,” mentions Villalba.

Through the program, Miller Lite donates 25 cents from each case of Miller Lite purchased at participating retailers to the organization. Former Cowboy and two-time Super Bowl champion Tony Casillas serves as a motivational speaker making appearances statewide to inspire parents to make wise choices for their children. All of these actions contribute to the Adelante program, which is dedicated to developing the next generation of Latino leaders.

Spanish Website or Social Media in the Future for America’s Team?

Not unlike most other NFL teams, the Cowboys do not have Spanish language social media forums or a website to cater to Latinos preferring Spanish.

Villalba explained that this is simply a function of not having the specific need for such forums so far. “For us to create these channels there would have to be clear cut demand from our fans as well as support from our internal and external partners. At this point, there is not the business need for these channels,” summarized Villalba.

The NFL itself does have a Spanish language website which is run in partnership with Univision Interactive Media. It will be interesting to see if in the near future the Cowboys do determine there is a valid business reason to establish Spanish language digital forums.

I think that the Cowboys could definitely expand their engagement with their Hispanic fan base through social media activities, as by their extensive broadcasting area we know there are fans that prefer Spanish.  Also, Hispanics are on Social Media: we know of the extensive use of Facebook by US Hispanics as well as that there are over 8.1 million US Hispanics on Twitter. Social media marketing to these fans could allow the Cowboys to bring an even more enthusiastic Latino fan to their stadium as they would be connected on an additional level. The Cowboys are no stranger to social media either as the Cowboys own English Facebook page has over 3.6 million fans to date.

Fan Favorites among Hispanics?

There have been many great Hispanic players that have come through Cowboys home stadiums in the past 50 years, including Tony Romo, Marco Rivera and Tony Casillas. I asked Villalba if there are fan favorites among Hispanic fans and the answer was not unexpected.

“Hispanic fans gravitate to excellence,” commented Villalba. “When the Steelers were on top in the 70’s they were very popular among Latinos as they were very good. When you win, you’re going to get fans, including Hispanics.”

Hispanic Fans different from non-Hispanic Cowboy fans?

The most interesting part of our conversation I found was our discussion of differences between Hispanic Cowboys fans, in comparison with the general market fan. Villalba stated that besides cheering in different languages, Cowboys fans are fairly like-minded.

“Being a fan of the NFL or the Cowboys is a very universal thing,” began Villalba. “If you found a fan in Portugal wearing a Cowboys hat, and arranged to have an interview in Portuguese, you’d find he has the same memories, complaints, and thoughts about the Cowboys as the rest of our fans.”

Another interesting point that Villalba mentioned is that when the Cowboys look at their Hispanic fans it is very hard to tell by appearance alone, their level of acculturation. Basically, it seems that acculturated Hispanics in Dallas have similar cheering habits as those season ticket-holders that drive up from Mexico every week for the game.

“Especially when you’re talking about division rivals playing each other. It’s exciting! It doesn’t matter your language (or acculturation level), everyone is on the same page.”

Thoughts?

What are your thoughts on the efforts the Dallas Cowboys have taken in the area of Hispanic marketing and community interaction? Are there other teams doing interesting outreach with the Hispanic community as well? Share with us examples and any questions in the comment section below.

Bio of Victor Villalba

Victor Villalba with the Larry O’ Brien NBA Championship trophy presented to the 2011 NBA champion Dallas Mavericks

Victor Villalba is now serving his second stint in Spanish language broadcast production with the Dallas Cowboys. He was lured back to Texas in 2002 as the club explored ways to bring production and affiliate relations in-house as part of the growing Broadcasting Department for English language properties.

By 2003 Villalba’s role was expanded to executive producer of television and radio properties for the team, affiliate relations with stations in the US and Mexico, as well as an active participant of strategies to reach the growing appetite for Spanish language properties tied to the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.

In 2005 Villalba added Spanish language play-by-play and Hispanic marketing consulting for the Dallas Mavericks, and having been part of the first trip to the NBA Finals in 2006, was part of the 2010-2011 Mavericks team that won it all. Adding to his broadcast activities, Time Warner Cable in association with Fox Sports Southwest broadcasted a select number of Texas Rangers games in 2010, and for 2011, there are another number of games to call, along with color-commentator and former major-leaguer Jose Guzman.

A resident of Coppell, Texas since 2003, the Villalba’s include wife Olga, and daughters Katia Michelle and Kristina Marie.

References:

Personal interview with Victor Villalba on 9/26/2011.

http://www.nfl.com/photos/09000d5d8228cf1a#id:09000d5d822964a6

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/miller-lite-and-dallas-cowboys-team-up-to-develop-next-generation-of-hispanic-leaders-129116073.html

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/09/23/univision-interactive-media-and-nfl-team-up-to-launch-www-nfl-comespanol/64895/

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2011/09/15/nfl-cardinals-top-the-competition-in.html?page=2

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/id/7004118/tony-romo-family-him-every-step-way

http://nflcommunications.com/2011/09/13/nfl-hispanic-heritage-foundation-and-bud-light-launch-nfl-hispanic-heritage-leadership-awards/

Without further ado, lets review the numbers.

8.1 Million US Hispanics using Twitter?

Today there are approximately 8.1 million US Hispanics on Twitter.  Of that amount 31%, or 2.5 million Hispanics, prefer Spanish and would be encouraged to follow a Twitter profile providing Spanish content. 44%, or 3.6 million US Latinos favor English and are more likely to follow a Twitter profile that is providing stories and media in English. And last but not least, 25% of US Hispanics (2.0 million) are bilingual and would be happy to follow a Twitter profile content in either language or Spanglish.

The graph presented below helps to visualize:

8.1 Million Hispanics on Twitter and Growing

Which Language do Hispanics Prefer when Following Brands on Twitter?

Hispanics preferring Spanish would likely prefer to follow pages offering daily content in Spanish such as the CDC Espanol Twitter profile.  Several other Twitter profiles that provide Spanish content include the Castrol Twitter profile and the Visit Florida Twitter profile. Hispanics that typically converse with family, friends, and colleagues in English are likely to prefer English language Twitter profiles.  A good example of Twitter profiles catering to English preferring Hispanics is Being Latino as well as Tampico.  Many brands are targeting bilingual Hispanics, as this is the most popular strategy currently.  Several good examples of brands doing this include the Mi Pepsi Twitter campaign and the Sears Latino profile.

So What Kind of Fancy Calculator Are We Using to Calculate This?

1. Total US Twitter users = 74MM (200MM * 37%).  Twitter states that 37% of its users are from within the US.
2.Total US Hispanic Twitter Users = 8.1MM (74 * 11%).  Based on Quantcast’s demographic data research.
3. Spanish Dominant US Hispanics = 2.5MM (8.1MM * 31%). Combines Latin Americans and all Spanish favoring Hispanics in the US.
4. English Dominant US Hispanics = 3.6MM (8.1MM * 44%). Includes 2nd and 3rd generation Hispanics and all other English favoring Hispanics.
5. Bilingual US Hispanics = 2.0MM (8.1MM * 25%). The large portion of Hispanics whom are comfortable with either language.

Note: There are a few differing numbers on the percentage of Twitter Users are Hispanics.  Edison Research and Portada have both reported higher percentages, 17% and 18% respectively, but I suspect these were either smaller sample sizes or based on Internet using Hispanics, rather than total Hispanics.  Common sense led us to determine that 11% of Twitter users was the most accurate figure as the higher percentages presented would indicate that 25% of all Hispanics use Twitter, which is very unlikely.

Thoughts?

How do these figures compare with what you would imagined?   What other factors are key when determining the tonality of messaging to the US Hispanic audience?  Please place your thoughts in the Comments below.

Sources:

Social Times – 200MM Twitter Users

Site Seeker – 11% of Hispanics are Twitter Users

Official Twitter Blog – 37% of Twitter Users from US

Pew Hispanic Reports – Census counts 50MM Hispanics

DK Web Consulting – Percentages of Hispanics preferring English, Spanish, or Bilingual

Portada Online – 18% of Hispanics are Twitter Users

Edison Research – 17% of Twitter Users Hispanic