Say hola to the Libre-Creacion catalog

Sending greeting cards, writing letters, and mailing invitations to various fiestas is “a natural way of life” for Hispanic consumers, says Lizette M. Lantigua, founder/creative director of greeting-card company Lantigua Designs. That’s in part why Lantigua teamed with another stationery marketer to launch a Latino-themed greeting-card catalog.

Titled Libre-Creacion, la base para tus ideas (Free-Creation, the basis for your ideas), the 30-page catalog targets Latino women. Libre-Creacion is the brainchild of Lantigua Designs and stationery and decor products manufacturer The Occasions Group.

In addition to Lantigua Designs’ Christmas card line, Libre-Creacion sells a variety of blank invitations that can be used for baptism, communion, birthdays, weddings, and other special occasions.

The first edition mailed in July. “We rely on house lists and over 4,000 Hispanic channel partners across the U.S. and Puerto Rico for marketing efforts,” says Claudia Goffan, Hispanic market business development director for The Occasions Group. Catalog orders are fulfilled from a facility in Waco, TX.

The catalog will mail periodically throughout the year and is available on request, Goffan says. “We are already seeing tremendous acceptance of this initiative by the marketplace.”

Goffan says the idea for the catalog came from research that identified a need for print-at-home cards and invitations for the Hispanic market. The products are targeted to holidays, birthdays, and other occasions such as quinceañera, a traditional Hispanic celebration of a young woman’s 15th birthday. Invitations can be printed and assembled at home, which enables customers to add their personal expressions.

“There was a lack of original Latin-flavored product in the holiday market and a need for bilingual cards,” Goffan says. “We saw Lantigua Designs’ ideas and knew they were what our market would want to send to their friends and family — Latino Holiday designs made especially for the Hispanic market. We also responded to our dealer’s requests for flexibility in being able to order items out of the catalog as needed or purchase them in advance to keep on their shelves.”

Lantigua notes that her company “has a thorough knowledge of the humor and traditions of the Hispanic culture. We highlight that in the illustrations and messages of our product. We are not just translated English-language greeting cards. We are also aware that Hispanics are not just one ethnic group, but many different ones with similarities and differences.”

Even within one ethnic group, there can be significant differences depending on age, social/economic status, level of education, and years of living in the U.S., Lantigua says. “Our goal as a company is to continue to grow our product line, reach other markets in the U.S., and cater to all Hispanics.”