International Focus Magazine Vol. 2, #4 | Page 37

ideal distribution for multinational companies. TPH has a dedicated de- partment to work with any company needing information on import or export shipping support. with a good strategy for succeeding with Hispanics. What are some common best prac- tices in penetrating and succeeding in marketing to the Hispanic Market? attended by Hispanics. Do product sampling often and con- sistently. Time your promotions around cul- tural relevant holidays to Hispanics. Hire marketing experts who have a proven track record of guiding other Hispanic dominant brands. Houston has numerous agencies due to the large concentration of Hispanics. Hire bilingual staff that can be your brand ambassadors. One example of a Houston home grown success story is Fiesta Food Stores. The story that the late found- er’s spouse tells is that he loved pea- nut butter and on a trip to a Latin American country, he craved it but of course, he could not get it. This had such an effect on him that when he returned and saw all the immigrant patrons at his small convenience store, he wondered about their pre- ferred ethnic foods they could not purchase. The rest is history as he set out to import food products from all over Latin America and the chain has even branched out to other nation- alities. Advertise in both general market and Hispanic media as the level of accul- turation and assimilation is very high in Houston. Include digital promotion into your mix as Hispanics index very high on digital media. Create value around your brand be- cause Hispanic consumers index higher in brand loyalty. This needs to include a bigger bang for the buck as Hispanics are generally price sen- sitive to commodities however, they tend to index higher on products they really value. Partner with Hispanic Leaders by providing sponsorships to their high profile events. Another example is Pizza Patron based out of Dallas, Texas who has built a 40 million dollar company. Their stores are strategically located in Hispanic-dominant neighbor- hoods and their advertising and promotions are deliberately contro- versial. To illustrate, years ago they advertised patrons could pay in their stores with pesos. This went viral and it made headlines that the free earned Advertise your offer on pay days as media was worth many thousands of your brand is competing with all the dollars. other consumable products. Still another example is Mambo Sea- food Restaurants who cater to His- panics with dishes that are recognized as being germane to Hispanics. Al- though the owners are not Hispanic, they are a good example of a brand Family is a core value, so craft your message and target family value based promotions. Hispanics value relationships, there- fore work to establish and build a network of influence. Your company can succeed by creat- ing a comprehensive strategy playing the long game to win. Any brand that is committed to dominating the Hispanic Market can do so by know- ing all the nuances of the various cul- tures that make up the Hispanic Mar- ket. Hispanics are not a homogenous community and there are subtle dif- ferences in language and messaging. Join Hispanic Chambers of Com- merce and networking organizations as NHPO, a media partner of iF Magazine. Victor Escalante is a long-time media veteran who has worked in TV, radio, print Factor Sports sponsorship into your media, and new media. He’s an author mix as sports and concerts are well and an expert in Hispanic Marketing. iF Magazine | www.iFMagazine.net 37