“Children need heroes and mentors in their lives. Because if you have inspiration as a child, you’re going to dream, and you’re going to keep dreaming until you accomplish your dream. And that’s what we didn’t have and now it is available,” Julio Cisneros.
Every once in a while, we work on projects that allow us to reflect on just how exciting the marketing field can be — particularly when you have the chance to work across industries like voice-enabled AI technologies, blockchain and bitcoin, and global 5G communications. These are not only challenging and exciting fields, but also visionary in that they offer greater accessibility, f****************, and global connectivity.
One such opportunity came this month, when I was introduced to a new action in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month which takes place September 15 through October 15, 2021. In recognition of this month, the U.S. Mexico Foundation, Arizona State University (ASU) and Google Assistant partnered on a project to highlight the significant contributions that the culture has brought to the United States. It will celebrate the Latino community’s diversity and the work of remarkable Hispanic artists, singers, writers, explorers, scientists, and more throughout history.
Rodrigo Cervantes, a journalist, and a researcher, and Julio Cisneros, a professor at Walter Cronkite school of journalism at ASU, helped conceive the project called “Today in Latino History.” Their work on this action is meant to go beyond Hispanic Heritage Month, with a new fact every day for a year.
Now, anyone can ask Google Assistant what happened and receive new content each day. To ensure children and families from various backgrounds can participate and learn, the action will be available in both Spanish and English. The two describe the action on the September episode of VOICE Talks, an award-winning talk show dedicated to highlighting the latest trends and developments in conversational tech.
“Every single day for the entire year, you’re going to get one amazing fact of Hispanic culture, including the history and the legacy. How would you describe us Latinos and Hispanics? We are so diverse,” said Rodrigo Cervantes.
Allowing children to learn, explore and dream.
As a mom of half-Mexican/Spanish American descent, I can’t think of an easier way to teach my daughter about that quarter of her heritage. It’s a simple way to explain to her why her mom and grandmother are so fascinated by the work of Frida, the impact of Cesar Chavez, and why Sonya Sotomeyer is an absolute rockstar.
According to Julio Cisneros, the app is essential because it offers a new generation of Latino children access to facts about their history immediately via voice-enabled technology, and a chance to learn and dream. As he explains it, the internet and access to information about his cultural roots weren’t as widely available when he was growing up. “Children need heroes and mentors in their lives. Because if you have inspiration as a child, you’re going to dream, and you’re going to keep dreaming until you accomplish your dream. And that’s what we didn’t have and now it is available.”
Growing up there were very few role models in pop culture — beyond the Miami Sound Machine and the “La Bamba” movie. Thanks to the “Today in Lation History” Google Assistant action, and in particular the work and research from Rodrigo Cervantes and Julio Cisneros, it is now possible to quickly and easily learn from the singers, scientists, writers who have impacted the Latino community, and beyond.
“That’s why this project is so amazing,” adds Julio.
Try it out for yourself, then catch the interview of Rodrigo Cervantes and Julio Cisneros on demand on VOICE Talks, presented by Google Assistant, where they discuss the importance of this project. Walmart will also be featured at the top of the episode describing how conversational tech is revolutionizing retail, and describing the fascinating work of it’s incubation and innovation arm, Store No8.
[To share your insights with us, please write to sghosh@martechseries.com]
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