Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Hispanic Men: An overlooked opportunity?

Marketers may find a new target of opportunity in Hispanic men. An article in Convenience Store News reports on research from Mintel that 55 percent of Hispanic fathers are the top decision makers about household purchases. Meanwhile, most marketers focus their efforts primarily on Hispanic women, assuming that since white women are often the top decision makers in their households when it comes to household purchases, the same holds true in Hispanic households.

In Win the Hispanic Market  several contributing authors discuss the attitudes of Hispanic shoppers, especially when it comes to groceries. Whereas, the Mintel research found that Hispanic men are brand loyal and willing to pay more for grocery brands that they believe are more effective than bargain brands, it also found that only 69 percent of Hispanic men had purchased food products in the last 12 months, compared with 83 percent of their white counterparts, 81 percent of Asian and 71 percent of Black counterparts.

To access the original article in Convenience Store News, click the link above.


The Tide Story

We'd like to draw your attention to three articles in the New York Times that discuss the iconic brand Tide and why it has become street currency. The story is that bottles of Tide detergent are now being shoplifted so often that many stores have the bottles "locked up" in some way so that patrons have to ask for help to buy it.

Three articles in the New York Times comment on this phenomena with one asserting that the brand is valued because of its long-time positioning by Procter & Gamble as the best detergent brand used by the most caring moms. Another asserts that it is a luxury that poor people can afford and because of its brand status, makes them feel "normal." The third article says that shoplifting Tide makes no more sense that stealing some  other product that could easily be sold on the street.

It is clear that Procter & Gamble's efforts to make Tide a highly desirable detergent has succeeded in many ways—some beneficial to the product and some not so beneficial. However, we would note one thing: Today's Tide advertisements on television still focus on Moms and Dads being good parents when they use Tide to keep their children in clean clothes.  The iconic brand and its message continue to resonate with families around the world, especially as that small luxury most people can afford.