Home Depot: Hispanics and Marketing Strategy

The following is a guest post retrieved from article in Reach Hispanic

Home improvements can be exhausting, especially if you are not a professional. In trying to find a lamp for my son’s room, for example, I decided to go to the first place that came to my mind: Home Depot.

Walking into the store was overwhelming- where do I get started?  Most people were moving fast, looking like they knew what they were doing. On the contrary, I looked like a tourist in New York trying to find a friendly face that could help me find my way around.

My experience immediately changed when I looked up and found that ALL the signs were in both English and Spanish. The Home Depot speaks Español! I felt welcome and comfortable. I speak English, but Spanish will always be my first language.

As a Latina in the U.S., I am excited to find companies such as The Home Depot that recognize the importance of the Hispanic market.  According to The Home Depot Hispanic Marketing Overview, Hispanic consumers spent $21.7B on home improvement in 2009 (Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, 2009).

Also, as a marketing professional, I found it very exciting that The Home Depot Marketing Overview also includes the following strategies:

• Bilingual How-To Clinics conducted through Spanish language radio
• Toll-Free Hotline (1-800-533-3199) that offer toll-free service with a Spanish prompt
• Market-Targeted Advertising: Advertising efforts through television, radio, print and online, targeted at both consumers and professionals
• Spanish Language Home Depot YouTube Channel: Access to how-to tips from the home improvement leader from home, the laptop or a mobile device

Hispanics are a priority now and in the future of the U.S.  Any business that recognizes and implements smart strategies to reach them will be ahead of the marketing game.

For more information on this and other related articles visit: http://www.reachhispanic.com/