Marketing To Hispanics

The Hispanic market for home improvement products is large, growing and undertapped, according to Rick Davis, Golden Hill Productions, producer of the do-it-yourselfer television program Mejorando Su Hogar (Improving Your Home).

According to Davis, there are over 28 million Hispanics in the U.S. legally (LOVo of the population), who spent over $228 billion on consumer goods in 1995. "The growth rate of the Hispanic market in the U.S. is eight times its nearest competitor," he says. "In fact, within 10 years Hispanics will surpass African Americans as the largest minority in the country. By the year 2050, one out of every four Americans will be of Hispanic origin."

Davis claims the Hispanic market is fairly easy to tap because:

(1) Of the 28 million Hispanics in the U.S., 807o speak Spanish most or all of the time and cannot be reached through general market campaigns.

(2) Hispanics are concentrated in specific areas of the country, with California, Texas, Florida, New York and Chicago accounting for 75Vo of the Hispanic population.

(3) Dollars spent marketing to Hispanics in Spanish are more cost efficient because it is more exclusive. "If you try to reach African Americans, you'll reach some non-African Americans, if you try to reach women, you'll reach some men," Davis says. "But if you try to reach Hispanics in Spanish, you'll only reach Hispanics."

(4) There are far fewer Spanishlanguage advertising vehicles in the U.S., and the lack of advertising clutter allows individual messages to get through more clearly. Although there are an increasing number of Spanish language radio stations, there are only two national television networks for Hispanics, Univision and Telemundo.

(5) Hispanics are fiercely brand loyal, so those who enter the market first have an edge in locking out the competition.

(6) Hispanics are a proud people who desire respect. They will not respond to dubbed commercials or advertisements featuring blondehaired, blue-eyed Americans. They must be spoken to with respect, in their own language, with the right sensibilities. Personal contact is also very effective, so event marketing can be a real plus.

Both Builders Square and The Stanley Works have renewed their lead sponsorship of Mejorando Su Hogar's 26-week run for the third year in a row. Other sponsors include 3M. USG and Price Pfister.

Bleached Wood Floors Fading

The 1990s back to basics approach has spilled over into the wood flooring industry.

Past trends of pastel and whitewashed wood floors are fading as consumers return to a more back-tobasics, 1990s feel in decorating, according to the National Wood Flooring Association.

Lighter, more natural earthtones are now the most popular flooring finishes. "Natural finishes are currently the highest demand in wood flooring," explains Greg McGavran, Firebird Industries. "Ten years ago, we had many requests for whitewashed floors. Today, T}Vo of our customers ask for natural finishes."

As housing costs continue to increase, interior designers are choosing natural-finished floors because they lighten a room and can make it look bigger.

Although natural finishes are a growing trend nationwide, there are still regional preferences for darker finishes. Dark finishes, such as medium brown and coffee, are on a major increase on the West Coast. In the Southwest, floors with light finishes, such as golden brown and honey, are on a slight increase.

Structural Panels Climbing

North American structural wood panel industry production rose 2Vo last year to a record 33.1 billion sq. ft. (3/8" basis), according to APA-The Engineered Wood Association.

Plywood production in both the U.S. and Canada remained level with 1994, while OSB production climbed 6Vo to 7.9 billion ft. in the U.S. and ljvo to 3.76 billion ft. in canada. OSB now represents about35Vo oftotal North American structural wood panel production.

84 Lumber To Grow By 30

Coinciding with its 40th anniversary, 84 Lumber will open 30 new stores this year.

The new stores, which all should be operational by Oct. 1, won't vary much from the "no frills" format of existing outlets. The majority will be on five-acre parcels, with approximately 14,000-sq. ft. of retail selling space and 20,000-sq. ft. in outside storage.

Northwest Area Conference

Northwest secondary wood product manufacturers will meet senior buyers of retailing and distribution giants such as HomeBase and Crate & Barrel at the fourth annual WPCC Buyers/Sellers Conference June 6-7 at the World Forestry Center, Portland, Or.

Over 300 participants and 30 buyers have attended previous conferences. The event is an opportunity for regional manufacturers to form contacts that can help with future business opportunities.

The conference is sponsored by WPCC, Inc., a Bend, Or., nonprofit private trade assocation for the secondary wood products industry.

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