You’re missing out if you have a product or service the fulfills the needs of this Hispanic market.
It may be a surprise to some that are not specifically marketing to the Hispanic population that they represent a significant portion of market share. According to a 2023 Pew Research study, the U.S. Hispanic population exceeded 65 million. Focusing your advertising across concentrated metropolitan areas will be a wise investment for your marketing dollars. Tailoring your approach and messaging to reach them is what will separate your business from your competitors.
Speaking in culturally relevant terms is vital
When marketing to Hispanics or any multicultural group, you must first identify your target market and their location, research their priorities, craft your messaging accordingly, and deliver that message via the appropriate channels. Our agency has gathered and analyzed the research and identified five top ways you can reach your target Hispanic segment more powerfully.
1. Be Culturally Relevant and Affirming
More than one-third of Hispanics say they respond better to advertising that reflects their culture, which means, by extension, that if you ignore cultural relevance, you’ll lose one-third of your total impact. Utilizing Hispanic spokespeople and influencers in culturally affirming situations will go a long way toward building brand trust in this demographic. (One note of caution when speaking to any culture: Avoid being disingenuous in this approach – people can spot inauthenticity a mile off.)
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2. Be Age-Specific with Language
‘Culturally relevant’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘Spanish-speaking’. Nearly 60 percent of Hispanics in America are under age 35, and our research shows the 14-35 Hispanic age bracket prefers messaging in English over Spanish. If your target market is older Hispanics, a Spanish-language ad will be quite effective; if you’re reaching the younger set, however, you may do better with English messaging, perhaps interwoven with “Spanglish” where appropriate.
3. Be Regionally Sensitive
Cultural differences aren’t just about ethnicity—geography also plays a vital role. As a New Yorker sees the world differently than someone in the Deep South, so a 30-year-old Latina female in Los Angeles will respond differently than a Latina 30-year old in El Paso. Do a deeper dive into your research to understand why using “geofencing” to tailor your messages more locally is a highly useful tactic.
4. Focus on Mobile/Online Advertising
Our research shows that a significant majority of Hispanics respond well to online advertising, and they are at least one-third more likely to use their mobile devices for online shopping than the average consumer. Online ads and mobile ads are quite effective channels for delivering your messaging to this segment. Make sure that your images are culturally relevant and that you’re not using a one-size-fits-all approach.
5. Focus on Streaming Media
Another high-impact delivery channel for reaching Hispanics, especially Millennials, is nearly any kind of streaming media (e.g., streaming music, podcasts, YouTube videos). Roughly half of the Hispanic community are active users of streaming services, and three-quarters of this demographic use YouTube as a search engine more often than Google! Advertising on these channels is powerful, as well as creating or curating your own streaming content that applies to this demographic.
The days of one-size-fits-all messaging are over. It used to be that a single marketing message blanketing all demographics could at least yield enough ROI to make it worth the cost. Today, with our population more diverse and segmented than ever, you have to take a more targeted, nuanced approach if you want to market effectively and grow your customer base.
The more well-crafted your messaging strategy, the more customers to your door, product or service.
Wicked Bionic helps you understand your target marketing and tailors messaging to reach new consumers. Contact us for more information.
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About the Author
Dana C. Arnett, Founder and CEO of Wicked Bionic, spent 30 years in the entertainment business before starting the agency in 2015. The Los Angeles-based multicultural communications and advertising agency works with government and private-sector clients on strategic marketing and engaging media campaigns. Dana has always loved learning from other cultures, and that curiosity became the foundation for how Wicked Bionic approaches culturally responsive marketing – building authentic connections between organizations and the communities they serve.
