The Hispanic Market

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Hispanic Section of The Source Book of Multicultural Experts (495 KB)

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The Spanglish Generation: Tapping it to Grow and Conquer Market Share

Eduardo Perez, President, PM Publicidad

The U.S. Hispanic youth segment represents an impending demographic “boomlet.”   With the overall Hispanic segment totaling over 52 million and representing 50% of the U.S. population growth covered by the 2010 Census, Latinos are now recognized as the largest and most important ethnic demographic target for marketers.  Within that it’s important to note though that today half of all U.S. Hispanics were born in the U.S.A.

And during the next decade as the U.S. “total market” grows older and grayer, the Hispanic segment will be brimming with youth and representing an oversized share of the overall U.S. Youth market.

•    20% - 1 in 5 - of U.S. teens aged 12 to19 are Hispanic.
•    Almost 1 in 4 babies born today are Hispanic
•    By 2020 24% of U.S. youth 5 to 19 will be Hispanic.

And they will be mostly bilingual and bicultural. More than 80% of U.S. Hispanic youth are bilingual; only about 9% speak only English.  Language has traditionally defined marketing directed to Hispanics and while Spanish language usage is not decreasing, a paradigm shift has begun and there’s no stopping it.  While Spanish will continue to remain highly relevant, the future of marketing to Hispanics is bilingüe and more oriented around Latino Culture and its values.

Second and third generation Americanos are highly acculturated and in most cases truly bicultural.  They straddle their two cultures on a daily basis and influence both.  They are the Spanglish Generation.

The “double influence” this Spanglish Generation has makes marketing to them highly desirable.  They act as guides and “cultural translators” at home with strong influence on domestic household purchasing of many products and services.  Outside the home the Spanglish Generation influences styles and trends.  They love to shop and are ideal brand ambassadors.   

Although the Spanglish Generation consumes a great deal of English-language “mainstream” media, marketers can break through all the noise and competitive advertising.  These consumers are effectively reached through culturally relevant messaging delivered in English and/or Spanish through a variety of highly targeted but disparate media channels and tactics.

Effectively reaching Spanglish Generation consumers can be tricky.  They consume more English-language media and digital content but do also consume content in Spanish.  Content type influences the choice.  They’ll often watch variety shows and telenovelas in Spanish with their family. Targeted bicultural channels like MTV Tres and Mun2 are catching on.  They love shows on FOX and enjoy watching reality shows and news in English.

They are heavy digital and especially heavy mobile users, with many carrying smart phones. They love social media and over-index the total market for use of Twitter.  Latinas especially love Facebook and Pinster adoption is growing fast.  They text more than they talk.  Needless to say, word of mouth (and thumb) is huge.

Spanglish Generation consumers develop stronger preferences for brands that connect in a more personal way in their Latino world through experiential marketing.  Direct marketing through mobile and digital channels delivers excellent results since the Spanglish Generation likes to interact and stay connected with the brands they like.

So if you’re responsible for sales and marketing of products and services relevant to the youth market, you need to pay special attention to Hispanic youth.  They are key consumers in all top DMAs around the U.S. and growing in influence. Furthermore they represent a conduit to two attractive segments: the Hispanic market and the youth market.  They represent a strategic imperative and afford savvy marketers a lucrative target segment with which to grow and conquer market share.

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Contact information:
PM Publicidad
1776 Peachtree Street, NW, Ste. 600N
Atlanta, GA 30309
Ph. 404-844-5760
Fx. 404-870-0321
eperez@pmpublicidad.com
www.pmpublicidad.com