Company description
In the past decade, the U.S. Hispanic population grew by 43%, or four times the nation’s 9.7% growth rate. Between 6/07 and 6/08, more than 3.5 million new Hispanics came online representing 21% growth vs. 6% non-Hispanic growth. Web 2.0 technologies are revolutionizing how consumers engage with brands. Opportunities to leverage the growth, understanding and influence of Hispanic consumers using these technologies and resources remain mostly untapped.
Tú Cuentas (You Count / You Tell) is the first Hispanic targeted online community designed to empower Hispanic consumers to collectively participate in dialogues with brands. Members are encouraged to sample, review and discuss consumer products and services as well as participate in ongoing opinion polls, discussions and surveys in exchange for free product samples and/or monetary incentives.
For participating brands, Tú Cuentas offers both, research tools that enable consumers to participate in brand conversations as well as a vehicle to stimulate measurable word of mouth, one of the most powerful Hispanic marketing tactics. For community members, the website is a uniquely empowering experience. Members enjoy being part of a community where they can speak out in their language of choice with other Latinos, get rewarded and influence manufacturers with their opinions.
Team
Both founders envisioned this community after more than 15 years developing Hispanic marketing initiatives for leading companies including AT&T, Bank of America, Brown-Forman, California Department of Health Services, Chase Bank, The Clorox Company, H&R Block, Kellogg’s, Leapfrog Enterprises, Mattel, Procter & Gamble and Washington Mutual
Larissa Acosta - Co Founder
For over 15 years, Larissa worked at leading U.S. Hispanic agencies such as Bravo, Dieste and DDB, spearheading business and consumer strategy for Fortune 500 companies. She advised clients and led teams resulting in the launch of multiple Hispanic marketing initiatives, growth in client market share, establishment of benchmark metrics, new product launches and industry awards. Her passion for the Hispanic market, combined with her drive to innovate, led her to launch Tú Cuentas.
Olga Bueno - Co Founder
Olga started her career as a management consultant with McKinsey & Co. She earned her M.B.A. at Stanford GSB and applied her consulting skills to solve marketing challenges for companies advertising to the U.S. Hispanic market. In her roles as strategic and communications planner for leading U.S Hispanic agencies, she effectively combined her passion for translating quantitative and qualitative data into consumer insights with her ability to understand complex competitive landscapes.
Business model
Latinos discover Tú Cuentas via online search or word-of-mouth, they sign up because they want their opinions count in corporate America and/or want to receive free products for their opinions. Community members are directed to conduct specific marketing actions (answer polls, participate in brand forums, conduct online surveys, sample and rate products, share content in social web).
Brands, Advertising agencies, Political parties, Movie producers, etc. tap into our community using, depending on the action, one of the following options:
• Pay per action, per user
• Pay per comprehensive project
• Monthly retainers to access the community
Incremental revenue will also be generated from publishing proprietary primary research using our community and tools.
Competitive advantage
We are the first website to provide Latino consumers a forum to speak up and share their opinions with other Latinos, in the language of their choice. Our competitive set includes:
Existing research and brand influencer communities (ie: Crowdtap, SheSpeaks, BuzzAgent):
Our Advantage: In-culture and in-language capabilities, Hispanic target focus
II. Hispanic Market Research Panels (Cada Cabeza es un Mundo, QueOpinas.com)
Our Advantage: "We” research Vs. “Me” research, User generated content, User friendly research methodology, Sampling capabilities, Word-of-mouth generation
III. Traditional Qualitative Reseach Methods (focus gruups, ethnologies, mall intercepts)
Our Advantage: Cost effectiveness, Speed, Greater reach per project, Word-of-mouth generation
Site evaluations from our members conducted during Beta launch confirm our competitive advantage:
- “Tú Cuentas is both a useful and fun website. It's the first site of this kind that I see in Spanish. I rather spend time here than in Facebook, since at least here I can learn about products from other Latinos like me.”
- “Tú Cuentas is a unique website. I have been looking for something like this, but I could only find them in English. Ilike that I can speak up about products I know and share my opinions with other Latinos like me“
- “The surveys in Tú Cuentas are not lengthy and tedious as many others I have done. They are easy and simple to answer. I also like them since I know that my opinion counts and, together with the rest of the community, I can influence brands with more impact.”
Investors