– by Nikelle Feimster and Pilar Portela, Media Relations Specialists, Business Wire
Nikelle Feimster
Pilar Portela
On April 7, 2010, strategic planners, PR agency thought leaders, and brand and product managers convened at the 2010 LatinVision Sports & Networking Conference in New York to learn about the evolving Hispanic demographic in the US, and how to reach the Hispanic audience using sports as a platform.
The panelists were comprised of marketing experts and top executives who shared insight and best practices on how businesses can leverage Latinos’ passion for soccer and other sports. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) and Soccer United Marketing each use grassroots campaigns across the country to garner support for their sports, FOX and ESPN use branded media events to target the Latino community, and the NBA and NFL have increased the content available in Spanish on their websites.
According to Mario Flores, managing director of Sportivo, the right marketing mix is key to success. You have to harness the power of editorial media coverage for added exposure.
Don’t pass up opportunities to engage the Latino market. The 2010 US Census is expected to find that Hispanics number more than 50 million in the US and command $1 trillion in buying power. Unfortunately, the reality is that even though Latinos make powerful consumers, half of the U.S. advertisers are not including them in their marketing efforts.
A recent MediaPost column by Jack Loechner highlights a new Hispanic marketing trends survey by the Orcí agency that shows Hispanics are tech savvy, young trend setters with incredible spending power and yet 82% of its survey’s respondents have no plans to begin or increase existing efforts aimed at US Hispanics in the next 12 months.
Here are some key reasons why you should consider including US Hispanics in your next marketing and advertising campaign.
- 89% believe Latinos will somewhat impact American taste in foods in the next five years.
- 87% believe Latinos will impact fashion and beauty.
- 82% expect Hispanics to impact entertainment.
- 78% believe Hispanics will impact technology/communications.
The Orcí survey also found that 78% of respondents do not use social media to engage Latinos despite the fact that Hispanics are the heaviest users of wireless access through mobile phones and laptops than any other ethnic group.
Today’s brand leaders can and should actively engage with Latino customers, and Business Wire can help. By utilizing our LatinoWire product line, in conjunction with SportsWire, companies can bolster their print and Web marketing campaigns. With LatinoWire, your press release reaches the leading Spanish-language news and information outlets throughout the U.S., including more than 1,200 Hispanic print and broadcast media outlets. Our SportsWire distribution sends your news to sports reporters, columnists, syndicates and television programs as well as newspapers and other local media in your specified geographic circuit area.
Great article! Thanks BusinessWire. Keep up the good work Nikelle and Pilar…