I've been fascinated with the active potential of Widgets possess in today's rapidly changing economy. A means for a product or service to create a hyper-threading based narrative around what they represent. Especially when one considers the social media and tech trends that have surfaced in the last year as a result of the Obama campaign - (Twitter, Facebook etc.).
The reality is that Widgets don't just work for any product or service. However for those associated with 'lifestyle' oriented goods it represents your opportunity to create a lifestream centered on what makes your product valuable.
Nike is an example of company already tapping into the power of Widgets.
"Youth audiences consume and edit media in ways that a lot of people who have been in the business a long time have a hard time relating to," said Cookson. "These young people grew up in a world where the Internet and mobile phones have always been there. The way the young consumer operates is very different to previous generations."
Best of all, Widgets provide brands with a tool that can educate and engage with emerging markets. It makes it possible to gain customers through auxiliary tech trends, an example being GPS applications that are increasingly being made for mobile handsets...
ESPNDeportes is probably the ONLY Spanish-language media outlet that covers Winter X in detail. Amazing if you think about it considering the scope and size of the Latin youth market. If there's another resource out there, I'd like to check it out...
QUIEN: ESPN Winter X Games y Aspen Skiing Company
QUE: Fechas del evento Winter X Games 13
CUANDO: 22 al 25 de enero de 2009
DONDE: Buttermilk Mountain, Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado
Now its just a matter of time before diverse athlete talent integrates into the Winter X Games lineup...I'd be willing to bet that snowboarding is the sport that leads the charge.
Sorry if you don't understand Spanish...the youth market definitely falls under the sphere of influence with this unique project.
El Modelo de al Nuevo Agencia is a collaborative e-book being put together in Argentina. It is not associated with a specific agency...
This project's goal it is to reflect and understand the evolving role advertising and marketing in an era of globalization dominated by technology trends.
The point is that everything is changing right now, so shouldn't the advertising and marketing profession around the world adapt with the change too?
El primer E-Book colaborativo sobre el tema
Este es el primer e-book colaborativo que se propone reflexionar sobre el rol de las agencias de publicidad y marketing en el nuevo entorno de la globalización, las nuevas tecnologías, la comunicación digital y los nuevos consumidores: Si la tecnología cambió, los medios cambiaron, la sociedad, la cultura, los hábitos, las crisis financieras y los consumidores cambiaron; ¿no será que la agencia de publicidad como empresa y los profesionales que en ella trabajan, también deberían hacerlo? ¿Cuál es el modelo de la Nueva Agencia?
Makes me think of Thomas Friedman's 'The World is Flat' theory...
ESPN Deportes, with fairly regular effort, has added action sports content in Spanish. A story involving surfers going snowboarding got my attention.
Here it is in English or Spanish.
This story's events took place last season. Though its not fresh information, its an attempt to translate the experience to another audience Plus whether or not by design, the focus on taking surfers into snowboarding works the message in a little better...why?
For the most part, Latin Americans come from warm climates. Beach culture and lifestyle is already a familiar to many. Seeing and understanding snowboard lifestyle's roots in surfing helps get the message across. It flattens perceptions. You breakdown those mental barriers and you open folks up to possibilities...willing to try something new.
Since the Millennial generation is global, and Latino teens compromise most of it in the U.S., then that means a sizeable segment of the youth market really stretches from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego right?
Technology adoption and penetration is increasing dramatically, which means the conversation with the Americas is greater. Companies should be capable of going bilingual, bicoastal, and binational with their message.
There's a distinct board sports subculture out there with stories to tell. Social media trends are providing the tools to share the stoke. Think about your product or service elasticity. Is it something that can be done in other parts of the Americas?
Here's a case for why its possible with the skate/snow/surf industry.
Recent trends:
- Marketing opportunities climb with the rise in U.S. Latino population.
- Web marketing no longer overlooked by bigger companies.
- Access to the Internet in parts of Latin America is growing.
Brazil added 7.4 million Internet users in 2007 (17% growth),
Mexico more than 2.2 million (an 11% increase) and Venezuela 1.58
million (38% growth). Via - Vivir Latino
Why should Latin America be considered important to on overall Latino marketing strategy?
Simple...there are lots skate/snow/surf experiences to be had and shared with family and friends. The size of the Latin niche action sports market is poised to grow in 2009. Plus, Latin American board sports culture offers U.S. Latinos an inspiring path towards "retro-acculturation".
There are a number of Latinos out there looking for new and inspiring content. Digital downloading is a gateway to sharing "el mundo nuevo."
Now you can instantly own all these classics on your computer, iPhone or other mobile device. Via - Snowboard Mag
For more on this go to: alternaactionfilms.com/digital-downloads-now-available
Here is an example of Latino youth exerting a "personality" on pop culture. The Martinez Brothers demonstrate the meaningful and lasting influence of introducing successive generations to new things.
After discovering his sons’ interest in online mixing programs like VirtualDJ but disapproving of the profanity of the hip-hop songs they were playing, Mr. Martinez bought them their own equipment — and some music.
“My dad comes from where D.J. culture began,” Stevie Jr. said. “So he’s like, ‘Let me show these guys where D.J.ing comes from.’ We gravitated to disco because everything was live. The musical aspect of it was something that hip-hop didn’t have.”
It wasn’t long before the boys made their father a mixtape, and its quality made him pull over his car while he was driving on Interstate 95. “I called Stevie on my cell, and I say: ‘You guys did not do this cassette. Stop playing around with me,’ ” Mr. Martinez recalled. “Stevie was really good with the deep house, and Christian was good with the disco. My head started to spin. One was 14, and one was 12.” - Via NYTimes
PlayMovil Project se forma en el año del 2001 con la intención de hacer
música que play y móvil componían en sus tardes libres..el primer
trabajo que realizan como banda es la música para la exposición de arte
“El color locura” del artista Xavier de Maria y Campos….mas adelante
playmovil sigue trabajando en canciones y experimentando mas con la
voz…esto da pie a concentrarse en grabar su primer material
discográfico…
Curious to understand the emerging technology for next year? Check out the Top Seven Social Media, Online Marketing and Internet Trends for 2009.
All of these are going to be influential relationship builders with the multicultural youth market.
This week the New York Times, 'A Faltering Economy is Felt Even on the Beach', reported on the state of the surf industry. The current economic climate is definitely having an impact on an industry that does $8 billion a year.
“This is an aging market,” Case said, owing to diminished birth rates 12 to 16 years ago.
There were 2.4 million surfers in the United States in 2007, according to Case, up from two million in 2004. But more than 50 percent are older than 25. In 2007, the average surfer was 29, which has hurt surf retail.
“The 25-plus market, they don’t buy as many T-shirts or pairs of sandals,” Case said. Via - The Faltering
Again, can't help but notice the need to reach younger consumers. Like snowboarding, surfing is going to need a better job of marketing itself to the changing demographics found in the youth market.
Must repeat this stastic...one in four teenagers in U.S. is Hispanic. By 2020, the Hispanic teen population will have grown 62% compared to 10% for everyone else.
Still wondering where the future young surfers are going to come from?
There's a reason why Mountain High Resort is recognized as the leader in reaching out to the emerging multicultural youth market...Being an hour and half outside L.A. is only a part of it.
The twin Brazilian street artists made their way to Havana. SuperTouch posted some nice pics of their work.
"Working class today....tomorrow Nuevos Ricos!"
Kurimanzutto has an interesting upcoming art show in Mexico City that will run from Dec 2, 2008 to Feb 15, 2009. The title of it is "Nos Cambiamos de Domicilio" - "We Changed Addresses"...
