21. The Power of Hispanic Marketing with Yvonne “Bonnie” Garcia

Yvonne “Bonnie” Garcia, Founder and CEO of MarketVision

When you leverage your heritage in your marketing strategy, you create new opportunities to cultivate meaningful connections with your consumers. Melissa sits down with Yvonne “Bonnie” Garcia, Founder and CEO of MarketVision to talk about her groundbreaking career in Hispanic marketing.

About Yvonne:
Yvonne “Bonnie” Garcia founded MarketVision in 1998 after 22 years in corporate marketing because she saw a void in shopper, promotional, and grassroots marketing that would engage multicultural consumers. Since then, she has expanded the business from “three Latinas and a telephone” into a multi-million-dollar Culture. Inspired. Marketing® firm that uncovers cultural insights through research to make meaningful connections with clients’ brands or services.

MarketVision has 25 employees at its San Antonio headquarters and satellite offices in New York and Mexico. The firm has created culture-based marketing initiatives for such clients as Coca-Cola, Centers for Disease Control, ConAgra Foods, Continental Airlines, Copa Airlines, FCA Chrysler, Fisher-Price, General Mills, Girl Scouts of America, HEB, Hershey’s, J.M. Smucker Company, Kraft Foods, MassMutual, Mazola (ACH Foods), MillerCoors, Mondelez International, Northwestern Mutual, TIAA, University Health System, USAA, U.S. Bank, United Airlines and GO RIO.

Topics covered:
- Understanding the power of Hispanic marketing
- Opportunities for growth and areas of improvement in the cultural marketing shift
- Gaining the respect of the Hispanic community
- The growing Hispanic market
- What inspired Bonnie's "Dale Ganas" book
- Advice for Latinas

Actions to take:
- Leverage your background
- Go where the numbers are
- Respect and acknowledge your heritage
- Understand what people care about
- Be fearless

Resources mentioned:
- MarketVision
- Coca-Cola
- The U.S. Census
- Selena Coca-Cola ad
- "Technology and Spanish Translations" PRSA article
- Selena Coca-Cola TV spots
- "Dale Ganas"
- "Smart Talk: Public Relations Essential All Pros Should Know"
- MVW Communications
- PR Pro Gear