Cross-posted at VivirLatino.com

The Coca Cola company, one of the first corporations to dabble in U.S. Latino marketing (and international marketing emperors) is taking the idea of targeting Latin American immigrants outside of their home country to the Spanish market.

Coca-Cola, recognizing the tremendous growth of the Latino immigrant population in Spain — specifically Ecuadorians — has decided to tap into a market that is being ignored by rival beverage companies. They are looking to appeal to the tastes of the Ecuadorian community, who, nostalgic for anything reminding them of home, might embrace a soft drink that does just that. In addition, Coke is doing the same with for the Moroccan community.

The company has decided to bring two of their more popular soft drinks in both countries: Fioravanti, a strawberry drink which is consumed so much in Ecuador that it is only topped by Coca Cola, and Hawai, a fruit juice drink popular in Morocco.

According to Spanish daily 20 Minutos, Ecuadorian immigrants in Spain see this push on Coke’s part as a way to help integrate themselves into Spanish society, and at the same time share some of their culture with the Spanish:

Rita Gotayde, president of the Association of Ecuadorians and Friends of Foreigners (Adeyade), calls the initiatve to bring Fioravanti to Spain “very good”, because she considers it to be way to integrate Ecuadorians and “not only for Equadorians who miss their drink, their food…also for Spaniards who are going to get to know something from our country that is very good.”

Moroccan community leaders are also enthusiastic about their drink hitting the Spanish market, because:

“…it helps integration because it takes into account the Moroccan community’s tastes.”

“It’s not concretely about the drink, even though it’s important, but it helps. We would like that other companies and non-companies to take us into consideration as well.”

Social integration through soft drinks? What do you think?

Via / 20 Minutos

“Chorizo represents growing Latino population in Wisconsin”

That’s what the headline reads and the picture really speaks for itself.

Chorizo, a spicy pork sausage, signed a contract and was presented with a jersey reading “Cerveceros” across the front during Thursday’s mock press conference, an affair stuffed with so many food references it left you with a stomach ache. But this was also serious business.

According to a recent Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel report on immigration, quoting U.S. Census Bureau figures, Wisconsin’s Hispanic population grew by 23 percent from 2000 to 2004 and accounted for 4.3% of the state’s population of around 5.5 million in 2004. The Hispanic population grew by at least 1,000 in nine state counties, including by 14,647 in Milwaukee County.

So adding Chorizo to the lineup of racially stereotyped sausage mascots was the Brewers way of showing this burgeoning population some inclusion. Other ways included translating the team’s name into Spanish (cerveceros) and emblazoning it on jerseys.

This pretty much breaks most of my rules for reaching out to Latinos in a respectful manner. The sausage is wearing a massive sombrero, has a fat moustache and is, well, a sausage. I wonder how many Venezuelans or Puerto Ricans see themselves reflected in Mr. Chorizo? Oh, I forgot, Latinos are a homogenous mass with no cultural identity to speak of between countries. Gimme a break. The only thing that is semi-comforting is that the rest of the nationalities represented in the various sausage mascots that came before Chorizo — Polish, Italian, German — are treated with equal amounts of disregard for cultural sensitivity.

Update: Apparently not everyone is happy about Chorizo…notably MLB’s marketing team. It was fun while it lasted.
Via / ABC News