• "Brands that want to reach ethnic minorities online are not doing a very good job," Hispanic Marketing 101 reported January 3. A survey by "Yahoo!, Mindshare and Added Value found that according to Hispanics, blacks and Asian-Americans, digital advertising does not engage them. When asked for three brands doing a good job reaching them, most said they couldn't name even one. One big reason was that respondents felt their ethnic groups were poorly represented in messaging."
• Although conventional wisdom is that Latinos tend to be Republican in Florida, a report by the Pew Hispanic Center shows a swing in recent years. Party affiliation among Latino registered voters in Florida was tracked between 2006 and 2012. While there were 414,185 Hispanics registered as Republicans in 2006 compared to 369,902 as Democrats, by 2008 there were 445,526 Latino GOPs but 513,252 Democrats. That trend is holding in 2012 with 452,619 Republicans and 564,513 Democrats. – Pew Hispanic Center, January 23, 2012
• "News Corp. is teaming up with a Colombian television broadcaster to create a Spanish-language broadcast network for the U.S., attempting to challenge Univision Communications Inc. and Comcast Corp.'s Telemundo. MundoFox, owned by News Corp.'s Fox International Channels and Colombia's RCN Television SA, reflects a rush by media companies to cash in on the booming U.S. Hispanic population – one of the few significant growth opportunities for media companies in the U.S." – Online Wall Street Journal, January 23, 2012
• Gisel Ruiz has been promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer for Walmart. In that post, which she will take February 1, Ruiz will be responsible for the company's U.S. operations, which cover more than 3,800 stores and include Supercenters, discount stores, Neighborhood Markets and Walmart Express formats. – Latina Style, January 20, 2012
• Eduardo Chaillo, executive director of meetings for the Mexico Tourism Board, was named one of the "25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry." Chaillo was honored because "He's got one of the hardest jobs in the meetings business right now – selling Mexico – and he's doing a first-rate job." – Successful Meetings, January 23, 2012
• Pope Benedict XVI will visit Cuba from March 26 to 28, following a trip to Mexico, the Roman Catholic Church in Cuba announced. It is the first visit to Cuba by a pontiff since 1998. – Huffpost Miami, January 2, 2012
• Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez vowed to pull out of a World Bank arbitration process that could force his country to pay billions of dollars to foreign companies, like Exxon Mobil, whose property he has nationalized. – New York Times, January 22, 2012