CMM’s Retail TV Network Targets SoCal Hispanic Consumers

Studies from New York-based Meyers Research Center show that consumers make about 70 percent of their brand decisions once they’re in-store, opening a window for grocers and manufacturers to target shoppers as they make their way through the aisles. Digital displays are a viable way to reach the right consumers in multiple areas of a supermarket, allowing specific products and brands to stand out on the crowded shelves of today’s grocery stores.

To help Southern California supermarkets take advantage of this technology, Scala partner Captive Media Marketing (CMM) yesterday officially launched CMM.LATV, a retail TV network that specifically targets Hispanic shoppers.

The network already has seven completed installations, and reaches more than 1 million Hispanic grocery shoppers monthly, according to Orange, Calif.-based CMM. “We’ve identified a specific segment and uncovered the unique needs that should be addressed when reaching the Hispanic community,” said Jerry Huffman, president of CMM. “By keeping advertising rates reasonable, using proven communication techniques for the Hispanic market and focusing on advertisers that stand to benefit the most from our network, we see a win-win situation for grocers and manufacturers alike.”

The retail TV network was designed to enable smaller manufacturers -- which CMM said are typically priced out of traditional advertising -- a chance to reach potential customers at a critical point in the buying process. At the same time, larger manufacturers can capitalize on their existing brand awareness to highlight individual products or in-store promotions.

CMM is currently under contract to install screens in more than 40 participating supermarkets, and it expects that the network will reach an audience of more than 12 million shoppers by 2010.

CMM uses Scala software to power the multi-channel, multi-language network needed to communicate relevant messages to the Hispanic supermarket audience. The software allows CMM to give advertisers the flexibility to place content on individual screens in specific stores or reach wider audiences through the entire network. In addition to advertisements, human interest programming also plays on the network, and content is available in both Spanish and English.