Santa Monica-based Entravision's political ad sales will double to $12 million from the last presidential cycle, said Lloyd Walmsley, an analyst in San Francisco with Thomas Weisel Partners.

Univision Communications Inc., which went private last year, expects to take in as much as $20 million in political ads in the second half of 2008, Chief Financial Officer Andrew Hobson said. That would represent a full-year gain of as much as 78% from 2004...

Azteca America, owned by Mexico City-based TV Azteca, almost doubled its political ad sales from 2004 during the primaries, and projects similar gains in the general election, said Brian McCullough, director of spot TV sales in New York. Azteca has nine affiliate stations in Colorado, Florida, New Mexico and Nevada, he said.

Telemundo, part of General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal, also enjoyed record primary spending, said Enrique Perez, senior vice president of sales, who wouldn't provide specific numbers.

Via / LA Times

“We Latinas love to look our best all the time,” said Arrarás. “The Color Me Gemz line is great fun — and more. Girls can combine creativity, imagination and self-expression to make jewelry works of art to dress up all their outfits, just like mom!”

The Color Me Gemz collection is a brand new line that allows girls to create their very own fashion-forward jewelry with the touch of a pen. Creating dazzling Color Me Gemz pieces is quick, easy and fun. Girls simply use the included jewel-toned marker pens to color specially designed facets that create the appearance of an actual gemstone so they can sparkle and shine wherever they go.

Girls can choose from four adorable Color Me Gemz sets, including a Necklace Set, Bracelet Set, Belt Set or Decorator Set. They can even create and decorate their own fashion accessories including a purse or hat. Girls can store their Color Me Gemz masterpieces in the new Color Me Gemz Jewelry Box, which can also be gem-ified inside and out.

“Color Me Gemz is more than just a toy. It’s an ideal contemporary activity set, combining two things girls love - arts and crafts and the magic of jewelry,” said Chris Byrne, The Toy Guy(R)(R). “It’s easy and rewarding for kids to use, while inspiring focused creativity and giving girls something they can proudly display as their own creation.”

Nominees for the first ever annual “Tecate Premios Deportes” (Tecate Sports Awards) were announced today by Univision."
Tecate is an alcoholic product. The awards sponsor is Heineken USA and FEMSA Cerveza. FEMSA is the largest integrated beverage company in Latin America.

Love and Fuego will be located at the Best Buy store in Secaucus, New Jersey, while Jowel and Randy & Zion will be at the Best Buy location in Puerto Rico, all possible through Xbox 360’s online gaming service, Xbox live®.

Fuego and Love will also be autographing copies of their new compilation cd/dvd, Chosen Few III, for fans and showcasing new ways that Xbox 360 can help families connect and have fun together.

When: Saturday, June 28, 2008
11:00 a.m. — 3:30 p.m. est

where: Best Buy
925 Patterson Plank Rd.
Secaucus, NJ 07094

looked too much like a keffiyeh, what Malkin describes as "the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad.

But this year seems to be especially special because my inbox has been flooded with Cinco de Mayo marketing tie-ins way beyond your normal Mexican hat dance drinking games.

When I first saw the ad, I was amused. My first thought was that the map in the ad looked like a less detailed version of the map used to negotiate the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. Any Chicana/o Studies student knows that map quite well. Second, I figured the Minutemen types and reconquista fear mongers would have a field day with the ad.

Carmen at All About Race notes the ad's problematic nature this side of the border.

Although the ad appeals in a daydreaming, head cocked to the side, eyes toward the sky “if only…” kind of way it is divisive given our overheated idealogical wars about immigration in this country. Mostly, I think the Reconquista ad was a dumb move on Absolut’s part for a simple non-political reason. You want to associate a liquor brand with feeling good, happy. And now, my once a year Absolut Mandarin and cranberry feels tainted. 24 hours ago I thought Absolut and I thought of cool print ads, backlit bars, too loud music, and laughter. Now, I think Absolut and all that’s going through my mind are the contentious threads [and here] I’ve been reading in response to this ad.

Personally, I find Absolut's Maya ad much more offensive than this.

Update: Absolut apologizes after the reaction on right-wing blogs:

"In no way was it meant to offend or disparage, nor does it advocate an altering of borders, nor does it lend support to any anti-American sentiment, nor does it reflect immigration issues," Absolut said in a statement left on its consumer inquiry phone line.

Via / All About Race

Our goal is to have 250 parties across the nation, the week of July 8, 2008; we hope most will take place the weekend of July 11 to 13.

I think this is actually a great idea and a great way to bring excitement back into the lit world.

If you want to host a party, you can sign up here.

Via / Mi Blog es Tu Blog

New York-based Big Tent Entertainment has entered into an agreement with MGM Consumer Products to become the exclusive licensing agent for Argentina and Chile, the two companies announced Thursday. "Latin America is a burgeoning marketplace for branded entertainment and I believe it will continue to be so for the foreseeable future," said Richard Collins, president and CEO of Big Tent.

Paul Flett, vice president of worldwide marketing and promotions at MGM, added that the characters of Pink Panther and Rocky have remained hugely popular in both territories over the years -- with Panther TV episodes still airing there to buoyant numbers.

Via / Yahoo! Entertainment

I found this on the Just Jared blog, where a debate has broken out on whether or not Shakira is "iconic" enough to share the spotlight with M and MM. What do you think?

Via / Just Jared

The Dr Pepper Sabrosura Art Contest entries have been narrowed down to the top 23 semi-finalists. Starting today, online voting at http://www.drpeppersabrosura.com, will determine five finalists and the grand prize winner. That one "spicy" artist will receive almost $10,000 in cash and have the opportunity to display his or her artwork on Dr Pepper packaging and promotional materials. Through the Sabrosura Art Contest, which began in October 2007, Dr Pepper encourages Latinos to express their individuality and their zest for life - characteristics that have been a cornerstone of the Dr Pepper brand for more than 30 years.

Via / CNN Money

Image Via / Red Tape