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Home Depot
Offers Colors in Spanish
The home improvement store launches a line of paints designed to appeal to the growing Latin population
But tell her Verde Amazonas and there is an immediate visual association. Reaching out to Hispanic consumers through color and culture is the idea behind Home Depot's launch of Colores Orígenes, a line of more than 70 paint colors. It's an example of the increasing importance to major national retailers of having a strategy to capture the business of what is the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. Earlier this year, Publix launched two Hispanic-themed Publix Sabor stores featuring an extensive selection of Latin products. Sears has converted about 100 locations to ''multicultural stores'' geared to appeal to Hispanic, black and Asian shoppers. Also, talk-show hostess Cristina Saralegui launched a furniture line, Casa Cristina, available locally at El Dorado Furniture. Not all efforts have been successful. Men's Wearhouse pulled the plug earlier this year on Eddie Rodriguez, a chain of stores by the namesake Miami native that aimed to create a Latino lifestyle brand of menswear, women's wear and home furnishings. Home Depot already has bilingual signs and how-to clinics in many of its stores. The company is a sponsor of the Mexican National Soccer Team and has partnered with Telemundo as the official sponsor of Mi Primer Hogar, a home improvement show. But Colores Orígenes is the first product line the retailer has come up with catering to a specific market. Kruse, the multicultural manager of Home Depot, was at the store near the Mall of the Americas in Miami Wednesday to unveil the new colors, which be available in 25 of the chain's 33 stores in Miami-Dade and Broward counties starting Monday. Colores Orígenes is being unveiled at more than 400 stores nationwide that cater to large Hispanic populations, but all stores will be able to mix the colors on request. ''These are copies of colors that we know Hispanics love,'' said Kruse. At first glance, the interior and exterior paints made by Behr look like any other color chart. A closer examination of the Spanish names reveals an edited color palette designed to evoke images of food and icons popular in Latin culture like Horchata (a Mexican rice drink), Mango Jugoso (Juicy Mango), Rojo Torero (Bullfighter Red) and Café Expreso (Espresso Coffee). Michelle Calondres liked the variety of colors she saw on the display, but she wasn't swayed by the Hispanic names. ''I pick colors that I like,'' said Calondres, who was looking for two shades of green for her aunt's house. "It doesn't matter the name.'' Home Depot decided to launch the new line because consumer research found that painting was one of the most popular home improvements projects among Hispanics. Spending on home improvement projects by Hispanic households has increased 75 percent over the past seven years, triple the rate of non-Hispanic households, according to Home Depot. Hispanic homeowners spent a total of $4 billion on home improvements last year. ''It's a force that can't be ignored,'' said Roger Adams, senior vice president of marketing for Home Depot. "We need to find ways to serve that market better so we can continue to grow our business. ''America is a multicultural environment and a mainstream solution is often not the best,'' Adams said. "Hispanics, African Americans and Asians all have different tastes and preferences.'' Hispanic advertising agency exec Manny Machado thinks Home Depot's paint line effort is one that will work. ''It's very much on target with where the market is heading,'' said Machado, chief executive of the Coral Gables-based Machado García-Serra. "It brings home something that is near and dear to Hispanics.'' Machado is a perfect example. In every house he owns, Machado paints a mamey colored room. But getting someone to custom mix just the right blend of red and orange has always been a challenge. Next time Machado will have it easy. Mamey is one of the featured colors in the new Home Depot line. |
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MIAMI
(By Elaine Walker, Miami Herald) September 15, 2005 - Mention the color Hunter
Green to Martha Kruse and the Peruvian can't relate.
