This post was originally written for AdAge

One way we might judge this year’s Super Bowl ads is by how much they reflect a total-market view of the world.

I am not talking about ethnic casting, or ethnic spokespeople, but rather the presence of cultural cues. These are subtle suggestions that ethnic values or habits — primarily Hispanic, since that is the most powerful multicultural influence in the country right now — are being assimilated into mainstream media. Read more…

Post originally written for The Huffington Post’s Latino Voices

Fifty years ago Maria’s “problem” was a would-be nun who wanted to marry a widower and become the mother of his five children. Today in the United States the problem is that the Von Trapp kids would more than likely be fatherless, and more and more Maria’s are having children without getting married.

The out-of-wedlock birth rate for Hispanic women in the U.S. reached over 53 percent of new births in 2010, according to the National Vital Statistics Report on Births: Preliminary Data for 2010. With Hispanic birth rates wildly outpacing the national average, this issue merits serious consideration given that out-of-wedlock births all too often go hand in hand with poverty, low educational attainment and propensity toward incarceration. Read more…

Added Value Cheskin’s Intercultural lead, Stephen Palacios, writes for ANA Magazine, exploring the challenges – and benefits – of a “Total Market” strategy.

“Is [NFL running back] Reggie Bush my African American strategy, or just my strategy?” asked the CMO of a Fortune 100 company in response to a question on ethnic marketing.  Having a dynamic sports hero as a spokesperson was intended to appeal to broadly to all consumers. The fact that he appeals more deeply to African Americans was a plus, making Bush both “efficient” and engaging. Read more…

Post-election analysis is in full force and the prominent role of the overwhelmingly pro-Obama Hispanic vote is front and center. From hues and cries (Bill O’Reilly) to demographic tut-tutting (Juan Williams’ “Obama’s Daunting Demographic Message for the GOP”), pundits and columnists alike are opining on how Republicans have “lost the country,” or at least marginalized their chances for national governance by alienating Hispanics. The core issue? Immigration reform.

Read more…

Added Value Cheskin’s intercultural lead, Stephen Palacios, will join a panel of experts at next week’s UniWorld AdWeek Panel: “Bridging the Gap Between Cultures and Brands: The Ultimate Power Trip”.

Led by Uniworld’s CEO, Monique Nelson, the conversation will include “a diverse spectrum of visionaries who drive, curate and harness culture, including Olga Mobolade, Constance White and industry insider Jack Myers.”  Read more…

Marketers Split Over the Value of Ethnic-Inclusive  — But It’s Just the Beginning.

The most important development in multicultural marketing is the notion of the “total market” –  shifting from targeting particular ethnic consumers to strategies that will appeal to a multicultural nation. This past week, we saw how the concept is still in its gestation stage, causing both confusion and potentially earth-shattering shifts. Read more…

We have a new oxymoron that has entered our popular culture vocabulary.  Recent front page news announcements in many leading newspapers reported the first ever demographic shift of non-white births outpacing white births, which has created a “minority-majority” youth population.  This oxymoron has come into common parlance, as accepted as George Carlin’s famous “jumbo shrimp.”

Read more…

Daniela Rubio

In the United States, a stereotypical description of a Hispanic woman would probably read as follows: “Speaks Spanish, likes to be sexy and pretty, is family oriented, acts humble, has many kids at an early age, cooks at home and likes to clean.” However, this description represents less than 50% of the real story, as it fits better with the older generation of women. New generations of women are adapting to new world realities, right?

Well, so are Bicultural Hispanic women! This group accounts for 36.5% of the total Hispanic women population (total 22.7 million), of which 54% are at least 18 years old (4.7 million out of 8.3 million). While most Bicultural Hispanic women (80%) born in the U.S. grew up with a mother that most likely fit the stereotype above, many have also adopted mainstream worldviews and values into their lifestyles. Read more…

General Electric recently released an online campaign encouraging Chinese entrepreneurs to partner with them to address China’s most pressing environmental and resource challenges.

A noteworthy aspect of the campaign, titled “Future Folklore”, is how environmental issues are grounded within Chinese history and culture.  This departs from a persistent stereotype which encourages local consumers to fight against Chinese tradition to achieve environmental outcomes.  The typical tone is often condescending – where normative behaviour is inevitably Western and Chinese are asked to “get in line” and “abandon ancient thinking”.  Read more…