Creativity Is My Culture – Why I Didn’t Open a ‘Hispanic’ Shop – Gary Bentz

“In my professional career I have done a pretty good job at carving a niche for myself as a creative director in the so called Hispanic ad industry. As such, Ive brought my “Latino-ness” to the party. Ive brought insights to the Latin culture to help client partners be relevant to this segment of the population. And Ive enjoyed every minute of it. Ive had the honor of working with clients such Miller, Pepsi, Gatorade, Burger King, Verizon and General Motors, to name a few. With these clients, Ive had the opportunity to work with some of the best talent in the commercial world. It has helped me validate my position and my creative talent my portfolio is proof of that. It has also taught me something about culture.

Its all cool to address us Latinos in our own language and its OK to make the images livelier with bright colors and big bold letters. Im fine with bringing the family and the hot music to help connect. While this is the first instinctive approach to make sure everyone is on board with what must be in target, I dare to challenge those who think we Latinos live in that exclusive traditional box. “

• The mayor of a wealthy suburb (San Pedro Garza Garcia) of Monterrey said Monday that he has sent his family to the United States for their own safety as he pursues his campaign against extortion and kidnapping gangs.
• Hispanic Entrepreneur profile: Entrepreneurship began early for Gándara family – El Paso
• The purchasing power of Hispanics is growing at a rate nearly 3 times as fast as that of the general population in Arizona and nationwide, said an Arizona State University business expert who has studied the market for 14 years.
• Latino population growth adds to House seats – 6 states expected to gain congressional slots due to surge in Hispanic numbers
• Trend Toward Smaller Families in Latin America – The number of people per household in Latin America will fall by 18 percent by 2020, according to a study released in this capital Tuesday by consulting firm Euromonitor International.
• Latinos make up a combined 77% of the population growth in the eleven states projected to lose a House seat – would have fared worse had Latinos not moved there in record numbers
• After the 2010 Census, new Members of Congress in states like Georgia and South Carolina as well as Arizona and Texas will owe their positions, in part, to the expanding Latino population.
• ASU, ALRE release major study on Arizona’s Latino population – (direct link to report & powerpoint)
• Members of a Guatemalan family living in Marin County are now separated by thousands of miles after immigration officials deported the parents of three children overnight. – California
• Mexico’s family-friendly hot spots – Consider heading to locales in Nayarit and Oaxaca, where surf, sun and inexpensive attractions have been a hit for one family of four.
• Hispanic population growing in Eau Claire, Wisconsin
• Like California’s 30 years ago, Oregon’s growing Latino population is reaching a tipping point: A critical mass of Latino professionals is starting to organize and influence state and local politics. – dubbed Latino Agenda for Action
• APA Poll Finds Stress Having an Impact on Families, Hispanics
• Latinos need more than lip service – Families are being torn apart by America’s broken immigration system. President Obama needs to show leadership and fix it – (the view from England)
• The Economic Benefits of Immigration to Louisiana
• Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has appointed three people to the state’s Latino Family Commission – has never met since it was established in 2007 (?)
• Hispanic culture becomes part of Western North Carolina landscape
• Country of Origin Profiles: Browse detailed demographic and economic profiles of Hispanics in the United States by their countries of origin.
• Hispanics Increasingly Leaving Established U.S. Gateway Communities – new research by the University of New Hampshire
• Eros Triumphs…At Least in Some Places, Mapping Natural Population Increases – The article maps the geography of natural population increase in the United States by county and type of area and assesses the social factors that contribute to these data. Morrill also considers the roles of migration, immigration and the “culture wars” in population shifts.