Tom Kadala on the Hispanic Consumer

Opinion: Hispanic Children Feed Camels rather than Reindeer

Up North… “T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...”

While Down South… The balmy trade winds carried the songs of carolers who stopped from door to door to visit friends, share a special meal, or break up a “piñata.” Stashed away is a figure of jolly ole Saint Nick with his rosy cheeks, white beard and red suit to remind children that the Child Jesus would soon arrive bearing gifts for all.

But the moment of greatest anticipation wasn’t Christmas at all, but rather the day (January 6) when the Three Kings traveled on their camels to visit Baby Jesus bearing gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. On the night before their arrival, January 5th, children from all over Latin America fill a plate or shoe box with grass so the camels can feast while the Three Kings leave them gifts.

...and so it happens throughout most Latin countries during the Christmas season. There are some interesting subtle variations from each Latin American country. A few are listed below:

In Mexico, Christmas celebrations begin on December 16, and for nine days children dressed in elaborate costumes representing Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds, reenact Biblical scenes from the Nativity. Celebrations culminate with the traditional splitting of various piñatas filled with candy.

In Puerto Rico, Christmas eve begins with carolers playing traditional instruments and singing holiday songs, at designated doorsteps of family and friends. As they go from home to home and grow in numbers, the carolers are finally invited in at their last stop for a traditional chicken soup. On Christmas Day, children open a few presents not from Santa but rather from their parents. Some homes may include images of Santa as part of the overall festive decorations. However, the children anxiously await for their gifts on the magical day when the Three Kings arrive.

In Venezuela, the Nativity scene is placed beneath a Christmas tree. At midnight on Christmas Eve, the Child Jesus is believed to leave gifts for the children under the tree. Unlike Puerto Rico and Mexico the major gifts are given on Christmas Day followed by smaller gifts, if any, on Three Kings Day.

In Dominican Republic, the influence of Haitian superstition also referred to as “voodoo” is evident. Before the New Year, residents wishing for good luck and fortune are expected to thoroughly clean their homes and replace their old clothes by December 31. For those that cannot afford a Christmas tree, they decorate their homes with branches painted in white to resemble the “snow” from a white Christmas.

Can you imagine Christmas without Santa Claus? Most Hispanics do.

Tom Kadala is the president of ResearchPAYS, Inc., a strategic business consulting firm dedicated to the development and expansion of Hispanic consumer markets. - (www.researchpays.net). Mr. Kadala can be reached at tom@researchpays.net.

Opinion: Proper Hispanic Representation on Committees or Task Forces is Vital

With the increasing number of Hispanics joining the work force, corporate leaders are constantly looking for innovative ways to address their issues. Some companies form committees or task forces to evaluate key issues and provide viable options. Committee members are usually selected based upon their individual qualifications and relevant expertise. If necessary and if budgets permit, they also tap on outside consultants.

Allowing a committee to do your thinking makes a lot of sense. But what happens if the member selection process is flawed? Sometimes budgets are tight and committee members are selected based upon availability rather than their ability to identify and solve problems. For example, in the case of committees formed to address Hispanic issues, it is not uncommon to find that most committee members have little or no knowledge of Hispanic issues and concerns. What then?

At a regional bank in upstate New York, the CEO appointed his top lending officer to become the head of their multi-cultural initiative. His mandate was to hire and train more Spanish-speaking Hispanics from the same communities the bank served. Months passed and progress was slow. Left with unanswered questions, the CEO asked his newly appointed Diversity Officer to lead a task force to evaluate the issues and provide recommendations. The task force included other senior members from the bank who had limited knowledge of Hispanic cultures. Their findings showed that there was no problem within the bank but rather the market was slow to respond due to ‘outside factors’. When asked why there were no Hispanics on the task force, the response was mixed. Off-record, one member shared that he feared losing his job to a Hispanic and therefore had little motivation to include their input.

At a prestigious school in Westchester, New York, the headmaster formed various committees to explore ways to leverage the growing diversity among their student body. Committee members were encouraged to attend national conferences on diversity and implement a list of newly acquired ideas. When the roster of committee members was shown to the parents, one attendee noted that their committees lacked a member with a native Hispanic background. He asked, “Without proper Hispanic representation, how could a committee develop viable solutions to leverage the diversity among Hispanic students?”

Both corporate and academic leaders tend to believe that a group of bright minds can solve any problem. But when it comes to solving issues concerning Hispanics, both tend to omit a key component, namely, Hispanic representation within their committees. The reason goes beyond the issue of fairness. Hispanic representation is vital to successfully evaluate complex issues from a Latino perspective. With more than 30 cultures represented under the Hispanic category, having someone who can navigate and appreciate the diversity among Hispanic cultures is not just a good idea but ‘mission critical’.

Tom Kadala is the president of ResearchPAYS, Inc., a strategic business consulting firm dedicated to the development and expansion of Hispanic consumer markets. - (www.researchpays.net). Mr. Kadala can be reached at tom@researchpays.net.