Attracting the student is big business for colleges and universities, but luring Latinos with Spanish-language advertising has yet to develop as a major segment of the Hispanic advertising market.

In 2006, the last time Nielsen Monitor-Plus reviewed Hispanic marketing budgets for academic institutions across the U.S., roughly $5.2 million was invested in traditional Spanish-language media.

But most of the dollars invested were from two-year colleges. Nary a four-year university nor graduate school program saw targeted advertising to Hispanics.

That's why the arrival of UNAM in Los Angeles is an encouraging sign that marketing higher education to Latinos could emerge anew as a great growth area for savvy admissions officers. 

The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México is a storied institution, with satellite educational centers across Mexico in addition to its main campus Mexico City. UNAM also has satellite campuses designed for working professionals in both San Antonio and Chicago. 

Now, in a nod to the growing numbers of Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles, UNAM is set to unveil its third U.S.-based satellite campus. The school is using space in the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund (MALDEF) building on Spring Street, in the heart of downtown L.A.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony has been set for Thursday, with local dignitaries and university representatives from Mexico City on hand to inaugurate the satellite campus.

UNAM-L.A.'s mission is to propagate, advance and expand the learning of the Spanish language; its culture, science and art; and expand awareness for the region's residents. University administrators also say the Los Angeles campus will employ "a social commitment of bonding with and understanding Mexico, while at the same time aspiring to convert our school into a useful ally for the community."

Assisting UNAM in its quest to tie directly into the Southern California community is padma media and marketing, a boutique Hispanic shop founded by Ana Lydia Ochoa. Padma is preparing a wide-scale public relations campaign for UNAM-L.A. that includes both Hispanic and non-Latino local media. The use of social media in the online and digital realms and grassroots community-based marketing is also in the works.

Ochoa tells CMO Essentials that much of her team's efforts will focus on not only the promotion of UNAM's academic programs and but also its various artistic and cultural activities.

Additionally, UNAM's entry into Southern California is not a sign that the Mexican university wishes to compete against the University of Southern California (USC), University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Pepperdine University or other colleges and higher-learning institutions across the region.

"This program's focus will be on international and local business development and on UNAM's core arts, culture and philosophy programs," says Ochoa. Additionally, curriculum developed specifically for Los Angeles students is being finalized by UNAM.

UNAM-L.A. programs are mainly offered in English; Ochoa says bicultural, bilingual Latinos and non-Hispanics will be targeted through total-market outreach efforts. At the same time, UNAM says "a special emphasis is directed toward attending to the Mexican and Spanish-speaking population."

Through a fully integrated marketing approach that includes both Spanish- and English-language media, Ochoa believes UNAM can help expand Los Angeles as a Mexican cultural center. "There is very little recognition outside of ballet folklórico and traditional cultural events for much of the cultural arts that UNAM is recognized for around the world," says Ochoa. "While we will be building UNAM's brand in the region, we will be bring a deeper understanding of Mexican culture to L.A."