Unilever Stages Events for Hispanic Market

Englewood Cliffs, N.J. — Unilever targeted Latino families by staging events at independent, West Coast supermarket chains that encourage shoppers to interact with 15 food and health and beauty brands.Unilever's latest Hispanic marketing program, "Disfruta la Pasion de la Vida" (Enjoy Life's Passion) includes outdoor events that feature interactive elements such as Caress hand wash stations, facial diagnostics, massage chairs, a Pond's testing area and demonstrations in which shoppers participate, says Joseph Vizcarra, Unilever's multicultural marketing manager. The events provide Hispanic-themed foods and music, free samples, Spanish language recipe/coupon books, and Popsicle and Breyers treats. An inflatable soccer goal awards shoppers prizes and samples if they score a goal, and a sweepstakes gives them the chance to win tickets to a professional soccer game."Our goal is to connect with Hispanic consumers in ways that allow them to experience the brands," says Vizcarra. "We have many brands that over-index with Hispanics, so we try to meet their needs with the brands we promote. Programs are all tailored to specific audiences."Starting in November 2011 and as of February, eight supermarkets have been involved in the program, including Vallarta Supermarkets, a traditional Latino grocery chain serving Southern California; FoodMaxx in Northern California; and Food City in the Phoenix market. The events are staged near store entrances and in parking lots.In addition to Caress, Popsicle and Breyers, the events highlight Unilever brands Knorr, Ragu, Country Crock, Best Foods, Suave, Dove, Degree and Axe.Stores promote the "Disfruta" program via signage, endcaps, shelf talkers, floor displays, posters and, in some locations, radio remotes. In-store efforts are led by marketing agency Integrated Marketing Services, Norwalk, Conn. Also, Del Rey Marketing, Commerce, Calif.; Mindshare, New York; Captura Group, San Diego; and Edelman, New York and Chicago, contribute.Unilever used local radio spots, its Hispanic websites and social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages to get the message out. As part of the program in California, Unilever donated $45,000 to the Southern California Youth Soccer Organization. Also, proceeds from the sales of certain products go to this organization, which benefits indigent Latino youth."Disfruta la Pasion de la Vida is one of Unilever's many efforts in multicultural marketing and is one part of Unilever's nationally recognized Hispanic program," says Vizcarra. The company integrated the "Disfruta" program into its "Vive Mejor" (Live Better) program, which consists of an online lifestyle magazine and Facebook page. Written in Spanish and aimed at Latinas, "Vive Mejor" covers issues like health, family, beauty and cooking.Through this integration, Unilever reaches thousands of Hispanics, Vizcarra says, including the "Vive Mejor" Facebook page's 140,000 fans (as of January). Vizcarra says the page is one of Facebook's largest Spanish-language communities. "Our sites have high levels of engagement."The "Disfruta" program has somewhat of a different focus than "Vive Mejor," targeting families rather than only women. Both programs' websites feature the recipes and beauty tips.Unilever's Hispanic initiatives are backed by research from its Multicultural Consumer Marketing Insights team. These bilingual and bicultural professionals are dedicated to understanding consumer trends, needs and preferences, says Vizcarra. They provide research on purchasing drivers for product development and communications.In measuring the success of the "Disfruta" program, Unilever will compare sales during store event days compared to non-event days. It will also examine the number of social media views. Levels of consumer engagement, including contest registrations, are another barometer, along with a metric that Vizcarra labels a "proprietary ROI process."While Vizcarra would not disclose the "Disfruta" budget, he says Unilever's 2011 spending on Hispanic marketing was higher than in years past. Unilever staged 3,500 in-store Hispanic events in 2011, a 10% increase. "Unilever understands the importance of the Hispanic segment as a growing and powerful group and will continue to allocate marketing budgets accordingly."

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