final senior thesis

Elon University

Capturing the Hispanic Audience Through Targeted

Communications

Natasha Schettini

Great Ideas: COM495A

Professor George Padgett

May 4, 2016

Abstract

Targeted Communications

After a standstill in Hispanic consumer research, companies are rediscovering the

financial value not only in targeting but understanding the United States’ Hispanic

audience. By analyzing the culture’s value for family, respect, relationships, language,

and humor this paper examines how six campaigns successfully utilize target marketing.

These cultural themes are referred to as “appeals,” which due to cultural values, are

predicted to generate engagement and the respect of Hispanic audiences. By looking at

major campaigns, which apply these appeals, this paper will discuss their effectiveness to

market to this culture, along more specific Hispanic demographics: the Foreign Born,

U.S. Born, and Millennial Hispanic. These campaigns include Honda’s “Un Buen Hit,”

AT&T’s “Between Two Worlds,” and McDonald’s “Me Encanta,” State Farm’s

“Running,” Wendy’s “Negocio de la Familia,” and Target’s “#SinTraducción”

campaigns. This research utilizes a content analysis to demonstrate how campaigns

targeted towards this powerful demographic are complex and require a great deal of

empathy.

Introduction

According to Statista, the buying power of Hispanic consumers in the United

States will reach 1.7 trillion dollars by 2017. This is in comparison to the 1 trillion dollars

Hispanics spent in the retail and consumer packaged goods market in 2010 (2016). As

this population exponentially grows, organizations are finding it difficult to keep up, and

most importantly understand this demographic. The Census Bureau found that Hispanics

are now the largest and fastest growing minority group in the nation (2015). The rapid

growth of this desirable Latino population will have major implications on how markets


sell brands. Although the terms “Hispanic” and “Latino” can refer to different cultural

groups, the two terms will be used interchangeably for the purpose of this paper.

Hispanic population growth in the U.S. has yielded ever changing consequences.

To begin marketing to the Hispanic population, an organization must truly understand its

audience and their behaviors. Due to Latinos’ deep rooted culture, throughout all

generations, marketers cannot assume they have surrendered their background to the

American melting pot as other cultures have done in the past. The Hispanic population’s

distinct consumer behaviors are reflected in the sustainability of the unique language and

values, which have begun to influence American culture. This research will focus on

understanding specific Hispanic demographics while studying the values that make up

this large and diverse population.

The topics in this report draw on the implication that Hispanic audiences are more

likely to engage with brands that properly appeal to certain cultural values, specifically

within the United States born, Foreign born and Millennial Hispanic segments. In this

paper, target marketing strategies are studied using five values the general Hispanic

culture emphasizes: family, respect, relationships, language and humor. Using a content

analysis, this research will evaluate how agencies and marketers are utilizing these five

appeals to target Hispanic consumers.

By studying the content of notoriously successful campaigns, which have utilized

these five appeals, this paper discusses marketing implications for future strategic

campaigns targeting these three Hispanic segments. Using market and cultural research

pertaining to these buyers, this research examines if and how marketers can successfully

engage, influence, and predict Hispanics’ in the United States consumer behaviors.


Literature Review

Using prior research available about the Hispanic market, consumer behaviors,

and target marketing, this section will discuss the importance of this demographic and

how this information should be applied to communication strategies. Although much of

the information gathered about the Hispanic population in the United States has been

generalized across this large and diverse demographic, this research aims to develop

specific insights about Foreign Born, U.S Born, and Millennial Hispanic buyers.

The Hispanic Market The United States Hispanic population is the largest

minority segment, and will continue to grow even if immigration is completely halted. As

of 2004, U.S Hispanic purchasing power reflected an annual growth rate of 7.7% (Jensen-

Campbell 4). Nielsen provides “The Hispanic Market Imperative” report, which explains

the significance of the Hispanic market through research and insights into successful

marketing opportunities for the future. Nielsen’s compelling evidence suggests that the

Hispanic demographic is the largest immigrant group to reveal “significant culture

sustainability and are not disappearing into the American melting pot” (7). Despite past

misconceptions, Hispanics have developed a significant buying power, which marketers

cannot ignore. The Hispanic market’s size, growing clout, and buying power substantially

increased from $1 trillion in 2010 to $1.5 trillion in 2015 (Nielsen 2). From 2010 to 2050,

Hispanics are expected to grow 167%, compared to 42% for the rest of the population

(Nielsen 4).

Along with their rapid growth in size, Hispanic “youth, educational advances, and

increasing spending capacity” strongly suggest a future of preeminent drivers of growth

and trend setter consumers (Nielsen 15). Although the Hispanic culture may evolve,


advances in technology, social networking, exchange of goods, acculturation, and new

culture generation imply that this passionate culture will never go away. Nielsen’s report

of census data in 2011 shows that when asked their child’s ethnicity, 72% of intermarried

parents (one Hispanic and the other non-Hispanic) declared their children as Hispanic, in

comparison to 35% of parents who did so in 1991 (7). Due to unique and sustainable

characteristics, Nielsen suggests a future American culture “with a strong Hispanic

flavor” (15).

The Hispanic Consumer Hispanics’ strong self-image, affirms the potential for

their culture to endure as “a distinctive piece of the American mosaic” (Ethnifacts 1).

Many sources claim that the Hispanic buyer is unique in many different ways, in

comparison to the general population. “Across all retail channels, Hispanics tend to shop

less often, but spend more per trip, and are less likely to buy products at promotional

prices” (Nielsen 11). Data also shows that Hispanic consumers have different

consumption growth rates. Nielsen’s report shows that Hispanics substantially surpass the

total market in Hispanic use categories such as baby products, hair care, and toiletries.

This insight on the Hispanic consumer demonstrates highly personal and meaningful

categories, where it is crucial for marketers to understand Hispanics’ unique consumption

patterns. Nielsen found that in these major categories, name brand and brand loyalty are

especially important, but generally speaking, Hispanics are just as likely to buy name

brands as the general market (12).

When comparing the Hispanic and Anglo consumers, which make up a majority

of the United States’ buying power, unique values and behavioral patterns stand out

between the two groups. Hispanic consumers tend to be more likely to conform, and to be


influenced more by their family compared to the more individualistic Anglo consumer

(Bristow and Asquith 186). Unlike other consumers, Hispanic consumers are more

concerned with prices, value, and quality of products, rather than packaging,

advertisements or trends. Bristow and Asquith’s research gives insight into the highly

debated aspect of Hispanic brand loyalty in comparison to Anglo cultural groups (186).

Based off of the research’s relationship between brand name and social status, combined

with the Hispanic consumer’s tendency to be concerned with social status, which come

from products, the author’s research shows that “Hispanic consumers would attach more

importance to the brand names of products than would Anglo consumers” (Bristow and

Asquith 196). Their study found evidence, which supports that Hispanics attach

significantly more importance to different product attributions than Anglo consumers.

Therefore, this research suggests that marketers must first identify products and service

attributes that Hispanic consumers find most valuable.

As technology advances it is also useful to study where and how Hispanics are

consuming their information online. Compared to other ethnic groups in America,

Hispanics are entering the Internet world much more quickly. According to a study done

by the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies, half of all Hispanic internet users

predominantly speak Spanish more than English, which can be attributed to their family-

oriented lifestyle. This study also found that the typical Hispanic in the United States

spends about five and a half hours online weekly and 60% use that time to get news, 54%

to listen to music, and 43% to chat. According to a study done in 2004 by AOL/Roper

ASW, 14 million Hispanics were online with an impressive growth rate (Jensen-

Campbell 3). This implies that the more Hispanics connect online, the less time they


spend with their native media outlets. This shift should also be reflected in marketers

advertising budgets (Jensen-Campbell 3).

As stated in Jensen-Campbell’s paper about the Hispanic consumer, targeting the

multicultural market is now less about race and ethnicity, and more about education,

income, home ownership, age and lifestyles, a common mistake marketers make when

targeting Hispanics is treating U.S. Hispanics as homogenous (Jensen-Campbell 2).

The Foreign Born Hispanic In general Hispanics born in their native country have

minimal interest in mainstream American culture (Jensen-Campbell 3). Gretchen

Livingston’s research from 2010, “The Latino Digital Divide: The native born versus the

foreign born,” found that about half of foreign born go online, while 85% of U.S. born

Latinos do (4). This data also reveals that 72% of Latinos born outside of the United

States use a cell phone, compared to 80% of U.S born Latinos that do (Livingston 2). In

general, Latinos have historically lagged behind non-Latinos in cell phone and Internet

use. It is important to note that age is inversely related to cell phone and Internet use,

therefore the younger Hispanic demographic is a main percentage of this usage

(Livingston 7).

The U.S. Born Hispanic Second-generation Hispanic Americans have been

significantly affected by American culture and vary substantially in consumer behavior

than the foreign born Hispanic (Jensen- Campbell 3). Even if Hispanic migration were to

halt, this demographic would continue to accelerate due to cultural tendencies to have

more children, many of the offspring of foreign born Hispanics are now in childbearing

age, and lately this population is younger overall (Valdes 58). Jensen-Campbell suggests

that these Hispanics are much more acculturated, “and want to replace, or already have


replaced, their Hispanic identity with a more mainstream American identity” (Campbell

3). Where a Hispanic is born and the length of their residence in the United States will

continue to have a major impact on marketing programs, according to Valdes (58).

The Millennial Hispanic On average, Hispanics are much younger than the non-

Hispanic; in 2001 more than 35% of Hispanics were younger than 18 compared to 24%

of non-Hispanics (Jensen- Campbell 3). In Jensen- Campbell’s paper, he refers to the

millennial Hispanic as a “hipper Hispanic target,” mostly native-born, and whose

consumer behaviors differ from the older, immigrant Hispanic. They learned to speak

Spanish at home because that is what their families speak, but feel more comfortable

reading and writing in English because this is what they learned in school and from their

peers (Jensen-Campbell 3). This segment speaks English fluently and is more likely to

understand mainstream American culture and have similar purchasing patterns to

Americans and other non-Hispanics (3).

Target Marketing towards Hispanics Marketing dollars have increasingly

become aimed towards U.S. Hispanics while the overall ad market has slowed down

(Jensen-Campbell 4). According to Jensen-Campbell, companies such as Procter &

Gamble, General Motors, McDonald's and Coca-Cola have continually increased the

amount they spend on targeting this market, which is becoming more desirable (4).

Mintel gives us an insight into Hispanics’ general attitudes towards advertising in

order to market better to this unique demographic. Ads that are on the internet are more

often ignored by English dominant Hispanics, while in comparison; Spanish dominant

Hispanics are less likely to ignore these ads (Menke 2013). Compared to white

consumers, Hispanics say they are more likely to make purchase decisions on advertising


and expect ads to be entertaining and informative (Menke 2013). Another study based on

attitudes towards advertising, by race and ethnicity in 2013; found that Hispanics are

more receptive to television ads than are white consumers (Menke 2013). Although 37%

of Hispanic women believe it is wrong to market directly to children, they do rely on

advertisements to decide what products to purchase for their children (Menke 2013).

According to Mintel’s data, Hispanic consumers are less likely to enjoy humor in

advertisements, than other consumer groups (Menke 2013).

In 1999 researchers Holland and Gentry , found that when people wanted

approval their speech patterns tended to become more similar to the other party’s (68).

Originally, marketers thought the best way to reach this market was to advertise to them

in Spanish. As market knowledge has increased, it is clear that this is an

oversimplification of the target market (Ueltchy and Krampf “The Influence of

Acculturation ...”). Advertisers and marketers should combine language and value models

in order to effectively communicate. In regards to language, Hispanics must be able to

recognize the purposeful use of Spanish in advertisements as an indicator of the

advertiser’s respect for the culture, along with a desire to break down cultural barriers

through “reduction of linguistic dissimilarities” (Koslow, Shamdasni, Touchstone 576).

Ueltchy et. al. claim that, typically, the Hispanic demographic tends to remain loyal to

their native language, regardless of how long they have lived in the United States. This

can be attributed to its direct and positive connection to the family and the home.

According to a study done by Ueltchy et. al., Spanish- dominant Hispanics pay more

attention to advertisements in Spanish, recall more, prefers advertisements and is able to

process more information in Spanish (“The Influence of Acculturation ...”).


Implications Gentry and Holland claim that the use of cultural symbols to reach

Hispanic consumers has been generally well received by this audience (70).

Organizations must be aware that a blatant attempt to appear similar to a Hispanic

audience or to embrace values associated with a particular group may negate intended

results. (Koslow, et. al. 576).

Marketers need to know what demographics they want to target, similar to a

general campaign. When marketing online, marketers must factor: Language translation,

cultural adaptation, and have a deep understanding of the Hispanic marketplace (5).

Markets must keep in mind that it is best to contain no cultural references, if targeting

Hispanics from more than one culture. Jensen-Campbell suggests that marketers should

get to know their Hispanic demographic in their target markets- trends, interests, average

income, employment, how they use media, etc. (5).

Valdes suggests a practical and inexpensive tool for marketers that provides

insights into the differences between foreign born and the native born Hispanic consumer

(60). Any basic research should gather data on 1) country of birth, 2) age upon arrival, 3)

length of residency, 4) generational background, in order to study the consumer's

relationship with your brand or service (Valdes 60).

Jensen-Campbell’s paper looks at the Hispanic travel market; as the Hispanic

population grows, so does their amount of travel (4). “Outpacing other minorities and

growing ten times the overall rate for the traveling population as a whole” (Jensen-

Campbell 4). Hispanics want to learn about other cultures, are taking more trips, and have

the money to spend. As the begin traveling more and farther, “to broaden their horizon,”

airlines, hotels, convention and visitor bureaus are catching on (Jensen-Campbell 4).


Overall, Hispanics are very family-oriented; therefore communication strategies

with family themes are found to have a strong appeal. While being culturally sensitive,

Jensen-Campbell recommends using “endearing humor and laughter” and avoiding

stereotypical and offensive strategies. Due to a variety of Hispanic identities and images,

translations should be generalized and not skew to a specific ethnicity (Jensen-Campbell

5). If a marketer's target demographic is older/ immigrant Hispanics, an option to view a

website in Spanish should be included, providing the most general translated message in

order to not offend any specific group (Jensen-Campbell 5).

Once marketers understand the potential relationships among the constructs

involved in the consumer’s responses, marketers can begin to predict the likely outcomes

of the targeting attempt. The purpose of this research is to use Foreign born, U.S. born,

and Millennial Hispanic market and consumer information, along with cultural values, to

discover successful target marketing strategies. This information can be used to develop

target marketing campaigns, which earns the respect and engagement of this large

audience.

By studying notoriously successful campaigns’ content, which have utilized these

five appeals, this paper develops marketing implications for future strategic campaigns

targeting these three Hispanic segments. Using market and cultural research about these

buyers, this research examines if and how marketers can successfully engage, influence,

and predict Hispanics in the United States consumer behaviors.

Methodology

Through primary and secondary research, five main appeals were looked at in

order to observe how popular campaigns have targeted their Hispanic audiences. These


appeals were chosen based on patterns found in notable marketing campaigns towards

Hispanics, along with cultural insights drawn from general Hispanic values in

comparison to Americans.

These appeals include:

Family, referring to most Hispanics’ strong emphasis on family and

group-oriented activities

Respect, which deals with Hispanics’ acceptance that not everyone is, or

should be, treated equally, especially the hierarchy in families

The third appeal, relationships, refers to Hispanics’ appreciation for

genuinely getting to know others before doing business with them.

Language simply pertains to Hispanics’ strong value for their culture’s

native language of Spanish.

Lastly, humor refers to a popular theme used in campaigns and how

Hispanics engage with this appeal.

After defining these values, campaigns which reflected these characteristics were

analyzed. Content was chosen and analyzed based on targeted communications

campaigns, which have received notable recognition for connecting with the Hispanic

audience. Six campaigns were chosen to be analyzed using credible news articles, along

with campaigns nominated for awards. These campaigns reflect a variety of industries,

themes, and platforms. Although financial reports after each campaign are not discussed,

their success is based on the overall success of each company and their marketing

agency.


A content analysis was executed to examine how each campaign effectively used

Hispanic values to appeal to their audience. By classifying which campaigns used which

appeals, an analysis of how these appeals were applied to specific Hispanic

demographics: Foreign Born Hispanics, U.S. Born Hispanics, and Millennial Hispanics.

Using primary research and data about Hispanics’ consumer behaviors and attitudes, this

paper is able to understand this target audience, and then predict how these campaigns

were perceived. Lastly, using the content analysis of each campaign, implications for

future marketing initiatives towards Hispanics were given.

Insights and Analysis

Appeals

Family: This theme was chosen because Hispanics come from a collectivistic

culture where group activities are highly valued more than individual responsibilities

(Shwartz 2). For Hispanics living in the United States, extended and close family and

friends contribute to the cultures collectivist attitude. Although they tend to be highly

group-oriented, giving trust to outsiders comes slowly. Decisions and behaviors are based

on what is best for the family, after consulting family members. These strong family

values can be attributed to a collectivist culture, along with a United States’ Hispanics

reliance on family when moving away from their native country to America.

Respect: Interpersonal communications tells us that power distance is used to

compare the extent to which less powerful members of a society accept that power is

distributed unevenly. Hispanics’ value for respect of people of status varies from that of

the American culture’s. This is reflected in the hierarchy of members in a family.

Typically, Hispanics value a traditional patriarchal structure, which grants the father or


oldest male power, especially over woman (Shwartz 2). Despite this, Hispanic women are

responsible for all things that relate to the household; therefore 80% of all purchase

decisions are made by women (Ramirez “How to Appeal to Hispanic Mothers”).

Relationship Oriented: In comparison with the American culture, Hispanics are

less task-oriented and more relationship oriented. Hispanics are in no hurry to make

decisions, and value a more personal connection. Therefore, examining the cultural

context of your communication message will lead to a better relationship with your

Hispanic audience.

Language: Although marketers have discovered that simply adapting and

translating one’s campaign into Spanish is not nearly enough to engage this demographic,

Spanish is still highly valued by Hispanics. This is a very important theme because

incorrect usage of language can lead an unfavorable view of a brand. As primary research

indicated, most Hispanics do not necessarily value Spanish more, but may retain this

information better.

Humor: This is a method of communicating which can be misinterpreted across

cultures if not used correctly or without adequate research. Jensen-Campbell suggests

using “endearing humor and laughter” while being sensitive when communicating with

Hispanics through advertisements or other campaigns (Jensen-Campbell 5).

Campaigns

Honda “Un Buen Fit”

“Un Buen Fit”

Family Respect

Relationships Language Humor


✖ ✖

In 2015, Honda used its longtime Hispanic agency Orci to develop its “Un Buen

Fit” (A Good Fit) campaign targeting Millennial Hispanic consumers. On average,

Millennial Hispanics make up the majority of the United State's Hispanic population

(Jensen-Campbell 3). In 2006 the median age of the Hispanic population was 27.5 years,

compared to America's population at 36.9 (Shwartz 2). Therefore, a large number of

young Hispanics are starting families and buying their first cars. Jensen-Campbell also

refers to this demographic as hipper and more environmentally friendly, making the

Honda Fit a great choice for Millennial Hispanic buyers (2).

The campaign connects with its audiences by poking fun at typical Hispanic

advertisements. The ad focuses on the reality that young Hispanics grocery shop, go to

the movies, and commute to work just like everyone else. The advertisement, which aired

in Spanish and English, uses humor to engage this audience with a creative and clever

campaign. Honda’s campaign demonstrates an understanding and empathy for their

audience by using humorous “inside jokes” that all Hispanics living in the United States

can relate to. The campaign is able to connect on a personal level with its audience, while

informing the consumer on features about the vehicle and how it is a “good fit” for their

lives.

The campaign uses up-and-coming Mexican comedian Felipe Esparza, digital and

social media components to further connect with this demographic through their

language. Using a bilingual comedian and airing the commercial on both Spanish media

and English/general channels further exemplifies this unique target audience. Esparza,

along with Honda, have utilized social channels to reach their target audience in an


entertaining way (Greenberg 2014). Honda’s clever and bilingual hashtag also

incorporates their message in a seamless manner.

AT&T “Between Two Worlds

“Between Two Worlds”

Family Respect


✖ ✖

As Nielsen's data suggest, Hispanics not only consider themselves bilingual but

bicultural, and have no intention of leaving their native culture behind (Nielsen 7).

AT&T’s campaign focuses on the lives of acculturated Hispanics who identify with both

mainstream American culture and their native background. This campaign particularly

targets digitally- savvy millennials and U.S. born Hispanics who can relate to “thinking

in both languages” and communicating with relatives from their native country.

This second generation of Hispanics reflects a future American culture “with a

strong Hispanic flavor”(Nielsen 15). Their unique identity allows them to be part of “both

worlds,” as this generation reflects a bigger acceptance to their native origins. The

campaign’s clever use of “Spanglish” uses language in a different way to connect with

this audience, along with communicating consistently in “Spanglish” across social media

platforms.

Along with young Hispanics efforts to hold on to their cultures, this demographic

aims to stay connected with family through communication. AT&T appeals to this group

by understanding how keeping contact with close family and friends may be difficult, but

through their technology they can lives a more integrated live “between two worlds.” A


value for family and group-work, suggests that appealing to this audience’s need to

communicate with family as a successfully strategy. Not having to choose between these

two worlds also reflects an accepting and culturally aware image for AT&T.

McDonald's “Me Encanta”

“Me Encanta”

Family Respect


✖ ✖

McDonald’s Spanish Twitter page also reflects appeals to the Spanish language

along with being a great platform for building a relationship with their consumer. The

account, @MeEncanta, was introduced in 2011 as a Spanglish based account in order to

interact with fans through music, sports and education, which interest Hispanic

audiences.

Like the AT&T campaign, McDonald’s uses the unique language of “Spanglish”

to better connect an audience that represents duality, rather than one culture. As this

demographic continues to hold on to their roots and refuse total integration into the

American culture, appealing to this pride in their unique identity may continue to be

company’s best option.

The Twitter handle not only uses translation to appeal to consumers, but form a

deeper understanding and appreciation for the culture. As mentioned earlier, Hispanic

cultures are typically more concentrated on getting to know the people and brands they

engage with. In the international business world individuals see this in meetings and other

business settings, where Hispanics prefer to get to know the business people they will be


working with before jumping into business. The account focuses on McDonald’s

promotions, but primarily connects with its audience on a deeper level which reflects

their interests.

State Farm “Running”

“Running”

Family Respect


✖ ✖ ✖

As mentioned earlier, a large part of this demographic is on track to begin a

family, an appeal Hispanics value vary highly. State Farm’s “Running” commercial

portrays a young father running, ignoring everything else surrounding him, in order to

make it in time to see his child being born. Using emotion, the commercial shows how

preparing for a baby can lead to many accidents, which State Farm deals with so you do

not have to.

This commercial has little dialogue; the message speaks for itself, but was aired in

both Spanish and English. Despite the language or ethnicity the message resonates with

young adults, specifically those looking for insurance as they begin a family.

Using a young, future head of the family in distress and excitement to meet his

future child, the commercial targets appeals of family values and slight family hierarchy.

A creative use of emotion and practicality is able to appeal to audience’s value for family.

Wendy’s “Negocio de la Familia”

“Negocio de la Familia”

Family Respec Relationships Language Humor


t

✖ ✖

While Hispanic incomes levels are increasing, their median income is still lower

than the United States’ average, Hispanics are an important demographic for fast food

restaurants (Schwartz 2). “Negocio de la Familia,” meaning “family business”, was

Wendy’s campaign for promoting their Tuscan chicken sandwich. The commercial

alludes to the “God Father” as the father sits at the head of the table, while the children sit

around in anticipation of what their father will think of the sandwich.

Wendy’s often portrays families throughout their campaigns targeted towards

Hispanics. Meal time is highly associated and valued in relation to family time. Dinner

time is a time reserved for families to come together and share moments from their day,

therefore showing families sharing meals in their commercials is an effective way to

connect to Hispanics.

The commercial reflects the family hierarchy common in Hispanic homes, with

the father at the head of table intimidating his children. This appeals to a value of respect

seen in Hispanic homes. Although this teasing towards Hispanic family's hierarchy can

be offensive, at the end of the commercial the mother flips on the lights in dissatisfaction

that the father is trying to “handle family business.” Historically, women in Hispanic

households make the decisions for the family; therefore poking fun at the hierarchy is

acceptable in the commercial (Ramirez “How to Appeal to Hispanic Mothers).

Targets #SinTraducción (“Does Not Translate”)

“Sin Traducción”


Family Respect


✖ ✖ ✖

Unlike many campaigns focused on targeting Hispanics, Target’s “Sin

Traduccion” campaign focuses on the unique moments to the Spanish culture that simply

“does not translate.” Two of the main commercials looked at were “Sobremesa”(the

special time spent with family after dinner) and “Arrullo” (the right ambience to put a

baby to sleep), which aim to form a deeper connection with their Hispanic audiences

through truly understanding the culture.

In the past campaigns simply focused on translating messages to Spanish, while

this campaign aims to connect with Hispanics on things they value by showing them

Target understands their culture is not only based on the Spanish language. This creative

campaign takes a respect for the culture to a new and deeper level through empathy and

an appeal to language, family and relationships.

Although the commercials are in English, they focus on the unique words of the

Spanish culture. The words and moments they choose to represent also appeal to special

memories based around family-time and relationships. Target has clearly researched and

gotten to know their audience in order to build a deep relationship that Hispanic

consumers can appreciate.

Conclusion

The Hispanic market’s substantial growth indicates a need for a deeper

understanding of the demographic. According to Nielson’s data “evidence for the

distinctiveness and sustainability of Hispanic culture is convincing and implies a future


American culture with a strong Hispanic flavor” (Neilson 8). Marketers must capitalize

on the cultural duality, or connection to both American and Hispanic intertwined

heritage.

In conclusion, marketers can utilize this information to better understand how

their Hispanic audience engages with their content and better predict consumer behavior.

These insights and data give marketers a deeper look into this coveted and unique

consumer group. Through the studying Hispanics behaviors, cultures and past campaigns,

this paper aims to develop insights into how marketers can communicate and connect

with this increasingly influential demographic. This research supports the idea that

effective communication with U.S. born, foreign born, and Millennial Hispanics offer

new opportunities for company growth.

Major Insights:

Hispanics have a strong sense of self- image and consider themselves bicultural.

Unlike many cultures that have immigrated to the United States, the Hispanics

have strongly held on to their culture’s values.

In general, Hispanics value time spent with family, respect shown to those of

authority, time spent developing genuine relationships, their language of Spanish

as a strong part of their identity, and lastly humor found in unique cultural

situations.

This audience must be able to recognize the purposeful use of cultural values, or

appeals, in targeted campaigns.

Marketers must demonstrate a high level of understanding for cultural values in

order to establish relationships and gain the respect of this segment.


Marketers who show more empathy for the culture are able to develop deeper

relationships with this audience.

Although using Spanish appeals was once a good target marketing tactic,

marketers can better appeal to this segment by combining language appeals with

other value-based appeals.

Most Hispanics in the United States are younger and are starting families, making

them a great target for many industries.

Hispanic Millennials are an extremely important demographic due to their

influence, continuing growth, value for education and increasing buying power.

This large and diverse demographic is made of many different cultures and

consumption drivers, which cannot be generalized.

Limitations and Further Research When conducting secondary research, it was

clear that data pertaining to this demographic was not collected consistently over the

years. Researcher’s initial interest in the topic occurred when Hispanics first arrived to

the U.S. and has since decreased. As their buying power continues to substantially

increase, further research is needed to better target this diverse demographic.

It is important to note that this data only includes legally documented Hispanics.

The words “Hispanic” and “Latino” are used loosely throughout this paper, and a

marketer should keep in mind that this population accounts for many cultures and a

variety of ethnicities.

From this research it is clear that Millennial Hispanics are the largest and most

powerful demographic of this population. Further research should focus on Millennials’

consumer behaviors and attitudes towards these targeted campaigns. Only five appeals


were used in this research, further analysis of other Hispanic value appeals should be

studied. This study looked at six different campaigns, further research should include

additional, unique campaigns that target Hispanics. Along with delving deeper into

Millennial Hispanics, future studies should look into the individual cultures that make up

this large population.


Work Cited

Bristow, Dennis N., and Jo Ann L. Asquith. "What's in a name? An intracultural

investigation of

Hispanic and Anglo consumer preferences and the importance of brand name."

Journal of Product & Brand Management 8.3 (1999): 185-203.

Colby, Sandra. "Projections of the Size and Composition of the U.S. Population: 2014 to

2060."

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final senior thesis

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