NEWLINK CONVERSATIONS: Virtual Book Tour - Hispanic Marketing Connecting with the Latino Consumer

The work on this book started in the 1970s when Felipe Korzenny  was a graduate student at Michigan State University. It is the product of much work that has taken place since then in the company of Betty Ann Korzenny.

We both have been immersed in the US Hispanic community and market for a long time. We have seen the US Hispanic market evolve and have witnessed changes in assumptions and in the identity itself of the people that conform it.

Our first book on this subject was published in 2005. So many factors have changed in such a short period of time that a publication in 2011 exhibits substantive differences in content and approach. The similarities in the treatment of the topic are useful because they have shown to help readers become immersed in the consumer mindset of the Latino culture.

In 6 years we have witnessed major economic downturns and changes in the attitudes of many Americans toward Hispanics and immigrants. Many of these changes have been unfortunate but have contributed to the emergence of a new identity and to a new social cohesion among Latinos.

Further, the processes of acculturation and assimilation have become more complex on one hand and on the other they have become less important in how we look at Hispanic consumers in the US. Several chapters in this new treatment of the subject deal with these issues. As the Latino population of the US matures and becomes more native than immigrant, the way in which we study it has to change. One thing, however, remains the unifying factor that makes pursuing this rich market feasible and productive, and that is the Hispanic culture that is shared at the most intimate levels of being. Here is where the opportunity resides.

This book is organized as the content calls for priorities. First is an understanding of the market with its idiosyncrasies and richness, including issues of culture, language, and psycho-socio-cultural phenomena. Then the book proceeds to deal specifically with cultural insights that make a difference. These are the kernels of cultural connection that allow marketers to establish links with many Latinos simultaneously. These are precisely the elements that make marketing to Hispanics rewarding and profitable.

This book further explains how many of these insights can be obtained and the numerous issues that need to be considered in attempting to better understand the market via research. As a corollary, this volume talks about the Hispanic marketing industry and concludes with important trends of online Latino behavior.

We believe that by establishing the cultural foundations of the market and then exploring the more specific applications we enable the marketer to think about the issues and avoid following prescriptions. It is not likely that any prescriptions will serve the marketer well. There are no “dos” and “don’ts”, it is the marketer who has to have the mental tools to judge when and how a strategy or tactic has the possibility of success. That is why specificity is at the end and not at the outset.

The reader should also keep in mind that while this book does analyze data and quotes statistics from the US Census and other sources, its main objective is not to describe the market. The main objective of this book is to serve as a conceptual framework for thoughtful marketing action based on a deep understanding of Latino culture. If the reader becomes a better cultural interpreter and is able to look at Hispanics in a more informed and empathic way then we will have achieved one of our most important goals. This is a book about enabling strategic thinking for marketing to Latinos.

We look forward to your participation with this event, part of Newlink Conversations: Dialogue, Debate and Discovery with experts on the Hispanic market and live on NewTV, our exclusive web channel.

Felipe Korzenny

Professor of Advertising and Integrated Marketing Communication, and Founder and Director of the Center for the Study of Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University.

Currently independently consults with major US corporations on their Hispanic marketing strategies, and speaks to them about approaches to better connect with Hispanic Consumers.

He was President and CEO of Hispanic & Asian Marketing Communication Research until 1999. Then merged H&AMCR with Cheskin, and was affiliated with that company as Senior Consultant until 2007.  He is particularly well known in industry for the consumer experience insights he has helped generate to position successful products in the US Hispanic market and in Latin America.

The experience Dr. Felipe Korzenny includes: Food and beverage, finance/banking/credit/insurance, telecommunications, digital technology, entertainment, media, social services, health, education, automotive, and real estate. A social scientist by training, Felipe has a critical academic perspective combined with a strong business practice.

Dr. Korzenny holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University in Communication Research, where he was also a faculty member, and later was member of the faculty of San Francisco State University. He has published six books and almost a hundred research publications dealing with communication and culture. Published in 2005 the seminal book: Hispanic Marketing: A Cultural Perspective.

Betty Ann Korzenny

Betty Ann Korzenny has over 20 years of leadership in the business world. She has held high level management positions in major US corporations and has been a business owner and executive in leading US consulting and marketing research companies. She currently brings this rich background to her academic positions at Florida State University. Her dedication to human and organizational development, marketing consulting, intercultural communication, and business excellence has resulted in the growth of vibrant companies as well as talented professionals.

Jorge Ortega

Jorge Ortega has more than 25 years experience working with major multinational companies, NGOs and government institutions, developing and managing strategic communications programs across the Americas, prior to being Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Newlink America.

Most recently, and for nearly six years, he served as president of The Jeffrey Group, an integrated communications agency focused on the U.S. Hispanic market and Latin America.

Previously, he was Managing Director at Burson-Marsteller, one of the world's largest public relations and public affairs firms. During his sixteen years with the company, he held various key positions, including nearly five years in Mexico City. He also began and developed the firm's first U.S. Hispanic practice, started an internet consultancy subsidiary, and ran the brand communications practice for Latin America.

Ortega serves on the advisory board of the Florida State University Center for Hispanic Marketing Communications and on the board of directors of the IKF/Wonderfund a non-profit he co-founded which provides life saving medical care for children. He also is on the board of National Holdings, a publicly-traded brokerage firm.