Trisha Pray of Univision on Engaging the Diverse Hispanic Audience

Since moving to Univision sales in 1989 she has expanded the range of marketing opportunities to advertisers across Univisionamp8217s broadcast networks Univision Network and UniMamp225s as well as a growing suite of cable and digital properties and strategic partnerships including Galavisiamp243n Univision Deportes Network El Rey Network Fusion Univision Creator Network The Flama The Root and The OnionThe Hispanic market is not monolithic Strategic research is needed to keep pace with this desirable and evolving consumer segment Trisha is a big supporter of research in which custom proprietary studies help build and inform Univisionamp8217s knowledge base She is also a proponent of personal development and is a founding member of Univisionamp8217s Womenamp8217s Leadership Council that helps to prepare future leadersCharlene Weisler You have worked in the Hispanic marketplace since the 1980s How has it evolved over the yearsTrisha Pray The biggest change is in awareness Today Hispanic consumers are too important not to address Marketers cannot achieve their growth goals without this integral consumer segment Since I joined Univision there have been three US censuses with the results making this fact abundantly clear When the 1990 census was made public our phones started to ring off the hook Marketers knew they had to establish a relationship with US Hispanics Now we see even more momentum The level of sophistication has increased and we stay ahead of that through our proprietary research Research is very important to add clarity to the marketplaceCharlene How do you delineate between Spanish only Spanish dominant and English speaking Hispanic householdsTrisha Initially in the 80s our focus was on Spanishdominant households As the lives of those consumers evolved we evolved as wellamp160Respecting the sensibility of the Hispanic consumer segment we now offer a breadth of content ranging from Spanish to Englishdominant Our portfolio of products continues to reach and engage all Hispanics For example in recent years we have added El Rey and Fusion which are English dominant While remaining sensitive to the cultural and emotional engagement of each viewer we will continue to revolutionize our mission in the years to comeCharlene Do you have a digital strategyTrisha This is an area that has evolved the most for us Initially it was done to support the TV portfolio but we pivoted with our focus now on content regardless of the platform As a result Univision creates content that is enjoyed on TV while also consumed from an onthego perspective constantly experimenting along the way We have great traditional offerings on TV which now go beyond to give our consumers more to enhance their experience An example is the online behindthescenes content available in tandem with our novellas on TVamp160 A new offering we have is TheFlamacom which is fun and irreverent all in English for younger audiences It has specific culturallyfocused content that has helped advertisers like CocaCola reach teens We also have the Univision Creator Network culled from a range of consumer categories such as food and fashion Their insights help advertisers see what an influencer looks like We have pursued talent from YouTube channels given them greater exposure with some even appearing on our morning show Univisionamp8217s broad portfolio and scale resonates because we understand consumersamp8217 behaviors throughout the day in addition to providing advertisers with the necessary tools to connect the dotsCharlene Tell me about your work with the Womenamp8217s Leadership CouncilTrisha At Univision our mission is to recruit develop and retain talented professionals The Womenamp8217s Leadership Council is a critical core of that mission We help with development inside and outside the organization The Council consists of a senior steering committee 13 local chapters in many of our key markets connecting through national and local events We also have a speaker series which is streamed live internally throughout the company featuring female leaders such as Anna Maria Chavez CEO of the Girl Scouts and Carla Harris Vice Chairman of Wealth Management and Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley We want both men and women to participate together while learning to build their own brandWe also have the Womenamp8217s Leadership Academy in partnership with Smith College which provides internal training as well as professional and personal development The knowledge gained here can be used in and beyond Univision helping participants to think differently along with developing selfconfidence and directionCharlene With everything youamp8217re doing how do you achieve worklife balanceTrisha This is an area with which I still struggle but understand that worklife balance is critical for any lifestyle We are better employees and human beings when we successfully maintain healthy balanced lives Sometime things do get out of whack There are busier work seasons like during the Upfront where I expect an increased workload but I am also responsible for ensuring that I reset everything once it is overamp160 There certainly is a necessity to talk about this subject a lot especially with younger people It is important early on in your career to create boundaries and clearset goalsamp160 In general I believe Millennials are better than my generation at achieving a practical life balanceCharlene Do you have any advice for a college student considering a career in mediaTrisha Media is a very exciting field I love it And the people who work in media are great It is a very dynamic environment with the speed of change being fascinating and fun The only requirements are passion and curiosity about what is happening in the marketplace It can take you in many different directions The last three years have been the most dynamic in my career encompassing more change than in the last decade The future will not look as it looks now Be openThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageMyersBizNet management or associated bloggers amp160

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

Trisha Pray of Univision on Engaging the Diverse Hispanic Audience

Author

Publish date

Channel

Archived in

Charlene Weisler

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

Trisha Pray of Univision on Engaging the Diverse Hispanic Audience

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Charlene Weisler

Cookies