The Big Tent

I Might Be Mexican, but I Don't Have to Like 'Lopez Tonight'

Comedian Trots Out Tired, Unfunny Ethnic Humor

Posted by Laura Martinez on 11.10.09 @ 11:00 AM

Laura Martinez

Last night, along with many other Latinos in America (and non-Latinos), I tuned in for the premiere of "Lopez Tonight," a new one-hour late-night show hosted by Mexican-American comedian George Lopez. Truth be told, I wasn't expecting much; I've never been a fan of Mr. Lopez's comedy but I was curious to witness the "cultural revolution" that promised to show the world the increasingly diverse face of America's late-night television.

NFL Latino Effort Pits Jets Fan vs. Dolphins Fan

Monday Night Game Centerpiece of League's Hispanic Heritage Month Campaign

Posted by Laura Martinez on 10.09.09 @ 12:57 PM

Laura Martinez

Attendees to the Oct. 12 face off between the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins in Florida are in for a heavy dose of Hispanic fare, as the NFL's observance of Hispanic Heritage Month wraps up Monday night with a series of festivities and special acts, including Puerto Rican singer (and minority Dolphins owner) Marc Anthony performing the National Anthem.

One of These Ads Is Not Like the Other One

IHOP Swaps Out Actors for Hispanic Market Spots

Posted by Laura Martinez on 09.29.09 @ 12:53 PM

Laura Martinez

I have never been a fan of pancakes, nor American football, but the following commercial really caught my attention after I noticed a couple of not-too-subtle changes had been applied to make it "relevant" to the U.S. Hispanic market.

NBC Just Can't Quit Same Old Hispanics

Can We Have One Segment Without Gloria or Dora or Shakira?

Posted by Laura Martinez on 06.18.09 @ 04:04 PM

Laura Martinez

This week the Hispanic blogosphere was abuzz with one topic in particular: NBC's "We the People," a week-long series on Hispanics in America which kicked off Monday and looks to address several topics facing the Hispanic community in the U.S.

Carrying Cash Can Seriously Hurt Your Dancing Skills

MasterCard Launches 'Priceless' Hispanic Spot

Posted by Laura Martinez on 05.18.09 @ 01:55 PM

Laura Martinez

When it comes to paying for stuff, it is not a secret that many Hispanics still rely on cash, something, I suspect, that makes pitching them a credit card a bit tricky. But today MasterCard is launching its first ever nationwide effort to pitch its prepaid and debit cards among U.S. Hispanics. The creative, from McCann Erickson, is part of the "Priceless" campaign, now in its 12th year, and it includes TV, radio, out-of-home and online spots.

Ad Asks: 'Have You Ever Seen a Fat Chinese Woman?'

When Cultural Stereotypes Become Central Selling Point

Posted by Laura Martinez on 02.25.09 @ 02:22 PM

We can talk forever about cultural clues and sensibilities when it comes to multicultural marketing. But a quick look at Spanish-language print media reminds us there is nothing quite like old-school advertising when it comes to generalizing about an entire population. Not only is it OK, but such generalization becomes the message at the center of the pitch.

In this print ad, which you can find pretty much every day in Impremedia's El Diario La Prensa of New York City, a company pitching tea (Te esplendida) asks readers the following question: "Have you ever seen a fat Chinese woman?" The assumption is that the target market's typical response will be, "Of course not. Never." The reason? "Chinese women drink tea all day long."

The black and white ad, which features -- what else? -- a slim Chinese woman, then urges us to call 1-877-chinito ("little Chinese") to order our daily fix of tea. The promise: lose weight without impossible diets, surgery or pills.

~ ~ ~
Read more from Laura daily at Mi Blog Es Tu Blog.

Tidying Up Insights About Latino Women

We Aren't All the Same

Posted by Laura Martinez on 10.06.08 @ 03:39 PM

Laura Martinez

As a journalist, Latina or not, I receive all sorts of marketing pitches every day, mostly in the form of press releases. And as you may imagine, these are not really hard to understand. But a recent release from consumer products giant Procter & Gamble really got me thinking, or at least puzzled me enough to read it twice to understand what it was really all about.

Its headline read: "Tide and Downy Total Care Partner with Celebrity Stylist Irma Martinez to Help Latinas in Finding Their Style that Lasts."

I Don't Know What Color I Am

Unity Conference Raises Questions About Hispanics and Race

Posted by Laura Martinez on 08.06.08 @ 02:48 PM

Laura Martinez

A few days ago, as thousands of journalists gathered in Chicago for the 2008 Unity Conference, a Mexico City-based magazine editor called and asked me if I would attend and, most importantly, if I would be willing to file a story from the event. For the uninitiated, Unity: Journalists of Color is an organization "advocating fair and accurate news coverage about people of color." It is made up of more than 10,000 members and counts among its partners the Asian American Journalists Association, the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and the Native American Journalists Association.

License to Divide: The Perils of Excessive (Hispanic) Pride

We Can't All Take Credit for Everything

Posted by Laura Martinez on 07.09.08 @ 11:02 AM

Laura Martinez

Browsing a local Florida newspaper late last month, impatiently waiting in Miami for a connecting flight back home, I stumbled onto a bizarre piece of news. At first, I thought it was a spoof courtesy of The Onion. But it wasn't. The gist of the story: a Longwood, Fla.-based group known as National Hispanic Corporate Achievers was requesting that the state of Florida issue a specialty license plate honoring "the contribution of Hispanics."

When a Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words -- and Then Some

Might Be Difficult to Create One Hispanic Voice

Posted by Laura Martinez on 05.21.08 @ 09:37 AM

It is always nice and comforting to read about the need to find a "Hispanic voice" and a genuine identity that defines the so-called Hispanic market, an issue raised recently by fellow Big Tent blogger Catarino Lopez. Alas, more often than not, I keep bumping into disturbing images like this one, which make me rethink the whole "we are all one happy bunch" concept.

Obviously, there is not a lot to say about this image. Suffice to say, it has been making the rounds in Puerto Rico via blogs, viral campaigns and e-mail messages in anticipation of the Puerto Rican primaries to be held June 1, according to New York-based political bloggers and journalists at Política Pop.