Valassis, one of the top 10 FSI Advertisers in Hispanic newspapers according to Portada Ad-Tracking, is redesigning its Hispanic program.
Following the renaming of its consumer brand to Redplum.com, Valassis, which is preserving its name in the trade, is also planning a new print and online strategy to better target the Hispanic customer.
The new Hispanic FSI will be more like a magazine, with features and products that keep the Hispanic consumers in mind. "We want to create something that Hispanic consumers will be proud to welcome into their home," says Lizabeth Ardisana, CEO of ASG Renaissance, the consulting company that is helping Valassis on its Hispanic marketing strategy. According to Jackie Berg, Hispanic FSI product manager at Valassis, FSI Advertisers are looking to increase their touchpoints with consumers.
Valassis sells its programs to agencies and clients (mostly CPG companies), while Ethnic Print Media Group assigns FSI’s to invididual Hispanic newspapers nationwide.
Customized FSI’s that go Beyond the Coupon
In 2006, Valassis acquired Advo, the publisher of Shopwise, which now has been rebranded to Redplum.com.
ASG Renaissance’s Ardisana says that the “goal is to try to make the Hispanic FSI more appealing and more relevant and add value beyond just the coupon. Ardisana notes that she is looking to customize the FSI for particular clients, e.g. lifestyle content or content about healthcare.” As examples, she cites adding interesting articles which are relevant to consumers in their everyday life and using color and freshness to build a more emotional attachment to the brand.
Asked if the new Hispanic approach will imply that a larger amount of FSIs targeting Hispanic consumers will be printed in Spanish (currently half are in English), Valassis Jackie Berg notes that Valassis is in the process of better understanding what Hispanic consumers are looking for. Ardisana adds that “We need to understand in much more depth the demographics of the bilingual, English-dominant and Spanish-dominant segments.”
Related Article: What you should know about the Spanish-language FSI market