• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, August 3, 2009

Starcom MediaVest Group has linked with Telemundo to expand its "Beyond Demographics" research initiative to the Latino market. The pair are undertaking a study looking to offer insight into consumer behavior for the U.S. Hispanic market.

SMG and Telemundo said the Latino market has an estimated population of 45 million and buying power of $860 billion-plus.

In 2007, SMG led the first initiative under the "Beyond Demographics" umbrella that explored aspects of the African-American consumer and revealed "12 archetypes" within the broader community.

A year later, the research expanded to the U.S. Chinese-American population. SMG says the broad goal of the program is to "drive transformational change in the advertising industry's view and value of multicultured consumers."

For the "Latino Identity" study, SMG and Telemundo have assembled a leadership consortium, which includes Christy Haubegger, an agent for Creative Artists Agency and founder of Latina magazine; Jose Marquez, vice president of digital media at Telemundo's mun2; Carola Suárez-Orozco, Professor of Applied Psychology at New York University; and Miguel A. Sirgado, entertainment editor, "People en Español."

"Our mission is to spark the conversations that begin our exploration into the Latino experience in the U.S. and really capture the richness of the community," said Monica Gadsby, CEO of SMG Multicultural.

Jacqueline Hernandez, COO for Telemundo, called Latinos "powerful consumers" and says the research project will reveal unique insights into the community: "their mind-set, what they want, when they want it and how they want it conveyed."