Dieste & FSU Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication develop Experiential Program.

The classroom of Hispanic community life is open to a team of talented graduate students pursuing an education at The Florida State University Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication who have embarked on a summer internship that takes them out of the classroom and office and into Hispanic family dynamics. The project is the first of a program being developed by Dieste in partnership with FSU’s Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication.

Dieste has an intense focus on research as part of its strategic approach to the Hispanic market, and develops brand solutions based on consumer insight and understanding—the underpinning of all work developed by the agency. The program’s projects are focused on generating new research strategies to capture insightful and meaningful information from Hispanic consumers.

The program will immerse students in small community settings to become on the ground observers and report on what drives consumer decisions among Hispanics. For the first project, students will research a sample of communities and report their ethnographic findings to a cadre of the agency’s executive team and clients.

“Our industry has become very sophisticated and the future of relevant marketing will hinge on our ability to deliver even more precise, innovative consumer-centric approaches,” said Aldo Quevedo, president of Dieste and member of the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communications advisory board. “This internship is a commitment to the future of our industry – we are proud to support the development of these very talented students.”

Each student has been assigned an area of field study that corresponds with industries of interest to the agency and of critical importance to the market including: urban culture/entertainment, health and wellness, financial planning and purchase process decisions. The program is managed and directed by Rocío Fernández, executive director of strategic planning at Dieste.

“We structured this program in a way that delivers the best of the academic and professional experience to our students. It’s the opportunity to conduct innovative field study and hone their professional research skills, while observing the market with a fresh perspective,” said Felipe Korzenny, director of the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication.

Students participating in the program were selected and recruited by Dieste after presenting the concept and reviewing proposals from interested candidates.

“We selected leading, outstanding candidates that have the fearless approach and intense curiosity that best matches our agency’s vision,” said Fernández.

According to Fernández, the program will offer students a deep dive into research, a critical step that is at the centerpiece of account planning, giving any marketing approach the heft it needs to strategically and effectively connect with the intended audience.

Participating students demonstrated a unique cultural savvy required for the success of the project and most are fully bilingual in English and Spanish. Selected students are:
Mihaela Moldovan: Originally from Romania, Moldovan speaks Spanish and is pursuing a doctorate from FSU in Communication Research.

Lorimar Santo Domingo: Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Lorimar is pursuing a master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communication. Her professional experience includes serving as staff for the Office of the Governor of Puerto Rico.

Antonieta Reyes: From Venezuela, Reyes is also pursuing a graduate degree at FSU and presently teaches an undergraduate class at the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication.
Madhurima Sarkar: Originally from India, Sarkar is a PhD candidate, with a keen interest in cross-cultural marketing, especially in the areas of health and financial planning.

Celeste Eberhart: An Argentinean, Eberhart is entering the Master’s program and is interested in entertainment and cultural expressions.

The first project of the program began in early June and will commit students to two months of in-depth study and reporting during the summer. The selected students also will be engaged in future projects currently being developed by Dieste in collaboration with Korzenny.

The Center for Hispanic Marketing Communications was launched in 2004 to prepare talent for Hispanic marketing disciplines through innovative research, education, and training of marketing professionals by means of a partnership between academia and industry. The Center for Hispanic Marketing Communications trains over 100 students every year.