Between September and October, Hispanic Americans across the country honored their heritage through a 30-day celebration called “Hispanic Heritage Month,” signed into law just 27 years ago by then President Ronald W. Reagan.
Hispanic Heritage Month actually began as a weeklong celebration back in 1974 and it was to honor the independence of five Latino Americano countries, but now we take the time to recognize the contributions of Hispanic Americans from sports to art to política.
In 2050, Hispanic Americans will make up 30% of the nation’s population.
It took this one statistic (and well over 27 years) to finally turn the heads of marketers in order to comprender the buying power of the Hispanic American demographic.
No longer a niche, Hispanic marketing is a “fundamental component to business success” with a buying power of over $1.5 trillion, as reported by Nielson.
These astounding statistics may finally have grabbed the attention of the top brands across the country, but how many are taking action? It seems that just within the past year brands have finally started to develop long-term strategies aimed at the Hispanic American market and many are making digital channels a top priority.
If you’re looking to get started on developing a Hispanic marketing strategy, here are the top three things you should know:
Culture Over Language.
English, Spanish, or Spanglish? The majority of the Hispanic American community is bilingual, so your content should follow suit. Understand the connection you want to make with your audience and determine what is culturally relevant for them, rather than immediately turning to a Spanish translator. Spanish is important, yes, but considering that the audience is mostly bilingual, you want your language to feel natural.
Get Local.
Hispanic Americans are a large part of our population today, but a lot of the growth is happening within local, tight-knit communities. In the same Nielson report that was mentioned above, Hispanic growth is seen in Texas, California, Florida, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico. Brands can grow loyalty with Hispanic American consumers through live marketing events, known as experiential marketing, within their targeted demographic. T-Mobile took their JUMP! campaign that focused on their upgrade program and launched it within Hispanic American communities through both street teams and social media.
Listen to the Hispennials.
Hispanic millenials, called “Hispennials”, make up 21 percent of the millennial generation today as per recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau. What does that mean for marketers? Mobile, mobile, mobile. We already know that millenials love digital content and they’re consuming most digital content through their smartphones. Listen and understand what Hispennials are looking for from your brand and develop campaigns that are delivering the right message at the right time through the best channel possible.
Above all, when you’re developing an estrategia to reach Hispanic Americans, keep listening, keep testing, and keep refining your message. Don’t be behind in developing a strong relationship with the biggest opportunity in marketing today.
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