In an effort to reach the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States, BB&T today unveiled the first in a groundbreaking series of Spanish-language audiotapes. The free tapes, which offer emergency preparedness tips and basic banking information, are the result of a collaboration between BB&T, the N.C. Office of Hispanic/Latino Affairs and El Pueblo Inc., a Latino advocacy group based
in Raleigh.
The 60-minute “BiBi” tapes (named for one of the narrators) are available throughout BB&T’s 1,100-branch network across 11 states and Washington, D.C. “El Pueblo is proud to support this effort, as we have been promoting the use of banking services among Latinos as an important step in economic development for many years,” said El Pueblo Executive Director Andrea Bazan-Manson.
“BB&T is making a bold step with this initiative, and it will significantly increase BB&T’s involvement in our community by offering culturally friendly educational materials in Spanish. The addition of community service information makes these materials even more valuable.” Hispanics are now the largest minority group in the country – with a buying power of $1 trillion by the year 2015, according to Dr. Nolo Martínez, director of the Hispanic/Latino Affairs for the N.C. governor’s office.
BB&T’s two-sided BiBi tapes are designed to bridge the learning gap many Hispanics say exists when it comes to life and how to live it in America. Side one of the first tape explores topics such as how to call 911when you don’t speak English and knowing what to do in case of a tornado or hurricane. Side two covers banking basics such as opening a checking account and making
ATM withdrawals. It also offers banking facts intended to reassure listeners, such as the U.S. government’s guarantee on all deposits up to $100,000. It wraps up with a look ahead to the next tape, which will debut in 2003 with tips on how to get a driver’s license, how to buy a car, etc. The tapes will trace the experiences of Juan and Maria Perez, fictional immigrants who have recently come to the United States. One of the people they meet is an older Mexican woman named Beatriz Bienvenido Torres, or “BiBi,” as she likes to be called. BiBi, a respected member of the Hispanic community and longtime U.S. resident, is also a BB&T “employee.”
The educational tapes are part of BB&T’s ongoing marketing effort aimed at the 1.9 million Hispanics in its footprint and those in new markets it expects to move into. The 39 million Hispanics in the United States today represent 13.5 percent of the population.

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