The month of September naturally marks a vibrant start: leaves change color and fall from their branches ushering in a completely new season; first days of school set off a hopeful spark and earnest tone. We are celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month, acknowledging the colorful culture of U.S. residents who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Each year a different theme is chosen; this year’s being "Getting Involved: Our Families, Our Community, Our Nation! You can find more information via The Library of Congress. ¡Ahora, disfrute de la lectura!
-- From all of us at Améredia
spotlight on: the hispanic community
September 15 was chosen as the starting point for this month-long celebration, as it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua (from Spain in 1821). In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively.
As of July 1, 2007, Hispanics accounted for 15.1% of the national population, or around 45.4 million people. From 2000 to 2007, the Hispanic growth rate was 28.7%, about four times the rate of the nation's total population. Of the nation's total Hispanic or Latino population, close to half live in California or Texas. The Hispanic population of Los Angeles County, CA, numbering 4.7 million, is the largest of any county at 47%.
As of 2000, the ten most populous places with Hispanic majorities were East Los Angeles (97% Hispanic), Laredo, Texas (94%), Brownsville, Texas (91%) Hialeah, Florida (90%), McAllen, Texas (80%), El Paso, Texas (77%), Santa Ana, California (76%), El Monte, California (72%) Oxnard, California (66%), and Miami (66%).
Some 64% of the nation's Hispanic population identify themselves to be of Mexican origin, 9% Puerto Rican, and ~3% each of Cuban, Salvadoran and Dominican origins. Cuban Americans and Central and South Americans had the highest college graduation rates, with 19.4 percent of Cuban Americans and 16 percent of Central and South Americans 25 years and older possessing a 4–year college degree.
The United States is home to thousands of media outlets targeting the U.S. Hispanic consumers, with 500 Spanish newspapers, 152 magazines, and 205 publishers. Magazine and local television advertising expenditures for the Hispanic market have increased much from 1999 to 2003, with growth of 58 percent and 43 percent, respectively. Significant media bodies include Univision (largest Spanish-language TV network in the United States), Telemundo (the second-largest), HispanicBusiness, (English-language business magazine), Vida Latina (Spanish-language entertainment magazine), ConSentido TV (TV, radio, newspaper network), and many more. The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) and Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) have also been strong advocates of Hispanic and Latino inclusion in television, radio, and film.
to go: community events
Festivities throughout the month of September are celebrated among the ethnic communities here in the U.S. Some of these are listed below, so go out, experience, and enjoy!
Sept 4-6: 14th Annual Monterey Bay Reggaefest @ Monterey County Fairgrounds, Monterey, CA
Sept 4-6: Kansas City Irish Fest @ Kansas City
Sept 4-6: Sacramento Greek Festival @ Sacramento, CA
Sept 4-7: Taste of Polonia @ Chicago, IL
Sept 5: The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival: Gamelan Sekar Jaya (Balinese arts) @ San Francisco, CA
Sept 5-7: Anaheim Fiestas Patrias @ Anaheim, CA
Sept 6: IRIE Jamboree 2K9 (Caribbean music) @ New York
Sept 9-24: Latinbeat 2009 @ NYC, The Film Society of Lincoln Center
Sept 13: Mexican Independence Day @ Penn's Landing, Philadelphia, PA
Sept 12: Korean Cultural Celebration @ Seattle Center
Sept 12: 2009 Hare Krishna Festival of India Tour @ Philadelphia
Sept 13: Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival @ Seattle Center
Sept 19-20: Seattle Fiestas Patrias @ Seattle Center
Sept 21-28: The San José Mariachi and Mexican Heritage Festival @ San Jose, CA
Sept 26-27: 47th Annual Puerto Rican Festival + Parade @ Logan Circle in Center City Philadelphia
Sept 26-27: Italian Festival @ Seattle Center
Sept 27: The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival: Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu (Hawaiian dance) @ San Francisco
to go: professional events
Want to be more involved in the multicultural professional environment or learn about the ethnic markets? Here are some events you might be interested in.
Sept 9: 6th Annual National LATINA Symposium @ Washington, D.C., LATINA Style, 703-312-0904
Sept 16: The 2009 OHIO Diversity Latino Talent & Leadership Conference @ Columbus, OH, Empleos & Employment
Sept 16-18: AHAA 2009 Creative & Account Planning Conference @ Miami, Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies
Sept 17: 18th Annual Hispanic Job Fair @ Concilio Ballroom, Philadelphia, Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations
Sep 21-25: Advertising Week @ NYC
Sept 22: 2009 Women's Leadership Exchange Conference and Summit @ Orlando, FL, Women’s Leadership Exchange
Sept 23: 2009 Diversity Achievement and Mosaic Awards & Forum @ NYC, American Advertising Federation
Sept 24: Portada´s 3rd Annual Hispanic Digital and Print Media Conference @ NYC, Portada
in the news: our clients
’The World of More’ - Comcast to Launch 80 New Networks in California!
Comcast's recent digital upgrade reclaimed analog bandwidth to allow the company to provide more products and services to customers. Comcast’s launch includes 80 new networks: up to 51 high-definition (HD) networks, 13 Spanish language channels, 14 international premium networks as well as faster Internet speeds and more ON DEMAND content.
"We've heard from customers that they can't get enough HD and multicultural programming, so we're excited to exponentially increase our offering of those networks and give even more value to our customers as part of our digital upgrade." said Steve White, Senior Vice President of Comcast's California Region. More...
about us: agency report
Recent Work: See what we've been up to lately; take a peek at our current creative campaigns.
Updates: We enjoy producing exciting multicultural campaigns. See our clients and partners.
Honors: Our work has been recognized -- take a look at our awards.
Sources: United States Census 2000
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