Thread: Oregon Business sees Gold in Latino Ads and Advertising

you can email the author at Esmeraldabermudez@news.oregonian.com cause no where is the fact that the majority of these latinos are illegal- or phone her at 503-221 4388 or contact the public editor @ 1-877 238 82221 ( for free)

http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index. ... lcg&coll=7


Businesses see gold in Latino ads

Getting the message out in an unfamiliar but expanding Spanish-language market can be tricky
Sunday, December 11, 2005
ESMERALDA BERMUDEZ

Marketing to Latinos may seem simple: Take a message, translate it and play it on Spanish television.

But in translation, even the most plain-spoken slogans can get turned around.

When "Got milk?" becomes "Tienes leche?" the mind-your-calcium message implies, "Are you lactating?"Yet, more and more companies -- large and small -- across the Portland area are setting aside their naivete to put their image on the line for a community they know little about.

Some businesses say they can't afford to ignore Spanish speakers, even though the market is still in its infancy. Census figures show Oregon's Latino population is about 360,000, while other estimates peg it as high as 600,000. Latinos' buying power in Oregon is $5 billion this year and growing at a rate advertisers find tempting.

Advertising to this growing population will pull more Latinos into large retailers that have not targeted them before. As marketers aim for a more diverse population, expect to see changes play out: new customers in line at your bank, Spanish signage in your grocery store aisles and bilingual assistants at your chiropractor's office.

Marketing to more cultures is the first step toward diversifying communities, said Edward Rincon, a Hispanic marketing professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. "It can change the cuisine, the merchandise, the labor in hospitals and the restaurant industry . . . a lot of people are going to be scratching their heads thinking, is this good or bad?"

In Oregon in the past three years, Fred Meyer, Food 4 Less, Mexicana Airlines, Les Schwab Tire Centers and Saturn of Beaverton, along with doctors, real estate agents and bankers, have hired Spanish television production agencies to market their goods in Spanish. Commercials air statewide on two main Spanish channels, Univision and Telemundo.

And this fall, the Portland Advertising Federation discussed Latino marketing for the first time in its 99-year history. More than 200 industry members gathered to hear the niche's dos and don'ts.

Among them: Don't translate. Don't dub. Be cautious with accents. Show Latino faces. Avoid stereotypes. recent night, the Rueda family gathered around the television in Hillsboro for news and soap operas on Univision. To save on rent, the family of five shares a home with another family. Such doubling up is common among Latinos and attractive for advertisers who say extended families have more disposable income because they share expenses.

Between segments of "Against Wind and Tide," an assortment of advertisements filled the Ruedas' television scre


Tropical jingles and images with rich colors touch on family traditions, Mexican childhoods and immigrant dreams. A few are completely in English, while others carry Spanish voice-overs with recycled images of Anglo actors or fast-talking Latinos proclaiming with hands raised, "We're Latino like you. We'll treat you right."

When an Anglo store owner comes on and his lips can't keep up with his Spanish in the poorly dubbed ad, the head of the household, Telesforo Rueda, 33, laughs. He talks back to the screen:

"He doesn't know what he's saying," says Rueda, who installs kitchen counters. "How do I know if you're telling me what you want to tell me? We both know you don't speak Spanish."

Most pitches are mere background noise for a household that's still loyal to popular Mexican brands, such as Ariel detergent. They're half-flattered, half-amused by the attention.
Southern Methodist University's Rincon, who manages a research firm that tracks multicultural advertising markets, cautions that as Spanish-speaking Latinos such as the Ruedas shop more at mainstream retailers, other shoppers may see products they're not used to.

"When (non-Latinos) hear another language or see a pig's head at the supermarket . . . they see people who don't reflect their culture," Rincon said. "Some (non-Latinos) start changing their shopping behavior."


Client pressure Businesses see gold in Latino ads
Page 3 of 4

Client pressure


Owners of Spanish production companies in Portland say Spanish advertising has evolved during the past decade. Although production companies have a tough time luring big national names, locally the client base has shifted from mostly small Latino businesses to large Anglo companies.

"People have done their best to ignore it or throw a bone at it, but now they're under pressure from clients," said Roy Larson, who runs Larson Northwest Hispanic Marketing, based in Waldport

According to Larson, Latinos in the greater Portland area in 2006 are expected to spend $210 million on cars, $480 million on groceries, $180 million on dining out and $90 million on apparel.

Nationwide, the Latino advertising industry is growing four times faster than all other sectors, said the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies, a national group. Oregon's Latinos have the 20th- largest buying power in the country, and their buying power is growing at twice the rate of Oregon's general buying power. The growth has driven the half-dozen Latino and Anglo-run Spanish production companies in the area to try to prove how well they know Latinos. Some argue that only Latino producers can reach the market.
"They're not bilingual or bicultural," said Ignacio Betancourt, referring to Anglo producers. The native of Mexico runs Spanish Media Productions, a business that's produced commercials for Fred Meyer, among others. "You have to contact someone who knows the culture. . . . Latinos are very picky and loyal."

Anglo advertisers such as Mary Young of Latin Media Specialists disagree. Sitting in her Portland office, with Spanish music playing in the background, the Latino-focused advertiser says, "I've proven myself. I wouldn't be here otherwise."

Young says she's learning Spanish, attends Latino events and relies on a hired crew of Latinos to judge ads' authenticity.

Advertisers that cater to Latinos aren't the only ones reaching for a Spanish-English dictionary. So are big-name retailers.
According to Larson, Latinos in the greater Portland area in 2006 are expected to spend $210 million on cars, $480 million on groceries, $180 million on dining out and $90 million on apparel.

Nationwide, the Latino advertising industry is growing four times faster than all other sectors, said the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies, a national group. Oregon's Latinos have the 20th- largest buying power in the country, and their buying power is growing at twice the rate of Oregon's general buying power.

The growth has driven the half-dozen Latino and Anglo-run Spanish production companies in the area to try to prove how well they know Latinos. Some argue that only Latino producers can reach the market.

"They're not bilingual or bicultural," said Ignacio Betancourt, referring to Anglo producers. The native of Mexico runs Spanish Media Productions, a business that's produced commercials for Fred Meyer, among others. "You have to contact someone who knows the culture. . . . Latinos are very picky and loyal."

Anglo advertisers such as Mary Young of Latin Media Specialists disagree. Sitting in her Portland office, with Spanish music playing in the background, the Latino-focused advertiser says, "I've proven myself. I wouldn't be here otherwise."

Young says she's learning Spanish, attends Latino events and relies on a hired crew of Latinos to judge ads' authenticity.

Advertisers that cater to Latinos aren't the only ones reaching for a Spanish-English dictionary. So are big-name retailers


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Some argue that only Latino producers can reach the market.

That kind of comment uttered by someone who isn't a sainted hispanic could get you branded as a racist.

I just called Esmurelda to let her know how I felt about her article- that it didnt cover illegal immigration - nor the impact on the non latino population etc. I mentioned key words like Invasion etc--
The Northwest Oregon chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals meets Wednesday, Dec. 14.

The free meeting is 11 a.m. to noon at 111 S.W. Columbia St., in the eighth-floor conference room. For more information, call Rafael LaGrotta at 503-544-4374 or visit www.ornahrep.org.
yep and their buying houses to house their anchor babies

yes we should all apply for employment at the latino ad agency and then file a class action racism suit againt them