By Liliana Gil, Host Moments2CultuRise and XL Alliance Managing Partner
The culture of beauty pageants is one of those Latino passion points that brings us together regardless of country of origin. After all, if you’ve followed Miss Universe in the last few years, it is no surprise that Latinas are known to take the lead as finalists and winners for the most prestigious pageant in the world! So, today’s key insight is around the influence that pageants represent for Latinos. Similar to the passion and country-pride that soccer evokes and the drama that draws Latinos to novelas, pageants bring people together to celebrate and cheer for their favorite contestant, paralleled with the chisme and drama of las reinas (the beauty queens) on their journey to win the crown.
With a full TV production crew, industry professionals and a celebrity panel of judges, the Miss Dominican Republic US 2011 kicked-off its official summer events this past Saturday with their casting call. Hosted in New York City, Miss Dominican Republic US is the most exclusive beauty pageant in the U.S. due to its association with the Miss Dominican Republic Universe and the Miss Universe franchises. The winner in the U.S. gets the unique chance to represent the Dominican community in Santo Domingo as an official province, competing to win the title that could take her to Miss Universe. So, if you were wondering how to reach Dominicans in a new way, events like this may present an innovative platform to differentiate.
I had the chance to experience firsthand the caliber of talent and content produced while at the event… which to me translated into opportunity, opportunity and opportunity! While most of us know and recognize the important of the Mexican market in the U.S., the Caribbean audience (primarily Puerto Rican and Dominican) is the Latino force that moves the northeast. A report by the Center for Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies provides great insights on population distribution across the boroughs and specific demographics for the over 2.5 million Latinos, 27.5% of the population, of New York. There are over 600,000 Dominicans in New York, and 82% of all Dominicans in the U.S. reside in the Northeast, followed by Florida.
Net, net, if you want to grow in the biggest and most influential city of the U.S. there is no other option but to win over the hearts of Boricuas and Dominicans in Nueva York. While many know of the usual parades and local music events in New York to reach these markets, pageants tend to get forgotten. What most people don’t know is that besides a crowning ceremony, Latino pageants have a number of parties, press events, fashion shows and many other official events that provide multiple opportunities to reach the market and integrate organically. Similarly Miss Universe, which is broadcasted by NBC/ Telemundo, also presents various opportunities for brand integrations surrounding the stories camino a la corona.
Platforms like this event, which includes an aggressive social media marketing platform, branded YouTube channel , and collaborations with major local media companies like LaMega 97.9FM and partnerships with local TV stations; provide the elements for brands to activate a turn-key solution that gets them closer to the core of Dominicanos. So next time you think of winning in the northeast , remember that your typical Hispanic tactics may need to get tweaked with extra sprinkles of sabor caribeño to make them relevant.
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