Jenny Melina-Morris is bursting onto the Hartford scene with an international portfolio of work some would envy. The 32-year-old public relations executive for Bauza and Associates in Hartford was a radio, television and magazine reporter in her native Peru before following her heart to Connecticut.
While in Peru, she also worked in marketing, media relations and creative development on campaigns for large corporate clients like Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble. “I enjoyed a lot of expertise building a complete campaign,” said Melina-Morris, who in a short time at her job has already developed a strong reputation for story placement in the state’s Hispanic media.
Melina-Morris has a strong opinion about what it takes to market to a diverse Hispanic community. “The Spanish market is more educated about products and services and companies [compared with first-generation immigrants],” she said. “You have to be sure your translation doesn’t miss your strategy and goals.”
Melina-Morris came to Bauza and Associates following a three-year stint with the Council on Latin American and Iberian Studies at Yale University. She started there as a volunteer before securing funding for a paid position at the center.
Hispanic marketing becomes important as Hispanics become the largest minority in the United States and, as Melina-Morris observes, are the majority in Hartford. She said companies looking to grow their bottom line would be well-served to tap into the Hispanic market. Nationally, she said the country’s 40 million Hispanics have a total buying power of $700 billion annually.
One recent campaign she is most proud of, though, had nothing to do with selling a product to Spanish speakers. Instead, she was charged with convincing them to register to vote. The Secretary of the State’s office had a goal of registering 10,000 new Hispanic voters. Melina-Morris said more than 21,000 were registered.
Keith Griffin is a Hartford Business Journal staff writer.
