Students and faculty from the Florida State University (FSU) Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication (HMC) attended and presented research at the “Hispanic Communication Conference: Bridging Culture and Behavior”.  This event was hosted by Florida International University (FIU)’s School of Journalism & Mass Communication on Nov. 7-8 in Miami, Fla.

The conference began with a special welcome from the keynote speaker, Miami-Dade County Mayor, Carlos A. Gimenez.  Following the opening remarks, FSU School of Communication Assistant Professor & Center for HMC Associate Director, Dr. Sindy Chapa, presented her latest findings on the impact of advertising on cognitive formation.  This research involved analyzing how manipulating fears affects Hispanic emotional responses to ads.

FSU School of Library & Information Studies Assistant Professor, Dr. Howard Rodriguez-Mori, also served on the panel with Chapa.  He addressed the topic of how Latinos seek information in Puerto Rico and the United States.  Other members who spoke on this professional panel include Center for Multicultural Science Executive Director, Dr. Jake Beniflah, University of Miami Professor, Dr. Sallie Hughes, and Gabriela Alcantara-Diaz from G AD Marketing Communication.

The next day was an opportunity for Center for HMC students to share their findings.  Their presentation, titled “Reaching the New Latino Immigrants: Options and Challenges,” discussed how to best target and understand this demographic.  The speakers were Katherine Cook, Karen Garza, Alejandra Guacaneme, Ivonne Nicholas, Art Schwartz Restrepo and Joana Wong with Chapa as the moderator.  After presenting, the team led a question & answer session with the audience about their study and current research that is being conducted by the Center.

In addition to being presenters, the FSU students and professors were also able to network with academic and industry professionals.  The conference attendees seemed very receptive towards meeting the FSU group.  On behalf of the conference’s organizing committee, Chair and FIU Associate Professor, Dr. Alejandro Alvarado, remarked it was impressive how well the FSU students presented and were prepared for attending this event.

The Center for HMC at the FSU College of Communication & Information is the first of its kind in the United States devoted to educating students and professionals in the field of Hispanic and multicultural advertising.  Faculty and students working with the Center are conducting ground-breaking research and serving as an innovative resource for the U.S. Hispanic marketing industry.

Read a related article about how “Asst. Professor & Center for Hispanic Comm. Associate Director Chapa was quoted by Miami Diario at FIU Hispanic Comm. Conference” at: news.cci.fsu.edu/cci-faculty/chapa-is-quoted-at-fiu-conference