Our 2022 has been full of incredible projects, campaigns, people, and events that have marked milestones throughout the Latino community in Oregon. We want to share our journey with you by highlighting a few moments that have showcased the impact Latinos have made in the U.S., especially in Oregon.
In a community that flourishes with Hispanics, there is a continuously growing demand for Latino marketing and communications with a personalized approach to multicultural, diversity, equity, and inclusion. The highlighted projects showcase committed initiatives, a touch of personality, and the human connection that resonates with our Latino community.
Let’s navigate this memorable experience together!
1. Unitus Community Credit Union - El Festival de Mariachi
El Festival de Mariachi, a Unitus cultural outreach initiative, was undoubtedly a point of meeting, reference, and enjoyment for Latinos in Oregon. Within the framework of Hispanic heritage month, the event gathered more than 2,500 people at Ron Tonkin Field in Hillsboro.
Izo worked with Unitus to develop, organize, and promote the festival. Inspiring inclusion in our community, while celebrating diversity and shared values, it brought voices together to celebrate all that unites us, leaving an integrative footprint.
Events like these help build relationships based on trust. Unitus values its members and is passionate about giving back. We all enjoyed taking a moment to celebrate Latino culture through the rhythm of the mariachis and a layer of cultural seasoning full of Latin flavor.
2. Portland Art Museum - Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism
When it comes to a communication plan, identifying which communication channels will have the best reach as well as knowing where and how your target audience is seen is vital. This was essential in achieving the Portland Art Museum’s goal of attracting Latinos to its special exhibit of “Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism.”
Educational formats were created to illustrate the purchasing of tickets, the museum schedules, and the necessary press monitoring of the event’s details. This left a mark on the community and established a great approach. Truly an unforgettable experience for seasoned art lovers as well as newcomers.
3. Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Conceptualizing, Production, and Audiovisual Marketing
It is admirable to connect the community with essential programs to improve their quality of life. WIC is an organization that connects through education and available resources that are accessible.
To do this effectively, the team worked hand in hand to assist the public in navigating through the information and instructions as well as using images to convey messaging with instructive animations, since pictures can have a more significant impact than words. As an initial approach to the program, a quality audiovisual product was crafted and addressed the public to answer their questions.
Breaking down barriers, WIC provides quality resources and understands the importance of addressing our community’s specific needs.
4. Portland General Electric Peak Time Rebates | Winter Safety | Downed Lines | Outage Preparedness | Bill Assistance
PGE is an electrical power utility company that genuinely cares about its customers. An energy partner that provides easy and effective solutions with a shared mission to create a clean energy future. By putting a face to the company, a kind smile, and a pleasing tone, they speak in a way that depicts them as a friendly Oregon neighbor.
The first challenge was to connect with the Latino audience in a natural way. We used familiar topics and activities to convey the right messaging tone such as barbecues, actual PGE employee interviews, and all those little details that make us multicultural from gastronomy to the enjoyment of gathering with friends.
The strategy and Latino marketing efforts focused on online and offline communication channels while keeping in mind the specific audience that each communication channel reaches.
5. The City of Tualatin’s Climate Action Plan
The City of Tualatin is building a Climate Action Plan with values of inclusion. The process focuses on allowing everyone to participate including those historically excluded from creating public programs. Therefore, we had the opportunity to help engage minorities by addressing their lived experiences. Essential factors about how and where they live, what information they already possess to make informative decisions for the planet, and what they do during extreme weather events were needed to build the plan for a sustainable future for Tualatin.
Building this plan included public engagement, personal interactions with the locals, and interactive workshops in English and Spanish, for youth, adults, and business owners, along with Latino Business Networking meetings, all to listen to everyone’s perspective.
Community events were also held, such as Viva Tualatin, where residents could stop by to express themselves. At this thrilling event with music, food, and dance, comment boards were displayed to allow English and Spanish speakers to express what they wanted to address regarding climate change. This helped build relationships between the community and the City of Tualatin.
The voices of Tualatin’s residents were heard as they actively participated in a plan for the community’s future.
6. Hispanic Heritage Month Breakfast
Providing a safe space to celebrate and shine a light on the Hispanic community in Oregon has always been at the forefront of the Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Breakfast. For 14 years, it has served as the official kick-off to Hispanic Heritage Month in Oregon bringing together some of the most influential Hispanic leaders, business owners, and community members from throughout the state to celebrate the many contributions Hispanics have made to Oregon and the U.S.
This year, over 300 participants came together to celebrate, including representatives from the private sector, public institutions, nonprofits, and public elected officials/candidates. The event featured inspiring keynote speakers, a community resource fair, food, and a stellar mariachi performance.
Izo helped create PR materials for the event, including a written press release, both in English and Spanish, that was pitched to Spanish and English media and community-based organizations throughout Oregon. Additionally, our design team had a hand in developing creative materials, such as designing a flyer for social media used to promote the event.
The Hispanic Footprint
US Hispanic GDP is expanding faster than Germany, U.K., France, and Japan. U.S. Latinos would be the world’s 5th-largest economy.
Source: Latino Donor Collaborative
The increase in the Hispanic market led media and agencies to consider the growth it presents, its purchasing power, and how they communicate with the Latino market in the United States. Great results come from communication guided not only by familiar terms and language, but also by incorporating the same principles and the significance of family, children, community, and togetherness.
Considering all of this and internally reflecting on this incredible 2022 journey, we are grateful for everyone who has been there to see themselves represented in each of the messages that characterize us. In 2023, we will continue building bridges between communities and organizations, especially for those who are underrepresented.
