Flag of Mexico. The tri-colors of the Mexican flag predate Italy's flag.

Today our neighbors to the south are celebrating a significant national milestone. September 16 or “El 16 de septiembre” is a very special day in the history of Mexico. This year is the 200th anniversary of its independence from Spain and the 100th anniversary of the Revolution.

Both dates are significant milestones in Mexico’s history, the first marking the start of a ten year effort by Mexicans to free themselves of Spanish rule and the second, another ten year struggle to break the chains of the dictatorship of President Porfirio Diaz.

Mexico has elaborate plans to celebrate this important occurrence ranging from parades to art exhibits to musical concerts in the country. Mexico is also encouraging Mexicans living outside of the country to hold celebrations of their own to not only mark this historic occurrence, but to also celebrate and promote Mexican art, music, food and culture.

In keeping with this, RIESTER worked with our client, HERDEZ® to develop a promotional campaign that promotes Mexico’s rich cultural and culinary traditions. The campaign includes the sponsoring of Telemundo’s five bicentennial shows in which it airs videos that teach Mexican food enthusiasts how to prepare authentic Mexican meals. The campaign also has a sweepstakes in which two lucky HERDEZ® Salsa enthusiasts will win an HERDEZ® Salsa catered party for themselves and twenty family and friends!

But the promotion of authentic Mexican food for this historic and festive occasion did not end there. HERDEZ® also reached out to Mexican restaurants across the U.S. by participating as a sponsor and exhibitor of the Mexican Restaurant Association’s (MERA) convention whose theme this year is, “A New Era of Mexican Cuisine—The Largest Culinary Bicentennial Celebration in the United States”.

Happy bicentennial Mexico! Let’s help our neighbors celebrate by enjoying some authentic Mexican food with HERDEZ® Salsa!

To learn more about HERDEZ® and how to prepare great tasting Mexican meals using HERDEZ Salsas, visit HERDEZTraditions.com.

Hispanics are a growing and important demographic group in the United States and Latina women have been steadily and increasingly establishing themselves in all facets of American life.  The Conference’s luncheon speaker, U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, the first Latina to serve on a president’s cabinet is a wonderful example of how Latinas’ hard work has allowed them to move into important positions of political, social and economic power and responsibility.  But the conference does much more than just highlight accomplished Latinas.   It also serves to inspire younger Latinas to follow their dreams and work toward making them a reality.  A great example of someone who is doing just that is 16 year old Toni Gutierrez, a youth leader being honored in Phoenix today and who will also speak at the luncheon. 

HERDEZ, Mexico’s favorite salsa, proudly applauds the accomplishments and efforts of all Latinas to improve their lives and those of their families as well as inspire others to do the same.  To show its support, HERDEZ has elected to be the centerpiece sponsor for the scholarship benefit luncheon. The luncheon—which is sold out—is an assembly of a Who’s Who in the Hispanic community and serves as a showcase for Latina accomplishments.

HERDEZ is proud to support the Hispanic Women’s Conference.  These women are an integral and important part of American society.

“This new website gives people of Mexican descent an opportunity to reconnect with their culture,” said Sergio Carlos, director of multicultural services for RIESTER. “The traditions, recipes and the other components of herdeztraditions.com resonate with the vibrancy of the Mexican cultural heritage and highlight the central and essential role food plays in the Mexican culture.”

With the new website, visitors can explore various regions throughout Mexico via an interactive map of the country. When clicking on the region of their choice, the user can view a background on the region and its culture, which includes authentic recipes from the area. Additionally, the site highlights significant holidays in Mexican culture, which offers visitors a historical perspective of the importance of each holiday. This section also includes an appropriate recipe for that holiday tradition.

“The new Herdez website brings authentic Mexican traditions to the digital world,” said Alan Perkel, executive director of interactive services for RIESTER. “Building awareness for its products by providing regional recipes for Web site visitors was a focus during the creation of this new site. The traditions of Mexico are deep rooted in all aspects of its many varied cultures, and the website tells those stories by tying the Herdez brand to the land, its people and their many colorful customs.”

For the first time, the makers of Herdez are showcasing an expanded list of its salsa products along with a product locator so consumers can find their favorites at retailers near their home. The site also features Doña María® and Búfalo® products, which are sister brands within the Herdez family of products. .

The evolution of the site follows the Herdez Traditions television campaign, a fully integrated campaign that aired in select Western markets, which can be viewed on the new website. “The Herdez brand is about tradition; the site, like the television commercial, was designed to convey that in a colorful and engaging way,” added Carlos.

About RIESTER
As one of the top marketing firms in the Western United States, RIESTER offers its clients a complete range of services including; research, brand planning, media planning and buying, broadcast and print ad creation, public relations, government relations and Web marketing. The agency has offices in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Phoenix.

RIESTER is the agency of record for multiple regional and national clients including: McDonalds; Culligan; Hormel; HERDEZ; Veterinary Pet Insurance; Arizona Lottery; Scottsdale Convention and Visitor’s Bureau; Casino Arizona; the Arizona Meth Project; the Utah Methamphetamine Public Awareness Campaign; and the California Department of Conservation. RIESTER’s public affairs activities include statewide and local ballot measure campaigns, as well as candidate campaigns, for municipal, state and federal office.

RIESTER has been named the fastest growing, privately held advertising and public relations agency in the country by Inc. magazine four consecutive years. In 2001, Creativity Magazine listed RIESTER among the Top 20 Creative Agencies to Watch in America.  Visit us on the web at www.riester.com.

‘Welcome to HERDEZ’ was launched this month by RIESTER-a full service marketing firm, specializing in advertising, public relations, public affairs and internet strategy. Spearheaded by RIESTER-KALIS, the company’s packaged goods and retail division, the campaign ‘Welcome to HERDEZ’ is centered in tradition and heritage-shared traits with American consumers of all generations and backgrounds. It includes: English-language television advertising, print and a sophisticated interactive online campaign.

“All of our work unfolds within the context of Brand Activism^TM-a belief that the most successful brands are those built upon groups of consumer advocates,” said Tim Riester, president and CEO of RIESTER. “Our work with HERDEZ is an excellent example of this approach. Our client challenged us with creating a campaign that would capture the brand’s personality while inspiring a kinship with the target market to the point of triggering an informal referral program.”

Sharing thoughts about this approach from a cultural standpoint, Sergio Carlos, director of multicultural services at RIESTER, said, “From a multicultural marketing perspective, this campaign is more of what we are going to see in the future. In this instance, we have a staple of the Mexican-American diet that has found ready acceptance and is appearing on other cultural groups’ tables. Although cultural relevancy continues to be critical, as the general market becomes more diverse, ethnic influences will continue to transfer into non-ethnic markets. As a result, clients are seeking marketing solutions that resonate with multiple audiences without compromising the message.”

According to Murray Kalis, partner of RIESTER-KALIS and account director of Hormel Foods, HERDEZ’s Minnesota-based partner helping market and distribute the brand within the United States, this approach is new for the company. “Until now, they’ve focused solely on the first-generation Spanish-speaking Mexican-American consumer. But HERDEZ is steeped in tradition and heritage; a valuable brand promise that has not been explored with the general market. HERDEZ is from ‘salsa’s’ country of origin. This heritage combined with a delicious product gives them an edge over the competition because the consumer is looking for authenticity.”

Further commenting on the connection with the consumer, Tom Ortega, executive creative director at RIESTER, said, “‘Welcome to HERDEZ’ is an ‘experience’ that speaks to all audiences. By connecting the authentic and colorful character of Mexico with the real attributes of the product, the commercial is able to evoke positive, memorable emotions in the viewer. From the very beginning, we wanted to create a commercial that was as authentic as the product.”

The television commercial was shot entirely on location in Mexico City among the districts of San Angel and Coyoacan through the collaborative efforts of RIESTER, Beachhouse Films based in Los Angeles and Cedro Films based in Mexico City. Interestingly, the market and family kitchen scenes were created and shot at the historic landmark family estate of Emilio El Indio Fernandez, an actor and film director from Mexico’s Golden Era of cinematography. See the commercial by visiting www.herdeztraditions.com. Experience the shoot at www.riester.com.

Equally important to the campaign is a sophisticated Internet campaign that shares popular recipes and invites visitors to enter the names of friends as well as enter to win a seven-day vacation for a family of four to the Mexican Riviera, a location known for offering both a contemporary and traditional Mexican experience. Visit ‘Welcome to HERDEZ’ online at www.herdeztraditions.com. The campaign will run through mid-July. The winner of the ‘Welcome to HERDEZ’ trip giveaway will be notified mid-July.

About RIESTER
As one of the top marketing firms in the Western United States, RIESTER offers its clients a complete range of services including; research, brand planning, media planning and buying, broadcast and print ad creation, publicity, government relations and Web marketing. The agency has offices in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C.

RIESTER is the agency of record for multiple regional and national clients including: Gold’s Gym International; McDonalds; Culligan; Hormel; HERDEZ; Veterinary Pet Insurance; Arizona Lottery; Scottsdale Convention and Visitor’s Bureau; Casino Arizona; the Arizona Meth Project; and the California Department of Conservation. RIESTER’s public affairs activities include statewide and local ballot measure campaigns as well as candidate campaigns for municipal, state and federal office.

RIESTER has been named the fastest growing, privately held advertising and public relations agency in the country by Inc. magazine four consecutive years. In 2001, Creativity Magazine listed RIESTER among the Top 20 Creative Agencies to Watch in America. Visit us on the web at www.riester.com.