Conference held on the opportunities for Mexican brands in the Latin Market in the United States.

The U.S. Department of Commerce, on behalf of The United States Embassy in México, summoned Mexican executives for an event in which two American companies, Latin-Pak and vrtccom presented the characteristics and the opportunities that the Latin market offers in the United States.

Octavio Orozco, VP & General Manager of vrtccom, a company aimed at the Hispanic market, based in L.A, California, made a speech reflecting on the Hispanic population in the United States, the labor growth of this market and aspects like jobs, home income, levels of acculturation, as well its cultural diversity (mostly of mexican origin) and growth tendencies; as it is expected that in 2050, 25% of the population in the U.S will be Hispanic.

Another topic developed by the director of vrtccom; the company currently working with big brand names such as Mexicana Airlines, American Honda, Azteca Milling (Maseca), Tequila San Matías, and González Northgate Markets; is the present situation of the Latin population in the United States concerning the economic crisis affecting particularly all U.S citizens.

Orozco mentioned that even though the purchasing power of the Hispanic consumer can fall temporarily, he still remains an active consumer, given the fact that the Hispanic consumer does not sum up to the high level of debt suffered by the U.S market. Another reason why the Hispanic community is an attractive target for Mexican brands, is its capability to adapt to different labor opportunities and its social mobility; whenever they loose their job in a certain area, they move on to a different activity to insure their economic status.

Octavio Orozco pointed out that the main Hispanic population groups in the US live in California, Texas, Arizona and Illinois, but an important Hispanic presence has also emerged in other states throughout the USA. This context seemed very interesting to the audience, since there are conditions that open opportunities for Mexican products and brands. One of the most important issues addressed was the fact that the acculturation process doesn’t only apply to Hispanics in the USA, but it also applies to Mexican brands. They have to adapt and support the Hispanic population on their way to becoming a part of the General Market in the USA.

On the other hand, the president of Latin-Pak, Vincent Andaloro, emphasized the importance of working with the Latin market in the United States to effectively enter by means of the strategic planning, that is to say, from trustworthy data on the Hispanic market, using efficient communication resources as well as high impact media.

Eduardo Torres, president of vrtccom, presented the communication objectives for his company.

He later described how they have collaborated with the success of Mexican brands in the Hispanic market of the United States, like Azteca Milling and Mexicana Airlines, as well as its development of brands that are already present in the Hispanic market, like American Honda.