Negocios Now

www.negociosnow.com 10 Agosto 2015 NegociosNow NegociosNow El Especial A s has been the case for many years, the growth of the Latino community in the United States is unstoppable. The most recent U.S. Census counted 55.4 million Latinos. It wasn't a surprise. Still, this furious growth is bound to create frustra - tion among business and marketing professionals who struggle to reach a community that, as a group, is on pace to reach $1.5 trillion in buying power this year, according to Nielsen. Further compounding that challenge are the various generations, customs, and spending habits that comprise that Latino buying power. Latinos are workers, business owners, students, professionals, Millennials, technology- dependent youths, and still others who don't touch computers. How does one reach them? Alex Lopez Negrete is president and CEO of Houston-based advertising and communications agency Lopez Negrete Communications Inc., which he co-founded in 1985 with his wife, Cathy. With 2014 capitalized billings of $215 million and more than 250 emplo - yees, the agency maintains additional offices in Los Angeles, New York City, and, most recently, Mexico City. An established leader in the multicultural marketing industry, Negrete sat down with Negocios Now for an exclusive interview to share his vast experience and offer advice and opinions on this important topic. By Clemente Nicado, Editor-in-Chief What does it mean to have more than 55 million Hispanics in the market? Whether they were born here or abroad, they represent an enormous consumer segment whose growth we saw very clearly starting with the 1980 census. I find it interesting that cor- porate America only decided to pay attention 30 years after the bell started ringing that this was going to be the biggest, the fastest-growing, the most moneyed, and the youngest consumer segment in American business by the turn of the century. Corporate America has an entirely new market, almost as big as the original Baby Boomers, to continue growing with. Any major cor - poration that doesn't decide to make this consumer a top priority is basically walking away from its growth, if not sacrificing its very survival. What is different about marketing to Hispanics? The challenge is to make sure you understand that this consumer seg- ment requires a specific invitation. We are not just like the general market, and more importantly, we have now rede- fined what the mainstream looks like. What's the best way to reach the Hispanic community? Print, social media, digital? We've graduated from the simple approach to the market that we saw ¿ Usted puede decir- me cuál es la mejor manera de llegar a los latinos? Pregunto porque el ejército de latinos sigue creciendo agigantada - mente con un poder de compra que a la vuel- ta de la esquina estaría rozando los 1.5 trillones de dólares. Según los últimos datos del Censo, Estados Unidos es la casa ya de 55.4 millones de latinos, una cifra que, viendo la tendencia nacional, no resulta una sorpresa. No por esperada, la noticia levanta las cejas de corporativos, mercadólogos, agencias de gobierno y sin fines de lucro, y negocios de todo tamaño que trazan estrategias para conquistar a un grupo étnico que lo mismo habla en espa - ñol, inglés que navega en ambos idiomas. Llegar a ellos podría ser más complicado de lo que se imagina ¿Cuál medio de comunica- ción es más efectivo? ¿Radio, TV o periódicos impresos? ¿O la Internet, el Social Media, even- tos, correos electrónicos masivos, o directo por servicio postal? ¿Todos a la vez? En inglés o en español? Para esta edición, el equipo de Negocios Now preguntó a una serie de empresarios acer- ca de su plan de mercadotecnia, y las respuestas fueron tan diversas como la propia comunidad. Un restaurantero nos dijo que NO necesita promoverse porque "los mismos clientes se encargan de correr la palabra". Es decir el "mar- keting" del boca a boca. Otro "resuelve" distribuyendo "flyers" (volan- tes) por toda la ciudad, y otros simplemente colocando las ofertas en el vidrio que hace de pared en su negocio. Los hay, por supuesto, aquellos que se mue- ven en la autopista de la Internet y el Social Media, navegan en las aguas del Facebook, usan los medios impresos y digitales, invierten en los motores de búsqueda o envian correos a granel. Llenaríamos tres periódicos de empresas hispanas con éxito en su estrategia de merca - dotecnia, pero escogimos para esta edición a los creadores de la nevería-frutería Los Mangos, quienes están a punto de abrir su octavo esta- blecimiento en apenas tres años de fundada. Finalmente, tuvimos la fortuna de entrevis- tar a Alex López Negrete, CEO y fundador de López Negrete Communications, una agencia de mercadotecnia basada en Houston y toda una autoridad en la industria, Al responder a nuestras preguntas, Alex encierra en contexto el tema que abordamos en esta edición, habla de desafîos y ofrece sabios consejos. Los dejo con la entrevista a nuestro lado. No se la pierdan. Clemente Nicado Publisher/Editor Jefe cnicado@negociosnow.com La pregunta de los 55 millones Corporate America Looks to Latinos in Charting the Future in the '80s and '90s to one that is far more sophisticated and deeper. We as consumers have also evolved, as have the number of channels and types of media that actually reach us. But I can tell you this: any one medium is not the answer. It is the combination and the carefully designed communication ecosystem that has to be addressed. We are very digital, from a community perspective; we lead in the purchase and use of smartphones. We lead and over-index in the use of tablets, and we lead in the online search category. So any ecosystem that does not contain a digital strategy is flawed from the start. However, I do believe that mass media continues to have a huge role – televi - sion, radio, there are a lot of different ways. But keep in mind, when you talk about marketing to Latinos, you're tal- king both Spanish and English. Do you appeal to them in English or Spanish? Both. Many believe that print media is dead and not a good way to reach the Hispanic market. What do you think? I think that's a little ridiculous. Any print media has a digital option. Whether it is People en Español or The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times, any major publication has a digital version of itself, so I'm not going to buy that print is dead. Additionally, I go back to the level of sophistication of the consumer segment and the plat - forms marketers must build today to properly reach this market. For exam- ple, if you're a business-to-business operation, print becomes very impor- tant. That said, frankly any print vehicle that does not have a digital alternative Foto Courtesy Alex López Negrete, founder of Lopez Negrete Communications, Inc.

• Cover