The Insider’s Guide to Hispanic Marketing

This is the focal point of Hispanic marketing. Hispanics are extremely connected and active in social media channels, so mobile advertising and now video is imperative for the Hispanic marketing strategy. Whatsapp Messenger and Facebook Messager are widely used by Hispanics. Geo location is also a very important facet of the strategy because it keeps a tab of where and where they shop and pinpoints what they usually buy in these locations.Google is gearing up analytics that demonstrate digital to retail path purchase which give the shopper the detailed information on  and how effective mobile advertising is for this group. Therefore more than mobile advertising will be the next step to reach this vast group.  This is mobile 2.0 as such.

Cultural connection and cultural relevance go hand in hand and most often is is defined by language and customs. Cultural connection regardless of foreign born or US born Hispanics, is very important to them because of family’s connection to their homeland. This is ingrained by parents and reinforced by grandparents and although they have adapted or acculturated to US customs, they do preserve and are proud of their Latin heritage. Therefore, ads targeting the cultural relevance or that portray that specific group in a non stereotypical respond favorably to ads.

By the same token, bilingual advertising also works well with first generation Hispanics ( and do not underestimate this age group) although not as oriented towards internet or social media, they are also savvy consumers and like products that are geared toward their needs and wants.

Content is king for every marketing strategy today, when you deal with the Hispanic market, culture is king and so is video. These two seem to go hand in hand with the Latino group. Mobile advertising was the first strategy and culturally relevant advertising. Given their social nature and their hyper connectivity with social media sites, video sharing is what seems to be name game for mobile 2.0. So video ads catering to the needs and videos that speak generally to them seem to be the strategy for the remainder of the year.

Demographics is a very important . Where Hispanics live and which group , depends on the state and county within the state. The  greatest growth in the  Hispanic population from 2010-2015 were  in the states of California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Arizona, New Jersey, Colorado and New Mexico  at the rate of 63% during those five years. Although the growth is a function of continued migration in the past 5 years,  it is also an  increase  of US born Hispanic population.  Because of this continued growth, Hispanics are prime targets for marketers, showing not only growth in numbers but in purchasing power.  This provides perfect opportunities for marketers and their startup businesses to reach this market.  Moreover,  demographics are important as it relates to your business and the Hispanic group you want to sell and target. At the regional level, for example, Mexicans are concentrated mainly in the West and South; Puerto Ricans are in the Northeast and South; Cubans are overwhelmingly in the South; and Dominicans reside mainly in the Northeast.

This is a big factor for Hispanics, For most Hispanics who are US born, their affinity to their culture and everything that embodies it, is very important to them. Per a study conducted by Yahoo, third generation Hispanics value their cultural heritage through food, traditions, family values, and family name. Language came in 7th most important. Remember these are third generation (Gen-Z) Hispanics that have for the most part acculturated and adapted to English.

Language does play a factor with Hispanics, particularly for the  millennial and first generation Hispanics, because it is  still is one of the primary sources of cultural connection and identity. Given that Spanish is generally  wordier and takes up more characters  also optimized for Spanish SEO) Google has started expanded texts ads for 30 character ads .They are mobile-optimized  and will allow two line ads instead of one.

This age group is the most coveted group by advertisers and the group that has the most disposable income, are highly internet savvy and incredibly social and active in the social media platforms. It is the youngest ethnic group with at lest one third of the population under 18 (latest figures in 2014). Per Pew Research Center  Most Latino  immigrants arrive as working-age adults. Some 26% of Latino immigrants in 2014 were Millennials and a 37% of them were Gen Xers (ages 34 to 49). As such  94% of Latinos 18-29 year olds and 84 % of 30-49 use the internet on cellphones or mobile devices . There is a correlation between  higher education and income  with internet use. (91%) of higher educated Hispanics  whereas (63%) use internet in less educated households. The same applies for income levels.

To quote the article first hand. Acculturation is dead. Despite popular belief Hispanic immigration has decreased since the mid-2000’s and as more Hispanics are US born, the idea of acculturation has not become  a cross cultural strategy. There is nothing to acculturate to as the majority become citizens. That is not to say that  US born Hispanics are not tied to their cultural identity. (See above)

In Hispanic culture, family is everything and that includes the extended family as well. All decisions are made as a unit and that most often include  (or highly influenced by) to the purchases they make. Given that many households are multi-generational, large importance is put on the elder (grandparents) to maintain  the cohesiveness of the family and its traditions, values, language, cultural connection and preservation. For this reason, preserving language and bilingual advertising are important to this group.

The Hispanic population by numbers is about to grow at a rate of 59% by 2040 therefore the success of tapping this group will remain in targeting  their cultural differences , their consumer orientations, customs and tastes. Using the demographics to target your specific group and using your cultural relevant marketing strategy it makes good sense to keep this ever growing group as part of  your marketing strategy.