Agencies Risk Becoming Irrelevant In A Multicultural America

As ad agency honchos descended on LA Last week for their annual convention, the executives would have benefited from a short ride to Hollywood Boulevard, home of the Kodak Theatre, for a moment of reflection. Just as disregarding the impact of digital technology led to making the Kodak brand irrelevant, general-market agencies are risking becoming irrelevant as well by ignoring the cultural and ethnic diversification of America.

Our society is moving toward becoming truly multicultural. According to the 2010 Census, the so-called minority population, mostly Hispanic, African-American and Asian-American, is rapidly rising and now makes up 35% of the population. It is an unmistakable trend that will make these multicultural groups the majority by mid-century. California, Hawaii, New Mexico, and Texas – as well as the District of Columbia already have so-called minority populations that have exceeded 50%.

Read more: Forbes

Does HBO’s ‘Girls’ Expose TV’s Race Problem?

…my answer is YES HBO has a problem!

Last week I asked if you would be tuning into HBO’s new series Girls, which some have hailed as the best show of the year. While some of you said you would be tuning in to watch, the majority seemed to reject the depiction of four twenty-something white women struggling to make it in New York City.

One commenter, Connie, summed up the thoughts of many, writing, “i am so tired of these all white shows speaking for the lot of us, there are girls of all color going through the same things couldn’t a little of that been put on displayed on this show. As a NY’er I am beyond pissed that they are not doing my city justice, NY is more diverse than this culturally.”

Read more here…

Groundbreaking Study on Latino Mobile Usage in Retail Settings

Latinos rarely – if ever — shop alone, they over-index in their use of social media and the Web and much of that usage is through smartphones.

“Hispanics rarely, if ever shop alone,” Sensis President José Villa said. “They also over-index in their use of social media and the Web, and much of that usage is through smartphones. This gives retailers an opportunity to craft unique experiences for their Hispanic customers.

Those are some of the research findings from a groundbreaking study conducted by agencies Sensis and White Horse on how U.S. Hispanics use mobile when they shop.

Read more:  Hispanic PR Blog