‘Follow the consumer’ means using tech savvy to reach Hispanic market

Diana Prieto-Bernal, founder/director of Ideaz Media, has lived a life filled with diversity –  she has resided in different cities in different countries, worked in marketing or sales for Spanish-language magazines, radio and TV, and has friends and associates from a wide variety of countries and backgrounds.

No wonder this Colombian-born executive has transformed her unique vision of the world into a boutique marketing agency with six employees that incorporated her multi-cultural marketing expertise.

Prieto-Bernal’s resume includes a B.A. in Media Art from the University of Arizona, and stints with Telemundo TV in Tucson, Ay Caramba magazine in Miami, and Radio Única, La Buena Onda, Entravision radio, and LAT TV in Phoenix.

Ideaz Media is a Latina-owned business at 4300 N. Miller Road in Scottsdale that blends the talent of its multi-cultural staff to produce marketing collateral and public-relations channels that capture the attention and loyalty of the target Latino consumers.

Its current clients include the Arizona Cardinals, Bacardi USA, ACDelco, Frank & Lupe’s Mexican food restaurants, Cornelis Hollander Jewelry, and soon to open Urban 7 Martini Kitchen in Scottsdale.

 But even the avant-garde marketing concepts of Ideaz Media are based on a simple premise: Ideas that work in today’s quickly changing advertising industry.

Two of the core tools that Ideaz Media uses are digital marketing and the emerging trend of social media to reach Latinos. And although some marketers aren’t jumping on the social marketing bandwagon, Prieto-Bernal sees the dynamic as the big growth area in the industry.

The most popular sites for social networking today is Facebook, followed by MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter.

“Any marketing strategic plan that wants to reach Latinos should incorporate social marketing,” she says. “The Latino community isn’t homogeneous – there are diverse subgroups among the diverse Latino cultures – they do have common traits that make using social media a natural way to reach them.”

• Latinos are more social than other cultures.
• Latinos are adopting social media at a rate of 50 percent above most other groups.
• Latinos tend to be influenced by others in their “circle of trust” – friends, family and associates. These circles form the foundation of most social media channels.
• The Latino “Millennial Generation” has embraced the Web and social media avenues so that this communication is part of their everyday lives.

Companies would do well to incorporate the feedback from Facebook or Twitter about a product or service into a better experience for Latino consumers, Prieto-Bernal says.

“Social media can provide a way for companies to hear from Latino consumers how they use a brand in their lifestyles, or how to make it a better product,” she says.

“The message for we marketing agencies is that if we listen to the social media channels Latinos use, they tell us their likes, dislikes, what language they prefer, and where they shop and entertain themselves. It’s a great way to learn how to reach them.”

Cynthia Flores-Zarza, Creative Technology Director for IM, suggests tweaking Website designs and operations to integrate social marketing into a business Website.

“Internet technologies can now make quality branding affordable,” says Flores-Zarza.  “What was cost prohibitive a couple of years ago through traditional media is now available to tech-savvy business start-ups to showcase their services to national and global audiences. Now they can compete directly with the big corporations.”

“The key is to know the market and get the right message out on the Web. An overall strategy from a professional agency makes all the difference,” Flores-Zarza adds.

To interview Diana Prieto-Bernal about her agency, the Latino market, or on using social marketing to reach the Latino consumer, contact her at Ideaz Media at (480) 754-9747, or via e-mail at Diana@ideazmedia.com. Visit her Website at www.ideazmedia.com.