Social Media Spanish Blog

El Sporting KC: Focus on Social Media (Part 2 of 2)

December 14th, 2011 by Eric Diaz 7 comments »

Lo prometido es deuda (A Promise Delivered)

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.

Facebook El Sporting KC - Omar Bravo Latino of the Year

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

7 comments »

Posted in Case Studies, Hispanic Sports Marketing

Tags: major league soccer mls sinhue mendoza sporting kc

Prepárate: Marketing to Latinos Major League (Soccer) Style (Part 1 of 2)

November 29th, 2011 by Eric Diaz 17 comments »

[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. After reading our post, Sinhue Mendoza, Latino Marketing Manager at Sporting Kansas City Soccer Club, reached out to us to share his thoughts. And, a simple call quickly turned into a highly insightful conversation.

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 saludando los fans de sporting kc

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.

17 comments »

Posted in Case Studies, Hispanic Sports Marketing

Tags: major league soccer mls soccer sporting kc

Press Release: The Power of Social Media, from The Defense Logistics Agency

November 8th, 2011 by Eric Diaz 6 comments »

Columbus, Ohio – DK’s own Natasha Pongonis was the featured speaker at a Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) workshop in October in which she talked about the strong influence of social media, especially when working with Hispanics.

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

6 comments »

Posted in Hispanic Marketing, Press Releases, Social Media Trends

Tags: dla Social Media

MLS Fútbol (Soccer) Teams With Spanish Online Presence

October 26th, 2011 by Eric Diaz 12 comments »

In the 4th minute of Saturday night’s game against DC United, Omar Bravo of Sporting KC was anxious to take the shot. Sporting KC, who had been in last place as recently as June had a chance to lock up first place in the Eastern Conference and a solid opportunity at a berth in the MLS Cup. And while Bravo’s shot missed the goal, Sporting KC went on to win the game and complete the turnaround securing home field advantage in the playoffs.

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.

12 comments »

Posted in Hispanic Marketing, Hispanic Sports Marketing

Tags: la galaxy major league soccer mls new york red bulls soccer

Why Im Going to the LATISM (Latinos in Social Media) Conference

October 9th, 2011 by Eric Diaz 26 comments »

It was really a no-brainer as I received my first invite to attend the 2011 LATISM conference a few months back. I signed up to attend as the folks that run LATISM, or #LATISM as it is perhaps more commonly known, really get social media and its role with Hispanics. Even better, it will be in November before Thanksgiving and I really have wanted an excuse to get to Chicago anyway.

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?

26 comments »

Posted in Press Releases, Social Media Trends

Tags: chicago latism

Hispanic Marketing with ‘America’s Team’, the Dallas Cowboys

October 2nd, 2011 by Eric Diaz 11 comments »

An interview with Victor Villalba, of the Dallas Cowboys

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.

Hispanic Heritage Month at Monday night’s game between Dallas and Washington

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/

11 comments »

Posted in Case Studies, Hispanic Marketing, Hispanic Sports Marketing

Tags: community engagement dallas-comboys football nfl sports marketing

How Many US Hispanics on Twitter

August 3rd, 2011 by Eric Diaz 82 comments »

A few months back we provided an outlook of how many US Latinos or Hispanics can be found on Facebook. Today we announce the very appropriate sequel which discusses the number of total US Hispanics on Twitter. This is key information for brands looking to launch a Twitter account targeting US Latinos as it provides an estimate of how large the followership of your brand’s Twitter profile could potentially be. Further, this article contains insight into which language should be used for the voice of the Twitter profile. Choosing to use English, Spanish or a combination of the two (Spanglish) on the Twitter account is a very real question that all brands need to decide upon as they look to target the Hispanic market.

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:

US Hispanics by language on Twitter - DK Web Consulting

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

82 comments »

Posted in Hispanic Marketing, Social Media Trends

Tags: census english dominant spanish dominant twitter

DK Web Consulting inks Deal with ScarGuard Labs

July 25th, 2011 by Eric Diaz 4 comments »

Scarguard MD can be found at 60,000 CVS, Wal-marts, and other retailers nationwide

DK Web Consulting has been chosen by Scarguard Labs of Great Neck, NY as the exclusive Hispanic digital agency for its extensive product line being sold in over 60,000 stores nationwide. DK is tasked with the entire online Hispanic marketing presence for Scarguard including a Spanish language website, blog, as well as Facebook and Twitter profiles. DK was chosen against several competitors for their exemplary background working with several well known CPG (consumer packaged goods) brands across the country.

Additionally, DK’s health communications work for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assisted Scarguard to choose DK as the right fit for the project.

DK will also be creating and maintaining a Spanish language website, blog, and social media forums for the firm’s cosmetic surgery office also located in Great Neck, NY.

About Scarguard Labs:

Scarguard Labs is a specialty pharmaceutical company that is guided by doctors, pharmacists and pharmaceutical biochemists with over 75 years of combined experience. Our products were developed by a plastic surgeon with a keen understanding of the most common problems and the latest advancements in medical biotechnology. The result is a scientifically-proven suite of products that have been widely recognized as effective by the medical community and the major retailers.

Scarguard products are manufactured in seven locations across the United States and are available in doctors’ offices, directly from Scarguard, and most major retailers including 60,000 WalMart, Target, CVS, Rite Aid, independent drug stores and many more nationwide.

4 comments »

Posted in Hispanic Marketing, Press Releases

How and When to Partner with a Hispanic Marketing Agency

July 14th, 2011 by Eric Diaz 1 comment »

Thank you all for joining the presentation. Please download the presentation from Slideshare:

How and When to Partner with a Hispanic Marketing Agency DK Web Consulting

View more presentations from Dk Web Consulting.

1 comment »

Posted in Presentations

Hispanic Social Media Listening Summer 2011 Promo

June 18th, 2011 by Eric Diaz 1 comment »

There are 50 million Hispanics in the US (16% of US pop.), but how do they engage with your brand?

That is the question you are asking about your brand, or your client’s brand. Our team is here to help by offering you a deal where we will perform a 30 day comprehensive social media listening analysis of your brand’s engagement with the Hispanic market. When you mention the Hispanic Social Media Listening Summer 2011 Promo* you will only pay for the cost of software.

This is what you will get:

30 Day comprehensive analysis using paid software in both Spanish and Spanglish.
Volume of what people say in Spanish/Spanglish about your brand/product
Conversation Drivers: Trends that can be found in what is said about your brand/product
Ad Campaign/Event Analysis: Which ads and events sparked the most positive sentiment engagement online
Verbatim & Consumer Trends: What people are actually saying about your product/brand
Leading Sources: Focus on which forums people talk about your product/brand
Sentiment Analyis: Positive or negative sentiment in the general market does not necessarily equate to the Hispanic market
Influential Fans & Followers: Which are the influential leaders of the conversation that your brand should communicate with
Ideas that Spark: Based on our observations, recommendations for your specific brand in targeting the Hispanic market
15% off any additional services purchased

Total Cost: $750

*Promo must be activated by 7/31/2011. Volume of up to 10,000 results.

Contact us to get started today! (info@dkwebconsulting.com or call 614-441-9601)

See a full case study of Hispanic Social Media Listening on Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/dkwebconsulting/