Why we are not marketing to Hispanics effectively?

In 1955, Raul Cortez launched Channel 41 (KCOR-TV) in San Antonio, Texas and in 1962, SIN (Spanish International Network) was created by Emilio Nicolas Sr., Emilio Azcarraga Vidaurreta and other visionaries. Since then, Hispanic advertising has only been a matter of language and culture. Today, in the realm of the 2010 census, and with the level of information that we have access to -regarding Hispanic consumers- we know it is no longer only a matter of language and culture but also of many other things in between.

For the past three decades Hispanic advertising has mainly focused on talking to Spanish dominant or Spanish dependent Hispanics. Finally in the early 2000’s we have seen the launch of new media outlets trying to reach English or Bilingual speaking Hispanics. TV networks like Mun2, SiTV and LATV were launched, Latina became the authority among magazines trying to reach the more acculturated and English dominant Hispanic females and the Hurban radio format was born.

Unfortunately, few people in our industry understand that the market has changed and that it is not only about advertising to Hispanics in Spanish language but also in English or in both languages at times. Everyone talks about the importance of acculturation among Hispanics but very few understand what it really means, while others just like to say that we need to start looking beyond acculturation. Do they really understand what beyond acculturation stands for?

For the last six years, I have seen many Hispanic agencies masking the truth about marketing to Hispanics and telling their clients that advertising in Spanish is a “must” even if they are trying to reach young or bilingual Hispanics. The reason behind this is their fear to disappear; however, these Hispanic agencies should know that they will continue to exist as long as Hispanics continue to live and breed in the U.S. and as long as their agencies move in the same direction that the Hispanic market is moving. Keep in mind that it’s a matter of culture and no one understands the Hispanic cultural cues like those Hispanic ad agencies that are truly immersed in the culture and play an active role in it.

If the ad industry took more time to read the information that the Pew Hispanic Center, the U.S. Census and other sources release -almost every week or at least once a month- regarding the evolution of the Hispanic market, there would be a better understanding of the importance and relevance of English language among Hispanics as well as other variables that are often ignored.

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, the migration of Mexicans into the U.S. has declined by almost 40% between February 2006 and February 2009. Nevertheless, the number of Mexicans going back to Mexico -during the same time period- has remained almost flat. What this means is that a large number of Hispanics from Mexico are now moving to the U.S. to settle, opposed to the popular belief that most recent arrivals are here as seasonal workers or are coming to save enough money to build a house back home and then return to their countries.

When we look at the figures regarding Hispanic children and their generational background, we see that the numbers have changed drastically in the last 27 years. These figures now reflect the fact that Hispanics are settling in the U.S. to put down roots and start a family. Hispanic children now account for 22% of all children under the age of 18 in the U.S. In 1980, the majority of Hispanic children (57%) were Third generation Hispanics -U.S. born with both parents born in the U.S.- and 30% were Second generation -U.S. born with at least one parent being foreign-born.

However, in 2007 the majority (52%) are now Second generation and only 37% are Third generation. This translates into a higher likelihood of bilingualism across Second generation Hispanic children.

Now, it’s also very important that we all understand what being bilingual means. By definition, being bilingual means that one can speak two languages with the same proficiency. However, being truly bilingual means that one can speak, read and write two languages with the same proficiency.

Unfortunately, there is no source out there that would tell us what is the percentage of Hispanics that are bilingual, truly bilingual and the percentage of those that might just be somewhat bilingual but still claim to be bilingual. As you can see, we are missing something that drastically impacts how we talk to bilingual Hispanic consumers.

Additionally, from a socio-economic standpoint, we are also missing important aspects. We all talk about where Hispanics fall in terms of income brackets, college education, acculturation and buying power; however, no one really worries about how Hispanics will vary based on their social background, their motivation for migration and their migratory status. If we were to include these and other variables into the marketing equation, we would be able to easily identify six to eight different archetypes for Hispanics.

If we started using these archetypes in our target definition and in the development of our Hispanic marketing strategy, we would note important differences in terms of media consumption, language preference, shopping behavior, attitudes, passion points, brand preference and cultural-connectivity between them.

In a nutshell, Hispanics are not being reached effectively because most agencies and marketers are solely focusing on language and/or culture. However, if we truly start unmasking other aspects of their lives, we can be more effective in connecting with their core.

-- Halim Trujillo is the Chief Strategist & Principal at CREACIÓN MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS. He can be reached at 312.321.4762; halim@creacionmarketing.com ; www.creacionmarketing.com