National Hispanic Advertising Agency

The Group Advertising Blog

Hispanic or Latinos? Are you reaching the right group?

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Multiculturalism is redefining what it means to be American today.  Acculturation levels, language of preference, and country of origin make for unique sub-groups within the U.S. Hispanic market. The biggest mistake that a company can make is to view it as homogeneous. This market is comprised of subcultures from over 20 countries in Central and South America, including Spain and the Caribbean.

So, is it Hispanics or Latinos? It’s a question that people have struggled to answer when deciding what to call this growing group (which is now the second largest consumer market in the USA).

It is important to understand that “Hispanic” or “Latino” refers to an origin or ethnicity, not a race.

“Hispanics” refers to language, whether you or your ancestry came from a country that speaks Spanish. This term was adopted in 1970 during the Nixon administration for political purposes.

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Hispanics. Are you ready for this demand?

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Sometimes when I approach decision makers about the opportunity to reach out to Hispanics they tell me, “I would like to but I am not there yet.” So I ask them, “Why do you feel that way?”

Ninety-nine percent of the time the answer is: “I will have to convert everything into Spanish, produce new materials, and hire bilingual people in the company. Instead of seeing an opportunity, I see it as a big hurdle right now. I would much rather keep doing the same thing because that’s where I feel comfortable.”

I think believing that you can’t change encourages you to accept your weaknesses.  But these weaknesses can turn into strengths if you are willing to learn.

During my career, I have come to the conclusion that for some people common sense is not common anymore. One of the legendary gurus in Marketing, Mr. Philip Kotler says that in order to grow your business, you need to expand to new markets. This expansion doesn’t mean that it has to be done in 24 hours, one week, or even in one month. The idea is that you gradually implement it into your business model. Learn from it, make adjustments, embrace it, and stick to it. However, you have to have a starting point somewhere. As we all know, sometimes people simply don’t like change—even if it’s for their own good. [Read more…]