By George Anderson
Jaime Gamboa and Gabriel Grimalt, are two young American men of Latino ancestry who are making it big and they're letting Los Angeles know with their new magazine, Tu Ciudad (Your City), which in contrast to its title is written entirely in English.
Tu Ciudad, reports The New York Times, is looking to zero in on Hispanics "who identify strongly with mainstream American culture while also cleaving to their Latin roots."
Conventional wisdom in multicultural marketing circles up to now has emphasized Spanish as the language to connect with Latino consumers but recently that thinking has begun to be questioned by many including Messrs. Gamboa and Grimalt.
"We think this (Tu Ciudad) is going to shake up the way people see the Spanish market," Mr. Grimalt said.
The inaugural issue of Tu Ciudad goes on sale May 20 in Los Angeles.
Manny González, senior brand manager at Diageo North America, oversees Hispanic advertising for Johnnie Walker Scotch. He thinks publications such as Tu Ciuda are long overdue.
"This kind of publication should have arrived a long time ago in Los Angeles," he said. "We have very few vehicles to reach the acculturated customer. But now you're seeing print space address that thirst for media options."
Moderator's Comment: If you're buying ad space for a retailer or consumer marketer in Los Angeles and your audience is affluent Latinos, do you run in Tu Ciudad or are you comfortable with your current English-language media choices?
Thanks to Lucia Fernandez-Palacios, media director at Dieste, Harmel & Partners, who spoke to the Times and put the idea for this discussion in our head. - George Anderson - Moderator