• by Aaron Baar , November 25, 2014

Bolivian native (and Sprint CEO) Marcelo Claure talks directly to Hispanic consumers in their own language.

Having recently taken over as the CEO of Sprint, Marcelo Claure is wasting no time trying to connect with the increasingly important Hispanic market, by speaking their language. 

Via a new national television campaign, Claure speaks directly to Hispanic consumers in Spanish about the brand’s commitment to their demographic and offering “the best value in wireless.” The commercial begins with news reports and others speaking about Claure becoming the first Hispanic CEO of a telecommunications company in the United States. The spot then cuts to Claure directly addressing the camera, speaking about how he and his family use wireless telecommunications (Skype, e-commerce, streaming media) and speaking about how Sprint is looking to make the wireless industry less complicated.

“The strategy of the ads is to give consumers the opportunity to meet the man behind the company now influencing the decisions made at Sprint, but also to give Marcelo a direct channel to say hello,” Kymber Umana, Sprint’s head of Hispanic Marketing, tells Marketing Daily. “Having Marcelo as part of the commercials shows Hispanic consumers that the CEO stands behind the brand … and is particularly attuned to the Hispanic marketplace.” 

Establishing connections with the Hispanic market is hugely important important for telecommunications brands, she says. According to the company, 53% of Hispanics are likely to live in mobile-only households, compared with 35% of non-Hispanic general market consumers. Almost half of Hispanic consumers are also expected to change their mobile phones within the next six months, Umana says. 

“We understand that for Hispanics, a mobile phone is their gateway to the content they desire but also a critical means for staying connected to friends and family,” she says. “Offering the best customer service experience for our Hispanic consumers is good for business and for our overall growth.”

Sprint is currently developing changes to its products, services and technologies to entice families (such as a share plan that offers 20GB of wireless data usage for up to 10 lines), that are also intended to appeal to the Hispanic market, Umana says. The brand will be looking into more opportunities to reach the Hispanic market through content creation partnerships such as a sponsorship of the Terra Live Music concert series and a partnership with Pandora for the launch of Raices Profundas featuring Enrique Iglesias. 

“There’s definitely more to come and we think our customers will be pleased,” Umana says.