• by Karl Greenberg , March 12, 2014

Toyota has signed as official automotive and transportation sponsor of Hispanicize 2014, a Latino influencer event. The conference, to be held April 1 to 4 at the InterContinental Hotel in Miami, brings in more than 1,500 of "the nation's most influential Latino professionals from the industries of blogging, journalism, technology, music, marketing, film and business," notes Toyota.

The event, in its fifth year, is co-chaired by Patricia Salas Pineda, group VP of the Hispanic business strategy group of Toyota North America, and Maria Hinojosa, anchor of weekly NPR show “Latino USA.” Toyota will have vehicle experiences for its Toyota and Scion brands and a panel featuring senior Toyota executives on its multicultural marketing strategies. Toyota says it has been central to developing the program. 

Said Pineda in a statement: "Participating in marquee events such as this provides our company access to Latino influencers who are shaping the digital landscape." The company said Pineda's participation is part of an effort to make sure "the Hispanic perspective is fully integrated into growth strategies for all of its brands: Toyota, Lexus and Scion." 

The automaker, like most, has boosted spend against the growing Hispanic market in recent years. The Torrance, Calif.-based Toyota Motor U.S. sales arm launched @Toyotalatino. Japanese auto brands have dominated the Hispanic market in the U.S. for some time (discounting pickup trucks) and Toyota has, in fact, been the top seller to Latinos. Last year, Polk reported that Honda and Nissan were numbers two and three. Chevrolet was a distant fourth in terms of Hispanic market share. 

Toyota is not alone, although it does have category exclusivity. Google, P&G, McDonald's, Sherwin Williams, 3M, Crest, and Home Depot are among around 30 sponsors. The organization says there will be some 20 "sit downs" with brands that Google will live stream; three major research studies; new Hispanic market programs by Toyota and Coca-Cola, the latter focused on the World Cup; and cultural trends sessions.