Page A 7
JUNE 17, 1998
(Elf e JJo rtb in ò (O bserver
he ^ a rtla n h
A Weekly Publication From
(Ehe 53ortlanb (JDbeerucr
Hispanic Marketing
Striking A Balance
Marketing to Hispanics in a di­
verse and divided society could be as
scary as walking a tight rope, every
time you take a step the chances o f
falling are there.
Some supermarkets and a few re­
tailers have added a Spanish mix to
some o f their locations that have
larger Hispanic populations, some
do it as an experiment called Micro­
merchandising in which they set a
few Hispanic products on a shelve
and hope that some o f us will dis­
cover the efforts, usual ly after two or
three months they call the experi­
ment a failure for lack o f Hispanic
participation and they go back to
their normal way o f doing business.
“Missed opportunities” what went
wrong?. They forgot to Market to the
community in a very direct way, such
as the old fashioned way o f advertis­
ing in the store windows in Spanish
on big white signs with green letters
reminiscent o f signs hanging in the
w in d o w s o f lo c a l b o d e g a s o r
tienditas.
A well planned and executed mar­
keting plan for any kind o f super­
market is essential, to develop a
strong and loyal Hispanic custom er
base, should begin with a small test
area and with a few selected hispanic
items that are im portant to each His­
panic household items that they must
have for their daily needs, “ If any­
thing the trick is to do this without
alienating the rest o f the custom er
base.
Hispanics will shop and appreci­
ate the effort if, (a) they feel that they
are being catered to, (b) store em ­
ployees are helpful and attempt to
assist even when there may be a
language barrier and (c) if they are
treated with respect.
There is a tendency for local His­
panic residents in any given neigh­
borhood to shop in the smaller stores
and tienditas sprinkled throughout
the marketing area o f the largest su­
perm arkets, adding the Hispanic
products and merchandising is a way
to bring in some o f that business.
Keeping in mind that buying fresh
products was a way o f life in their old
Countries, Hispanics like to purchase
fresh fruits and vegetables, so the
produce department could become
the main attraction and the reason
why they will favor one store over
another.
Some storekeepers will go for the
obvious and assume that as long as
they have all kinds o f chili peppers
and cilantro we will patronize their
stores; wrong, every store now car­
ries the obvious.
We like fresh leafy greens and
roots, chayote squash and plantains
mangos and papayas fresh lemons
and green limes, many varieties o f
cactus, fresh oranges this will give
you an idea that in many ways His­
panics are no different than your
mainstream customers, we want the
same things Quality, Service, and
Price in that order.
To gain our business you must
walk the tight rope and strike the
balance in catering to all the custom­
ers needs and wants with the same
diligence as in the past.
For direct information and con­
sulting services please call Hispanic
Marketing (503) 255-4707
P u - t,w n > a .^ a
r
Putumayo Artist Ricardo Lemvo
Putumayo Presents
An Afro-Latino Nights Tour
Featuring Putumayo Artists
Ricardo Lemvo & Makina
Loca
with Special Guest Star Afro-
Latino Legend
Sam Mangwana
P r e s e n ts
.J o ? ,
A /K # ~ LATENT»
b a n d , M a k in a L o ca, in c lu d e s L a tin , A fri­
ca n , A m e ric a n and E u ro p ean p la y e rs , and
c o m b in e s s ta te ly C uban son w ith h ig h -
o c ta n e sa lsa and so u k o u s — a fu sio n o f
A fric a n an d L a tin rh y th m s . L o o k fo r
R ic a rd o ’s fe a tu re d ro le as a L a tin n ig h t­
c lu b s in g e r in th e u p c o m in g (Ju ly 3 1 st)
S ony P ic tu re s film “ D an ce W ith M e” s ta r ­
rin g V an essa W illia m s, K ris K risto ffe rso n
a n d C h e y e n n e . L o s A n g e le s T im e s :
“ L em vo and h is ban d M a k in a L o ca m a n ­
age a b le n d o f C uban and C e n tra l A fric a n
tra d itio n s th a t is s e a m le s s and o rg a n ic -
and in f e c tio u s /’
R ic a r d o L e m v o & M a k in a L o c a ’s
M am bo Y o Yo is P u tu m a y o A r tis ts ’
h ig h ly a n tic ip a te d re le a se from th e ir first
a rtis t s ig n in g . R ic a rd o L e m v o ’s fa s c i­
n a tin g jo u rn e y fro m th e C o n g o to H o lly ­
w ood fe a tu re s an in te rn a tio n a l c ast o f
m u sic ia n s and m u sic le g e n d s. R ic a rd o ’s Various Artists
Te ganaste un Premio?, Una Beca?
A hora, ya que n o sto ro s los
H ispanos estam os estableciendo
nuestros hogares en el Estado de Or-
egon. Muchos negociantes quieren
vendemos algo, ¡a mayoría de ellos
son gente honesta como nostoros y en
realidad lo único que quieren obtener
es un aumento en sus ventas ya que
nosotros representamos una clientela
nueva, con familias jovenes, y que
siempre trabajamos y por lo tanto
tenemos dinero para poder comprar.
También hay gente sin escrúpulos,
“Cuidado” negociantes o Pseudo-
comerciantes que su única meta es la
de estafar a todos, pero en este caso se
quieren aprovechar de que cofnó
somos immigrantes, no conocemos el
estilo o las leyes, ellos tratan de
Imagine que somos la familia
Putumayo Artist Sam Mangwana
aprovechar nuestra ignorancia y
siempre trataran de embaucamos en
tratadas deshonestas o vendernos
chucherías sin valor, por un precio
altísimo.
U ltimamente recibí por correo
una proposición para obtener una
Beca gratis para que mi hijo pudiera
ir al Colegio que el quisiera con
todos los gastos pagados, nada
m enosque por4anos. La carta tenia
sellos oficiales y se veia como si
viniera de una organización muy
importante, hubo mucha alegría y
entusiasmo en mi hogar. También
hay estafadores que hablan Esponal.
Si ha sido estfado quejese cotí Tas
autoridades.
Richard L.uccetti/Hispanic Market­
ing (503) 255-4707
vive en el vecindario
¡Los vecindarios de Portland y de
toda la nación tienen muchas
cosas en común! Como saltar
a la cuerda, el fútbol, las
conversaciones en el porche, (as
comidas en el jardín y la familia.
American Family Insurance.
Seguros con coberturas familiares,
en los que se ha podido confiar
desde 1927.
Hoy. encontrará a
*
nuestros amables agentes en 15
estados, en miles de vecindarios y
cerca de usted en el corazón de su
comunidad. ¡Llame hoy al
Í503J986-5800 mismo y descubra
por qué nadie cuida de Portland
como la familia!
Toda La Protección Bajo Un MisnieVi
American Family Mutual Insurance Company and Subsidiaries, Madison, Wisconsin 53783-0001 www.amfam.com
AMERICAN FAMILY
IN S U R A N C E
AUTO HOMI SUSINI SS HtAlTH U f f
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