People to Watch: Joseph Vizcarra, Unilever

Name: Joseph Vizcarra Company: Unilever, Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Title: Multicultural Integrated Marketing Manager Age: 35 Education: Arizona State University (BS, Marketing and International Business)Why He's One To Watch: Is instrumental in creating and executing marketing programs to reach Unilever's Hispanic consumers.Although he worked stocking groceries at age 16, Joseph Vizcarra's real interest in the retail industry was piqued by his first job out of college at a Hispanic promotions agency in Phoenix. With a strong background in multicultural marketing, Vizcarra knows a great deal about the shoppers he's trying to reach as Unilever's multicultural integrated marketing manager. "This is a very dynamic consumer segment, which takes a special set of skills to help understand the nuances, such as knowing which markets will respond to certain types of promotions, or how specific insights may affect purchase decisions," he says. "However, at the end of the day, marketing is marketing, and the same best practices apply regardless of your target audience. This includes researching and understanding the consumer, aligning with trends and paying attention to what the shopper needs."As a member of Unilever's multicultural marketing department for more than four years, Vizcarra manages multi-brand Hispanic shopper marketing programs and collaborates with the brand teams to target Hispanic retailers. Falling under the consumer and customer solutions group, he also works closely with the shopper marketing team for their retailer-specific insights. Currently, he is working to identify the country's top Hispanic retailers, not only independent stores but large national chains.In order to improve its understanding of Hispanic shoppers, Unilever has a dedicated multicultural insights team that looks at specific brands, categories and overall insights. Information is gathered through pre- and post-event studies, consumer surveys and in-market store visits. Now in its fourth year, Vizcarra managed the launch of Unilever's first bilingual platform, "ViveMejor" (Live Better), which leverages Hispanic shopper insights to deliver key brand messages to millions of Hispanic consumers each year. He also helped Unilever fully engage this market in everything from shopper marketing programs to major media sponsorships. "I've been working passionately for over 12 years in this arena and have seen -- and I believe impacted -- positive changes," he says. "It makes me proud to continue leading this charge, and I really enjoy my job."In another annual project, the team creates "Storefront Challenges," events designed to drive day-of sales while providing a "retailtainment" feel. The events evolve each year around the company's Hispanic shopper marketing program.When discussing his job's biggest challenges, Vizcarra doesn't consider reaching Hispanic consumers to be one of them. "There are more media outlets and resources now than ever before, so reaching the Hispanic market is not necessarily the difficult part of the job," he says. "What does provide a challenge is determining which media to use, where and when. It's also important to be able to create a business case for why brands should invest in the Hispanic market, then provide great results."

People to Watch: Joseph Vizcarra, Unilever

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