Branded Marketing, LLC was founded by Richard Jackowitz, Mark Colyer and Anthony Uva in April of 2007 in Haskell, New Jersey, United States. Branded Marketing offers general purpose network branded, reloadable, prepaid spending cards targeted to the Latino and Hispanic ethnic groups. As Pr1macard, the first Branded Marketing product launch enters the market in April of 2008, its market entry mirrors the focus and importance of the growing Hispanic and Latino immigrant market, and the unique needs of that community. Research and national press about the immigrant market and economy has demonstrated its importance. Recently, the Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network (HITN) has expressed a strong interest in forming an alliance with Branded Marketing to further its Community Based Organization (CBO) efforts. This network and the Pr1macard initiative will teach Hispanics how to manage their money properly and avoid onerous debt.
Pr1macard is a MasterCard® branded, integrated prepaid, stored-value card that allows customers to use the card for telephony and general purpose payments. Rewards are offered in the form of free domestic and international telephone calling, a feature that targets the main demographic and its significant use of telephone calling cards. The executive team believes that this ethnic group is underserved and that its integration of prepaid calling and rewards will be attractive to Latinos and Hispanics who incur significant telephone charges to stay in touch with family and friends in other countries. Branded Marketing drives product acceptance through its partner and distribution channels. Distributors include check cashing businesses and other money services business. These partners sell the Pr1macard in markets and communities like Union City, New Jersey, United States, and Miami, Florida, United States, where the Hispanic and Latino market has grown exponentially. Brand loyalty is strong in this ethnic market segment where services and dependability are important to users.
Business strategy and model
Branded Marketing will offer the Pr1macard and Pr1macard Elite, with remittance functionality. The products leverage independent research within the ethnic communities, with large populations of immigrants. These ethnic groups are dependent on telephone calling cards to stay connected to friends and family. Branded Marketing products target this ethnic group which is currently underserved by traditional financial products. The product integrates telephone calling and financial services through a prepaid card. Branded Marketing has also purchased a telephone switch that allows card users to leverage inexpensive calling to Latin America. The Branded Marketing product Pay per Spot was designed to deliver targeted information in the form of audio messages along the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) chain. Based on spending data and research, these messages target the Hispanic and Latino cardholder demographic and their spending behaviors and allow advertisers and partners to reach the right demographic. The Branded Marketing product and service strategy includes a process to analyze cardholder financial transactions, creating a usage history that will be used to build a financial profile and payment history and to develop new products. The company plans to magnify word of mouth and viral marketing by IVR and a live operator platform hosted at the company toll-free vanity phone number.
Research within Latino and Hispanic market segment
According to The Prepaid Press, a study done in 2006 in the Miami Dade, Broward County and Palm Beach County revealed that first generation immigrant residents ages 18 to 65 who had lived in the U.S. for at least six months liked the ease of use and convenience of prepaid calling cards, and the ability to place a call from anywhere. According to this study, Latino consumers associate calling cards with economy, and this is an advantage that is not usually associated with other international communication alternatives.
The study found that these ethnic consumers considered the price vs. available minutes, good connection quality and no connection fee, as well as a redial capability and shorter Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) when they made the purchasing decision.
This independent face-to-face study also found that loyalty to a particular brand of cards was an issue. Customers are loyal to some brands, and this loyalty is based on their satisfaction with the use and experience with the card. As an alternative to calling cards these customers used virtual rechargeable calling cards or access numbers that do not require PIN numbers. The least popular services were dial around (1010 XX) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) services. Latin America telecom providers have recently begun to show an interest in the South Florida Hispanic calling market, and now offer international long distance services.
Latino and Hispanic market conditions
A July, 2007 BusinessWeek article revealed that the Hispanic and Latino calling card segment of the market is embroiled in controversy, as major suppliers do not provide the services this segment expects. Recent allegations of fraudulent marketing of phone cards confirm suspicions among users that these companies are shortchanging vulnerable customers.
The prepaid phone card market is now a four billion dollar industry and its customer base is comprised of poor immigrants, the elderly, and other low-income consumers who are unable to afford typical phone service or those who do not have valid U.S. documentation and therefore cannot register for service.
Hispan Telligence® says that Hispanic and Latino buying power has grown to almost $750 billion, and it is projected to reach $1 trillion by the year 2010. eMarketer research estimates that the U.S. Hispanic internet user base will reach nearly 21 million users by 2010. These estimates translate into a number that is equal to that of the African American user base by the year 2010.
Product integration
The Latino and Hispanic market will benefit from integrated products that offer them a way to fund, pay for and manage all types of expenses, including their telephone card calling charges. Branded Marketing targets the ‘unbanked’ funds available to many undocumented and/or underserved immigrants, and offers general spending and alternate payment vehicles for pharmaceutical disbursements, payroll, direct deposit, gift card verticals, healthcare, and other expenses. These prepaid, stored-value cards provide the expected functionality in the form of Automated Teller Machine (ATM) access and signature-based purchasing and also include bill payment and reward features. The product is integrated with a toll-free number with a live operator, and a recall feature that encourages usage and provides subsidized telephone calling services combined with a prepaid general spending financial debit card.
Business differentiation in ethnic market
Traditionally, companies have done little to educate the U.S. targeted Hispanic and Latino group in financial systems and flow. Branded Marketing has developed an educational and social networking system to introduce its products and educate users on the use of the card and on financial systems in the U.S. These knowledge-based articles and artifacts are available on the 1800tarjetas.com web portal and through webinars, podcasts and YouTube videos. Additionally, the company plans to take the educational process into the targeted communities. Research in the Latino and Hispanic buying market and buying behaviors has illustrated the need for education and information so that immigrants and new U.S. residents can effectively participate in the U.S. economy and understand the flow of money and finances. The combined social networking aspects, and portal use will assist customers in leveraging the prepaid financial tool and help them to develop financial literacy.
Summary
The Branded Marketing executive team will leverage research and studies of these behaviors to better understand and serve the market. It is critical to the Hispanic and Latino ethnic community that U.S. based businesses recognize and serve their unique needs and the way in which its people spend and interact. As businesses enter this burgeoning immigrant and ethnic-based market niche, their product and service success will be dependent upon their ability to serve the market with a full understanding of cultural and financial needs and of their buying preferences and behaviors.
Pr1macard is a MasterCard® branded, integrated prepaid, stored-value card that allows customers to use the card for telephony and general purpose payments. Rewards are offered in the form of free domestic and international telephone calling, a feature that targets the main demographic and its significant use of telephone calling cards. The executive team believes that this ethnic group is underserved and that its integration of prepaid calling and rewards will be attractive to Latinos and Hispanics who incur significant telephone charges to stay in touch with family and friends in other countries. Branded Marketing drives product acceptance through its partner and distribution channels. Distributors include check cashing businesses and other money services business. These partners sell the Pr1macard in markets and communities like Union City, New Jersey, United States, and Miami, Florida, United States, where the Hispanic and Latino market has grown exponentially. Brand loyalty is strong in this ethnic market segment where services and dependability are important to users.
Business strategy and model
Branded Marketing will offer the Pr1macard and Pr1macard Elite, with remittance functionality. The products leverage independent research within the ethnic communities, with large populations of immigrants. These ethnic groups are dependent on telephone calling cards to stay connected to friends and family. Branded Marketing products target this ethnic group which is currently underserved by traditional financial products. The product integrates telephone calling and financial services through a prepaid card. Branded Marketing has also purchased a telephone switch that allows card users to leverage inexpensive calling to Latin America. The Branded Marketing product Pay per Spot was designed to deliver targeted information in the form of audio messages along the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) chain. Based on spending data and research, these messages target the Hispanic and Latino cardholder demographic and their spending behaviors and allow advertisers and partners to reach the right demographic. The Branded Marketing product and service strategy includes a process to analyze cardholder financial transactions, creating a usage history that will be used to build a financial profile and payment history and to develop new products. The company plans to magnify word of mouth and viral marketing by IVR and a live operator platform hosted at the company toll-free vanity phone number.
Research within Latino and Hispanic market segment
According to The Prepaid Press, a study done in 2006 in the Miami Dade, Broward County and Palm Beach County revealed that first generation immigrant residents ages 18 to 65 who had lived in the U.S. for at least six months liked the ease of use and convenience of prepaid calling cards, and the ability to place a call from anywhere. According to this study, Latino consumers associate calling cards with economy, and this is an advantage that is not usually associated with other international communication alternatives.
The study found that these ethnic consumers considered the price vs. available minutes, good connection quality and no connection fee, as well as a redial capability and shorter Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) when they made the purchasing decision.
This independent face-to-face study also found that loyalty to a particular brand of cards was an issue. Customers are loyal to some brands, and this loyalty is based on their satisfaction with the use and experience with the card. As an alternative to calling cards these customers used virtual rechargeable calling cards or access numbers that do not require PIN numbers. The least popular services were dial around (1010 XX) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) services. Latin America telecom providers have recently begun to show an interest in the South Florida Hispanic calling market, and now offer international long distance services.
Latino and Hispanic market conditions
A July, 2007 BusinessWeek article revealed that the Hispanic and Latino calling card segment of the market is embroiled in controversy, as major suppliers do not provide the services this segment expects. Recent allegations of fraudulent marketing of phone cards confirm suspicions among users that these companies are shortchanging vulnerable customers.
The prepaid phone card market is now a four billion dollar industry and its customer base is comprised of poor immigrants, the elderly, and other low-income consumers who are unable to afford typical phone service or those who do not have valid U.S. documentation and therefore cannot register for service.
Hispan Telligence® says that Hispanic and Latino buying power has grown to almost $750 billion, and it is projected to reach $1 trillion by the year 2010. eMarketer research estimates that the U.S. Hispanic internet user base will reach nearly 21 million users by 2010. These estimates translate into a number that is equal to that of the African American user base by the year 2010.
Product integration
The Latino and Hispanic market will benefit from integrated products that offer them a way to fund, pay for and manage all types of expenses, including their telephone card calling charges. Branded Marketing targets the ‘unbanked’ funds available to many undocumented and/or underserved immigrants, and offers general spending and alternate payment vehicles for pharmaceutical disbursements, payroll, direct deposit, gift card verticals, healthcare, and other expenses. These prepaid, stored-value cards provide the expected functionality in the form of Automated Teller Machine (ATM) access and signature-based purchasing and also include bill payment and reward features. The product is integrated with a toll-free number with a live operator, and a recall feature that encourages usage and provides subsidized telephone calling services combined with a prepaid general spending financial debit card.
Business differentiation in ethnic market
Traditionally, companies have done little to educate the U.S. targeted Hispanic and Latino group in financial systems and flow. Branded Marketing has developed an educational and social networking system to introduce its products and educate users on the use of the card and on financial systems in the U.S. These knowledge-based articles and artifacts are available on the 1800tarjetas.com web portal and through webinars, podcasts and YouTube videos. Additionally, the company plans to take the educational process into the targeted communities. Research in the Latino and Hispanic buying market and buying behaviors has illustrated the need for education and information so that immigrants and new U.S. residents can effectively participate in the U.S. economy and understand the flow of money and finances. The combined social networking aspects, and portal use will assist customers in leveraging the prepaid financial tool and help them to develop financial literacy.
Summary
The Branded Marketing executive team will leverage research and studies of these behaviors to better understand and serve the market. It is critical to the Hispanic and Latino ethnic community that U.S. based businesses recognize and serve their unique needs and the way in which its people spend and interact. As businesses enter this burgeoning immigrant and ethnic-based market niche, their product and service success will be dependent upon their ability to serve the market with a full understanding of cultural and financial needs and of their buying preferences and behaviors.
Massively Collaborative Self Governance or Massively Collaborative Direct Democracy is a theoretical form of direct democracy in which all members of a society are able to participate collaboratively and equally in all aspects of their social government.
Technology
Massively Collaborative Self Governance is only possible when the technology required for all members of a society to participate in mass collaboration is available to all members of that society. Many industrialized nations around the world are currently approaching or have achieved the necessary level of technological saturation to successfully form Massively Collaborative Direct Democracies.
Examples
* . is an example of a successful mass collaboration project, the same success is thought to be possible when mass collaboration is applied to government.
*New Zealand Policing Act and ParticipatioNZ. New Zealand allowed people to edit its new policing act and currently has a wiki online encouraging people to participate in government in a massively collaborative way.
Traditional Arguments Against Direct Democracy
Direct democracy has traditionally been criticized for several reasons. Most of these reasons can be resolved when concepts of mass collaboration are applied.
*Scale. Direct Democracy is traditionally believed to only be effective on a small scale. However, mass collaboration has been demonstrated to have success rates that increase proportionally as the number of participants increases. Massively Collaborative Direct Democracies are therefore expected to be most effective on large scales.
*Practicality and efficiency. Direct Democracy is traditionally believed to be slow, cumbersome, expensive, and exhausting. Massively Collaborative Direct Democracies will not suffer from this problem, the burden on any given individual is as large or as small as that individual chooses. Individuals choose whether they want to participate in government activities on a per-issue basis. Some individuals may choose not to participate at all, and the system continues to function ideally. Again, provides a clear example of this concept.
*Demagoguery and Complexity. It is often argued that members of a society do not pay serious enough attention to important issues to make effective decisions. Again, consider that articles attract constructive editing from individuals with knowledge in specific areas. The scope and scale of the project owes its gratitude to small contributions from millions of individuals, and large contributions from thousands of individuals. Massively Collaborative Self Governance will work the same way-some individuals will spend hours each week working on solutions to complex social problems. When they are effective, the rest of society will remain contented. When they are ineffective, the rest of society has the opportunity to join the discussion and work towards effective changes.
*Self-Interest. Critics worry that in a direct democracy, voters will always work towards achieving goals their own self-interest and not towards achieving goals in the best interest of society in general. Theoretically, this trend would give unfair advantages to social groups with the largest populations. However, on a massively collaborative scale, all social groups become small in population compared to the entire collaborative body. Therefore, all groups of people involved will be forced to work together. Nevertheless, Massively Collaborative Self Governance may require a foundation of a rights protection referrendum similar to the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights to prevent unjust actions taken by a majority of the participating population.
*Suboptimality. A recent argument against direct democracy focuses on the potential ability of voters to vote on individual issues rather than on bundles of issues. Further discussion is needed on this subject. More information is available on the majority rule page.
*Manipulation by timing and framing. It is possible that in a direct democracy, the timing and language of legislation can influence voters response to the legislation. Massively Collaborative Direct Democracy resolves this problem by allowing all citizens to participate in the framing of legislation. Laws are not only potentially voted on by all citizens, but open to be written by all citizens.
Criticisms of Massively Collaborative Self Governance
*Access to Technology. Access to the technology required to participate in a massively collaborative direct democracy can exclude economically disadvantaged individuals from participation. These disadvantaged individuals will lack proportionate representation.
Technology
Massively Collaborative Self Governance is only possible when the technology required for all members of a society to participate in mass collaboration is available to all members of that society. Many industrialized nations around the world are currently approaching or have achieved the necessary level of technological saturation to successfully form Massively Collaborative Direct Democracies.
Examples
* . is an example of a successful mass collaboration project, the same success is thought to be possible when mass collaboration is applied to government.
*New Zealand Policing Act and ParticipatioNZ. New Zealand allowed people to edit its new policing act and currently has a wiki online encouraging people to participate in government in a massively collaborative way.
Traditional Arguments Against Direct Democracy
Direct democracy has traditionally been criticized for several reasons. Most of these reasons can be resolved when concepts of mass collaboration are applied.
*Scale. Direct Democracy is traditionally believed to only be effective on a small scale. However, mass collaboration has been demonstrated to have success rates that increase proportionally as the number of participants increases. Massively Collaborative Direct Democracies are therefore expected to be most effective on large scales.
*Practicality and efficiency. Direct Democracy is traditionally believed to be slow, cumbersome, expensive, and exhausting. Massively Collaborative Direct Democracies will not suffer from this problem, the burden on any given individual is as large or as small as that individual chooses. Individuals choose whether they want to participate in government activities on a per-issue basis. Some individuals may choose not to participate at all, and the system continues to function ideally. Again, provides a clear example of this concept.
*Demagoguery and Complexity. It is often argued that members of a society do not pay serious enough attention to important issues to make effective decisions. Again, consider that articles attract constructive editing from individuals with knowledge in specific areas. The scope and scale of the project owes its gratitude to small contributions from millions of individuals, and large contributions from thousands of individuals. Massively Collaborative Self Governance will work the same way-some individuals will spend hours each week working on solutions to complex social problems. When they are effective, the rest of society will remain contented. When they are ineffective, the rest of society has the opportunity to join the discussion and work towards effective changes.
*Self-Interest. Critics worry that in a direct democracy, voters will always work towards achieving goals their own self-interest and not towards achieving goals in the best interest of society in general. Theoretically, this trend would give unfair advantages to social groups with the largest populations. However, on a massively collaborative scale, all social groups become small in population compared to the entire collaborative body. Therefore, all groups of people involved will be forced to work together. Nevertheless, Massively Collaborative Self Governance may require a foundation of a rights protection referrendum similar to the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights to prevent unjust actions taken by a majority of the participating population.
*Suboptimality. A recent argument against direct democracy focuses on the potential ability of voters to vote on individual issues rather than on bundles of issues. Further discussion is needed on this subject. More information is available on the majority rule page.
*Manipulation by timing and framing. It is possible that in a direct democracy, the timing and language of legislation can influence voters response to the legislation. Massively Collaborative Direct Democracy resolves this problem by allowing all citizens to participate in the framing of legislation. Laws are not only potentially voted on by all citizens, but open to be written by all citizens.
Criticisms of Massively Collaborative Self Governance
*Access to Technology. Access to the technology required to participate in a massively collaborative direct democracy can exclude economically disadvantaged individuals from participation. These disadvantaged individuals will lack proportionate representation.
Indian Invasion Comedy - Civilizing the West was a stand-up comedy television special filmed on September 8, 2007, featuring several Indian-American comedians. The title is a reference to the sometimes xenophobic term "Asian invasion."
Cast
Vidur Kapur
Featured on the FOX TV show On The Lot, and MTV LOGO's Outlaugh Festival on Wisecrack, Kapur has toured internationally with his stand up comedy show about his life as a gay Indian immigrant. He was recently selected as a NY finalist for NBC's Stand Up for Diversity, and he is currently the headliner at the world famous Gotham Comedy Club in New York. Kapur has been featured on NBC's Last Comic Standing, MTV World, LOGOTV, PBS, AVS TV, BBC Asia, and several film documentaries.
Vijai Nathan
Nathan has been featured on 20/20, PBS, The Oxygen Network, and BBC. She also tours nationally with her one-woman show, “Good Girls Don’t, But Indian Girls Do”.
Mark Saldana
Praised by the Los Angeles Times as "the best Asian comic in the country," Mark performed at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival. Saldana has been featured on NBC's Last Comic Standing, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel, the Latino Laff Festival, and has had his comedy writing published in Harper's Weekly.
Rajiv Satyal
Dalia
Dahlia performs comdey in Vancouver and Los Angeles clubs. She appeared at Yuk Yuks in Vancouver, and has also appeared on TBS's Minding The Store, Bravo's My Life on the D List, and SprintTV.
Cast
Vidur Kapur
Featured on the FOX TV show On The Lot, and MTV LOGO's Outlaugh Festival on Wisecrack, Kapur has toured internationally with his stand up comedy show about his life as a gay Indian immigrant. He was recently selected as a NY finalist for NBC's Stand Up for Diversity, and he is currently the headliner at the world famous Gotham Comedy Club in New York. Kapur has been featured on NBC's Last Comic Standing, MTV World, LOGOTV, PBS, AVS TV, BBC Asia, and several film documentaries.
Vijai Nathan
Nathan has been featured on 20/20, PBS, The Oxygen Network, and BBC. She also tours nationally with her one-woman show, “Good Girls Don’t, But Indian Girls Do”.
Mark Saldana
Praised by the Los Angeles Times as "the best Asian comic in the country," Mark performed at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival. Saldana has been featured on NBC's Last Comic Standing, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel, the Latino Laff Festival, and has had his comedy writing published in Harper's Weekly.
Rajiv Satyal
Dalia
Dahlia performs comdey in Vancouver and Los Angeles clubs. She appeared at Yuk Yuks in Vancouver, and has also appeared on TBS's Minding The Store, Bravo's My Life on the D List, and SprintTV.
4Chosen is a feature film set for release in 2009 starring Laurence Fishburne, Billy Zane and Cybill Shepard. It is being directed by David Anspaugh and is being produced by Starline Films and Insomnia Media Group. The film tells the story of a racial profiling incident that occurred on the New Jersey Turnpike in 1998 where four young basketball players were shot thirteen times by two New Jersey State Police Troopers. Production on the film is planned for early 2008.
The film is accompanied by that was released in 2008 and was narrated by Montel Williams.
The film is accompanied by that was released in 2008 and was narrated by Montel Williams.