Major marketers are finally trying to speak Spanish. After years of viewing the Hispanic market as a virtual afterthought, advertisers are starting to realize the U.S. Hispanic population is not only
huge but growing, and as such it represents a lucrative marketing opportunity. Kellogg, Co., the nation's leading cereal marketer, is one marketer who has seen the light. The company puts ''Tony el
Tigre" on Frosted Flakes boxes, offers a Latin-dance exercise video, and says it plans to boost marketing spending to Hispanics by 60 percent this year. Marketers are also taking steps to learn more
about the Hispanic market in order to market their products more effectively. For example, a recent Unilever study found that Hispanic shoppers tend to plan their shopping ahead, more so than
shoppers generally, with an eye toward discounts. Hispanics are the youngest, fastest-growing segment of the American population, according to the Census Bureau. And they are driving what little
growth there is in supermarket shopping, said Libbey Paul, of ACNielsen, the marketing information company. ''Many retailers today don't have a large percentage of Hispanics in the marketplace, and
yet everybody will as time goes on," said Mike Twitty, a senior group research manager for Unilever.
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