Personal Profile
Liza Etienne
Pushing the Hispanic envelope takes on new meaning when you meet Liza
Etienne. She weaves her market segment expertise with her passion for
innovation and branding to advise corporate leadership on effective Hispanic
growth strategies, including marketing, communication and new-product
development.
As an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, she had the audacity to
pitch local ad agencies to take on Hispanic marketing – and of course hire her, a
college student, to lead the charge. A few years later when she landed an entry-
level position as a staff writer, and resource groups were not yet in vogue, she
had a vision to connect corporate Hispanics and founded Wells Fargo’s Latino
Employee Resource Group. Within two years, she grew the group to more than
250 employees, helped launch sister chapters across the country, and formed
the Twin Cities Professional Latino Network to share diversity best practices
between Fortune 500 companies.
Liza strengthens organizations by layering 15 years of branding, strategic and
tactical experience with her resourcefulness and ability to understand and
navigate through the bigger picture — connecting across large organizations,
groups and communities. “Hispanic marketing is not a science. It’s an art and,
sometimes, it’s a leap of faith,” says Liza. “There will be hiccups along the way.”
Whether it’s Hispanic retailers who won’t redeem coupons or promotions that
work seamlessly domestically but flop internationally or a lack of ratings for
media outlets that make it harder to assess communication channels, Liza’s
multi-industry experience gives her clients a competitive insight. Helping them
plan accordingly and navigate toward effective and innovative strategies and
tactics. She mixes the right blend of resourcefulness, forward thinking and
collaboration to get the job done.
“Creativity, alone, is not going to cut it when working on Hispanic strategies,”
says Liza. “Reaching and attracting Hispanic consumers is not going to happen
overnight with limited resources. You will have to get out of your comfort zone, be
resourceful and innovative, and focus on being forward-thinking while planning
for the long haul.”
Liza was born in Mexico City, Mexico. She completed her BA at the University of
Minnesota and her MBA with a focus on Marketing at the University of Saint
Thomas.
Liza Etienne | 612.867.1413 | liza.etienne@yahoo.com