What are the Most Interesting & Innovative Social Media Efforts to Reach & Engage the U.S. Hispanic Market?

It has been well documented that Hispanics overall are highly engaged in social media. However, in which of the social media platforms do they engaged  in the most and how are companies targeting them through ads and other efforts?

 

In a study conducted by Pew Research Center Facebook seems to be the most used social media platform among Hispanics stating that  71% of them use it and engage in the network, followed by Instagram at 34%  and finally Twitter at 21%.  For this reason, brands such as Disney Latino, Unilever, Kraft, Nissan, Ford and Toyota among others have taken  note and developed marketing campaigns and marketing strategies  within these platforms to reach and engage  the  desired market. We have also discussed the importance of not just language but cultural relevancy into the marketing strategy. Companies like McDonalds , CNET and AT&T have incorporated this strategy in their campaigns.  For example, McDonalds , the fast food chain, has developed a strategy that is consistent with Latino  and multicultural research practices to effectively reach the target market. CNET is also partnering  with Latino celebrities to have a wider reach within the Hispanic population and finally, AT&T is doing mobile bilingual advertising targeting the younger and tech savvy consumer promoting their wireless services.

 

Another example  of brands targeting  Latinos are car makers Ford and Toyota respectively. Among other brands Toyota and Ford  lead the pack in Hispanic brand loyalty and further Hispanics  account for 20% of  total  car sales . Ford’s advertising campaign targeted at Latinos emphasizes  the already brand loyal Hispanic to engage their preferences on car model and make by  promoting fan  discussions  on their Facebook Page.  Also, their use of language in their ads  and interaction with their consumer base  is bilingual, which large part of the  fan base interaction  is in Spanish. Most of this interaction a re product queries  where most of the audience is Latin American and living outside the US. Although that changes for US Hispanics, where language preferences are mixed,  a majority of them still are  Spanish dominant or bilingual but still prefer  their content in Spanish particularly when it comes to the technical aspects of the model. Ford capitalizes on that to reach these consumers and  as a matter of fact, Ford’s Twitter handle  is mostly in Spanish and has the same idea as their Facebook page to generate discussion on their specific brand.

 

Unlike Ford where the promote engagement to their page, Toyota uses Facebook as a selling platform for their  products. Given that the Toyota brand is well known for being  a safety conscious company, they have more of a fan base than does Ford.  Like Ford, most of the page is in Spanish and rely heavily on imagery to sell and promote their products. Finally with a  smaller following than Ford, their Twitter handle relies mostly on community events sponsored by the company to promote their brand.

 

In conclusion, if companies want to reach  the Hispanic market, they have to find innovative efforts to continue to engage the Hispanic market.

Where Will the Hispanic Market be in 15 Years?

 

Per  Sage Business Researcher by 2060  the Hispanic population will increase 28 % up from 17% in 2014. With this statistic the new generation  under the age of 20 the  Gen Z  generation as they are called, will be the new  consumer group that  marketers  will covet and target. These 12-18 year old  GenZ Hispanics account  for 23% of the total population and most surprising 93 % of them are US born. This is a very large group of  roughly  83 million people; a marketer’s dream.  Because of their large numbers , GenZ  generation  is  the most ethnically diverse  and will be the last generation with a Caucasian majority  and  the majority of them (55%)  of them were born to millennial parents rather than  the  Gen X’ers. Overall,  both groups  tend to share common characteristics . These are:

    • Cautious, price and value conscious, and avoid debt
    • Entrepreneurial and eager to start working
    • Optimistic about the future
    • Prefer home-cooked meals
    • Are DIYers and crowdsourcers (Hispanics among their family and social network, Gen Z are enabled by technology)

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What Percentage of US Hispanics Prefer to Read/Listen to/Watch Spanish Language Content?

 

According to the Center of Multicultural Science the answer is actually generational.Opposed to first generation Hispanics  that prefer Spanish language television , second and third generation Hispanics tend to  use  both languages but prefer  to watch and listen to English programming. This is  largely due to the  degree of acculturation and place of birth. Most of the 3rd generation Hispanics are US born or have lived here long enough to  assimilate into American culture and as a result  generally  communicate  and prefer English  . Having said that, most of these Millennials   still preserve their Hispanic identity  and  enjoy content that is culturally relevant  to them . For this reason,  they may have a preference for English but are fully bilingual and bicultural and  easily gravitate between one language  to another. Yet,  to target them on the basis of language it is also simplistic and erroneous; culture matters, birthplace matters, amount of acculturation matters and generation matters( 1st generation vs 3rd generation Hispanics.)

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Mobile Advertising a Good Strategy for the Latin Market

In 2010 a  study done by the Pew Hispanic Research revealed then that  2/3  (63% ) were online and the rate increases to 85% when you are measuring the 18-29 age  group. Although Hispanics as a whole tend to use the internet less frequently than non-Hispanics and many do hot have an internet connection at home, this is basically due to economics and education levels,  once take way these two variables , the numbers become comparable to Non-Hispanics

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