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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
Utah's Latino population has steadily grown during the last 20 years. Along with it, the number of businesses owned by Latinos has also increased. According to the Hispanic and Latino Chambers of Commerce, in 2006 there were about 6,000 Latino-owned businesses, the majority of which are located along the Wasatch Front.
Despite this growth, Vanessa Di Palma Wright and Lorena Riffo Jenson felt the needs of Latino consumers weren't being met and decided to do something about it. They identified a niche market and pursued their goal. As native Latinas themselves (Vanessa is from Uruguay and Lorena from Chile) they felt they had a good understanding of the demographic. Four and a half years ago, they launched DPR Communications.
DPR Communications is a full-service integrated marketing firm geared to reach the Latino market. Services they provide include Latino marketing and advertising platforms, communication strategies, public relations, advertisements, event planning and public involvement. Vanessa says they discovered the Internet is one of the most effective ways to reach their target demographic, Latinos who are young and tech savvy, but it is under-utilized. She anticipates seeing more companies invest in Spanish Web sites.
The agency serves a wide range of clients from local non-profit organizations and state agencies to American companies trying to sell their products and services to Latinos. DPR's marketing and public relations team, which includes seven full-time employees, are all bi-cultural and bilingual, which increases the agency's effectiveness in creating, copywriting and designing advertising campaigns that appeal to the Latino demographic.
Vanessa tells me DPR Communications has grown more quickly than either she or Lorena ever envisioned. They hope to not only continue serving Utah, Idaho, Washington and Oregon clients but also to expand into other states. Both owners want to keep providing the best quality product in helping clients reach a growing and diverse demographic.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
