There is Gold in the Hispanic Market

The most recent statistics state that 27.2% of New Yorkers are of Latin origin and nearly 11 % of all NYC companies have Hispanic-owners. Not surprisingly, these numbers have caught the attention of many businesses in the tri-state area.  Increasingly I am asked: How should we market to Hispanic audiences?

In order to reach out to the Hispanic audience you will need to add a couple more marketing variables to your business plan. Obviously, language is first variable you need to consider. Will your message be in English or in Spanish? It depends on your ultimate target audience. The tri-state area, for example, has an enormous Hispanic population so any message in Spanish has a greater opportunity to succeed.

On the other hand if you wanted your message to reach Hispanics where English is dominant, you would send your message in English, but with Spanish slang which is passed down through the generations. If you are marketing to a Hispanic audience that was born abroad but has been in the U.S. for many years, you should have a bilingual message. In this instance, the audience is reading your message twice!

The second variable is culture. In many ways both of these variables are connected. To have an effective campaign, you must know the mind of the Hispanic consumer. The advertiser should focus on the similarities of the various sub-groups and depict them as Hispanic (Americans). Above all, you should not patronize this group.

Hispanic consumers respond to efforts that portray them in a realistic and respectful way. Maracas and conga lines are a total turn-off.  Spanish is the language of the heart. Efforts that talk to their emotions as well as their intellect will strike a cord that enhances the impact of any communication to the Hispanic community. Seeing a message in Spanish has the same emotional impact on Latinos as the sight of the American flag has on a U.S. Marine overseas.