Big Brands Catching Hispanic Product Wave
By Elizabeth Reinhardt
As companies begin to understand the changing general market demografía, specialized marketing of los productos becomes a more pressing issue. But, some brands are taking the idea of targeting the consumidor Hispano to a different level by creating specialized products, designed to reach this powerful market segment.
We wanted to share with you just a few examples of big brands that are catching onto the Hispanic product wave.
Wal-Mart
Though Wal-Mart is not the first, it’s definitely one of the biggest retail chains to create a store dedicated to the Hispanic population. The Supermercado de Wal-Mart was opened in Phoenix and Houston in 2009 as an experimental store model, and has been welcomed by the Hispanic community in each location. They also opened Más Club, a sister store to Sam’s Club where shoppers can save money by buying in bulk. This is not the only example of Wal-Mart strategically working with minority groups; they also cater to areas with a heavy Amish population by selling the large blocks of ice that they use for refrigeration and outfitting their parking lots with hitching posts for Amish wagons, among other examples.
Dell
In 2011, Dell released a version of its Inspiron M5030 laptop with special settings specifically for the Spanish-speaking user. The custom laptop is sold at BrandsMart USA, a retailer in South Florida, both online and in-store. It has a Spanish language keyboard and comes with a version of Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium software that can be set to Spanish. Dell told the Miami Herald that if the product sells well, they may begin offering it in other stores. Due to the 45% Spanish-speaking consumer base for the South Florida stores, the laptop has sold at a rate similar to the English version.
Clorox
After doing heavy market research regarding Hispanic cleaning habits, Clorox released its Clorox Fraganzia line of products. Clorox’s study determined that Hispanics tend to approach cleaning as a three step process: clean it, disinfect it and make it smell good. Their new product line addresses all three of these steps by offering a multipurpose cleaner, a spray air freshener and a toilet bowl freshener that hangs from the rim of the bowl. While some argue that the line could be successful with the general market, Clorox is focusing its efforts on the Hispanic consumer, with the marketing campaign being in traditionally Spanish-language channels on television, radio and the internet.
Have you heard news of any similar products hitting the shelves? Or, are there any that you think could benefit from being built with the Hispanic consumer specifically in mind?
