Yvonne “Bonnie” García: Street Smart Hispanic Marketing

Her early stints as a radio disc jockey in Texas helped Yvonne “Bonnie” García tune in to the pulse of the street and the energy of popular culture. A 22-year career in marketing departments of Fortune 100 companies made her knowledgeable about corporate America. That mix of street savvy and business smarts is a winning combination for the founder and president of Market Vision, the San Antonio-based Hispanic marketing company whose client roster includes Coca-Cola, Continental Airlines, General Mills, Miller Brewing Company and Fisher-Price. Whether companies want to sell beer to World Cup fans or the latest toys to parents, Market Vision creates cutting edge marketing and promotional events that appeal to Hispanic consumers.

A San Antonio native and daughter of second-generation Mexican-American parents, García hadn’t planned to go into marketing. She dreamed of being “the next Barbara Walters” when she followed her older brothers to the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied radio, television and film. Meanwhile, she worked odd jobs just to stay in school. To supplement her loans and scholarships, García got up at 4 a.m. to open a dry cleaner’s shop and worked all morning before going to classes. García’s path changed during her senior year when she got a job at an Austin radio station. A self-described “disco queen,” García worked as a DJ and radio announcer, loving every minute of it.
While deejaying at concerts and youth events, she met representatives from companies promoting products to young people. Marketing and advertising looked fun and lucrative to García.

After graduation, she landed a college marketing position at the Stroh Brewery Company. “I remember telling my mother and brother that I wanted to go on my own and work with a male-dominated beer company in Detroit, Michigan. They thought I was insane. My brother said I’d last a month, but I never looked back,” she recalls. “If I had been fearful, I wouldn’t be sitting here today. If you get fearful, you get doubtful. It makes you not believe in yourself.” By age 26, she was director of Hispanic Marketing at Stroh’s. Not surprisingly, García’s motto today is: “To be fearless.”

García spent several years at Stroh’s before moving to The Coca-Cola Company, where she created marketing programs targeting Hispanic consumers. She signed Latin stars such as Selena and Luis Miguel for international ad campaigns. In her early 40’s, she retired from Coca-Cola and returned to San Antonio but soon grew restless. In 1998, with a business plan and a loan, García opened a small office. She and a few Latina staffers spent weeks calling old contacts and mailing brochures. García can still sing the bilingual hip-hop jingle for her first big account for Nabisco’s “Corn Nuts” snacks. Market Vision was on its way creating splashy, friendly, street-smart promotions and events that speak the language and reflect the lives of Hispanic consumers.

For García, marketing to Hispanics is about respect for the culture and people. When companies take the time to go “behind the line” and learn about the community, consumers are more willing to try their products. “They become loyal to the brands because they realize you are acknowledging they exist,” says García, who is helping General Mills launch “Qué Rica Vida,” a campaign to provide Latinas with lifestyle information and recipes through a new free Spanish-language magazine. Asked to do a Miller Lite campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Market Vision employees took street cams to bodegas, soccer fields, and supermercados to interview people about soccer and their favorite players. Inspired by the interviews, García’s staff came up with a high-energy campaign, “Pasión 10,” focusing on the great Number 10 players in history, such as Pelé, Luis Garcia, Maradona, and Valderrama, and comparing it to Miller Lite, which they dubbed the Number 10 of light beers. (The 10 shirt is given to the best player on the team.) The campaign flooded TV and radio airwaves, as well as cups, bottles and even trucks.

Many of Market Vision’s projects take a similar unconventional approach. Rather than slick generic campaigns aimed at the masses, García gets down to the grassroots, “building brands from the ground up” to meet consumers on familiar turf. When Fisher-Price set out to celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2005, Market Vision placed giant playpens in venues where Hispanic families gather, filled them with the newest toys, and invited parents and children to play. For the campaign, Garcia’s staff translated the Fisher-Price slogan “Play. Laugh. Grow,” ™ into “Juega con ellos. Ríe con ellos. Crece con ellos.” Next stop for the campaign: the San Diego Zoo.

To help strengthen the company, García sold part of Market Vision to CoActive Marketing Group in New York in 2001. Five years later, she was able to purchase back the shares and regain her independence. Growing rapidly, Market Vision offers advertising, media planning and buying, and public relations along with marketing and promotions. A fresh Web site, with urban scenes and catchy music, explains the company’s philosophy: “Our people want something they can touch, that they can feel, that touches them.” García now has about 40 employees and six satellite offices in New York, Dallas, Chicago, and other cities.

Recently, for her 50th birthday, García threw herself a party. She wore a white dress, had 49 attendants and served pink cake. When she was 15, her parents couldn’t afford a quinceañera party but today, as a successful entrepreneur doing what she likes best, Garcia has lots to celebrate. “Corporate America is a job. Owning your own company is an adventure,” she says. “I get to play with Tickle Me Elmo and drink a Miller Light and everything in between. Everyday is an adventure.”

By Ann Malaspina