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They’re
the fastest growing minority group in the U.S., and their estimated
buying power is scheduled to hit $992 billion by
2009. But reaching this group is far more complex than hiring a translator.
“
I know I need to do it, but I don’t know what I need to do.” This
is the most common statement Nuevo Advertising owners Pedro Perez
and Roseanne Avella-Perez hear from new clients. Nuevo is the only
ad agency in Southwest Florida to specialize solely on Hispanic marketing,
and everyone from government agencies to businesses across the state
rely on Nuevo to connect their business with this multifaceted demographic.
“
We’re talking about 15 percent of the community that’s
not being targeted,” says Perez. “I don’t think
you can afford not to market to Hispanics at this point.” But
marketing to the Spanish-speaking population goes far beyond hiring
a translator.
But marketing to the Spanish-speaking population goes far beyond
hiring a translator.
Here are three things every business owner needs to know before marketing
to this group.
Rule #1: Not All Hispanics are Alike ( Or, There’s
a big difference between a first generation Mexican and an American-born
Cuban )
Perez
is the first to admit that the rules of marketing are no different
when it comes to Hispanics, it’s just a bit more complicated.
Take the number one rule of marketing, “know your audience.” For
Hispanics, that means nationality, culture, generation and age.
Nationality and Culture
At the most basic level, Hispanics in our area can be divided in
to two groups: those who have only lived in the U.S., and those who
immigrated from somewhere else. Of the Hispanics in our area, the
Mexican population makes up 32 percent, according to the U.S. Census.
Puerto Ricans are a close runner-up at 27 percent, while Cubans make
up 13 percent. Each of these groups has their own history, culture,
dialect and preferences. Which is why, as Perez says, “we don’t
translate, we culturalize.”
Nuevo client Nicole Paksoy is the Director of Creative Development
for AAA South. Her office had been talking about reaching out to
Hispanics for a couple of years before launching a campaign earlier
this year. “We think our product and service works well with
Hispanics,” she says. “In general, they are family oriented
and often have multiple generations living under one roof.” AAA’s
family memberships and the ability to use the service no matter what
car a person is riding in are attractive benefits to tight-knit groups.
Paksoy admits that their first approach was to do straight translations. “But
we’ve gotten smarter about it. It’s not just about what
translation you use, it’s making the whole purchase experience
relevant to the way they live.” AAA’s Hispanic-oriented
marketing tends to be more vibrant and colorful and uses images and
wording that speaks directly to the Latinos in this area. “You
can’t use the same materials you’d use in Puerto Rico,” says
Paksoy. “That wouldn’t work here.”
Generation and Age
To add to the complexity, the length of time your audience has lived
in the U.S. will play a large role in how you communicate with them. “Foreign-born
Latinos are very different from U.S.-born Latinos,” says Perez.
Foreign-born Hispanics tend to be older, more conservative, and are
Spanish language dominant; while third generation and American-born
Hispanics are younger, bi-lingual and have higher household incomes.
But that doesn’t mean you should rely on English advertising
to reach the younger, wealthier demographic.
“
Research is showing that younger Hispanics are proud to be Hispanic,” says
Paksoy. “They speak Spanish and are interested in their roots.” Then
again, they may be proud to speak English. “Culturally, it’s
a challenge,” says Paksoy. “But it’s fun.”
Given the diversity within this group, how do you know what segment
you should target? “We look at where their business is, and
we go out one, five and ten miles from there,” says Perez.
Once he knows who he’s talking to, Perez can pinpoint exactly
how to reach them.
Rule #2: There’s More to Reaching Hispanics than Univision
Perez says many people are not aware just how much Spanish-language
media is out there. The greater Tampa Bay area, which includes Sarasota
and Manatee counties, is home to a growing mix of Spanish-language
media, including newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations.
Each caters to a unique demographic, and even come with their own
set of rules. For example, some television stations require ads to
use Spanish exclusively, while others allow bilingual or “Spanglish” messages.
When it comes to determining what media vehicles will best serve
his clients, Perez creates an extensive report which defines who
lives in a businesses target area, their culture and generation,
buying power, as well as media habits. “We can tell what TV
shows they watch, what publications they read and when they listen
to the radio,” says Perez.
“
Most clients want to know the size of the Hispanic community where
their business is located. We create a whole profile for them,” he
says. Once complete, Perez says 9 out of 10 clients hire him to execute
the roadmap. He then relies on his diverse network of focus group
participants to gauge whether a client’s product or service
will be a good fit for the Hispanic market. “It’s been
very effective,” he says.
Rule #3:. Hola! They’re in the door. Now what?
You’ve defined your segment, you’ve developed your creative
and finalized your media plan. Time to sit back and wait for Hispanic
customers to flood in? Not so fast…
“
Just like with any other marketing, you have to think about your
entire sales cycle,” says Perez. For example, say Perez’ report
shows primarily a first-generation Mexican population within a 10-mile
radius of your store. Chances are, you’ll be advertising in
a 100% Spanish publication, which means, if your ads are effective,
you’re going to have customers in your store who don’t
speak English.
“
You don’t want to advertise and then not know how to service
them,” says Perez. And it’s not just about the sale. “Who
is going to handle customer service after the sale?” asks Perez. “It’s
about the whole cycle.”
Carey Reynolds is the Director of Strategic Planning & Communications
with the Manatee Sarasota Eye Clinic & Laser Center, a company
who has been a long time advertiser in publications such as La Guia
and El Mensaje Latino. In the clinic, Spanish-speakers have access
to a wide variety of Spanish-language brochures, literature and even
portable DVD players to view educational videos about the two most
common eye diseases. A large bilingual staff, as well as a bilingual
doctor, ensures Spanish-speaking patients can ask questions and get
the answers they need.
“ Hispanics are such a vital part of
the Sarasota Bradenton area, and they deserve to know about the advancements
and treatments available. It’s our duty to provide them with
that service,” says Reynolds. While the clinic doesn’t
specifically advertise for bilingual employees, it’s a huge
advantage if a candidate can play a dual role. The clinic also encourages
Hispanic employees to refer potential employees, thus creating a
grassroots word of mouth that is so effective among community-centric
Hispanics.
However, not every business is so fortunate. Perez acknowledges finding
bilingual staff can be challenging. “It’s our number
one issue right now,” he says. “Whether it’s blue
collar or white collar, finding bilingual employees has become an
incredibly large sour point for everyone.”
Avella-Perez recommends finding Hispanic employees through local
job fairs, community centers and even churches. “Hispanics
are very community-oriented,” she says.
“
But they don’t have to be Hispanic,” adds Perez, who
says that the presence of a bilingual employee, no matter what ethnicity,
can go a long way in bridging the gap between you and your customer.
Paksoy, the AAA executive, was fortunate to already have a Spanish-language
call center staff in place prior to launching her Hispanic marketing
campaign. But she has had to make other back-end adjustments, including
hiring bilingual staff in the marketing department. “We’d
get translations back and I had no way of knowing what they said,” she
says. She’s also evaluating AAA’s membership structure,
which typically allows for one primary member, an associate member
(usually a spouse) and children. “We normally wouldn’t
include a mother-in-law as an associate member because she’s
not immediate family,” she says. But with multi-generational
families under one roof, Paksoy acknowledges they may need to look
at membership differently.
Non-Profits: More responsibility, More Barriers
“
It would be one of the happiest things I could ever accomplish in
my life,” says Sarah Lansky, Director of Marketing and PR for
G. Wiz, on the subject of serving Hispanics. “It’s a
whole segment of our market we haven’t tapped in to.” Lansky
knows that the role of G. Wiz as a non-profit hands-on museum is
to offer a place of fun and learning to the entire community, and
reaching out to Hispanics is critical to fulfilling that responsibility.
Although Lansky has recently begun to work with Nuevo Advertising,
she admits she has a long way to go.
Exhibit signage and instructions for the museum’s interactive
activities are still only in English, and on-floor “explainers” and
front desk staff are not bi-lingual. “Our goal at the museum
is not just to educate kids, but parents, too,” she says, adding
that while children in Hispanic families may be more likely to speak
English, their parents may not. “It’s our responsibility
to give them the support they need to interact as a family.” Lansky
hopes to start incorporating bilingual signage, literature and take-home
activities this year, but that effort requires significant funding. “It’s
the biggest barrier right now,” she says.
Fact: The Tampa/St. Petersburg/Sarasota Market ranks 23rd in the
top U.S. Hispanic markets. Source: Synovate 2006 U.S. Diversity Markets
Report
Fact: By 2007, the Hispanic population is expected to reach 42 million.
By 2020, it is estimated that one in five Americans will be Hispanic.
Source: Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies
Fact: Nearly half (47.8%) of Hispanic households have four or more
members.
Fact: The average age of the Latino population is 26 years (compared
with 37 years for the general population). Source: U.S. Census
Fact: One in five teens are Hispanic. By 2020 the Hispanic teen population
is expected to grow 62 percent compared with the 10 percent growth
in the number of teens overall. Source: Selig Center for Economic
Growth
Fact: 59% of Hispanics claim to speak Spanish all the time, with
another third saying they speak Spanish at least half of the time.
Only 4% of Hispanics claim to never speak Spanish. Source: Market
Segment Research
Hispanic or Latino?
The simple answer is it depends on who you’re talking to and
where they’re from. A good rule of thumb is to simply ask your
client which terms they prefer.
Latino:
The terms Latino (male) and Latina (female) refer to an individual
who was born in or whose family originated in Latin America. Many
prefer Latino to the term Hispanic because it excludes Europeans
and reinforces their origin in civilizations that predated the Spanish
Conquest and/or because it is a Spanish word. Latino is very popular
in California, New York, New Jersey and Illinois.
Hispanic:
The term Hispanic is frequently used as well. The United States Government
first coined this English-language term for use in the 1970 Census.
It is a word that, for many, elicits a very strong connection with
Latin Americans’ Spanish heritage. Hispanic is popular in Texas
and Florida. Source: 2004 Public Relations Tactics. Via ProQuest
Information and Learning Company.
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