EthnicMajority

(Washington Post) A kid walks into a Verizon phone store wearing a belt bristling with the latest tech gadgets.

The kid shows off his back-to-school hardware: “E-reader for textbooks . . . GPS . . . video camera for lectures . . . game pad.”

“Have you considered this?” responds the salesman, pulling out a smartphone. “It’s got all that and more than 200,000 apps.”

The kid’s smirk vanishes. He’s stunned into silence by the all-in-one convenience.

The most striking aspect of this new TV commercial may not be the product or the semi-humorous portrayal of gizmo love. It’s the casting. The kid is played by a young Caucasian actor; the salesman is Asian American.

The two roles fit a well-worn pattern, one noted by academic researchers for almost two dec­ades. When Asian Americans appear in advertising, they typically are presented as the technological experts — knowledgeable, savvy, perhaps mathematically adept or intellectually gifted. They’re most often shown in ads for business-oriented or technical products — smartphones, computers, pharmaceuticals, electronic gear of all kinds.

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(IMedia Connection) So what's all this hype about Latinos being the second-largest demographic in population and online consumption patterns in the U.S.? Does it make marketers salivate to plot online marketing campaigns for Latinos? And if so, why have efforts been so dismal? Assumption: Marketers think Latinos will make a purchase no matter who is selling the product; after all, they have to buy — stop right there. Bad assumption.

The 2011 IAB report "U.S. Latino Online: A Driving Force" found that more than half of U.S. Latinos prefer marketers to make a strong connection with their culture by relaying the message in this order of languages: Spanish, Spanglish, and then English.

The IAB also found that U.S. Latinos spend more time online than non-Hispanic whites, and that 61 percent of Hispanics made online purchases and spent an average of $746, which isn't far behind the total internet population at 72 percent, spending an average of $851.

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(New York Times) For decades, a patch of casinos on the western edge of Nevada has relied on geography to lure California gamblers reluctant to drive the extra 45 miles for the glamour and glitz of Las Vegas.

But as the economy took a dive, this desert spot suffered the same economic woes as its larger, flashier neighbor. And the troubles were exacerbated by the proliferation of Indian casinos in California, which offered much of the same attractions as any town in Nevada. The company that ran the trio of casinos here declared bankruptcy in 2009.

Now Primm Valley Casino Resorts is betting that aggressively courting Latinos in Southern California will help lead to success.

They have blackjack games with bilingual dealers and rules printed in Spanish on the tables, the first casinos in the state to do so. Last year, they began a series of concerts featuring popular Spanish-speaking musicians, which fill the arena to capacity nearly every time. On those weekends, the casino floor of Buffalo Bill’s buzzes with an energy that executives say rivals New Year’s Eve.

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(ThirdAge.com) Regina Benjamin, surgeon general, has announced that she believes many black women do not exercise because they don’t want to mess up their hair.

In attempt to make a point about why African American women have higher rates of obesity than other demographic groups, Benjamin made her announcement at the Bronner Brothers International Hair Show earlier in the month.

"Often times you get women saying, ‘I can't exercise today because I don't want to sweat my hair back or get my hair wet.' When you're starting to exercise, you look for reasons not to, and sometimes the hair is one of those reasons," said Benjamin, as quoted by Jezebel.

The main issue, according to Benjamin, is that many women spend a lot of money on hair products to straighten their unruly hair. Exercising involves fast movement and sweat, both of which can easily undo chemical hair treatments.

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(Black Voice News)  How much do most big corporate advertisers respect the African American consumer—25 percent, 15 percent, 5 percent, or one percent?

If you guessed one percent you were wrong. It’s less than that—.68 percent, to be exact.

Of the $263.7 billion spent annually on advertising within the nation, less that one percent is used to target African American consumers, despite the fact that Black buying power is estimated at around $857 billion, according to the 2010 census.

Ken Smikle of Target Market News notes that “the largest single investment corporate America makes is advertising,” but only a trickle is spent targeting African American consumers, a group that has been and continues to be underestimated, underserved, disrespected and misunderstood.

Pepper Miller, co-founder of the Hunter-Miller Group, a multicultural marketing firm, and co-author of the book “What’s Black About It?” explains that one of the most common misperceptions advertisers have is that mainstream publications will reach all possible consumers. Since most African Americans speak English, they generalize, there is no need to market outside of the mainstream publications.

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(Yahoo Buzz Log) Companies like to push the envelope with their ads. Sometimes the gamble works, sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes, like in the case of Nivea, the whole thing turns into a fiasco.

Nivea, a company that specializes in skin-care products, recently released a print ad that it has since pulled. How to best describe the ad? It shows an African American man preparing to toss a decapitated head (his own?) with an afro-style haircut. The ad copy reads: "Re-Civilize Yourself." The underlying message seems to be that afros are not civilized.

Almost immediately, the ad was met with outrage. The Los Angeles Times reported that Facebook users began "posting photos of themselves with Afros on Nivea’s wall, saying things such as: 'I wear my hair natural and I just graduated with my doctorate! So who needs to be re-civilized?? Nivea no longer welcomed in my household.'"

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(Sports Illustrated) The WNBA joined the NBA in setting the benchmark for professional leagues when it received a combined "A" Wednesday for its diversity efforts. The grades were released in the annual report by the University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport.

The combined "A" the league received for race and gender makeup marked the eighth time since 2001 the WNBA has scored that highly. The Racial and Gender Report Card released by the University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport examines major sports league's diversity in management at league offices and at the team level, as well as for coaches and other support personnel.

The NBA also received a combined "A" grade in June. In their most recent reports both Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer were given a combined grade of "B-plus" and the NFL received a "B".

Richard Lapchick, the study's primary author, said that he is most impressed that the WNBA continues to have several female owners, which he believes is helping set the agenda for the league overall.

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(Boston Globe) Thousands of black and Latino homeowners in Massachusetts will likely save money under a $125 million subprime lending settlement with a subsidiary of H&R Block Inc. unveiled today by attorney general Martha Coakley. The agreement resolves allegations of unfair lending and discriminatory practices by Sand Canyon, formerly known as Option One.

Under the deal, Sand Canyon, based in Irvine, Calif., will pay $9.8 million to the state and direct American Home Mortgage Servicing Inc. — which services about 5,500 loans in Massachusetts that originated with Option One — to begin a $115 million loan modification program.

Homeowners with Option One loans could receive lower monthly payments, andinterest rates, and have their principal balances reduced to reflect current property values. In addition, some borrrowers will receive refunds for fees they paid that the state considered excessive.

“Option One made loans that it knew were likely to fail and it discriminated against African-American and Latino borrowers,” Coakley said during a press conference.

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(AdWeek) Spanish-language broadcasters raked in a record $2.15 billion in 2011-12 upfront commitments, but executives at Univision and Telemundo believe that many marketers are still guilty of undervaluing the Hispanic TV marketplace.

Despite earning bragging rights as the only broadcasters to post ratings gains this year, the two rivals are all but segregated from the English-language broadcasters. Not only are Univision and Telemundo’s respective upfront presentations pushed to the margins of the mid-May schedule, but both nets are obliged to wait for the Big Five to wrap up their business before they can begin engaging with buyers. (The Hispanic nets nailed down the last of their upfront deals in late July, a good seven weeks after ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and The CW finished writing deals.)

Univision hauled in $1.75 billion in early commitments for the upcoming TV season, and while that’s nothing to sneeze at—to put the number in perspective, it’s more or less the same amount NBC took in during its upfront sellathon—media spend on Hispanic TV remains disproportionately slight. “We need to get advertisers and brands awakened to the fact that Hispanics are a trillion-dollar economy in the United States,” says Randy Falco, president and CEO of Univision. “They represent 16 percent of the population. The budgets for advertisers should reflect the same thing. Fifteen [percent] to 20 percent of their budgets should be set aside to reach Hispanics every single year.”

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(Huffington Post) The Black Women's Expo, now it's 18th year since it's founding, has become one of the nation's premiere expositions targeting African American female consumers. And drugstore chain Walgreen's decided to tap into the estimated 25,000 guests that attend each year by sponsoring a pavilion at this year's event in Chicago's McCormick Place this weekend.

The company's AARP/Walgreens Wellness Tour bus is offering women free health screenings for cholesterol, blood pressure, bone density, glucose levels, waist circumference and body mass index, flu shots for $10 and a beauty bar showcasing popular cosmetics.

"Reaching women of color is an important health initiative. Nearly two-thirds of all Americans live within three miles of a Walgreens and more than 40 percent of Walgreens stores are located in medically underserved areas,” said Walgreen's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Cheryl Pegus. She is offering a series of speed-dating style consultations with numerous health professionals to inform, as many women as possible about diabetes, HIV, heart disease and other diseases plaguing the black community to better take care of themselves and their families.

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