Procter & Gamble General Manager of North American Marketing Edgar Sandoval closed out the 7th annual B&C/Multichannel News Hispanic Television Summit in New York Sept. 24 with a gracious acceptance speech after receiving, on behalf of P&G, an award for a lifetime of achievement in Hispanic TV.
Sandoval thanked his colleagues at P&G "who work tirelessly everyday to improve the lives of Hispanic consumers."
He reminisced about first arriving in the United States from Venezuela in 1984 as a young man whose command of English was "as good as a first grader." Sandoval said that Hispanic radio and TV were often the only source of comfort in a new world in which nothing was recognizable. "The sounds of Spanish TV and radio were not just familiar to me," he said. "They were motivating."
Sandoval has been a standout at P&G since he arrived there, said B&C/Multichannel News Publisher Larry Dunn, who presented the award. Dunn said Sandoval had "achieved unprecedented results" in bringing brands such as Tide and Bounce to the Hispanic consumer. He also "helped to play a leading role in asking the company to walk in the shoes of multicultural consumers," Dunn said.
For Sandoval, marketing to Hispanic consumers has long been about bridging the similarities Hispanics share with other Americans with an understanding of the differences that make each sub-culture unique.
"There's turkey in every Latin home on Thanksgiving, but there's also that special touch," he said, noting that different ethnic groups will include their own flavorful additions to the meal.
Sandoval expressed excitement over the future of Hispanic marketing and consumerism. "We're looking forward together, to the future, with all of you," he told the crowd.
