Companies that aren’t marketing to Hispanics or making Hispanics a part of their corporate staff are going to be left behind as the demographic becomes more prominent in the United States.
That’s the message AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. CEO Gerry Lopez ( pictured above) and other executives shared at an event hosted by the National Hispanic Corporate Council on Monday at the company’s Leawood Theatre Support Center.Lopez, along with Alba Adamo, director of Hispanic marketing at The Coca-Cola Co and David Cohen, a senior executive vice president at Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA), shared their insights on capitalizing on the growing size and influence of the Hispanic market. Octavio Hinojosa Mier, executive director of the NHCC, said the 55 million-strong population of Hispanic consumers in the United States boast more than $1.5 trillion in purchasing power.
The executives said inclusion, both in marketing and hiring, is key to capitalizing on the market.
Looking through the lens of entertainment and marketing, the executives said Hispanic consumers — just like everyone else — want to feel included. They want to see people who look like them in films, television and marketing materials. They want to interact with people like themselves when they are doing business.