Where do I get good mondongo?

Supermarket News recently wrote about how sampling has become an effective way for brands to gain loyal Hispanic customers. They reference the 2005 Food Marketing Institute's study that Hispanic household spend 20% more on in-home foods than other households. They also discussed how Latinos will spend to maintain loyal to certain brands.

Sampling was an effective way Hostess helped to reach Hispanics during last weekend's Feria de la Familia that I attended with my familia. They sampled their new "Las Delicias de Hostess" brands I love the guava puffs, by the way at the event organized by Telemundo.

In addition to the sampling and their associated promotions and events, retailers who are serious about marketing to the Hispanic consumer are going way beyond this tactic. An IGA near where I grew up offers a nice selection of cabeza (pig's head) for the many Mexican consumers. In case you're wondering, Mexicans make tacos from the meat and skin in the face. There's not much of the pig we don't consume.

A September cover story in The Progressive Grocer also outlines other ways to get serious about the market and, no, a Goya aisle and putting Ortega products on sale during Cinco de Mayo doesn't really count.

What these articles highlight is marketing 101 material ... know your audience and define messages and means to reach them. These supermarkets have realized that they can either 1) keep fighting the weekly battles to take market share from competitors while trying to retain their customers or 2) go after the mainly untapped Hispanic population, a demographic which come from bigger families and spend more on food.

Food and eating are part of the culture. The take away is Hispanics will go to those that cater to them in a relevant manner and pay more for products ... after all, we have to get our cabeza from someone ...