5 Basics Marketing Managers Need To Know In Selling The Latino Marketplace:

I had an interesting conversation with a very competent “Middle America” CPG marketing manager who was trying to understand why their company was not successful in the Latino marketplace. It became clear to me why she and so many eager marketing folks understand the Hispanic market is a huge growth future, but are stonewalled as to "how" to be a major player.  I shared my favorite opening 5 quips to help her get started in a positive direction:

Some selected Latino marketing basics needed to research before you can embark on this quest:

1)      Folks with Latino ancestry come from very diverse *countries of origins. Even the Spanish language dialect and word meanings can be very different depending what country your end buyer came from. This is very important as to the verbiage on your catalogs, colorways, and products. What works and what doesn't is very different in this marketplace.

2)     The Texas (Mexican Latinos) Marketplace is very different from Southern Florida (Cuban Latinos), and a totally different Latino culture in New York City (Puerto Rican, Dominican, and more).

3)     The understanding of  Hispanic celebratory family event “Drivers” that affect product development and target marketing is very key, i.e. research the strong significance of the “Quincenaera” and how it drives huge Latino buying dollars.

4)     Pay attention to the role and “cultural meanings” of colors and color marketing, it’s a lot different than the  "Middle American" mass market mainstream.

5)     Hire Hispanic advisors, Latina (female) Marketing Managers,  and form Latina (female) end buyer focus groups from the three different geographic areas above- listen, listen, listen, and  you will learn quickly, this will help you get started…………..

*Pew Hispanic Center Stats 2010:

Total Hispanic ancestry in the USA--46,822, 000

Mexico………..30,746,000

Puerto Rico…4,151,000

Cuban………...1,631,000

Salvadorans...1,560,000

Dominicans….1, 334,000

Guatemalans..986,000

Columbians…..882,000

Hondurans……608,000

Ecuadorians….591,000

Peruvians……..519,000