“I am not a hot head. I am Columbian. We get excited! My country is covered in coffee.” – Gloria Pritchett
Who doesn’t love “Modern Family”? Be it Gloria’s feistiness, Lily’s sass or Phil’s amazing parenting, it’s the perfect family to curl up on a couch with. A single episode of Modern Family can turn a frown upside-down. Hilarious repartees, mispronunciations, Spanish mumbo-jumbo – Gloria makes Modern Family come alive and how. Fiery and sensual, nobody can ignore her comic presence in the show. And her mispronunciations create situations which leave us in splits. I was so fascinated by Gloria’s character that I ended up taking three spanish classes, in which I mostly ended up drinking columbian coffee. Lattes with Latinos was the best part of it. As I spent more time with my classmates, I got really intrigued in their culture and wanted to learn more about Latino and Hispanic households.
In my previous posts I have spoken about how understanding the target audience is a key factor for the success of the company. Today, I am going to take this a little further and talk about a specific target group.
Though English remains, for the moment, the primary language of international commerce and pop culture, there’s another language that’s shooting to the top of the popularity charts – and no, it’s not Mandarin.
Spanish is currently one of the most popular languages for students and professionals alike – and it’s only becoming more useful, especially in the United States. Hispanics are the fastest growing minority consumer group in the U.S., so it makes sense that companies are scrambling to find ways to successfully target their marketing strategies towards them. The Hispanic population in the U.S. has doubled in the past ten years, yet the community remains grossly underrepresented in the media.
In a recent study Yahoo conducted with Ipsos on Hispanic millennials focused on the third generation, over half of the respondents said it’s about time that advertisers recognized that Hispanics shop, too. It’s a new year, and another reminder that the Hispanic consumer is exponentially growing in buying power. Now more than ever, it’s imperative for marketers to understand what it takes to reach this important customer segment and build a proper marketing strategy that’s thoughtful, effective and appeals to their specific interests and preferences. Many companies think that replaying a commercial in Spanish equals effective marketing, as if that’s the only difference between Latino and Anglo households.
By now, we know all about the dangers of “fake news,” but there’s another form of false information, the concept of “fake trends,” that marketers should be aware of since these can have a negative impact on business strategies. We are witnessing one of them right now when it comes to Hispanic marketing.
The “fake trend” goes like this: Since the Hispanic population growth in the U.S. has been shifting from immigration-based to U.S.-born-based, the need to reach out to this segment from a marketing standpoint should also shift, and young Hispanic Millennials and Gen Zers would tend to culturally assimilate to the broader general market target. As a result, brands may not need to create culturally driven and Spanish-language campaigns to connect with Hispanics any longer. So one strategy, one message, one language would fit all. False. So is advertising in Spanish relevant or effective?
Over the past few months, we have seen proof of the power of the Spanish language to drive higher effectiveness within U.S. Hispanics’ marketing efforts.
For example, in October 2016, Facebook released the results of their “Facebook IQ” study conducted by Latinum Network. The study investigated 500 Hispanics from different language usage backgrounds. The study told us that:
86% of respondents believe the Spanish language helps them remain connected to their culture.
Ads targeting Hispanics in Spanish significantly increase their interest in purchasing products. But the Facebook IQ study also mentions that Hispanic consumers don’t want to be exposed to mere translations of messages from English to Spanish; they want to receive messages that reflect their culture, and this message should also be reflected when casting actors who speak Spanish, with the usage of humor, and in situations that consumers can relate to from a cultural standpoint.
So how do we tap into the Hispanic culture? How do we as marketers, connect to them? The majority of Hispanics feel connected to their heritage. Culture is a way of life that’s felt in the way they act, what they eat, listen to, watch and how they speak with each other. There are, however, nuances between different generations. Over half of Hispanics are of millennial age or even younger, and these gaps in age have an impact on a variety of cultural factors, including language attribution, cultural identity, battling stereotypes and more.
We often hear the second-generation saying, “No soy de aqui, ni soy de alla,” which means “I’m not from here or from there” — they feel caught in between two cultures. Content needs to be tailored to their specific interests. This might mean use more ads in English, but with a stronger cultural or emotional connection — memes that play on cultural experiences or videos that poke fun can be very effective, and we see this more and more from people sharing on social media. Whomever the audience, show relatable scenarios and tug at the heartstrings. Be relatable: It’s about more than translating commercials.Hispanics are very receptive to advertising; in fact, over half of millennial Hispanics actually welcome advertising targeted to them as a Hispanic. So what’s the catch? Marketers need to offer a true reflection of what it means to be Hispanic — that speaks to both Hispanic traditions and American culture. Avoid “Hispandering” — content should be highly curated and focused on cultural identity beyond just language. The use of stereotypes can be comical, but should be done properly, else they will backfire. With a larger average household size and high spending power, Hispanics are loyal to the brands they love, which creates a perfect opportunity for brand marketers.
One brand that has chosen to emphasize the everyday realities of Hispanic life, instead of relying on demographic cliches and mere translating their commercials, is Honda. The auto company recently released an ad that was, in many ways, a rebuke of the manner in which many brands have courted Hispanic consumers. Instead of viewing the Hispanic audience as a group whose motivations and desires are unknowable (save with the help of many dollars poured into demographic research), the Honda ad presented Latinos going about their daily lives – getting groceries, going to watch a movie, and so on.
Two years ago, Target launched a campaign they called #SinTraducción (“Without Translation”). The premise of the Spanish-only campaign was to use words that had no ready English equivalent – words such as “sobremesa” (a period of time after a meal spent conversing amongst friends and family) and “estrenar” (the act of using or wearing something for the first time). The goal was to create a conversation on social media, both between customers and the brand and between customers themselves. The #SinTraducción campaign marked Target’s first major marketing effort targeted directly at Hispanics – the first, but most emphatically not the last. What can brands learn from Target’s approach to Hispanic marketing? Target’s experiences show the necessity of having campaigns geared specifically to the Hispanic audience; but more than that, it shows the importance of having campaigns that affirm the influence and relevance of the Spanish language in American culture, while also positioning the brand as one that understands and meets the needs of Hispanics.
But over the years, marketers have realized that people are turning towards online shopping and are losing their customers to Amazon. This is especially true as Amazon begins to take measures designed to attract Hispanic audiences, such as creating a Spanish-language version of its website and offering its Prime services in Mexico. That being said, the fact that Amazon’s Spanish-language website is resonating with audiences demonstrates the important role the Spanish language plays when marketing to Hispanics.
In order to combat the “Amazon effect”, brands that wish to appeal to Hispanic audiences have to make themselves more accessible to those customers, whether it’s by introducing a Spanish version of their site or by launching ad campaigns that are designed to appeal to Hispanics as they really are, and not as marketers imagine them to be.
To conclude I would only like to say, “Adios. Hasta la próxima!” because that’s the only Spanish I learned how to speak.
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