As the agency world begins preparing for the DMA’s Directo Days in NYC in April and later on the West coast, there are several articles running in the trades about direct marketing in the Hispanic marketplace.

Having attended this event in the past, I was disappointed to find that the information presented is elementary and presents direct marketing at it’s infancy stages. Many topics discussed are basic Hispanic 101 things that really do nothing to move the business forward. I believe that the DMA’s responsibility is to move Hispanic direct marketing to the next level. As ambassadors of the discipline, I believe that education is key to development and sophistication here. Currently, the DMA is suffering from bi-polarity trying to educate general market providers on the ways of the Hispanic market rather than helping Hispanic agencies and providers evolve the market. They also have very limited participation from Hispanic agencies and I believe I know why.

After talking to several Hispanic agencies attending the event, many felt that the event feels like a college level introduction to the subject matter. Many of the questions asked in the forums were language related and focused on best practices. However, it was like a giant field day for general market providers to ask questions and not feel silly. Which, don’t get me wrong is excellent, but very limiting for the others in the audience.

So I believe the DMA needs to ask itself what audience this event is serving. Can the DMA challenge itself to serve both general market and Hispanic audiences?

- Written by Miamiadguy