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Latinos make up approximately 25% of Clark County residents.
The majority of those still moving here are primarily Hispanic
or Latino. To put it into perspective Clark County ranks 228
out of 3,124 counties in the
United States for the most highly populated Latino counties.
So, my
question to you is: Do you know HOW to market to this hugely
important and growing segment of our population?
With the
changing appearance of our country come new dilemmas for
marketers trying to reach those whose tastes, customs and
language may differ from what is commonly know as "general
market". Culturally relevant marketing plans will become
increasingly critical as the population becomes more diverse and
the buying power of U.S. Hispanics becomes more significant. I
leaned a lot about “multicultural marketing” during my tenure at
Pepsi but with each day I realize it becomes more urgent to
understand the Latino market.
The biggest mistake that a company can make is to view the U.S.
Hispanic market as homogeneous. Acculturation levels, language
preferences and country of origin make for unique sub-groups
within the segment.
 The
Hispanic market's current size, formation of larger households,
heavy concentration in the top, youngest, trend-setting markets
in the U.S., accompanied by their speedy wealth creation and
high consumerism are at odds with the neglect of investment
across most advertising and marketing categories. It is
imperative for U.S. marketers to reanalyze and immediately adopt
new strategies in the way in which they have historically
allocated corporate marketing resources.
"Latino" or "Hispanic", as a description, refers to an origin or
ethnicity, not a race. There is no one monolithic "Hispanic
market." What, if anything, unifies Hispanics? In large part,
the Spanish language stands as a symbol of difference for U.S.
Hispanics; wherever they're from and regardless of their
history, Spanish is a key to their individual and collective
pasts.
The
single most important segmentation factor among U.S. Hispanics
may be their country of origin. The U.S. Hispanic market is
comprised of subcultures from over 20 countries in Central and
South America, the Caribbean and Spain, with the majority (63%)
of Mexican heritage. The culture, beliefs, opinions and consumer
behavior patterns of U.S. Hispanics are not identical, as a
result of the influence of differences in their native
countries' geography, indigenous ancestry and colonial origins.
U.S. Latinos tend to "adopt and adapt" to customs and habits in
the U.S. without shedding traditions and value systems. Along
that line, marketers, and those trying to tap into the Hispanic
segment,
cannot
simply transfer directly to the U.S. Latino market the
conceptualizations or marketing strategies that work with more
traditional, general market consumers. Latinos are assimilating
to prevalent U.S. culture, but they are not, and probably never
will be, fully assimilated. Instead, theirs is a path of
acculturation. It is a process of integration of native and
traditional immigrant cultural values with dominant cultural
ones.
¿Habla usted español?
Language is one of the most obvious examples of this phenomenon.
Spanish is likely to remain the language of preference among
U.S. Latinos. Did you know that Univision is now the #5 network
in the United States, behind ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox???
Research shows that while Hispanics consume every type of media,
they do seem to have a special attraction to television and
radio. Nevertheless, the air-time used to identify a product or
service at an in-depth level is typically too brief and too
incomplete to be effective, thus the "sale" will not be closed.
However, the combination of direct mail, broadcast and print
makes it possible for the Hispanic consumer to obtain additional
information and "close the sale" -- with each medium
contributing to the total communication story.
Television
-
The
visual confirmations provided in television advertising are
extremely important, especially so for Spanish-dominant
Hispanics.
-
49% of
U.S. Hispanics who watch television during prime-time hours,
watch Spanish language programming.
-
40% of
Spanish-dominant Hispanics regularly watch English-language
programming.
-
30% of
English-dominant Hispanics regularly watch Spanish
programming.
Radio
-
Radio
is a proven, effective medium in targeting Hispanics.
-
The
most unique aspect of Spanish-language radio stations is the
time spent listening.
-
The
Hispanic population often listens to the radio all day.
-
The
entire family may listen to one station and tune in, on
average, 26 - 30 hours per week. This ranks more than 13%
above the general population.
Print
-
Minority newspapers are an inseparable part of the local
minority community. They deliver what no mass medium can --
news that is specifically geared to the needs and concerns
of individual minority communities.
-
Newspaper readership skews to Adult 34-54 age group with an
average HHI of $40k+
Event
Marketing
-
Events
create excitement, reinforce image, and allow you to
hand-deliver your marketing message face-to-face with your
target audience. However, many company's efforts at selling
themselves to Hispanics are limited to sponsoring the
occasional Cinco de Mayo celebration -- these half-hearted
efforts will not effectively capture the attention of
Hispanic consumers.
Direct
Response Marketing
-
The
process of acculturation influences the Hispanic consumer's
perception of direct marketing. While most consumers in the
general market dismiss direct marketing materials as junk
mail, Latinos -- particularly recent immigrants -- welcome
it as a means of becoming a more informed consumer.
-
Overall, Hispanic households are 3.5 times more likely to
respond to a direct mail solicitation than a non-Hispanic
household;
-
72%
say they always read their mail, including direct marketing;
-
60% of
the direct mail sent to homes is in English;
-
52% of
the respondents speak only Spanish in their homes.
Make no mistake, the integration of generations and diverse
countries of origin within the U.S. Hispanic market has created
a complex culture that requires experience and research to
understand. What is needed for a successful Hispanic promotional
campaign is a sensitivity to what is important to Hispanics -
and senior corporate executives willing to initiate a reversal
of underinvestment in the Hispanic market by creating new
allocation levels in their business and marketing plans for
reaching Hispanic consumers. The opportunity is growing. !El
tiempo es ahora!
Para más
información y la ayuda con su negocio, llama por favor: 702
994-7282. ¡No Sea el Mantenido Mejor Secreto!
Mary Ann
McQueen Butcher
Red Carpet
Marketing, LLC
www.LVRedCarpet.com
702
994-7282
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