Did you know that the US Hispanic market is rapidly growing? There are currently 54 million Hispanics living in the US and by 2020, they will represent an expected 31% of the population.

Knowing these statistics, it’s no wonder marketers are constantly trying to target this ever-growing population. While some miss the mark, others are right on point by encompassing not just the Spanish language, but more importantly, the Hispanic culture.

Mas Que un Auto – Toyota’s More Than a Car Campaign

Popular automaker, Toyota, and its Hispanic branding agency, Conill, knew that many of Toyota’s customers were members of the Latin American community. With some research, they found that is was typical practice for Latin Americans to name their cars. Equipped with these two pieces of information, a new campaign idea was born.

“For Latinos, getting to buy a car is historically something that involves a lot of struggle,” explained Conill Chief Creative Office Javier Campopiano. “Once you get to the U.S., it’s different because it’s easy to buy a car here, but we have that background in our DNA. So we love our cars in a special way — we feel they are part of the family. It sounds a little bit strange and funny, but it’s the truth for us.” – AdAge.

The initiative was simple, effective, and caught the attention of celebrities like Ricky Martin. It gained over 98 million impressions on social media, and Toyota gained branded content all over the internet.

By understanding its target audience and tapping into the emotions of that market, Toyota hit a homerun.

McDonald’s First Customer

In 2014, McDonald’s released an award-winning commercial titled “First Customer.” Aimed to target first-generation Hispanics, McDonald’s showed a teen-aged boy, Gabriel, throughout his first morning of work.

This heart-warming piece showed Gabriel’s work ethic as a young man, with sense of humor as it ended with him taking his first order – from his proud, bi-lingual parents.

McDonald’s continues to celebrate the Latin American culture here in the US by incorporating campaigns surrounding other major events, such as the Latin Grammys, and sponsoring the FIFA World Cup.

Back and Better – Pepsi Limon

For those who don’t remember, Pepsi Lime and Diet Pepsi Lime were once past flavors from the beverage brand.

After being taken off the shelves a few years back in the US market, the company decided it was time to relaunch the Cola beverage with a new twist – Pepsi Limon.

The new beverage, available in selected markets – California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Chicago – was released to specifically target the Hispanic population, by incorporating real lime juice and cane sugar in its recipe.

Hispanic Marketing Fun Fact: “According to Nielsen, a global information and measurement company, Hispanics spend a higher proportion of their income on groceries than non-Hispanics.” – Market Realist.

Nicely done, Pepsi!

Recap: How to Target the US Hispanic Market

When reading the above, there is one thing that all of these campaigns have in common. Emotion.

Understanding what the meaning of being Hispanic is and tying it into your campaign will help connect the dots when trying to target this major US population.

Want to learn more about Hispanic marketing? Check out our Hispanic marketing initiative – lotus latino!