One of the big challenges with the Hispanic population is that they come from many different countries which have unique and individual customs, traditions, and even unique variations of the Spanish language. This causes them to have different motivations, different perceptions, and different reactions to the same message. Pride in their culture and roots is very important for Hispanics. Therefore, if an advertiser tailors a message to people from Mexican descent, those people of Puerto Rican, Argentinean, Colombian, etc.. descent might not react as well to the message and might even perceive as if they are being ignored by the advertiser or might become offended. Therefore, advertisers need to account for the emotional side of the audience, learn what their “passion points” are, and target them accordingly.

At the same time, as Hispanics become more and more an integral part of the overall American culture and general market, especially as the second and subsequent generations come along, many of them expect to be considered part of the general market. This is a trend African Americans have already experienced and continue to experience. So even though there are still ads and messages out there specifically targeting African Americans, we have seen a steady increase of inclusion of this segment in every-day, general market messages. Thus we have the face of the All State Insurance, the original Old Spice man, and so forth being African American individuals speaking to a general market audience. This trend will be repeated for Hispanics and, at some level, it already is. Consider the “most interesting man in the world” campaign. Even though he is a blue-eyed white looking guy (lots of Hispanics fall outside of the traditional physical appearance stereotype they seem to be subject to), he speaks to the Anglo population by suggesting they can become more interesting if they get a little dose of exotic. Dos Equis, being a Mexican brand, suggests these exotic traits that make people interesting might very well come from that Hispanic touch. At the same time, Hispanics feel identified with the “cool” tag of “being exotic” because of their origins.

The main challenge seems to be how to find the right mix between crafting a message that is Hispanic-inclusive as part of the general market message, or creating a message that is specifically targeted to Hispanics of all countries. Certainly, not an easy decision…

I’ve been playing around with computers since, well, junior high. So what, you might say. However, this was in the 1980s when personal computers were not all that common. I was lucky to grow up in a household that always looked forward to the next new element in technology. We were the first family on the block to have Pong and Atari. I was about 12 years old when Dad and I took apart our first home computer because it stopped working, attempted to fix it and put it back together. And it worked! That was my first tech high.

Fast forward a few years later. I took one of the first DOS programming classes that my high school offered. And the first lesson I learned in programming still holds true to this day: Programs will do what you tell them to do—nothing more, nothing less. I learned that lesson the hard way when my pinball game that I programmed shot the balls the wrong way. And I am remembering it as I learn new coding languages.

When it came time for me to go to college, Dad asked me if I wanted a word processor or a new thing called a laptop. He pushed for me to go for the laptop and to always search out the new. So I agreed. For four years, I wrote college papers and short stories on Toshie. I had my first instant message conversation on Toshie.

Fast forward to 2013. Our mobile phones have operating systems. We heave enraged birds at bewildered green pigs on a variety of devices. We are writing and inspecting code for digital ads for tablets. I am still excited and always get the giggles when I open a box to a brand-new computer/smartphone/tablet/phablet, etc. I’ve been waiting all day to hear the news coming out from the Xbox reveal and to see what I’ll be thinking of buying next.

It’s been a crazy-fun 21 years since I first opened my Macintosh Powerbook 165c and named it Toshie. Those 21 years have been filled with wonderful technological advances that have helped create ideas and shaped our present. What will the next 21 years hold? And will we looking at the pictures of today’s technologies on “remember when” Twitter and FB posts, all the while thinking, “Oh, yeah. I remember that I actually had to touch the screen to make a call?”

Tumblr is a community of creators and Yahoo needs Tumblr to remain pure, and to keep the core users happy. Mayer has promised to let Tumblr operate independently. That means it won’t be painting the platform purple and adding links to all of Yahoo’s media properties. Karp will stay at Yahoo for four years at least and retain a lot of control over the service, much in the same way Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom does at Facebook.

Here are a few initial thoughts on the acquisition:

- According to Quantcast, Tumblr had 184 million unique visitors, and 12.1 billion pageviews last month. While Tumblr started as a desktop-based service, its mobile offering has ramped up quickly in the last few years. ComScore says that a quarter of the service’s U.S. visitors now come from mobile devices. While revenue has been minimal, Tumblr hasn’t been focused on revenue. They’ve been focused on users and product, which is just what Yahoo needs most.

- Mayer said that the company hopes to bring some of the exciting content on Tumblr to Yahoo. How that will be done is unclear, but you could see how Yahoo might highlight some popular or partner Tumblr posts on Yahoo’s homepage ($$$). This move undoubtedly enhances the offerings Yahoo can deliver to advertisers.

- We’re all shifting our attention to mobile devices, and we’ve adopted the “stream” as our preferred method of content discovery and consumption. Tumblr was built as an activity stream, so stream-based ads makes sense for Yahoo’s display ad business. Yahoo actually rolled out “Stream Ads” on its own site earlier this month and has been shifting its home page and other content sections to a stream like interface. That stream doesn’t work so well with standard display. But it’s great for native units, which Tumblr conveniently features.

Whenever a scrappy startup sells out to an established player, users go up in arms and battle cries go out. All in all, I think this is a win for Yahoo – as long as they don’t screw it up. Hopefully in the end, it’s a win for users.

Beginning in February 2013 I attended the Texas Photo Roundup, LA Fotoworks and the Palm Springs Photo Festival. It’s been two weeks since I returned from my last photo review/photo festival so, it is time to compile all that I have experienced and cherished. Photography is my passion, and every time I’m able to focus on the medium I get motivated and inspired all over again. Participation is also motivation because I’ve seen the most amazing work, met the most amazing individuals and reunited with colleagues (now friends) from past events. Plus, it’s a great way to finally put a face to a name, and means networking with other agencies (JWT, Carmichael Lynch), art producers (Kaia Hemming, Sandy Boss Febbo, Bonnie Butler Brown), photo editors (Leslie Baldwin, Texas Monthly) and photo reps (Norman Maslov, Marianne Campbell, Mollie Jannasch), and find those “emerging” photographers (see list below). Most importantly, I’ve found it to be my opportunity to help educate and guide younger photographers who are diving into a very competitive industry.

The reviews are very much like what I pictured speed dating would be like; 1-on-1 every 20 minutes, and to be frank: you may or may not like what you see or who you meet. The photographers pick their reviewers; however, participants like myself have no idea who we’ll be speed dating with. What’s great is that the photographers have a chance to meet with a handful of influential photo professionals in a short period of time without the hassle of running around town or city to city. It also gives the reviewers a chance to meet with photographers beyond their website and phone calls. I personally like meeting photographers in person because it gives me a sense of personality, who we as an agency could potentially be collaborating with, and if they’re a good fit for possibly a long relationship.

Between the three reviews, I found a growing trend of photographers doing stills and video, and as an agency we are doing more and more integrated shoots– and so are producers. If you’re on the fence about attending, the benefits are seeing a small glimpse of emerging photographers, provides exposure for GSD&M, and keeps us up-to-date on current trends in the industry.

Below are a few of the photographers I found captivating. Not all were commercial photographers. Some had a story to tell that I felt was worth passing on. If you want my complete list, please feel free to send me an email.

Click the photos above to enlarge.

Melissa Pierschbacher

(Winner of the 2013 PSPF Portfolio Review)

http://www.melissapierschbacher.com

Melissa is a young photographer out of Atlanta in which she shoots most of her sets in her unfinished basement. She has funded and produced (including casting and set design) all the work seen on her site.

Alison Turner

http://www.alisonturnerphoto.com

(Winner of the 2013 PSPF Slide Show)

David Stubbs

http://www.davidstubbs.com

I liked David’s demeanor. He was relaxed, resourceful, works with a small crew and shoots video.

Photo Journalist Ashley Gilbertson

http://www.ashleygilbertson.com

“Bedrooms of the Fallen”

Matthew Brush

http://matthewbrush.com

Michael Starghill

http://www.michaelstarghill.com

Jess & Cass

http://redstonepictures.com

Jana Cruder

http://www.janacruderphoto.com

Derek Israelsen

http://www.derekisraelsen.com

Jo Ann Santangelo

http://www.joannsantangelo.com

Kimberly Davis

http://www.kimberlydavisphotography.com

Jennifer Boomer

http://www.jenniferboomer.com

James Whitlow Delano

http://www.jameswhitlowdelano.com

Since December 2012, Commander Hadfield has broadened our knowledge of life in space far beyond what we’ve learned from watching Apollo 13 and eating astronaut “ice cream.” The tech savvy Canadian astronaut has spent the last five months not only doing – er – space things at the International Space Station, but on his (gravity) free time has become a bona fide star of social media.

On twitter he’s exchanged tweets with William Shatner, George Takei and other Star Trek actors (among others). He has a popular Tumblr blog filled with amazing photos he’s taken from space (presumably to make us all feel silly about our Tumblr blogs with not-so-amazing cat gifs). On Reddit, he hosted one of the top AMA (ask me anything) threads of all time. But perhaps the place he’s gained the most notoriety is YouTube.

Via the Canadian Space Agency channel, he’s posted dozens of videos to answer pressing questions from those of us grounded on Earth; things like how eyesight is affected in space, how they sleep, and how they brush their teeth. And just a few days ago, he responded to a request to record a version of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”.

Perhaps the most poignant version of the song to date, it’s garnered over 7 million views online and the seal of approval from Mr. Bowie himself. The lyrics and melody of the song are already moving, but paired with views of the Commander moving solo throughout his ship with Earth as his backdrop, it becomes a significant and stunning tribute.

One of his most quotable quotes he said during his Reddit AMA was, “Every decision you make…turns you into who you are.” I guess that means he simply decided to be awesome.

Images courtesy of NASA and the Canadian Space Agency.

First, here are the staggering numbers:
Over 25,000 student teams have applied in the seven years of the Dell Social Innovation Challenge.
Five teams were finalists for the awards. That’s out of 2,600 projects that were sent in this year.
$350,000 was awarded last night to various projects.

Next, the truly inspirational:
Karen Quintos, CMO of Dell Inc.; our co-founder and chairman, Roy Spence; and Blake Mycoskie, founder and Chief Giver of Toms shoes were among the speakers of the night who shared the stories of their companies and gave advice to the young entrepreneurs. They also all touched on the fact that big things start from small seeds. If you think you can’t do something because you’re only one, then think again and think bigger.

Quintos told us that every student has the power to change the world. And that is a LOT of positive change. Spence said that entrepreneurs represent the spirit, passion and drive of the future. He also said that having a purpose with true passion is being brave enough to jump first and learning to fly on the way down. Mycoskie informed us that giving is the most gratifying experience of his life.

Each of the five finalists gave a 90-second speech informing the audience of their projects. All were excited to spread the word of not only why what they are doing is important to them, but also how their projects would help to make the world a better place. The grand prize was awarded to Solar Conduction Dryer for their approach to help improve the economic condition of the Indian farmer population by solar processing of agricultural products.

I walked away with a wonderful sense of purpose. I took notes throughout the night of my projects that I had hoped to start when I attended college and how those might be presented now. I woke up in the middle of the night with the hope that I had passed on seeds of great vision to my students in my almost 11 years of teaching at the high school and college levels. A few speakers touched on this when they vocalized the importance of teaching social awareness and never giving up on your dreams to the next generation of students.

So what are you passionate about and how are you going to help change the world?

Image courtesy of @DellSocialInnov.

Obviously – that must be it.

Going into the trip, we knew next to nothing about what we would be doing. What we did know was that we were going to be filmed for an episode of Trip Flip. We knew the host was a crazy, funny, fun-loving guy named Bert Kreischer (fun fact! The move Van Wilder was based on his life story). And finally we knew we were going to be starting in Miami.

Needless to say, packing was a nightmare – especially for a compulsive over-packer like me. I mean, HOW DO YOU PACK WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING OR WHERE YOU MIGHT BE GOING?

But two weeks after we won the vacation, we were on a plane en route to Miami. I kept a journal on the trip and it was almost filled cover-to-cover with the things that we got to see and do. I’ll spare you the long version and simply say that it was an amazing, jam-packed 11 days.

First in Miami and then on a 7-day Carnival Cruise to Turks and Caicos, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. Throughout the trip we got to play Jai Alai, hang out with Grammy winner Emilio Estefan (you may be more acquainted with his wife – Gloria), go power snorkeling with a barracuda named Ashley, and get pampered like fancy-pants McGoos on the cruise. And eat and drink. Oh my god did we eat and drink.

About four months have passed since the trip and we STILL can’t believe it’s happened. (But – I’ve pinched myself MULTIPLE times and unless I’m in some crazy Matrix-like coma in another reality – the trip really did happen.) And finally, we’ll get to see our trip through the eyes of the camera and the magic of TV editing. If you want to tune in, it airs at 7 PM CST on the Travel Channel this Sunday, May 5^th. (That’s Cinco de Mayo – so be sure to have your margaritas handy!)

In Why It’s Better For Your Career to Be Loathed Than Liked via Forbes, marketers like Erika Napoletano and Saul Colt give insight on how they’ve made a business for themselves on getting noticed and staying far away from the middle of the road. Saul explains, “I never worry about my stunts alienating people because my strategy has always been to be the best in the world at a highly desirable skill and create stuff no one has seen before with amazing results for the people I work with/for.” There’s no time for modesty, shame or pride when you are trying to make a splash.

When it comes to being a brand, it’s harder to earn the superlative title of “best” or “most.” Competition is tough and taking risks is…risky. But with great risk, comes great reward. Here a few of my favorite examples of brands that made me take notice.

Notice me, literally.

Movember makes a scene every year when they convince the men in our lives to grow a mustache and raise money for men’s health issues. When it comes to mustaches, you either into ‘em or not. And when you see a formerly clean-shaven face with a new stash, it starts conversation. You’ll donate, you’ll listen and you’ll maybe even pay them a compliment. Suddenly, everyone’s talking about the art of the mustache, men’s health and Movember.

Pick a side.

The choice to sport a mustache might be polarizing in style, but the cause is rarely questioned. But brands like Chick-fil-A and Oreo have made a bold choice to get noticed by picking a side on a polarizing social issue. Personally, I don’t think gay marriage, chicken sandwiches and Oreos make for a logical combination, but both brands chose to share their opinion publicly. They were honest about who they are as a company and how they felt. It was humanizing for the brands. Both spurred major debate and they were part of conversation in a big way.

As Oscar Wilde says, “There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.” Which side would you rather be on?

Let your freak flag fly.

Of course, I am biased on this one because Southwest Airlines is our client, but fly Southwest Airlines just once and there’s no denying the personality of the brand. From singing/rapping/joke-telling flight attendants to the executive chairman and president dressing up as the Addams family, it’s why you love Southwest. They surprised people by not charging for bags when everyone else was making more money off their customers. They don’t even charge you for changing your flight. They are different. In a competitive industry, they’ve created brand loyalty and made people enjoy flying again by being incredibly different than the rest.

Image courtesy of SWAMedia

Drawing attention to yourself, picking a side or daring to be different is meaningless if you can’t back it up. All of the examples prove that these brands are comfortable with who they are, what they offer and what they want to do. They are willing to risk not being liked and that’s what makes people like them even more.

Three Films to Check Out:

Buck Wild

Set in Goliad County, this Texan comedy-horror zombie flick has been catching buzz at film festivals all around the world. The film satirizes both genres and follows four friends on a hunting-trip-gone-wrong in small town Texas. Think honky-tonk college version of Shaun of the Dead. It is currently nominated for Best Feature Film and Best Texas Film for the festival’s Closing Night Party & Awards.

Curfew

This film won an Oscar for Best Live-Action Short Film back in February and received best-of awards at over twenty film festivals last year. Written and directed by Shawn Christensen (frontman of indie rock band Stellastarr*), Curfew tells the story of a depressed young man, played by Christensen, who is asked to take care of his young niece at the lowest point of his life. It’s simple, but guarantees to touch every little corner of your heart.

The Boy in the Bubble

Voiced by Alan Rickman and directed by Kealan O’Rourke, this animated short take viewers on a Burtonesque 3D journey as Rupert, a ten year old boy, falls hopelessly in love for the first time. When it all goes terribly wrong, he turns to a book of magic and invokes a spell to shield him from emotion forever. This film has been touring the festival circuit all year and won both the James Horgan Award for Best Animation and the Don Quijote Award for a Short Film at the this year’s Galway Film Fleadh. Plus, who doesn’t love Alan Rickman?!

If film isn’t your thing and you’re up for a weekend getaway in the Wine Country other than your token Enchanted Rock hike, our resident Community Relations/Texas History expert David Rockwood has supplied me with some hot spots that emanate with local flavor deep in the heart of Fredericksburg.

Three Things To Do in Fredericksburg:

Pioneer Museum

Wanna get a first-hand feel for the town’s rich German heritage? Here’s your chance. Tons of preserved German structures and artifacts dating back to the early 1800s occupy this 3.5-acre complex right off of Main Street. Living history reenactments, making your own ropes and eating fresh biscuits give you a (delicious) glimpse how the pioneers of Fredericksburg lived.

Fredericksburg Winery

As I mentioned before, Fredericksburg TX is Wine Country, folks. Nestled along the Texas Wine Country Trail, Fredericksburg Winery has an expansive selection of Texas wines and and offers personalized wine tastings throughout the week. Great way to nourish your palate after sampling all the German noms or to kick-start a self-guided Texas vineyards tour.

Admiral Nimitz State Historic Site

Included as a part of the National Museum of the Pacific War, this centerpiece explores the rich history of World War II inside its Pacific Theatre along with the life of U.S. Navy Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. Expect to spend several hours here if you’ve got the time, because this is no short tour. The size alone on Fredericksburg’s Main Street belies just how much there is to the museum and museum grounds.

The Hill Country Film Festival runs May 2nd – 5th and the winery and exhibits are open year-round. Now go enjoy the best of the West! Readers: What are your favorite things to do in Fredericksburg?

(Photos courtesy of Buck Wild, Hollywood Reporter, IMDB, sanscott.com, Texas Wine Trail, and Trip Advisor)

Here are three quick steps to better manage your brand online:

1. Establish your brand online - When someone types your company’s name into a search engine, your website and social media handles should be the top organic search results. You can do this by increasing your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) such as using hyperlinks often and adding in searchable keyword phrases.

2. Monitor your brand online - To solve a simple customer service issue or deal with a major brand issue, you first have to know it is happening. Some of the more popular monitoring tools are Google Alerts, Tweet Deck, Social Mention, BuzzMetrics, Trackur and The Radian6 Social Marketing Cloud. And when it comes to solving problems, know who needs to be involved and who needs to approve responses. In a crisis situation, there is a need for speed.

3. Engage with your community – Know your audience. Identify your brand influencers (strong following and societal pull) and talkers (fans). Build relationships with these people because they can be your strongest advocates. Listen, respond and add value.

From fast and direct feedback to two-way communication with customers, there are many benefits of using social media as a brand platform. The rise of social media has even created less of a need for traditional focus groups. But to enjoy all that social media can do for you, you have to establish your infrastructure, processes and community. Then you’re on your way to making happy customers even happier.

Check out this social listening flow chart for further practice when engaging with your community.

Kristin is the communications department intern and shared this post with us as a part of her semester digital media brand exchange project at UT.