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Email Story to a Friend June 15, 2006 Marketing to Hispanics often misses target By ANABELLE GARAY The Associated Press DALLAS — Companies have been racing to attract business from the nation's fast-growing base of Hispanic consumers — but experts say many marketing tactics miss the point or are flat-out wrong. With an estimated population of more than 40 million, Hispanics held a buying power last year of about $736 billion, according to the University of Georgia's Selig Center for Economic Growth. But those consumers represent a variety of populations, including U.S.-born residents, recent immigrants and a range of Hispanic nationalities. Grouping those segments into a single bloc makes it easy for businesses to fail in reaching many Latinos, marketing consultants who met in Dallas for a seminar on marketing said Wednesday. A message relevant to a recent Dominican immigrant may hold no meaning for a Mexican-American whose roots in the United States span several generations. Advertisement "Unfortunately to many marketers, Hispanic marketing is just translation ... but we know Hispanic marketing is much more," said Edward Rincon, who teaches a course on the subject at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. "You've got an audience that cannot be addressed with one strategy." Simply translating a slogan or ad from English creates a high margin of error and the chance of sending a message with the wrong connotation. For example, when chocolate maker The Hershey Co. tried to market a line of sweets aimed at Latinos, it used the word "cajeta." While some recognize it to mean caramelized milk, the word is a lewd reference for other Latinos, said Juan Faura, president of the Dallas advertising firm Cultura. "It's about transferring an idea ... rather than translating words," said Faura, author of "The Whole Enchilada," a book on how mainstream marketers can reach Hispanics. Many companies have implemented Spanish-language services, from banks offering multilingual automated service to Mary Kay translating its annual sales sessions. But those changes do nothing to draw in Hispanics who speak English as their first language — or never learned Spanish at all. "Now we recognize a large percentage don't pay attention to Spanish language media; they have a different lifestyle," said Rincon, president of the multicultural market research company Rincon and Associates. Experts agreed that businesses must understand the demographic makeup of their Hispanic customer base in order to more effectively attract their interest. Some business have already started realizing those differences. Print advertisements by Molson Coors Brewing Co. feature leaders from Cuban, Puerto Rican and other Latino communities. Cingular Wireless LLC, the nation's largest cell phone provider, offers bilingual and Spanish ringtones to its customers and tries to have bilingual employees in each store. "It's got to fit into the lifestyle in some way and if it doesn't ... it doesn't matter," Rincon said. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations --> online casinos news Send Flowers California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Entertainment Guide --> Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Ashley Furniture HomeStore Advertisements Advertisement