Final Thoughts

Thanks to everyone who has commented on my blog. I found your comments really interesting. It seems that the majority of people who commented believe CSR is motivated by purely self interest. The comments ranged from an argument that CSR is a good pr tactic to the belief that corporations practise CSR to increase their competitive advantage. I also found the example about the tobacco industry particularly interesting. Audrey posed a great question when she asked, how can the tobacco industry say they are socially responsible when it is well known their product kills people and thus hurts society?

On the other side of the argument I did receive a few comments arguing that some corporations do in fact practise CSR for reasons other than those that are just selfish. These thoughts ranged from the notion that companies do want to give back to the communities that have invested in them, to the suggestion that, in the end, a corporation is made of people like you and me, who do care about society, not just money obsessed people who only care about themselves.

I personally believe that CSR motives vary from corporation to corporation. I personally, after researching this topic, do not believe all corporations participate in CSR only for self interest. I do think though, that a CSR programme that benefits both the company and the community is the ideal CSR programme. I do not see the harm in a company benefiting financially from their CSR programme because, in the end, society needs corporations to be successful. They provide society jobs, services, and tax dollars. If a corporation was to fail it would be the ultimate form of social irresponsibility. If however, a corporations motivations are only for self interest, I believe, their stakeholders will catch on and the corporation will suffer accordingly.

CSR and Sport Events

This post is shifting away from CSR transparency and is focusing on how CSR is used for a mega-event.

As I was doing research for my dissertation I found a very helpful article in Sport Marketing Quarterly entitled "More Than Just a Game? Corporate Social Responsibility and Super Bowl XL". It explored the CSR activities executed by the National Football League (NFL) at its 2006 Super Bowl in Detroit, Michigan.

According to the article, the Super Bowl attracts more viewers and creates more revenue than any other single sport event. It is more than just a game however, it is a mega-event which heavily impacts its host city. Therefore, the NFL has taken serious actions towards investing in community outreach programmes in the host Super Bowl city.

These actions include, working with local organisations to develop programmes focusing on issues such as community rebuilding, the environment, youth outreach, and minorities. The article breaks down the Super Bowl CSR programmes based on Carroll's framework of corporate social responsibility, specifically the ethical and discretionary responsibilities, Carroll argues, corporations have towards society.

Carroll describes ethical responsibilities as behaviors and norms society expects businesses to follow which extend beyond what is required by law. Discretionary CSR are philanthropic activities businesses take part in that societies both expect and desire, but these expectations and desires are not as clear-cut as they are for ethical responsibilities. Therefore, executives must use their own judgements as to what discretionary responsibilities they should implement.

Two examples of ethical CSR initiatives executed at Super Bowl XL are:

• Emerging Business Program


• Super Makeover

The Emerging Business Program was launched in 1994 and provided local women and minority owned businesses the chance to participate in the Super Bowl business process through using their products and services. In Detroit, 750 firms were on its resource guide and approximately 250 firms received contracts worth an estimated $5.8 million.

The Super Makeover programme was an initiative to clean up Detroit. Actions included picking up trash, painting over graffiti, and removing weeds in pedestrian areas.

Many CSR programmes were also carried out which falls under Carroll's discretionary CSR responsibilities. Two examples of these are:

• Super Reading Program
• SuperBuild

The Super Reading Program encouraged children to read and use their local public libraries. It included a book drive which, partnered with numerous corporations, collected over 14,000 books and purchased 3,000 new books for the Detroit Public School system.

The SuperBuild programme partnered with Habitat for Humanity and built 40 homes which were shipped to Forth Worth, Houston, and College Station, Texas for families displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

The big question is, what were the motivations for both these and other CSR programmes for this mega-event?

The article mentions a few reasons. For one, it was to prevent the NFL from being perceived in a poor light. Critics of mega-events argue that they have a negative social and environmental impact on host communities. They stress that money that goes towards the event could be used instead for improving education, health care, and/or the environment. By giving back to the local community through initiatives addresses such issues, the NFL is seen as working to improve such conditions and criticism is significantly lowered.

Another reason is, again, image motivated. By targeting women, minority and children through CSR initiatives, they are shaping the NFL's image as an organisation that cares about minorities, women and children and not just the bottom line.

Do these ulterior motives matter though? Yes, the NFL is concerned with pragmatics, but their CSR programmes have been judged to, in the long term, make significant improvements in many of the communities they are carried out in.

I personally believe that this is a good example of how CSR can benefit both the community and the organisation. The NFL, I believe, provides more than just sport entertainment. It motivates children to play sports, stay active and be healthy through both providing them role models, and through their community relations programmes. In return, the league benefits from increased fan loyalty, positive image reputation and increased profits from corporate sponsorship.

Concluding thoughts about CSR transparency

After pondering the idea of CSR transparency I cannot say I have found concrete answers regarding what the motives are which drive corporations to be candid about their CSR actions. After considering all that I have read though, I have personally concluded that the following motivations factor into the decision to publish a CSR report:

1) Keeping up with the latest business trends. CSR reports are by no means mandatory yet an increasing number of corporations have decided to produce one. The buzz throughout the corporate world seems to be that in order to be successful you must be transparent.

2) Pleasing stakeholders. From my research I have deduced that corporations, on the whole, do not create these reports to attract media attention, as it can backfire (see my earlier example about Ford). Rather, they produce them for investors, employees, pressure groups and a variety of other key stakeholders. Those who have vital interests in a company increasingly demand to know more about how a business operates both ethically and responsibility.

3) Pride. I understand that some people may not agree with this, but I do believe a number of corporations are truly dedicated to being socially responsible. If a corporation has devoted their resources and money to a sustainable CSR programme, a CSR report allows them to detail their progress, goals, and issues. It is a way for them to publicly display the work they have done and plan to continue doing.

I am sure there are a number of other motivations involved, and I am curious to find out which motivation factors more heavily then the others. I am sure it varies from corporation to corporation.

What do you think?

CSR for publicity?

In my last blog I talked about an article I read in PR week about CSR and transparency. That same article also discussed whether or not corporations should use CSR for publicity purposes. The article argued that companies that are candid about their CSR efforts solely for publicity purposes do not understand the reasoning behind CSR programmes and reports.

The article observes that the media has, in general, ignored CSR transparency and that CSR reporting should be done for stakeholders, not the media. Those who do publicise their CSR reports may find the results more damaging then helpful. They use Ford's attempt to gain publicity as a prime example of what can go wrong.

In May 2000, Ford released their first ever 'corporate citizenship report' which stated that their popular sport utility vehicle (SUV) was both environmentally unfriendly and dangerous to small car drivers. The candinness of the report was called shocking by some, and Ford used the report to obtain positive media coverage, and gave Ford's chairman, William Ford, the chance to promote his image of a 'green' executive. The article described him as enjoying the attention and said he was eager to discuss the reports openeness with the media. The report even earned Ford some praise from environmentalists.

Ford followed up this report with their 2001 report which again was very open and honest about their struggles to be environmentally friendly, and the environmental goals they were striving to reach. In 2002 however, Ford was in a different situation from the previous two years. The company was facing large financial problems which was affecting their ability to contribute to becoming greener. In May, they announced that their CSR report would be delayed by two months and environmental groups began to call William Ford an environmental poseur. Criticism continued when Ford finally released the report and announced that due to their financial problems their environmental initiatives were to be put on hold, which immediately became a huge story in the media.

This case study illustrates that once a company makes a public statement the public will hold them accountable for it. The public will punish a company that says something only because it is what they believe the public wants to hear. In my opinion, this case study proves that motivation does matter. Ford was motivated by gaining positive publicity, not by a desire to address environmental issues. The media picked up on this and rather then improving their image, Ford, in fact, hurt it.

CSR Transparency

I read an interesting article today in PR Week, “Market Focus: CSR: beyond lip service”, about Chiquita Brands and their candidness regarding their CSR efforts. The article describes how Chiquita Brands revealed that workers in several of their South and Central American facilities had not received adequate safety training. The company also disclosed that several women had been sexually harassed at their facilities in Guatemala and that some workers in Panama were not enrolled in the social security system. All of these admissions were available to the general public in Chiquita’s second annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report.

The article indicates that America is still behind Europe when it comes to CSR activities, but more American companies, like Chiquita Brands, are becoming more transparent about their CSR efforts. In the past, companies did not disclose anything beyond the basic ‘we care’ message, but now companies are increasingly more forthcoming about their goals and strategies towards CSR. This is, in part, due to the understanding that, in order for stakeholders to take CSR reports seriously, the reports must be candid. Michael Mitchell, the spokesman for Chiquita, stressed that their CSR report was not a PR tactic but rather their attempt to be honest about their current achievements, what they want to achieve and where they have struggled.

I wanted to personally read Chiquita’s latest CSR report so I had a look at their website, http://www.chiquita.com/, and I quickly found a link to their 2005 Corporate Responsibility Annual Report. The report initially mentions their core values and code of conduct and stresses how seriously they abide by them. One specific paragraph that stood out to me was their justification for participating in CSR. The paragraph says:

We strive to achieve high standards of corporate responsibility because it is
the right thing to do. It enables us to enhance the trust in our brand,
strengthen our reputation and improve the company’s financial performance, which
is good for all investors.

Other parts of the report that stood out to me was it’s emphasis on the significant amount of investments the company puts into their CSR efforts, as well as how and why CSR benefits the health and growth of the company. It also provides detailed reasons for participating in their various CSR projects. I also found it interesting how they declare that they, along with their employees, are proud of their CSR activities.

After reading Chiquita’s CSR report I am lead to believe that they, in fact, do care about more than just the bottom line. The report demonstrates to me that Chiquita has taken a sustainable and dedicated approach to CSR.

Arguments for CSR

In my last post I summarised a survey analysing business executives attitudes regarding CSR. I realise however, I failed to, in my previous two posts, give a general introduction to CSR and why corporations incorporate it into their strategic planning. Therefore, this post will backtrack a bit and briefly describe and analyse CSR and three different arguments supporting the need for CSR. My apologises if these are common knowledge, but I feel it is necessary for this blog.

There are various academic definitions of CSR, but I believe my corporate communications professor Kate Watts sums them up quite well when she says, "CSR is about how companies manage their business processes to produce a more positive impact on society." From what I have researched on the topic, CSR seems to vary from corporation to corporation. Professor Watts once again provides a good explanation for this by arguing that this is because CSR is about voluntary initiatives codes of conduct and reporting, and because there is no formal framework or definition for businesses to follow.

So why do corporations participate in CSR and not follow Milton Friedman's argument that by corporations accepting a responsibility to society other than making as much money as possible for their stakeholders, they were undermining the very foundations of a free society? In their book Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Stakeholders in a Global Environment, Werther and Chandler challenge this viewpoint and provide three arguments for CSR.

1. A moral argument - They explain that although a company needs profits to survive they are only able to obtain these profits because of the society they work within. Society provides corporations with educated and healthy workers, a safe and stable physical and legal infrastructure, and a consumer market for their products. Without these societal contributions businesses would flop, and therefore a business has an obligation to society to function in a socially responsible manner based on the expectations and values defined by society.
2. A rational argument - While the moral argument is based on subjective values, the rational argument is based on avoiding societal sanctions. By voluntarily addressing socially responsible issues a corporation is saving the hassle of public scrutiny, excess costs and activist attention. CSR is a way to anticipate and act upon societal concerns before they present financial, reputation and operational burdens on an organisation.
3. An economic argument - To put it simply, CSR can add value to a corporation financially. It allows companies to reflect the concerns and needs of their stakeholders which can lead to increased social acceptance and financial benefits over the long term. There is a growing market of consumers and investors who base their investment or purchasing decisions on the reputation and social responsibility of a business. A company that is perceived as socially irresponsible could lose these important stakeholders.

These three arguments have helped solidify the argument for CSR, but arguments two and three are based on corporations acting only in self-interest. As CSR increasingly becoming necessary for corporations to invest in, will society begin to separate corporations who are motivated by self-interest from those who are truly dedicated to social responsibility? I believe, with society becoming ever more aware of public relations and spin, corporations who participate solely in CSR for economic interests, or to avoid being targeted by activists, risk a societal backlash if the corporation's true motivations become publicly known.

A survey by the McKinsey Quarterly

I was sent a link to a survey conducted by the McKinsey Quarterly about the role business executives play as public leaders. I thought it was relevant to my blog topic as it examined the different motivations of executives who play in active role in addressing social issues.

Some of the survey's findings included:

• 1/2 of those surveyed believed business executives should play a leading role in addressing social issues such as health care, education and foreign policy
• In reality though, only one-seventh of the respondents consider themselves to be actively involved in social issues
• Those who play an active role are likely to be board members or CEOs and often represent privately owned companies
• Executives participate in tackling public issues through either their companies' activities or as private citizens

In regards to motivation, the survey found:

• Those actively involved are often motivated by personal reasons and act as private citizens
• Executives who do not play any role in addressing social issues believe that those who do are primarily motivated by business reasons and are acting as representatives of their company
• Almost two out of three executives who claim to take a leadership role however, say they are motivated by personal reasons and act as private citizens
• National and global issues are more important than local issues
• Issues surrounding the health of the US economy, federal regulations, and the supply and price of energy are more important to shareholder value then to executives personally
• The US health care system, foreign policy, and education are issues more important personally to executives than to shareholder value

Factors that influence executives to take part in social issues include:

• Having a strong network of peers interested in public issues
• A in-depth understanding and comprehensive knowledge of facts about public issues
• Meanwhile, the biggest factor that stops executives from taking part is lack of time

From this survey it can be concluded that motivations vary when it comes to business executives partaking in social issues. It was interesting to me that those who claim to be active leaders say they are motivated by personal interests, but those who do not take take part in addressing social issues have a more cynical approach to CSR. They believe that the motivation is based on business reasons. It seems that quite a few business executives believe they have a responsibility to society to be active leaders in social responsibility despite the fact that few actually are.

The article about this survey can be found at: http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/article_abstract.aspx?ar=1909&L2=21&L3=114&srid=246 you must register with the McKinsey Quarterly to see the full article, but registration is free.

Switching from HPR to CSR

It has been awhile since my last post, but I have decided to switch topics and focus on an issue in public relations which I find both interesting and important. That issue surrounds the communication practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR).

I chose to switch my focus to this communication discipline for a number of reasons.

1. I am interested in the career possibilities in CSR
2. The debates and issues surrounding CSR are thought-provoking
3. I am hoping to write my dissertation on CSR and sport

I recently wrote an essay about CSR for my corporate communication class that focused on the various approaches corporations take towards social responsibility. During my research however, another question arose in my mind, one which I hope to find the answer to through this blog. That question was:

Does motivation matter when it comes to CSR?

Throughout my research for my corporate communication's essay I kept coming across the argument that companies should practise CSR because it results in increased profits, keeps advocacy organisations happy (resulting in them leaving the company alone), enhances reputation and creates positive publicity. As I was reading this the question that continually popped up inside my head was, do corporations actually care about "doing the right thing" or is it all about what is in it for them?

I hope I can provide evidence that some corporations are motivated for reasons other then pure self-interest, but we shall see.

Some Questions to Ponder

• Will other countries with large minority communities follow the example of HPR or has this already occurred in other areas across the world?
• Will HPR grow further beyond California, Florida and New York to other markets in the U.S?
• Will all pr practices in America release information in both Spanish and English one day?
  

I hope this blog has been informative and thought provoking for all who have read it. To your right you will find some links to sites that I found helpful when researching HPR as well as some references I used during my research. I look forward to reading your comments and questions regarding HPR and its future.

The Future of HPR

As the Hispanic consumer market grows, and statistics show it will increase rapidly, more businesses will begin to notice the spending power the Hispanic market has. This can only mean HPR will have to increase as well. What remains to be seen however is how serious public relations practitioners will be in developing a successful HPR sector within the industry.

I believe a good foundation has already been laid in HPR and the future of HPR will be a successful one. If those who enter into the HPR industry research and understand the cultural diversity within the Hispanic market, have a strong background in the field of public relations, and execute a public relations campaign accordingly, one that steers away from ethnic stereotypes, they will be on their way to a prosperous career in the field.

Challenges the industry is facing:

Finding a HPR practitioner that possesses both a good understanding of the Hispanic market and is experienced and knowledgeable in the field of public relations could prove to be difficult. Ignasi Vendrell says that currently “minority owned companies, on the one hand, have good resources, multiple contacts and maintain daily community involvement. On the other hand, Anglo public relations firms with Hispanic divisions provide better strategic development and planning”.

In the future I can see this changing. With growth comes competition and HPR practitioners will be expected to have both an inside edge within the Hispanic media and market as well as a deeper knowledge of the practice of public relations.

María Len-Ríos stresses the importance of understanding general public relations by encouraging those interested in HPR to work within a sector of public relations not specifically dedicated to the Hispanic market. By gaining experience within different sectors of public relations you increase your overall knowledge of the industry. She suggests, if possible, to work within a pr practice which allows the practitioner to work on multiple projects, some of which are Hispanic projects.

Another challenge facing HPR is finding qualified Hispanic practitioners. According to a set of interviews taken for a journal article in Public Relations Quarterly, 70 percent of respondents reported it “very difficult” in finding qualified Hispanic professionals. On the other hand, nine national minority-owned HPR agencies reported that 99 percent of their employees are from Hispanic origin. This data confirms that there is a large need for educated and experienced Hispanic-origin HPR practitioners. The study goes further by stating that not only do these practitioners need to understand Hispanic cultures, but they also need to understand and be able to communicate with Anglo cultures. Again, stressing the importance of HPR practitioners having experience in both general and Hispanic public relations.

All of these challenges though are ones that can be addressed and overcome with time. As I stated earlier the status of HPR currently is one that is small but so far successful. I believe it can only get better with time. Hispanic media within the United States has become a massive success and I think we will see the same outcome with HPR.

HPR and Education

Some questions that keep popping up in my head as I do this report are:

• As this sector of public relations increases will pr studies in universities begin to have courses on Hispanic relations?
• Will there one day be a Hispanic Public Relations major?
• Does HPR need universities to offer courses specialising in Hispanic relations or is the knowledge about the different Hispanic divisions within the population something one cannot simply learn through a university course?

Already Florida State University is offering an online course in Hispanic Marketing Communication. Below I have posted a link to the press release.

http://www.hispanicprwire.com/news.php?l=in&id=7793&cha=6

I personally believe universities, specifically those located within a large Hispanic market, will offer courses on HPR or Hispanic Communications. As the industry grows as will the demand for universities to incorporate it in their curriculum. I however do not believe that HPR practitioners will need to study HPR in university in order to be successful. On the job training and gaining experience through working in the industry, I believe, can also be a good form of education. I feel this way about public relations in general however, not just HPR.

Hispanic Market Segments

I wanted to expand a bit on the first myth I mentioned in my last post. That myth was:

All Hispanics have similar experiences and backgrounds.

As HPR grows I believe that the only way it will become successful is by HPR practitioners fully understanding the different market groups within the Hispanic community.

One disparity within the Hispanic population is the term by which they prefer to be identified with. Some Hispanics or Latinos disagree on how they should be identified. Some prefer “Hispanic” while others prefer “Latino” or “Latina”. The term “Hispanic” is sometimes identified with people whose ancestors came from Spain or Portugal while others associate it as an ethnic label issued by the U.S. government. Some pr professionals believe that those who prefer to be identified as “Latino/a” often times are foreign-born or speak Spanish more fluently. A HPR practitioner needs to be aware of this when communicating with their target audience.

This is only one of many differences within the Hispanic population. To get a better idea of the different segments within the Hispanic population I read an interesting report that broke down the Hispanic population by location.

Top 3 Hispanic Markets

• Los Angeles
  
• New York
  
• Miami-Fort Lauderdale
  

When looking at the top three Hispanic markets in the United States you can begin to see how diverse the market is. In Los Angeles almost two-thirds of all Hispanics claim a Mexican heritage while 14 percent come from Central America. In contrast, in New York more than a third are from Puerto Rico or claim a Puerto Rican heritage. Less than ten percent are Mexican. In Miami-Fort Lauderdale however almost half of Hispanics claim a Cuban heritage. Less than ten percent are from Puerto Rico and fewer than five percent are from Mexico.

HPR practitioners must be aware of who they are targeting. Each market holds stronger alliances to their specific nations rather that the overall Hispanic community. Each group has different cultural distinctions and for a successful pr campaign planning, strategy and research into what these differences are is vital in achieving success.

Common HPR Myths

Now that I have gotten a good idea about where HPR currently stands I wanted to look into what some of the common misconceptions were of HPR and the Hispanic community.

Myth 1

All Hispanics have similar experiences and backgrounds. Rather than try and reach the entire Hispanic population with one uniform message HPR practitioners must be aware that there are different groups within the Hispanic community and, in order to be successful, they must understand how to communicate the message to the different groups.

Myth 2

All Hispanics can understand each other. A PR practitioner who simply speaks Spanish is not a guaranteed way of reaching the Hispanic Community. In America not all Hispanic consumers speak Spanish nor do they all share the same colloquial language.

Myth 3

HPR is different from general public relations. Regardless of the type of public relations, basic public relations skills are essential in order to be successful. Just being Hispanic will not get you into the field. As with all public relations, experience and knowledge of the field of pr is essential.

Myth 4

Employing Hispanic practitioners is not important in HPR. Being Hispanic does in fact matter when it comes to communicating with Hispanic consumers. This is because there is a higher trust and more shared experiences between the consumer and the messenger. Numerous studies have shown that Hispanics tend to be loyal to spokespersons or brands with similar backgrounds.

Hispania Public Relations, Edelman, & Contacto PR News: Examples of HPR

A few examples of varying forms of HPR are Hispania Public Relations, Edelman and Contacto PR News. Each company is involved in HPR in different ways. All of them are relatively unique and all of them are contributing to the future of HPR.

Hispania Public Relations dedicate themselves to being “the premier public relations resource for companies and agencies seeking to maximise the impact of their investments, or their clients’, in the U.S. Hispanic market”. They design and execute public relation campaigns for clients’ looking to reach the Hispanic population. They claim to have an extensive understanding of the Hispanic market, such as what they identify with, the differences between the various Hispanic groups, and the different dialects and pronunciations based on their country of origin.

In contrast, Edelman is an international public relations firm that specialises in a wide range of industries and practices. In 1998 they launched “Edelman Multicultural”, which specifically markets to the U.S. Hispanic and African-American populations. They combine knowledge of individual industries, such as healthcare, with expertise knowledge of ethnic backgrounds, thus creating a public relations campaign specifically targeting the Hispanic or African-American communities within the designated industry.

Finally, Contacto PR News is a news release distribution service that reaches the Hispanic news media. Their services include distributing a client’s news release in both English and Spanish to the media as well as translating client’s press releases into Spanish. They work with organisations as well as pr agencies and can either translate a press release into Spanish or will create a press release for an organisation. They allow pr agencies and departments to reach the Hispanic population regardless of whether or not they have pr practitioners knowledgeable of the Hispanic community.

HPR as it Stands Today

When looking at where HPR stands currently, María Len-Ríos says the number of HPR practitioners is small but growing. Her statistics, derived from the U.S. Census Bureau, indicates that 4.2 percent of managers in marketing, advertising and public relations are of Hispanic origin. The same report shows that Hispanics comprise of 5.5 percent of public relations specialists. These figures have increased from the 1995 annual averages.

So what exactly is HPR? According to James Grunig, "Hispanic public relations exists when any or all of the following are Hispanic -the organisation, the public, or the public relations practitioner". HPR can be any of the following:

• Specifically targeting those within the Hispanic community
  
• A specialised sector within a public relations department focused on the Hispanic community
  
• A public relations firm designed specifically to communicate with the Hispanic population.
• News Release Services offering translations and distribution to Hispanic media outlets

Although HPR exists in a variety of formats it still has a lot of growing to do. Jose Nine argues that there is still a lack of understanding regarding the importance of HPR to corporations. He believes that corporate America should follow the examples of major corporations such as McDonald’s and Anheuser-Bush who have already incorporated Hispanic marketing public relations into their strategic marketing communications programs.

Introduction & Statistics

The U.S. Census Bureau defines people of Hispanic origin as “those people who classified themselves in one of the specific Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino categories listed on the Census 2000 questionnaire -"Mexican, Mexican Am., Chicano," "Puerto Rican", or "Cuban" -as well as those who indicate that they are "other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino.” Origin can be understood as the heritage, nationality group, lineage, or country of birth of a person or a person’s parents or ancestors before they arrived in the United States.

In America according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2000 Census there are 35 million American Hispanics. That is approximately 12.5% of the entire population. Additionally they project that Hispanics will become the largest ethnic minority in the U.S. by the year 2010. In 1998 Hispanics spent an estimated $380 billion on consumer goods with this figure expected to reach $938 billion by 2010. This increase has led pr practitioners to examine strategies that would effectively reach the Hispanic population.

According to Frank Pérez, the concept of Hispanic public relations “HPR” is a relatively new one. Traditionally, in the past, public relations campaigns failed to distinguish the differences that existed between minority populations. Within the last seven years however, ethnic marketing and public relations have gained popularity due to the fast growth and increased purchasing power of the Hispanic population. Organisations have now begun to realise the economic importance of the Hispanic population and see this segment of the population as the “majority minority”.

Welcome

Hi everyone and welcome to my blog.

When I was mulling over ideas about trends in public relations I thought back to my internship days at D.C. United Football Club in Washington D.C.. While I was there the need for Spanish speaking employees was quickly increasing. When I was assigned to receptionist duty I often times forwarded phone calls to a Hispanic ticket representative because the caller did not speak English. Later, when the organisation was hiring for the receptionist position one of the job requirements was they must be fluent in Spanish. This made me realise how important it was for Spanish speakers in jobs which communicated with the community.

At D.C. United they have, as a part of their communication team, a position for a manager of Hispanic relations. In addition they also have positions in sales specifically targeted for their Hispanic programs. Although soccer in the United States is heavily supported within the Hispanic community, and thus the reason there is such a heavy emphasis on Hispanic relations at D.C. United, I wonder if this is the case in other sectors of public relations.

This blog will examine how the expanding Hispanic community in the United States is affecting the public relations industry. Are more public relations firms and in-house public relations departments focusing their attention on Hispanic relations like D.C. United has done, and if so how will this affect the future of public relations? I hope by creating this blog I will be able to provide insight and gain a better understanding about this public relations trend.