Adweek: Target Latino Formed to Aid Marketers

Target Latino Formed to Aid Marketers

By Tracy Mcreynolds Bostic – ADWEEK

ATLANTA More than 50 Atlanta-area Hispanic agencies and organizations have teamed to launch Target Latino, a community project founded to help corporations learn to properly market to Latinos, sources said.

Target Latino was established this summer by Claudia Goffan, who has experience working with companies such as Xerox Argentina, BellSouth and AT&T. Six metro-Atlanta companies, Gold’s Gym in Norcross, Liberty Mutual Norcross, Echolink Telecom, Party-Plus Atlanta, Nanette Freiman, an independent associate of Prepaid Legal, and Yellow Brick Road Properties, have signed on to participate.

Goffan said her objective in developing Target Latino is to educate marketers and advertisers of the growing market share and buying power of the Hispanic community. “Latinos are going to represent 25 percent of the U.S. population in the near future,” she said. “Companies need to understand the demographics and progress of this growing market.”

Studies conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau show that Atlanta’s Latino population grew by 362 percent between 1990 and 2000. Georgia’s Latino population grew 300 percent during the same period.

“Target Latino is comprised of marketing professionals that will help guide companies in learning how to profit from this new growth market,” said Goffan. “Simply translating marketing materials into Spanish is not a good answer. A complete marketing plan is a better solution.”

Perez Montalbetti Advertising, Sagitauro, the National Society for Hispanic MBAs, the Association of Columbian Professionals in Atlanta and the Latin American Association are among the organizations involved in the project.

Target Latino is hosting a launch party Oct. 10, where participating companies will be presented with marketing plans and strategies, sources said.

Source: Adweek