Hispanic Marketing Myths

13 July 2021
By : Ana Peña Ortiz

U.S. Hispanics are becoming the main driving force in the U.S. economy. Not only that, but companies are aware of this, and you can see it in how they are changing the ways they do business. That’s because there’s a lot to gain from successfully reaching this community, which represents 18% of the U.S. population with a buying power of $1.7 trillion.

Being aware of these numbers, brands are looking for ways to truly connect with this audience. However, a Hispanic marketing strategy can be quite different from those used for the general market. Companies targeting Hispanics require a detailed community analysis to understand sociodemographic factors, behavior, cultural aspects, and of course, breaking some myths about the Hispanic market.

Myth: “Every Hispanic speaks Spanish.”

Although the U.S. is the second country with most Spanish speakers (41 million people speak Spanish at home), this does not mean every person that qualifies as Hispanic is Spanish dominant. Another interesting factor to consider is that the percentage of people who speaks Spanish fluently in the U.S. has dropped in recent years.

First generation Hispanics are the ones who prefer Spanish the most and are less fluent in English. Meanwhile, second and third generation Hispanics (younger Hispanics) are way better in English, with many even going so far as to not speak much Spanish at all.

Therefore, to decide whether a campaign should be in Spanish, English, or bilingual, you have to be clear about the brand’s target: age range, purchasing power, level of education, and generation to which you’ll be talking to.

71% of Hispanic adults do not consider knowing Spanish a requirement for being Hispanic. There are other factors, apart from language that determine the identity of the person as Hispanic, such as values, beliefs, cultural heritage, and traditions.

In other words, connecting with Hispanics beyond language is key to a successful marketing campaign.

 

 

Myth: “U.S. Hispanics are not digital users.”

 

Contrary to popular belief, Hispanic Americans are not late adopters of technology. For them, technology is an ally, especially to stay in touch with their families, stay up to date with news from their home countries, and connect with their culture. A lot of clients think traditional campaigns are not only the best way to go, but the only one. When you look at stats, you can easily see that the more you overlook digital, the more opportunities you will miss, especially with this market.

Traditionally, brands have marketing to Hispanics through advertising on Hispanic television networks such as Telemundo and Univision. Nowadays, Hispanics watch YouTube more than any other TV network and at higher rates than the rest of the population.

Google and Nielsen found that 59% of Hispanic online video viewers first use their smartphones to watch online videos. YouTube users search for content relevant to them and videos of people like them to find the information they need to answer their questions about products or brands.

 

However, the preference for online content vs. TV content is far more common in younger Hispanics. So, keeping a traditional TV advertising campaign is still essential to target older Hispanic Adults or first-generation Hispanics. Once again, it all depends on who’s your target.

 

 

Myth: “Hispanics don’t engage with brands.”

 

It’s not that Hispanics don’t like advertising, quite the contrary. They are eager to find brands that understand and share their identity. Not only that, Hispanics are actually more receptive to digital advertising than the general market.

The challenge with Hispanics and advertising is that many feel as if brands want their money but can’t be bothered to genuinely engage with them. 70% of Hispanics think that brands don’t understand their culture.

Unlike the rest of the population, Hispanics feel more connected to their roots and their cultural identity and are more likely to see advertising campaigns created specifically for them. So, when creating a Hispanic marketing campaign, focus specifically on this target to make it relevant and make the difference among others.

The Hispanic community is complex and diverse, and marketing to Hispanics requires research, creativity, experience, and a passion to truly connect with this community through culturally relevant content. Easy? Not really, but we can help you out there.

PM3 is a Hispanic marketing agency with more than 15 years of experience running multiple advertising campaigns for Hispanics. We’ve worked on a variety of categories, industries, and markets in the nation, which makes us an ideal ally for your brand to reach this audience and to get a piece of that $ 1.7 trillion pie.

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