Marketing Trends in a New Multicultural Society

Multicultural Consumer Spending on Entertainment

2012-01-07T07:22:00.000-08:00

With our national online data collected in 2011, students inthe graduate Multicultural Marketing Communication course and I measured somekey indicators of entertainment spending in the multicultural marketplace. Wehave known that Hispanics and other emerging minorities tend to watch moremovies in theaters and also rent more to watch at home than non-Hispanic Whites[1]. We have not known much about overall entertainment spending, videogame andmusic spending, however. Below I explore some of the trends available asreflected in our data.

Overall spending on entertainment on a typical month is leadby Hispanics who prefer to communicate in Spanish followed by Asians and by Hispanicswho prefer English. African Americansand non-Hispanic Whites, while also spending substantially on entertainment,are less likely to spend $50 or more per month. The following graph shows thepercentage of people in each cultural group that indicate spending $50 or moreon entertainment in a typical month.

These tendencies tell marketers some of the story of whereentertainment spending is likely to come from in the future. Looking at averageexpenditures instead of percentages of people spending more than $50 changesthe picture a bit as seen in the following chart.

Here the reader can see that in the average Hispanics ingeneral spend between $10 and $20 dollars more on entertainment in a typicalmonth. This chart also highlights how sensitive the data is to differentrepresentations since in the average African Americans are closer to Hispanicsin their spending than when looking at percentages of individuals. Still theconsistent trend is that there are cultural groups leading with their walletsand they need to be taken seriously in future planning.

We also looked at expenditures in music purchases, and herethe trend is for Latinos to lead even more dramatically as seen in the chartbelow:

To further substantiate these trends we asked consumers totell us about the number of concerts they attend during a year:

Concert going follows a similar pattern to that ofentertainment in general. Given thepopularity of video games these days we also asked about video gameexpenditures:

Not surprisingly emerging minorities overindex in comparisonwith non-Hispanic Whites in regards to video game expenditures in the average.This may not be too surprising because of the inherent youth of emerging minoritiesin the US.

The data we have collected since 2006, every year, has shownsimilar patterns. The consistency is quite impressive and it is hard todismiss. Despite economic adversity Latinos, and in some cases, others continueto spend on what is important to them. Music, events, and the enjoyment ofeveryday life is precisely part of what is important to survive in the good andthe bad times. There are cultural tendencies that marketers need to betterunderstand. It is not just the superficial apparent differences among ethnicgroups but the deep beliefs they hold dear and on which they are willing tospend their hard earned money. I suggest that marketing executives should takea serious look at where their budget priorities are in order to enhance thebottom line of their companies. That is by prioritizing their merchandizing andcommunications to address the preferences of those who lead in themulticultural marketplace.

The datafor this study was collected during March 2011. The online sample was comprisedof 500 respondents per segment, for a total of 2,500, based on quotas bygender, age, and geographic location. DMS Insights, a uSamp Company, managedand graciously contributed the sample and data collection. This study wasconducted by the faculty and students of the graduate Multicultural MarketingCommunication course offered by FSU.

[1]See “Hispanic Marketing: Connecting with the New Latino Consumer” by Felipe andBetty Ann Korzenny, published by Routledge, 2011, page 314.

Dialogue: Uniqueness of Marketing to Latinos in the US

2011-11-14T06:44:00.001-08:00

I would like to have this post be a dialogue to build knowledge on what is unique about marketing to US Hispanics.

Please post comments in response to the following question:

In your opinion, what are unique factors about marketing to Latinos in the US?

Music: MP3s and CDs in the Multicultural Marketplace

2011-09-24T13:32:00.000-07:00

Are ethnic groups in the US society equally acquiring MP3s and physical CDs, or are there differences in their rate of adoption? That was a question we asked in the FSU’s Multicultural Marketing Study conducted in collaboration with DMS Insights the Spring of 2011.

We phrased the survey questions “How often do you do each of the following?” and the response options were “Never,” “Sometimes,” and “Very Often,” for each of purchasing MP3s online and purchasing physical CDs.

At first I aggregated “Sometimes” and “Very Often” for both products and the results show an increasing tendency of the use of MP3s purchased online for African Americans, Asians, Hispanics who prefer English, and Hispanics who prefer Spanish, with the latter 3 groups showing a stronger tendency for MP3s to catch up to CD’s.

The differences in the purchase of physical CDs among these groups are not as dramatic as the differences for MP3s. Clearly, CDs are an established and declining category while MP3s are a growing innovation. Then I compared the differences for only the “Very Often” category.

This analysis is more striking because it shows that Hispanics who prefer English appear to be the most aggressive ethnic group replacing CDs. This seems like a historical innovation breakthrough. Non-Hispanic Whites are also more actively replacing CDs but their overall levels of purchase are lower. Hispanics who prefer Spanish are at parity in their “Very Often” purchase of MP3s and CDs, and given the trend they may soon follow the pattern of their English preferred counterparts.

What these findings point to is a continuous trend on the part of emerging minorities to innovate to a larger extent than the established non-Hispanic White majority. This musical category, however is quite interesting since music is so central to the lives of minorities in reinforcing their ethnic ties.

These trends lead me to ponder why companies like Apple and Amazon do not pay more attention to the tastes and interests of these minorities since they are the ones innovating precisely at the core of their business. Why are they not advertising more with an emphasis on ethnic music and with messages directly related to the cultures of central to their selves?Perhaps, as usual, change comes very slowly, and I wonder, when will they realize who their core customers are?

The data for this study was collected during March 2011. This online sample was comprised of 500 respondents per segment, for a total of 2,500, based on quotas by gender, age, and geographic location. DMS Insights managed the sample and data collection and they graciously contributed their effort to the academic program of the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University. This study was conducted by the faculty and students of the graduate Multicultural Marketing Communication course offered by FSU.

The Multicultural Opportunity of Internet Radio

2011-08-31T08:55:00.000-07:00

We have known for a long time that listening to radio is a favorite activity of Hispanics and African Americans. In particular, listening to the radio has a long tradition in Latin America where radio is the town crier and the central point of communities where people find lost items, find jobs, get announcements, news, etc. Clearly also, music is a great part of the tradition of listening to the radio. I have been curious as to whether or not Internet radio has continued that tradition or not.

In our Spring 2011 Multicultural Marketing study at Florida State University with the support of DMS Insights, we asked consumers of different cultural backgrounds to tell us “In an average week about how many hours do you spend listening to Internet radio like Pandora or Last.fm in English” and also “in another language.” At first we recoded the data so we could simply know who listens and who doesn't in either English or another language.

We found that those consumers who are online are listening to Internet radio to a surprising extent, and the groups most likely to listen are those that I suspected would. In English, African Americans and Hispanics who prefer to communicate in English are the most avid listeners. But when it comes to listening in another language the picture is interesting if not surprising.

Those who are more likely to use a language besides English seem to have some attachment to Internet radio in their native language. Hispanics who prefer Spanish are particularly keener on listening to Internet radio in Spanish. And remember, that besides Pandora, Last.fm, and others, there are radio outlets like Batanga.com that specialize in Spanish language and Latin music.
While we cannot directly add those who listen in Spanish with those who listen in another language because there is an overlap, it is interesting to notice that there is a noticeable predilection for Internet Radio among emerging minorities. I then added up the average number of hours per week of radio listened over the Internet for English and other languages. The results of actual time spent are remarkable.

Online Latinos who prefer Spanish spend almost six hours per week listening to Internet radio, compared with about four hours for Hispanics who prefer English and African Americans. Asians spend about two and a half hours, and non-Hispanic Whites spend the least amount of time in this endeavor.

To me the implications for marketers are clear.

Internet radio as an emerging medium and a promising advertising vehicle, is being favored by Hispanics and emerging minorities to a larger extent than by the shrinking non-Hispanic White population. Using this medium to promote both music and commercial messages seems like a no-brainer, particularly when attempting to get the favor of the consumer groups that are leading the new digital era.

The data for this study was collected during March 2011. This online sample was comprised of 500 respondents per segment, for a total of 2,500, based on quotas by gender, age, and geographic location. DMS Insights managed the sample and data collection and they graciously contributed their effort to the academic program of the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University. This study was conducted by the faculty and students of the graduate Multicultural Marketing Communication course offered by FSU.

CDTV.net Interview about "Hispanic Marketing: Connecting with the New Latino Consumer"

2011-08-30T08:21:00.000-07:00

On August 26 CDTV.net Financial News interviewed me about our new book "Hispanic Marketing: Connecting with the New Latino Consumer." Click here to listen to the interview.

For a special offer from the publisher click here

Online Courses on Multicultural and Hispanic Marketing Communication

2011-08-14T05:34:00.000-07:00

Starting the last week in August The Florida State University will offer for the first time, online, a course on Multicultural Marketing Communication. It is available to anyone interested in continuing education or just for the sake of learning. Students in academic programs can get academic credit and those not in academic programs get a certificate of completion. The course is asynchronous, so students can participate when they have the time. Click here for more details.

Also starting the last week in August is our well known online course on Hispanic Marketing Communication now using our new book "Hispanic Marketing: Connecting with the New Latino Consumer." This course is also available to anyone interested. Click here for further details.

We have also added to our online course rotation Account Planning in the Summer. For inquiries about any of our courses and to register please contact: Inquiries@campus.fsu.edu

Older Latinos: An Underestimated Marketing Opportunity

2011-07-29T17:02:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking that for the last 20 years the marketing industry keeps talking about Hispanic youth as the promised land of opportunity. No question that Latinos are fundamentally characterized by their youth because their median age is 10 years younger than that of the overall US population. Still, there are older Latinos, and surprisingly they are a fast growing subpopulation of people 50 and over in the United States. That is not hard to understand since everyone ages and Hispanics are the fastest growing cultural group in the United States.

The cult of youth among marketers is understandable, but looking at some data from the Florida State University DMS Insights Multicultural Marketing Research Project of 2011 suggests that there is ample opportunity to capitalize on 50+ Latinos because their aspirations are high.

For example, among those who are online who do not currently have a blog, one can see that those who prefer to communicate in Spanish are more likely than anyone else to say they are planning to have a blog within the next year, and those 50+ are the most ambitious in this respect than anyone else in their age group.

% Plan to have a blog within the next year

Another example is the aspiration to have a smart phone. 50+ Latinos who prefer to communicate in Spanish are more likely than anyone else to say they are planning to have a smart phone within the next year.

% Plan to have a Smart-Phone within next year

Marketers should listen to these aspirations. While they may be overly optimistic, they are worthy of closer examination. These older Hispanics are likely to be very interested in furthering their communication with others and marketers should facilitate this aspiration. Now, the reason why Hispanics who prefer English are less aspirational according to these charts is because they already have these technologies (see prior blog postings). Now it is the turn of their Spanish speaking counterparts.

It seems to me that the idea of concentrating only on Latino youth may be obscuring the important opportunity of listening to the needs and aspirations of more mature Hispanics. They can be a gold mine for those who understand their views, opinions, and product interests.
The interesting thing about the explosion of Latino growth in the US is that youth always results in older age. This is something worth remembering.

The data for this study was collected during March 2011. This online sample was comprised of 500 respondents per segment, for a total of 2,500, based on quotas by gender, age, and geographic location. DMS Insights managed the sample and data collection and they graciously contributed their effort to the academic program of the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University. This study was conducted by the faculty and students of the graduate Multicultural Marketing Communication course offered by FSU.

Social Networking Sites is Where the Action is for Hispanics and Emerging Minorities

2011-07-13T13:39:00.000-07:00

The new town center and “plaza” is online and it is very relevant to today’s marketers in the new global village. In March 2011 we asked consumers to “please tell us how important to you the following reasons are for using social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter?” Respondents answered on a 5 point scale from “not at all important” to “extremely important.”

The two reasons for using social networking sites that stood up most significantly were: “Keeping up with new trends,” and “asking friends and relatives about their opinions on products to buy.” The graphs below summarize the aggregated percentages for the top two points of the 5 point scale.

Keeping up with New Trends

NHW stands for non-Hispanic White, AA for African American, A for Asian, HE for Hispanics who responded in English, and HS for Hispanics who responded in Spanish to the survey.

Asking Friends and Relatives about Their Opinions on Products to Buy

NHW stands for non-Hispanic White, AA for African American, A for Asian, HE for Hispanics who responded in English, and HS for Hispanics who responded in Spanish to the survey.

Minorities in general are more likely than non-Hispanic Whites to say they use social networking sites for keeping up with new trends and for interacting with friends and relatives about their opinions on products to buy. Latinos who answered in Spanish to the survey are more likely than anyone else to endorse these reasons.

There are several important implications of these findings. First, as we have seen in other results from similar surveys, emerging minorities are more engaged with the new media and are likely to use it as a source of information for their lifestyle and consumer behavior. This speaks strongly to the importance that marketers need to place in being where these consumers are, i.e., social media. Brands that facilitate interaction seem likely to have an advantage as that plays directly to what is important to these consumers.

Further, Latinos who prefer Spanish are even more engaged with social networking sites for obtaining guidance and knowing about things like fashion. While Spanish dominant Hispanics have lagged in the adoption of online technologies, they are now fast adopting them and once they adopt these technologies they seem to strongly depend on them. The synergies of social media and traditional electronic and print media are likely to be important and should be capitalized upon to create conversations and discussions. The virtual social world is opening enormous possibilities to people, and it is creating a new system of influence. Growing minorities appear to be eager to break traditional barriers.

Opinion leaders among these emergent minority groups are very likely to have an impact on their followers who share their background, but also on others who frequent social media sites. Thus, these minorities are not only finding a town center or “plaza” online but are likely to also be affecting a larger social milieu because of the very public nature of social media.
Figuring out the role of social media is still an ongoing challenge for marketers. They should start paying close attention to what is happening in the virtual marketplace. Understanding flows of influence in online networks can be crucial for the marketing of the future.

The data for this study was collected during March 2011. This online sample was comprised of 500 respondents per segment, for a total of 2,500, based on quotas by gender, age, and geographic location. DMS Insights managed the sample and data collection and they graciously contributed their effort to the academic program of the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University. This study was conducted by the faculty and students of the graduate Multicultural Marketing Communication course offered by FSU.

Hispanic Marketing: Connecting with the New Latino Consumer

2011-07-02T08:16:00.000-07:00

By Felipe and Betty Ann Korzenny
Forthcoming August 1, 2011

This book is about using cultural insights to connect with Latino consumers. It's about marketing strategies that tap into the passion of Hispanic consumers so that marketers and service providers can establish the deep connections they need for a successful campaign. This book provides an understanding of the Latino consumer that goes beyond simplistic recipes.
This highly revised and expanded edition comes on the heels of new US Census figures: Hispanics now account for 53% of the US population growth since 2000, soaring to over 16% of the total population. Corporations are now realizing that they must incorporate Hispanic cultural values into their products, services, and communications.

This edition reflects and responds to the profound changes the Latino market has experienced since the first edition. It considers the way in which changes in cultural identity, immigration, economics, and market synergies need to be addressed in a new relationship with Hispanic consumers.

Twenty-five new industry case studies illustrate the chapters. These case studies show how brands from diverse categories have developed a cultural understanding of their Latino target and created campaigns that established strong bonds.

Selected endorsements:

“Felipe and Betty Ann have evolved their earlier work on Hispanic Marketing into
a new and even stronger work that pushes the reader to become more strategic
and thoughtful when developing marketing platforms for Latinos. The conceptual
framework of Hispanic Marketing: Connecting with the New Latino Consumer
is a thoughtful approach around creating marketing actions that are based on a deep
understanding of Latino culture. The reader is provided the tools to be able to better
interpret the cultural nuances of being Hispanic and how to make more informed
and empathic marketing decisions.”
J. Alexander M. Douglas, Jr., President Coca-Cola North America

“Drs. Korzenny have produced another masterful work that takes us on a historic
Hispanic cultural journey that allows us to understand the heterogeneity of Hispanics
while applying this information to contemporary marketing strategies.”
Richard Carmona, MD, MPH, FACS, 17th Surgeon General of the United States

“My life just got easier. Excellent marketing begins, but doesn’t end with excellent
market research. Excellent market research begins with a clear understanding of
how to ask and interpret meaningful questions. Bravo to Felipe and Betty Ann for
making this abundantly clear in their new book. Reading this helped me clear my
head of some of the old notions I was clinging to. I feel like I’m dating the Hispanic
Market all over again!”
Michael Halberstam, Interviewing Service of America

“As this seminal book notes, smart, good business requires rephrasing the question
from “How can we translate our ad so it reaches Hispanics?” to “What will
be the right motivational appeal to emotionally reach Hispanics?” Fortunately for
us all, Felipe and Betty Ann provide solid, well-researched answers. Everything
starts with the heart. To cite but one powerful example from this book, to Anglos,
Captain Morgan and his rum works fine, but to Hispanics exploitative pirates mean
something else altogether.”
Dan Hill, President, Sensory Logic

“If you’re a marketer looking to better understand the lucrative Hispanic segment, then
this book is for you. Felipe and Betty Ann Korzenny take you on a journey inside
the mind of the Latino consumer and provide you with the perspective and facts you
needed to design more effective and efficient Hispanic marketing strategies.”
Gian Fulgoni, Chairman, comScore

“Noting that there are over 50,000,000 Hispanics in America is one thing.
Understanding how to connect your brand with them is quite another. This book is
filled with marketing competitive-advantage built on cultural connection.”
R. Barocci, Advertising Research Foundation President/CEO

“This essential manual for the field demonstrates how to navigate and leverage
one of the single most impactful demographic and cultural shifts affecting
the US marketplace. The Korzennys' perspective as true veteran practitioners
in the Hispanic marketplace and accomplished academics beautifully sheds
unique light in this updated edition on a comprehensive array of issues including
the most relevant topics discussed in the industry today—from shifting language
and acculturation issues to the digital world of Hispanics. Having spent
the past twenty years researching cross-cultural consumer differences, I found
this a refreshing read. It is equally valuable to the novice and experienced multicultural
marketer as the book strikes a strong balance of demystifying the
complex Hispanic market and offering guidance on honing skills to think differently
and identify culturally driven consumer insights.”
Adrien Lanusse, Director of Global Consumer Insights, Netflix

“This is the most complete book I have read to date on the cultural and economic
reality of the Hispanic market. It is truly a “must-read” book for anyone in the field
of education or marketing communications targeting Latinos. I congratulate Felipe
and Betty Ann for making this edition such an excellent resource for those of us
involved in the research and analysis of this important market.”
Fernando Figueredo, Chair of the Advertising and
Public Relations Faculty at Florida International University

“This book is a must read for anyone wanting to gain a deep and nuanced understanding
of the new Latino consumer. It is an apt tribute to Felipe and Betty Ann's many years
of experience, both as scholars and practitioners in the field of Hispanic marketing. It
is, without question, the best book out there on the subject of marketing to Latinos.”
David Morse, President and CEO, New American Dimensions

“Well beyond the statistics in 2010 Census, this new book leverages the Korzennys’
deep understanding of the Hispanic culture and market and provides both novice
and expert alike with valuable nuggets, practical case studies, and core consumer
insights that underpin the tremendous opportunity of the Hispanic market and
clearly highlight overall impact on the “now” generation of growth markets.”
Cynthia Nelson, President, Todo Bebe

“In their lively conversational style, Felipe and Betty Ann Korzenny provide real live
case studies packed with practical advice that show you how to develop winning
strategies to beat your competitors. Hispanic Marketing: Connecting with the
New Latino Consumer , Second Edition is your one-stop source for everything you
need to boost sales, launch new products, and increase your Hispanic market share.”
Charles Patrick Garcia, President, Garcia Trujillo

“Felipe and Betty Ann Korzenny are the preeminent experts on Hispanic marketing.
There is research and there is real world experience – nowhere will you find a more
practical and salient distillation of what it takes to be successful in the Hispanic
market place than in this book.”
Michael Durance, CEO, Call Genie

Click here for Felipe Korzenny’s author profile
Click here for Betty Ann Korzenny’s author profile

Leading the Future of Electronics in the Multicultural Marketplace

2011-06-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

Our Spring 2011 national online multicultural consumer data shows that Latinos and other emerging minorities are not only leading in online presence with blogs and websites, but also in their use of gadgets that reflect the future of communications.

To my surprise Hispanics who responded in English lead both in their current ownership of electronic book readers and electronic tablets. Those who responded in Spanish are the most aspirational indicating they plan to have one of each within next year. In general, all minority groups have a higher incidence of current ownership and of the aspiration to own these devices.

Why is this surprising? It is surprising because even though all these respondents are online, it has traditionally been assumed that Latinos and other minorities read less than non-Hispanic Whites, and that their lesser affluence prevents them from innovating. That does not seem to be true at all. When online, these minorities appear to favor new interfaces to be exposed to reading content. The same is true regarding tablets. Tables overlap with electronic book readers to some extent but open ample possibilities for the exploration of multiple types of content and interactivity.

Why is this important to marketers? I think that these findings are enormously symptomatic of the eagerness of Latinos and other emergent minorities to own new technologies. Thus they are more likely to lead and further consolidate their position as innovators in the digital era. Marketers should consider paying more attention to these groups since they are the ones more apt to serve as role models to others in the use of new technologies.

In the classic distribution of innovativeness roles, minorities appear to have a higher incidence of those who take risks and try new technologies first. These are the people who others will look up to and follow. Emerging minorities should now be considered the leading edge in technology adoption. Online and off-line media strategies should consider closely the messaging that is more likely to resonate with these culturally diverse groups.

These findings highlight where marketing emphasis should be placed. And that is not just for the technology itself but also for the content that needs to be made available via these devices.

The data for this study was collected during March 2011. This online sample was comprised of 500 respondents per segment, for a total of 2,500, based on quotas by gender, age, and geographic location. DMS Insights managed the sample and data collection and they graciously contributed their effort to the academic program of the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University. This study was conducted by the faculty and students of the graduate Multicultural Marketing Communication course offered by FSU.

Emerging Minorities, Concern for the Environment, and What Marketers Can Do

2011-05-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up in Mexico City my father and mother always told me not to keep the faucet running because wasting water was bad. Then they told me not to throw things away because some day I can reuse them. I saved cans, jars, bottles, bags, and was very careful not to leave the faucet running while washing dishes or shaving. And, of course, you would not dream of leaving the lights on when nobody was in a room. That was such a waste of electricity.

Perhaps we were so thrifty because that was the economical thing to do at the time. But we were also frugal because resources were scarce and we did not want to waste them. For example we did not have all the water we needed. They would sometimes cut it systematically at different times during the day. Electricity was a similar problem.

I have noticed that Hispanics coming from Latin America, similar to my youth case, are also frugal with resources even if they have money to buy what they need. I have been curious to know if it is a general phenomenon that Latinos are more concerned with the environment than others.

According to our recent 2011 FSU – DMS Multicultural Marketing study we found that in fact, Hispanics that still prefer to communicate in Spanish are the most concerned with the environment compared to anyone else. Further, minorities are generally more concerned than non-Hispanic Whites after conducting statistical tests of significance. Here are the averages on a scale from 0 to 5 in terms of agreement with the statement: “Humans are severely abusing the environment.”

This belief reflects an attitude of concern for the environment that should be noticed by marketers. Products and messages directed to Latinos and other minorities are likely to have stronger resonance if they address how a company is doing something for the environment, and that their products are green.

It is not intuitive that Hispanics who prefer Spanish are most strongly concerned with the environment. Particularly not to those marketers who do not share their history of environmental chaos and deprivation. Further, Latinos who prefer English, along with African Americans and Asians, share a stronger concern for the environment than their non-Hispanic White counterparts, and that is not intuitive either. It is perhaps that those who have had to live with the consequences of environmental degradation are now turning more conscientious about it.
The lesson of the story is that emerging minorities are likely to embrace green and marketers should make that part of their agenda. Perhaps green is the new “green.”

The data for this study was collected during March 2011. This online sample was comprised of 500 respondents per segment, for a total of 2,500, based on quotas by gender, age, and geographic location. DMS Insights managed the sample and data collection and they graciously contributed their effort to the academic program of the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University. This study was conducted by the faculty and students of the graduate Multicultural Marketing Communication course offered by FSU this Spring.

Friends' Talk in Marketing to a Multicultural Nation

2011-05-06T15:59:00.000-07:00

In our most recent survey in March 2011, we asked people how much time they spend on an average week speaking in Spanish or in another language with their friends. This is pretty interesting to marketers because many times assumptions about language are polarized and largely misinterpreted.

The responses to our survey suggest that Hispanics that prefer Spanish, and to some extent Latinos who prefer English, and Asians, work double duty in satisfying their communications with friends. Hispanics who speak Spanish report about double the amount of friendly communication time per week than anyone else. Perhaps it is their mixing languages that create this impression of much more communication with friends. Then, on the other hand it can be that their culture of origin actually compels them to be more communicative.

Symptomatic and very interesting is that about 25% of the communication with friends among those Latinos who prefer English is still in Spanish. It looks like the Spanish language is not fully abandoned but that it is part of the online Latino daily life. They talk in Spanish with friends quite often.

When you compare across all ethnicities, non-Hispanic Whites seem to be the ones who spend the least amount of time per week communicating with friends. And that may be true if prior anthropological literature on individualism is accurate. Why bother talking with so many people?

The implications of these findings are of relevance to marketers on several levels. First , online Latinos who prefer Spanish may best be reached in both languages. Second, having a second language may amplify the repertoire of friendly connections people have and marketers need to be aware of that in creating outreach strategies.

In addition, this research confirms that language variety in reaching culturally diverse audiences may be well advised. Simply stated, marketing communications in diverse languages may not be a luxury but an important way of connecting with consumers.

The data for this study was collected during March 2011. This online sample was comprised of 500 respondents per segment, for a total of 2,500, based on quotas by gender, age, and geographic location. DMS Insights managed the sample and data collection and they graciously contributed their effort to the academic program of the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University. This study was conducted by the faculty and students of the graduate Multicultural Marketing Communication course offered by FSU this Spring

Choice of Media Language when Marketing to Latinos

2011-04-28T09:03:00.000-07:00

See the video of the interview here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wch9u79bbeY&feature=player_profilepage

The Multicultural Face of Smart Phones and Unlimited Data Plans

2011-04-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

A week ago we reported on some of the new data from the Florida State University Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication and DMS Insights Multicultural Marketing Study. Those findings revealed that Hispanics are digital pioneers in having blogs and personal websites.

Much speculation and some research has claimed that Hispanics are leading in the area of Smart Phone usage. With the our sample of 2,500 respondents nationwide (500 per segment), we found that this year online Hispanics who prefer Spanish, Asians, and Hispanics who prefer English lead in having smart phones over other segments. This is most pronouncedly true when comparing them to non-Hispanic Whites. Close to 50% of these online segments have a smart phone now!

Having a Smart Phone, to be truly useful requires of an unlimited data plan. Fifty six percent of online Latinos that prefer Spanish have an unlimited data plan. A much higher proportion that all other segments, but particularly much higher than non-Hispanic Whites of whom only 32% claim having an unlimited data plan.

These findings are not only surprising but outstanding in portraying Hispanics as the most aggressive users of mobile technology for internet navigation and use. These individuals are disproportionally using the potential of new media to connect to their virtual world. This may be related to the need for connectivity that Latinos have continuously expressed. Also, it seems to be related to liberation that these technologies offer. Mobility and connectivity appear to be prime values for Hispanic consumers.

Mobile manufacturers and service providers should study this phenomenon in greater depth. What is the meaning of having Latinos be the leaders in this digital era? How can they influence others? What is their role in promoting the use of mobile digital communications? How do their tastes and preferences shape the future of technology use in the United States? These and other questions are of great importance but the key elements here are the raw results. Latinos are venturing faster into digital mobility, and are placing their resources and trust in these new ways of communicating.

The data for this study was collected during March 2011. The online sample was comprised of 500 respondents per segment, for a total of 2,500, based on quotas by gender, age, and geographic location. DMS Insights managed the sample and data collection. This study was conducted by the faculty and students of the graduate Multicultural Marketing Communication course offered by FSU this Spring

Latinos Are Digital Innovators

2011-04-08T14:14:00.000-07:00

We just finished collecting data for our multicultural marketing study (Florida State University's Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication with the collaboration of DMS Insights). The suprise, again this year, 2011, is that once Latinos are online they are more likely than other cultural groups to innovate in the digital space.

In this new study we found that Hispanics in general and Asians are more likely to have a blog than anyone else. Perhaps even more surprising is that Latinos who prefer to answer in Spanish are more likely than anyone else to have a website of their own.

We have found this tendency over the past 5 years, and it continues. It would have been expected that over time, members of other cultural groups would catch up and even out the field. That has not been the case. What that tells us is that Latinos are truly engaged with online technology.

The reasons for these trends are most likely related to the collectivism of these consumers. They want to share their experience with others who are important to them. These findings have strong implications for marketers. If Hispanics are online leaders, who do you approach to disseminate the news about your products? Latinos are the arrowheads into a new era of virtual experience. Their behavior is particularly interesting because traditional marketing stereotypes have usually placed Hispanics as laggards in the digital space. They are not. They are innovators who strongly engage with new media because allows them to have a voice and a forum for their points of views, images, and ideas. Blogs and personal websites constitute a newly discovered freedom of expression and sharing. Latinos are at the vanguard of taking advantage of this freedom. Marketers should take note of this important trend when planning how to get their products and services in the new and changed multicultural environment.

Have a Blog

Have a Website

The data for this study was collected during March 2011. The online sample was comprised of 500 respondents per segment, for a total of 2,500, based on quotas by gender, age, and geographic location. DMS Insights managed the sample and data collection. This study was conducted by the faculty and students of the graduate Multicultural Marketing Communication course offered by FSU this Spring.

The use of Spanish and/or English in advertising to Latinos

2011-04-05T12:15:00.000-07:00

Click here for the video

The 2010 Census Count: Marketing to Latinos

2010-12-30T12:46:00.000-08:00

Many marketers are waiting for the results of the 2010 US Census to learn about the growth of the ethnic/cultural segments they target. That expectation will be met when the Census releases that data by about March 2011.

We can expect to learn about the age, gender, household role, Hispanic/Latino origin, and race of theoretically every person living in the United States on April 1, 2010. We will learn about how many Hispanics there are in the US, and the number is likely to be surprising and revealing even though there are always issues in counting those who do not have documents and others who simply do not want to be counted. Most likely the official number will be around 50 million Latinos. We need to remember that there were many social, political, and economic issues that influenced the residency of Hispanics in the last 10 years, when many decided to return to Latin America and others just did not feel like being counted.

The US Census form was simple and contained only 10 questions. The results of this form will tell us the very important story of how many people of different backgrounds and demographics live in the United Stated. The findings will provide information for the allocation of congressional representation and for the allocation of Federal budgets to States, and will give us an important overall picture of the composition of the country.

But there are many issues that the decennial US Census will not address because of the use of the short form. Thus, many important questions that marketers have will not be answered by this count. Many may not be aware but marketers do not have to wait for decennial census reports to obtain valuable information about their customers. That is because the US Bureau of the Census collects data from very large samples every year the main one of which is the American Community Survey (ACS) that addresses specific issues such as language use at home and ability to speak English.

For many years the US Bureau of the Census has provided 1 and 3 year average estimates of many measures based on the ACS. The most recent ACS data currently available is for 2009, which for practical purposes is pretty much as good as it will get for a while. Yearly estimates do not vary dramatically. Marketers are encouraged to become familiar with the data available from the ACS as it can make important contributions to their decisions. And again, these data come out every year with about a one year lag. Not bad at all.

In doing some analysis of the 2009 ACS data I came up with some figures that are quite interesting regarding language use. For example I found out that California, Texas, Illinois, and Colorado, each respectively have 26% of Hispanic household that can be considered linguistically isolated. That means that in those households there is no person age 14 years or over who speaks only English or who speaks English "very well." These are households who likely depend on Spanish language communications quite substantively.

Further, in doing more digging I found in the 2009 ACS that approximately 70% of Hispanics speak Spanish at home. The amount of time they speak Spanish is not known but this is an important figure that has been relatively stable over many years. Perhaps more surprising, estimates from the 2009 American Community Survey show that about 54% of those who speak Spanish also speak English “Very Well” or “Well.” And that approximately 77% of all Hispanics Speak only English or speak it “Well” or “Very Well.” Now, remember, these are not households as in the case of linguistic isolation but individuals. The implications are quite interesting in that they confirm that targeting Hispanics in English is increasingly more feasible. This, however, does not mean that the cultural insights that will resonate with Latinos can be ignored. In fact, it is perhaps more important now than ever because connecting culturally is probably the most powerful tool available to marketers in an environment where language is not as determinant a differentiator as it was some time ago.

The moral of the story is that the 2010 Census will be very important but that many of the details about consumers are now available every year and that a 10 year wait is not necessary, or even possible because the decennial Census contains just 10 questions. Further, it is important to dig deeper in these data since numbers out of context can tell a story that is just not the complete story. Our upcoming book "Hispanic Marketing: Connecting with Latino Consumers" will address many of these issues and it is expected to be published by August 2011.

How Can Companies Address Cultural Diversity in Marketing

2010-10-29T11:25:00.000-07:00

There are companies that have dedicated groups to deal with Latinos, for example. And sometimes they have separate groups to handle multiple minority group. In some cases there is a multicultural marketing group as distinct from the main marketing group. Some companies have had niche marketing units for a while and then have disbanded them. Some recreate them after a while and then merge them into discrete business units. There may not be one recipe for how to organize the marketing function to account for cultural diversity among consumers but the following are important requirements:

1. First and foremost there must be members of the cultural groups of interest within the organization at most levels of decision making. These individuals should, at least conceptually, be vigilant about issues that affect their cultural communities. Hispanic in our case.

2. There should be cultural expertise in the organization that goes beyond objective culture to address the subjective culture of the groups in question. Ideally these would be cultural anthropologists that also have marketing expertise. As a minimum these should be practitioners that have some in-depth training about the focus culture, even if they are members of the culture itself. Being a member of a cultural group does not necessarily imply that the person understands his/her own culture. That is because culture is not evident even to its own members. In house cultural expertise used in marketing strategies and tactics can help connect effectively with culturally diverse consumers and avoid costly errors. Also, it helps organizations avoid the assumption of similarity that many marketers tend to make because “after all we are all human.” I have made the point elsewhere that using culture as a connecting mechanism becomes a shorthand for better communication with culturally diverse groups.

3. As purposeful marketing claims increased importance in the marketplace, organizations are redefining their mission to become better citizens. As the grocery store a hundred years ago had the purpose of serving its community businesses now are coming back to that enlightened point. As a sense of purpose guides the organization the bottom line is also covered. Purposeful marketing requires now that companies act upon the multicultural reality of the United States.

4. Integrating decision making in organizations will be an increasingly important endeavor. This is particularly true in marketing as Latinos and other emerging minorities cannot be seen as niches anymore but as driving forces of the entire economy. The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) can no longer compartmentalize culturally diverse groups as smaller opportunities than the defunct “general market.” There is no such thing as a general market, there are segments of cultural groups compounded by subcultures and lifestyles. These need to be understood in a coherent scheme where culture is part of the segmentation scheme, and where culture is part of the strategic thinking of the company.

5. The cultural experience of the company needs to be an ongoing effort. Companies need to keep their radar out in culturally diverse communities to understand trends and changes. Executives need to go on ethnographic interview outings to see where and how their consumers live. They need to experience firsthand consumer practices and ways of behaving. It is not just the research/insights group that needs to be in contact with consumers, it is the decision makers. To do otherwise makes the work of researchers and insight gatherers futile because they will not resonate at the decision making levels. Marketing needs to go back to the village, larger now but still a village in a psychological sense.

There does not seem to be a way to ignore the cultural transition the United States is experiencing. Marketers are at the point where they need to strategize and segment in a comprehensive way. Marketing to Hispanics, for example, is not anymore a secondary priority, because that is where the future resides. But a new approach to marketing in a diverse society should be done so that complexity and cultural overlaps are recognized.

Why U.S. Hispanics Use Social Networking Sites

2010-10-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

By Felipe Korzenny, Ph.D.

This article was originally included in "Latino Link" by Joe Kutchera in 2010 (PMP Publishers) and it is reproduced here by permission.

In 2009, The Florida State University Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication and DMS Insights, in collaboration with Captura Group, collected online national level data about Hispanics’ use of social networking sites.The main motivation of this study was to find out what reasons, attitudes, preferences, and demographics contribute to the time Hispanics spend on social networking sites online. The national online Hispanic sub-sample was composed of almost 541 Hispanics who answered the questionnaire in English and 351 who answered in Spanish.

The dependent variable of this study—that is, the behavior we were attempting to explain—is the number of hours that Hispanics/Latinos reported spending while “visiting social networking sites on an average week.” This specific study included a mix of 80 general attitudes, preferences, and reasons and behaviors relevant to online activities and participation in social networking sites.

We observed that, in general, the more time Latinos spend using the Internet, be it in Spanish or English, the more time they spend on social networking sites. Thus, online familiarity and activity appear to create a propensity for participation in social media online. The key reasons why Hispanics spend time on social networking sites is for messaging, blogging, self-expression, making new friends, and sharing cherished images. The reasons that were least important for using social networking sites included promoting my business, promoting causes, asking questions, answering questions, commenting on people’s activities, telling stories, chatting, and using classifieds.

That messaging and overall self-expression constitute central reasons for Latinos to connect online makes sense. In this and other research, we have found that self-expression is one of the strong motivators of Hispanics generally. Thus, the Internet has become a most important liberating technology that allows repressed social needs to be expressed. Hispanics, in particular, are fond of sharing their experiences.

Other factors strongly associated with time spent on visiting social networking sites included reading magazines in English, being younger, and being concerned about one’s diet. That younger Latinos spend more time on social networking sites is not surprising. What is surprising is that, while age is important, it is not nearly as important as other factors and reasons as more older Hispanics get turned on to social networks online. Reading magazines in English seems to imply that the type of people who are on social networks tend to be generally “print or text” oriented and curious about the world around them. Interestingly, concern about one’s diet may be partially addressed by social networks where Hispanics share issues and information of importance. Perhaps those who are more socially active are also more concerned about their health and appearance, and hence their diet is very important to them. Accordingly, food and fitness advertisers are likely to benefit from being more active and visible in social networks where Latinos share their experiences. Notably, gender was not found to make a difference in this analysis.

Marketers and service providers can capitalize on research like this by understanding that, by facilitating messaging and self-expression online, they are likely to attract the interest of Latinos. There are few reasons that are most important for attracting Hispanics to social networks online, and this research should serve as a step in that direction. Advertisers should consider embedding and linking to social networks where Hispanics participate to facilitate interaction and self-expression. Merchant websites should also consider the importance that Latinos assign to self-expression and sociability and facilitate these activities on their sites. As a corollary, I should emphasize that it seems like the age of corporate and organizational censoring is being replaced by an age of openness.

Latinos Online And The Theory of Telepresence

2010-09-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

As mediated communications increase in their importance, the question of how cultural differences may influence how people relate to each other in mediated situations becomes salient. Some time ago I published "A Theory of Electronic Propinquity" which basically states that the degree to which people are comfortable communicating via phone, teleconference, etc., varies with the degree to which there is a feedback mechanism in the channel, the complexity of the information being communicated, the skills of the communicators, the rules imposed on the communication, and the availability of alternative channels for communication that may be preferred over the current choice. A colleague Joe Walther at Michigan State University has done important research on the theory, but no one has done a cross-cultural comparison.

In particular, now that Hispanics are distinguishing themselves by embracing social media and online communications to a larger extent than other cultural groups in our society, cross-cultural comparisons are relevant. My hypothesis is that one of the reasons why Hispanics are eager to embrace social media, blogs, and other mediated online communications is because many of these media provide the feedback mechanism needed for satisfaction with the medium. This is because Latinos seem to rejoice in obtaining immediate feedback. That is, a fluid and spontaneous interaction. Further. As we have been raised with the expectation that we will be part of a close knit social group, we tend to have more skills to interact, even when the communication is mediated by technology.

Clearly, the complexity of the information is a limitation in that complex interactions are more difficult when mediated. Still, social media allows for broad bandwidth, or ample amount of information. Thus, social media is more acceptable in some situations than even face-to-face communications. The rules for interacting in social media are flexible and it is precisely the lack of rigid protocol that is likely to entice Latinos to find satisfaction in modern online communications.

In other words, I have reasons to believe that new media allows Hispanics to recreate the village where everyone knows everyone else and where interactions are spontaneous. This cultural tendency towards going back to the village, but now in a global metaphor, liberates Latinos and other cultural groups. These are groups that have thrived in environments where interaction is free and enriching of everyday life. Environments where the satisfaction of life is found in social coexistence. Societal norms have stifled human communication but the emergence of online communications appear to be breaking them. That is why Latinos embrace these technologies, because they are technologies of liberation.

Clearly, we need to study these trends and consumer behaviors in much more detail. Still, the observable evidence is that the small village of our ancestors is now back online.

A Cultural Icon: The Importance of Radio for Hispanics

2010-08-03T13:26:00.000-07:00

A revised version of the following article written by me was recently published by Radio Ink

Radio is part of everyday life in Latin America, and it is part of the daily routine of Latinos in the United States. When you visit almost any public park in most metro areas in the US you will find young Hispanic men in groups listening to their radios and conversing. You will also find families barbecuing, dancing, and enjoying their day with a ubiquitous radio as the center of attention.

But this tradition of radio enjoyment is not new. In most Latin American countries and particularly in rural areas, radio is the most local of all media and has served traditionally as the town-crier in an interactive way and as symbolic precursor of what the Internet is becoming. In smaller localities the radio announcer publicizes jobs, tells of lost animals and children, helps locate lost boyfriends and girlfriends, and spreads the word about local events. The local radio station also hosts community members in the form of discussion forums. Clearly, they also devote many hours to music, humor, and news. Hispanic radio in the US has replicated many of those Latin American features and continues to be a most relevant medium of mass reach.

The traditions we brought from Latin America are still well and alive here in the United States. Figures exist regarding the popularity of radio, particularly those from the radio industry. At the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University, in collaboration with DMS Insights, we have collected media exposure and media attitudes over the past four years. Here I will share some statistics regarding radio use and attitudes towards radio that US Hispanics as well as others who are online have responded to our surveys (we collected approximately 500 interviews nationally with each of the following: Hispanics who prefer English, Hispanics who prefer Spanish, Asians, African Americans, and non-Hispanic Whites for a total of approximately 2,500 completed questionnaires). The data reported in this article has only been published in the 2010 Radio Ink article mentioned above. The reader should bear in mind that the following data consists of self reports and is from people who are online. Here, attention should be paid to the relative importance of radio attitudes and exposure across cultural groups and not the absolute values in themselves.

When asked to agree or disagree on a “0” to “5” point scale with the statement “My radio (AM/FM) is always on while I drive” we find that online Hispanics who prefer to communicate in English and non-Hispanic Whites are the most likely to agree with this statement (top two box), as seen in the graph below:

Clearly, the above findings may be explained by the driving habits of these cultural groups. When asked to agree or disagree on the same scale as above with the statement “Radio listening is an important part of my daily routine,” both Hispanics who prefer to communicate in English and in Spanish are most likely to agree (top two box) that radio is important in their lives:

Now that listening to radio online has emerged as a new modality of radio exposure, we asked respondents to tell us how often they listen to radio online. Almost fifty percent of online Hispanics indicated they listen to the radio online at least twice a week, compared with a lesser frequency for the other cultural groups:

In addition, when it comes to Satellite Radio access, Hispanic respondents were most likely to have satellite radio than anyone else:

These findings confirm that radio is an important medium across ethnic lines, but that Hispanics consider it most central to their lifestyle. Further, Latinos are being innovators in leading others in the online and satellite radio spheres. That is not surprising because radio is part of the culture, part of what was enjoyed in Latin America and what makes daily lives enjoyable in the US.

While the ways in which Hispanics listen to radio may change, the medium itself is powerful and important. While Hispanics are listening to both Spanish and English language radio, radio listening is still a core activity, and important complement to the daily routine. Radio stations should increasingly explore ways to offer their programming online to keep their loyal audiences over time as they evolve. Satellite radio is emerging as a competitor worth keeping track of.

Advertisers, mostly importantly, should pay attention to the relational importance that radio has for Latinos in the US. Radio advertising should not be television or print adapted to radio but should be crafted for the medium. This has been said and known for a long time but not well executed in many cases. Well executed radio advertising can be very successful because of the very nature of the medium and the closeness it claims with Latino consumers.

The Hispanic Population Numbers Surprising Marketers Again!

2010-07-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

We are all waiting for the Census numbers. According to the official schedule we will not know the official number of US Hispanics until April of 2011. Nevertheless I took the time to look at some sources of data to figure out what the growth of US Latinos is likely to be in the next few years.

First I consulted the Geoscape projections for all the US population and Hispanics in 2015. These projections are based on Census data. The projection is that the total population of the US will be close to 323 million people and that of US Hispanics will of about 56 million people then. Well, I was expecting something like that. Then I looked at the Geoscape total population projection for 2010, which I found to be very close to the current count of the US population according to the http://www.census.gov population clock. Both sources said that there are about 310 million people in the US now. I looked at the latest Census data again and found that the US Census Bureau projection for Hispanics in 2009 was 48.4 million. Geoscape projection for 2010 is of close to 50 million people.

I started doing some simple arithmetic and rounded up numbers for simplicity. Let's assume there are 50 million Hispanics in the US now, and there will be 56 million in 2015. The difference is 6 million. Then I substracted 310 million from 323 million for the entire population in 2015. That means that the total projected growth of the US population by 2015 will of about 13 million. If these numbers are anywhere close to accurate, the growth of the US Hispanic population will account for almost half of the total growth of the population of the United States.

These numbers left me thinking about how important Hispanics are to US marketers. A cultural group that accounts for half the growth of the population should make an important part of strategic planning. This is a cultural group that can be addressed by connecting via common denominators in a common culture. Numbers can have some interesting implications.

Meaning, translation, perfection, and trying for the future

2010-06-16T15:04:00.000-07:00

I have been as skeptic of machine translation. How can an algorithm do the job of a trained language expert? It is definitely not easy. Even experts have difficulties identifying the meaning of subtle language and cultural nuances. Language, after all, is part of culture. Being part of culture, language cannot be a neutral code. There is no such thing as just translating from one language to another without understanding the context and knowing the cultures involved.

But I feel humbled by http://translate.google.com. As a skeptic I have tried multiple texts to see if the Google algorithm can live up to expectations. Well, I am surprised. Not that a human expert eye and mind cannot do better but look at the following translation of a Wikipedia description of the Labyrinth of Solitude:

Spanish:

El laberinto de la soledad es un libro de Octavio Paz (ganador del premio Nobel a la literatura) publicado en 1950. Consta de nueve ensayos: "El pachuco y otros extremos", "Máscaras mexicanas", "Todos santos, día de muertos", "Los hijos de la Malinche" —donde expone su disertación sobre La Chingada—, "Conquista y Colonia", "De la Independencia a la Revolución", "La inteligencia mexicana", "Nuestros días" y como apéndice: "La dialéctica de la soledad". El Laberinto de la soledad parte de una opinión trágica e irrevocable: en el ser mexicano está presente, aún después de muchas generaciones, el hecho de que se trata de un pueblo surgido de una violación. Dice Octavio Paz: "En todas sus dimensiones, de frente y de perfil, en su pasado y en su presente, el mexicano resulta un ser cargado de tradición que, acaso sin darse cuenta, actúa obedeciendo a la voz de la raza..."

English:

The Labyrinth of Solitude is a book by Octavio Paz (Nobel Prize winner for literature) published in 1950. It consists of nine essays: "The Pachuco and other extreme", "Mexican Masks", "All Saints, Day of the Dead," The Sons of Malinche, "where he outlined his dissertation on The Chingada-Conquest and colonial" "From Independence to Revolution," "The Mexican intelligence," "Our days" and an appendix: "The dialectic of solitude."The Labyrinth of Solitude part of a tragic and irrevocable opinion: in being Mexican is present, even after many generations, the fact that this is a people come out of a violation. Octavio Paz says: "In all its dimensions, front and side views, in his past and his present, the Mexican is a being full of tradition, perhaps unwittingly, acting in obedience to the voice of the race ... "

I can only say that Google has done it again. While culture interpretation requires skillful resources and while machine translation is not perfect, Google is at the forefront of trying.

Complexity in the Consumer Decision Making of Latinos

2010-05-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

We have found that consumer decisions among Latinos are more likely to be influenced by the spouse, children, or other family members than among non-Hispanic Whites. In particular, Hispanics who prefer Spanish appear to be more likely to say that these “significant others” are important in influencing the products they buy. The table below illustrates the findings.

How Important are each of the following in influencing the products you buy?
Average Responses	Hispanics-Spanish	Hispanics-English	Asians	African Americans	Non-Hispanic Whites
Spouse	3.74	3.42	3.44	3.09	3.33
Children	3.79	2.79	2.38	2.91	2.22
Other family	3.37	3.06	3.17	3.11	2.64
Scale: Five points from "not at all important" to "extremely important"

These data were collected in 2008 as part of the ongoing Multicultural Marketing Study conducted by the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University and DMS Insights. The national sample had approximately 500 respondents in each segment for a total of almost 2,500. The study was done online. Tests of statistical significance were conducted but omitted from the table to make it more readable.

Overall Hispanics who responded in Spanish to the survey were more likely than most other segments to report being influenced by family members in general. Hispanics who responded in English were also more likely than most other segments to report being similarly influenced. Non-Hispanic Whites were found to be less likely than Hispanics, and almost everyone else, in general to be influenced by their family members. Asians and African Americans were generally in between or not statistically different from Hispanics who answered in English, or not different from non-Hispanic Whites.

The data provides food for thought for marketers who have believed that by getting to know how females head of household feel and think about products represents the family. Males and children are very important in influencing purchase decisions for the home. For one thing many Hispanic males, particularly those born abroad usually arrive in the US by themselves and live with other males. They learn the consumer landscape of the US and become consumers and decision makers here. When they bring their mates or meet them in the US, they are already very familiar with making consumer decisions for the household.

Further, children are particularly influential on families that are relatively new immigrants. Kids learn fast what are the product the family should buy. They influence decision making in the home probably more than anyone else in immigrant families.

When thinking about who the target is for commercial messages remember that the decision maker is not just one person. Also, remember that these people talk among themselves and influence each other very strongly.

This information can be distributed as long as the source is acknowledged.

All Marketing is Cultural

2010-03-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

Many marketers still ask the question: What is different about marketing to Hispanics, Asians, African Americans, etc.? Isn't marketing just marketing?

Marketing is marketing but few marketers consciously realize that what they do is cultural marketing. So when they target women with children, they are really addressing a subculture in the United States. When they address young people they are addressing another culture within a culture. When they target middle class homeowners they are not just addressing a so called "demographic," they are addressing a culture.

There is little awareness of what a culture is. A culture is a set of designs for living that are shared by many people, and sometimes those designs for living are passed on from generation to generation.

Most advertising would not work if it were not cultural. The marketer attempts to connect with consumers who share something in common, but the "demographic" is not what they share in common, it is the way of being, thinking, doing, valuing, and feeling.

Thus, it should not be surprising that to reach out to Latinos, for example, the marketer needs to understand their culture. And that is profound because it goes to the core of who people are. That is what ethnic marketing consists of. It is the understanding of the culture and the contextual issues surrounding it. It is different because the culture is different, but also because it is a lot harder to market to a different culture than to the one you are part of. See, culture is like water for the fish, we are seldom aware of it. We think a joke is funny just because it is funny. Not so, a joke is funny because it is culturally bound. A joke is funny to a group of people who share a culture, and not to others. An emotional appeal is emotional to those who share a common reaction to that appeal.

When the marketer crosses cultures s/he needs to make many assumptions explicit. There is no more obviousness of water to the fish. The fish needs to become aware of the water in order to succeed. That is what has to happen with marketers. They need to step out of the comfort of their own culture to be effective in another. That is why it is so difficult to do cross cultural marketing.

But, all marketing is cultural, and it is hard for many to realize that. So, now, why do we need to make special efforts to market to Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians, etc.? Because they swim in different waters.

Multiculturalism and Integration: The Interplay of Society and Individuals

2010-03-02T13:28:00.000-08:00

There is precedent for the current interest in multiculturalism. John Berry[i] presents a heuristic paradigm in which he considers the degree to which individuals value keeping their original cultural orientation, and the degree to which they find it valuable to maintain a relationship with the second culture. Those individuals who wish to preserve their culture and also relate to the second culture “integrate.” Those who do not value preserving their original culture and value the relationship with the second culture “assimilate.” Those who value their culture and do not care for the second culture tend to “separate.” And, finally, those who do not value either culture become “marginalized.”

Since there has been a strong movement towards cultural preservation and identity assertion it is likely that Latinos at this time are most likely to integrate. Some, particularly those who feel alienated from US society, tend to remain separate, but few seem to assimilate or to remain marginalized. That is because most tend to value their culture of origin, or their enculturation. Berry also addresses the reciprocal approaches that the receiving culture adopts to relate to immigrants. Individual integration has its societal parallel in multiculturalism, in which the immigrants’ culture is valued and society wishes to respect that cultural difference. Multiculturalism is the result of society accepting those who are different and proud to be so. Assimilation is the social parallel of the melting pot phenomenon in which the larger society accepts those who give up their original culture. If society respects the culture of the immigrants and does not wish for them to mix the result is segregation. This is what at the individual level is separation. Finally, when society finds no value in the culture of the immigrant and does not wish to have them integrate the result is exclusion. This is what at the individual level parallels marginalization.

In sum, immigrant Integration corresponds to Multiculturalism in a larger societal framework. Individual Assimilation matches the Melting Pot from a larger society perspective. Separation corresponds to social segregation, and individual marginalization matches social exclusion. Berry’s paradigm emphasizes that it both the attitude of the immigrant and the attitude of the receiving culture result in forces that affect the way in which both immigrants and the receiving society behave.

Marketers, in their efforts to connect with consumers can consider that accepting the differences of Latinos promotes their harmonic integration in a multicultural society. This process elevates self esteem and when paired with brand attributes it can create long lasting brand relationships.

At the time of this writing the so called “immigration debate” is acrimonious and it is hard to predict how the larger society will behave towards immigrants in the near future. Nevertheless in the past 30 years or so there has been a tendency by the majority of US society to embrace diversity, and the cultural esteem of Hispanics has been elevated by wider acceptance and respect. Greater and more visible Hispanic achievements have contributed to this increased acceptance. The likely outcome is that integration in a multicultural framework is the trend of the future. Most Hispanics have no reason for forgetting their original culture at this point. Hispanics appear to see more social and economic value in preserving key elements of their heritage. But let’s not make the mistake to think that such preservation is a copy of what Latin Americans experience, it is the preservation of the synergic cultural identity of being Latino in the United States.

[i] John W. Berry, Ype H. Poortinga, Marshall H. Segall, and Pierre R. Dasen,Cross-Cultural Psychology: Research and Applications (Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2002) 354.

Relevance in Hispanic Print: Implications for Marketers

2010-02-25T06:19:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking about the growing importance of Hispanic youth in the United States and how these young people are being served by the media. It is puzzling to think about ways in which print publications can be truly Hispanic in character and at the same time relevant to the culture and the growing segment of young Hispanic people educated in the United States.
I have been receiving a complimentary subscription to "Café Latino Lifestyle Magazine." Reading it recently I was struck by a partial answer to my question above. The cover of the last issue I saw featured "BlackTino: Children of mixed marriages define their own identity." I am interested in the topic because cross-cultural marriages and couples are on the rise, but also because there are many Hispanics from Latin America that are of African background. That I thought was an item of interest to those of us who share a Latin background in the United States. It speaks of our diversity.
Another article in the magazine was about the controversy of whether or not the US Census 2010 should be boycotted by Hispanics. The balanced views reported in the story were very informative to me and definitely a topic of importance to all of us. Other articles were about Santeria, Latino online dating, coming of age among Latinas, and many others. All of them of interest to me and even though many of the articles are directed to a younger profile.
Café is published in Chicago and it is in English. So, I thought, perhaps the key issue about Hispanic oriented print in the US is relevance to our current lives, and the language could be Spanish or English depending on the preference and ability of the reader. But, again, relevance seems to be the key point, particularly cultural relevance.
Marketers should pay attention to the issue of relevance. Are the publications in which they are advertising relevant to the lives of the consumers they cater to? Being Hispanic/Latino in the United States is a unique EXPERIENCE. Serving the needs of that experience and identity creates relevance. Relevance sells publications. Advertising in those publications, if also relevant, can be successful in connecting with us.

Births vs. Immigration: The New Hispanic Marketing Challenge

2010-02-16T12:10:00.000-08:00

A review of the US Bureau of the Census data shows that the increase of the US Hispanic population is now highly driven by births rather than immigration contrary to past patterns. The following table contains data from the 2008 American Community Survey of the US Bureau of the Census. It documents the nativity of US Hispanics by sex and age:

	United States
	Estimate	Margin of Error
Total:	46,891,456	+/-9,624
Male:	24,212,122	+/-16,057
Under 18 years:	8,220,903	+/-13,936
Native	7,490,109	+/-19,984
Foreign born	730,794	+/-16,404
18 years and over:	15,991,219	+/-15,020
Native	7,176,917	+/-46,524
Foreign born	8,814,302	+/-45,693
Female:	22,679,334	+/-14,633
Under 18 years:	7,830,965	+/-13,884
Native	7,153,178	+/-17,166
Foreign born	677,787	+/-13,499
18 years and over:	14,848,369	+/-9,444
Native	7,260,473	+/-37,848
Foreign born	7,587,896	+/-39,217

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2008 American Community Survey

While the above figures are unlikely to include all undocumented individuals, it provides directional guidance as to the developments in US Hispanic growth. All Latinos in the US under 18, males and females were at the time of the study 34% of the population, an impressive proportion that further emphasizes the youth of this market.

Within those under 18 years of age, a staggering 91% were native born, and that provides a good indication of what type of growth to expect in the near future. Sixty-six percent were those 18 years of age and older. Among that older segment 53% were foreign born. While foreign born are still the adult majority, the obvious likelihood is that they will suffer further declines in favor of their native born counterparts.

Marketing implications include:

- Young people will become more influential in purchase decision for the household as these US born kids have more experience with US products and services and the overall consumer landscape.

- These young people will claim a new identity that marketers will need to understand if they are to touch their feelings and thoughts. This new identity will be the product of roots from Latin America, influences from the US, and the synergy of living a Latino life in the United States.

- These overwhelming changes in population trends should compel media content producers, advertisers, and marketers to better cater to a new emergent way of being.

Cultural Marketing For The 2010's

2010-02-04T13:45:00.000-08:00

The decade of the 2010's will require more cultural sensitivity than ever before. Not that cultural sensitivity was not needed much earlier in the US and around the world, but conditions are ripe now for understanding how culture can enhance profits and better marketing.

Cultural marketing is not something nice to do to show good citizenship. Cultural marketing is a profit making enterprise. Let me explain. If we accept that emotion is at the core of selling, advertising, and marketing, then culture is a shortcut for reaching the emotions of many people at the same time. Culture consists of objective and subjective designs for living that are passed from generation to generation. The components of culture are what we are raised with in our early years. We are taught what is right and wrong and what is good and bad. When we are enculturated we are given lessons that become warm feelings that generally persist until we die.

The beliefs, feelings, and values that encompass subjective culture are shared by many people in our culture. That is why marketing to Hispanics as a culture makes sense. It is not so much because of the external manifestation of culture like food and dress, but because Hispanics share so much in common because of historical roots that overlap with religion and language.

Marketing to Hispanics as a culture is a way of connecting with these consumers at deeper levels. It is a way of communicating why a product or idea makes sense from the perspective of the consumer and evoking the deepest emotions that become ingrained in the process of enculturation.

Clearly, the same can be said about almost any other cultural group. Marketing to a culture in cultural terms is about touching those cords that have been instilled in us since childhood. While I understand that eventually marketing will be a one-on-one relationship, cultural marketing is a good interim way to bridge the gap between marketing to the masses (as if they ever existed), and understanding the individual's values and deep rooted perceptions of the world at the most personalized level.

Cultural marketing is a shortcut that minimizes the trajectory and produces results. It needs to be authentic and honest because it is about relationships. It requires that the marketer understands the culture. It is not a matter of making a gesture, it is an endeavor of commitment and dedication. Cultural marketing is not about obvious portrayals of families, soccer, or salsa music but about understanding the underlying perceptions that members of a culture share. While portrayals of soccer, families, and salsa music can be very important as tactical elements, underlying subjective elements of the culture can provide true insights for positioning and strategy.

Cheers to all for the 2010's and the challenge of doing cultural marketing right.

****************************************************************

By the way Cesar Melgoza and I will be doing a Webinar on this topic if you are interested:

"Why In-Culture Marketing is Critical to the Long Term Success of Any American Enterprise" on February 11th, 2010 1:00-2:00 p.m. EST.

Understand why marketing to high-growth segments such as Hispanics, Asians and African Americans is key to securing growth for corporations across industries. Get facts and figures that impact corporate strategy at all levels of management and see why in-culture marketing should be mandatory for most corporations. All proceeds will be donated to FSU’s Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication.

To register or for more information visit http://www.geoscape.com/college_of_business.aspx

A Year in the Multicultural World of Social Media Marketing

2009-12-10T07:38:00.000-08:00

By Lee Vann, CEO of Captura Group and Felipe Korzenny, Ph.D. Director of the Florida State University Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication

Astronaut José Hernández, aka @Astro_Jose, tweets in both English and Spanish to 100,000 people who have been following his remarkable life from picking the fields as a child in northern California to outer space. It’s not hard for him to find followers these days.

The majority of online Americans now visit social networking sites, and Hispanics and other minorities continue to visit them more than Non-Hispanic whites, according to the 2009 Multicultural Marketing Study by the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University, DMS Research, and Captura Group.

The study also reveals that social media usage among Hispanics and other minorities continues to grow by double digits with Facebook and MySpace leading the way. What’s more, smaller social networking sites such as Hi5, Black Planet, Twitter and LinkedIn have strong appeal with certain ethnic groups.

Most online Americans visit social networking sites at least twice a month

In the past year, we found that usage of social networks across ethnic segments has grown exponentially. Marketers take note: most Americans now use social networking sites and use them as increasingly important means for communication and information.

Although ethnic minorities are still more likely to visit social networking sites when compared to Non-Hispanic Whites, the gap has closed considerably as social networking has become more popular.

Most ethnic segments now prefer Facebook over MySpace

In 2008 we found that MySpace held a firm lead over Facebook. Today, the tables have turned and Facebook has become more popular among all of the ethnic groups that we analyzed with the exception of Spanish-Preferring Hispanics.

Social media preferences are beginning to fragment among minorities

When considering a social media strategy, marketers should take note that ethnic groups have preferences between social networking sites. Consider the case of Hi5, a social media site with a strong presence in Latin America. Its success in the southern hemisphere has made it extremely popular with Spanish-Preferring Hispanics in the U.S. who want to connect with family members back home.

Today, Hi5 competes with both Facebook and MySpace among Spanish-Preferring Hispanics (29.1 percent usage versus 36 percent and 41 percent, respectively).

These findings are important because as social networking has become ubiquitous, specialized sites have become viable options for advertisers looking to target ethnic audiences.

Asian Americans are twice as likely to use LinkedIn and Twitter

The 2009 study also included the usage of LinkedIn and Twitter. We found that both sites are still emerging and most popular among Asian Americans. We attribute the popularity of LinkedIn and Twitter among Asian Americans to higher income levels and technology adoption.

More social media growth expected for 2010

In the past year, usage of social networking websites has exploded among all ethnic groups and we expect this trend to continue. While preferences of certain social networking sites might change over time, social media promises to remain relevant for all ethnic groups.

People such as José Hernández can expect many more followers.

For marketers, the sky should also be the limit

Hispanic Income Trends: Implications for Marketing

2009-11-17T08:25:00.000-08:00

The median income of Hispanic households has lagged behind the overall population of the United States for a long time and does not seem to be getting better. The largest difference since 1980 was in 1996 when the disparity was of $14,465 dollars (in 2008 dollars), according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements. Since 1980 the smallest gap occurred in 1981 with a difference of $8,573. The latest figures available are for 2008 show a difference of $12,390, a gap similar to gaps in the 1990's. See the historical trends table on the left.

The current gap probably reflects some of the social and economic issues that resulted from the downturn of the economy between 2007 and 2009. But there are uplifting news. My analysis of the American Community Survey data of 2008 shows that income differences are not evenly distributed in the population as shown below:

It is interesting to observe that the gaps between the overall population median income and that of Hispanics is largest at the higher income levels, and interestingly there are more Hispanics in the middle income categories than in the overall population. This is very revealing because for the majority of consumer products income levels between $25,000 and $60,000 are ideal, and that is the range in which there are more Hispanics proportional to their population. This alone is a very important reason for marketers to pay attention to Latinos.

Clearly, the fact that proportionally Hispanics have some more households in the lower end of the distribution and fewer in the upper end is not desirable. Nevertheless, where the sweet spot of most marketers resides, that is in the middle, Hispanics have higher representation. This is surprising and uplifting, and helps understand that Hispanics are not generally poorer but they are better represented where it counts for marketers.

The content in this blog may be copied and distributed but credit must be given to the author.

Magnet States for Hispanics in 2008: Marketing Implications

2009-11-13T09:30:00.000-08:00

My analysis of the American Community Survey of the US Census Bureau for 2008 reveals that there are key states that experienced net in-migration of Hispanics from other States in the prior year. This is the most up-to-date information of what States Hispanics are moving to, and what States Hispanics are leaving behind. At the top of the gaining list are Texas, Colorado, Utah, North Carolina, Washington State, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Virginia, Arizona, Missouri, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Maine, and Maryland, in that order.

The States with the largest out-migration of Hispanics, in order of loss to other States, were: California, New York, Florida, New Jersey, Alaska, Illinois, Michigan, Rhode Island, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Nevada, Georgia, Ohio, Delaware, Nebraska, and New Hampshire.

These trends appear to confirm the continued dispersion of Hispanics throughout the United States to places that were not typically attractive to Hispanics in the recent past. Growth in States like Utah, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana seems to uphold the trend that Hispanics are moving to States that offer job opportunities and a reasonable cost of living, even if these States were not atop of the Hispanic agenda in the past.

Those States losing Hispanics to other States are those who have experienced severe economic difficulties in the recent recession and/or are also expensive to live in, for example: California, New York, Florida, New Jersey, Nevada, Alaska, Illinois, and Michigan.

This analysis, however, does not include in-migration from other countries. Thus, one can not conclude from these data that there is no actual Hispanic growth in some States that are losing Hispanics to other States. The problem in conducting this type of analysis is that the American Community Survey does measure people coming in from other countries but not people leaving the country. That is because the US Census Bureau only interviews or administers questionnaires to people in the United States.

The list of States with largest in-migration, and that with the highest out-migration, with their respective net gains and losses are found below.

These tables can be reproduced and circulated but the analysis must be credited to this author.

Top Hispanic Gaining States from Other States

Top States Losing Hispanics to Other States

The implications for marketers are that marketing efforts dedicated to Hispanics will continue to be more at a National level instead of in just a few major markets. While those major markets are still large and worthy of much attention, smaller emerging Hispanic enclaves need to be considered and planned for. Further, as Hispanics continue to disperse in the United States their tastes and preferences will further contribute to the Latinization of the US. At the same time, however, more of these important consumers will be establishing contact with members of non-Hispanic communities and being exposed to touch-points that they did not attend to before.

Also, it should be noticed that States that welcome Hispanics will continue to benefit from their hard labor and work ethic. Those States who have ostracized them under the pretext of undocumented immigration are likely to continue to lose their attractiveness and the benefits that Hispanic presence brings.

While the culture and in many cases the language of Hispanics will continue to be of great importance to connect with these consumers, marketers will also need to understand the dynamics of evolution and change in the Hispanic community.

The Importance of Hispanic Heritage Month: Marketing and Self-Esteem

2009-10-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

When we arrive in the United States we share in the experience of being Latin Americans in a new cultural environment. That is a shared experience, the experience of being different from the receiving culture, and the experience of slowly becoming different from the culture we came from. That means that we are not from here and not from there "ni soy de aqui ni soy de alla." We become part of a third culture, a concept I have discussed in an earlier blog.

What I mean is that part of our common identity is the shared experience of being of Latin American origin living in the United States. That shared experience contributes to a way of being, thinking, and feeling that differentiate us Latinos/Hispanics from everyone else.

Hispanic Heritage Month is meaningful to us, Hispanics or Latinos (depending on label preference), because it represents the celebration of that experience. The experience of being unique in this great country.

This celebration also has side benefits that are related to marketing. It enhances our self-esteem because it tells us we are legitimate while being different. Also, savvy marketers help by emphasizing the achievements and contributions of Hispanics in this Country. Those who understand the opportunity and talk to us honestly and and with candor can enhance their brands. It is because they are linking their brand with the celebration of our identity.

Comprehending the deep implications of how a brand can acquire emotional significance is related to understanding the way consumers feel about themselves. Hispanic Heritage Month is good for both Hispanics and sincere marketers.

Clearly, one celebration is not enough to create a link between the consumer and a brand, but it definitely is a step in the right direction.

I like seeing television shows in English television talking about the importance of Hispanics in the United States. I like seeing celebrations all over the country.

While we have many differences among those of us coming from the different Spanish speaking Latin American countries and Spain, we become united by the shared experience of language, history, relationship to the supernatural, and being unique in this great Country. It is the shared experience associated with our values and beliefs that we celebrate.

Why it is so difficult to do cultural advertising well?

2009-08-06T06:44:00.001-07:00

Advertising, almost by definition is cultural. Advertising influences our culture. The culture influences advertising. Now, in a country with so many different cultures producing advertising that is meaningful to these diverse cultures is a challenge. While it is true that in some cases a single message may do well across cultures, many times the message would be more effective if it is customized to the target culture.

Many culturally directed ads are simply a manifestation of stereotypes and relatively trite. That is because the difference between objective and subjective culture is not generally known. That Hispanics have large families and that they are family oriented is true, but definitely overused, and almost stereotypically used in advertising. That Hispanics have an affinity for social gatherings is true, but also overused. These are all manifestations of objective culture. These are the cultural manifestations that we can observe. And because we can observe them we think these are the culture itself. But culture is much more than objective culture.

Subjective culture, however, is what we carry in our heads. These are our values and beliefs, for example, believing that our children will transcend us. That they are more important than us because they represent a step towards infinite eternity. That is subjective culture. When those values and beliefs are inserted in advertising they have a high probability of connecting with the consumer. That is, assuming that the rest of the message is actually honest and the product or service is valuable in itself. Thus making a product or service the one that embodies a feeling of pride, a sense of transcendence, the emotion of celebrating being alive, for example, can be much more powerful than the simple use of objective culture symbols.

So, why there is so much advertising that is sadly empty and simply innocuous? Because many in the advertising industry have not yet understood these issues. Many appear to think that simply convoluting a story and doing something to stand out in the clutter will do the job. Standing out is useful when what stands out is a central part of the message. Making the the story complex for the sake of creativity is not.

Clarity, honesty, directness, and having a good product or service to sell are key to good advertising. Creativity resides in parsimony. Simple elegance that as part of the message makes it emotionally powerful.

After all these years of doing research I have learned that Hispanic consumers are eager to connect with and believe honest advertising messages. So, it is our job to make that connection and believability available. We need to find the insights that make for the cultural occasion, for the cultural emotion that can surround our ideas, products, and services. This requires in-depth research. Research that digs deep into how people feel and think.

The process of account planning is precisely to make the voice of the consumer heard in the advertising context. But it is not necessarily the overt expression of what consumers say, but those subtle beliefs and perceptions that have been ingrained as part of the enculturation process. That which we bring from our childhood. As marketers and advertisers, our duty is to comprehend where the consumer is coming from so we can show we understand him/her. So we can better be of service.

Attitudes of Consumers in the Multicutlural Marketplace

2009-05-26T11:37:00.001-07:00

As part of our ongoing series of reports supported by DMS Research, the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University has released in March 2009 a new study of attitudes of consumers in the Multicultural marketplace. The full report can be obtained at: http://hmc.comm.fsu.edu.

The data in this report includes 39 attitudes and multiple demographics to provide a sense of how members of different cultural groups feel about select aspects of life and commerce. The list of specific attitude items is in the section dealing with overall trends below.

The data revealed a six factor structure that resulted in six factor score coefficient weighted indexes:

Network Oriented or an inclination to use social media and being sociable
Gay Favorable or a positive predisposition to GLT issues and people
Sports Oriented or a favorable disposition towards sports
Brand Lifestyle or strong positive feelings about brands
Social Cultural Sensitive or empathy and openness to other cultures
Marriage Oriented or strong feelings about the importance of marriage

The results indicate that Hispanics who answered the online questionnaire in Spanish (HS) are more likely than anyone else to be Network Oriented, and interestingly, that Non Hispanic Whites (NHW) are least likely to be Network Oriented. Hispanics who answered the questionnaire in English (HE) and Asians (A) are most likely to be Gay Favorable, while HS were most negative. Also HE and A are most Sports Oriented, while NHW are least sports involved. Brand Lifestyle is more prevalent among African Americans (AA) and least among HS. The most Socio Culturally Sensitive are HS, while the least are NHW. A are the most Marriage Oriented while HS and AA are the least.

Alternative explanations were explored with the data, by looking at gender and age groups, and

conclusions and implications were derived for marketing to these diverse groups. These findings

highlight the importance of considering attitudinal orientations when positioning products and servicesnin these diverse cultural communities. The results make it evident that not all members of the different major cultures in the US can be reached with homogeneous messages and ideas. Find the report at: http://hmc.comm.fsu.edu

Start Planning for the Online Hispanic Marketing Course for this Fall 2009

2009-04-22T12:29:00.000-07:00

While the Summer 2009 course on Hispanic Marketing has started and is closed you can plan for this Fall 2009. Classes begin August and it is never too early to apply to secure your place. Visit http://hmc.comm.fsu.edu for details on the online course.

For application information, contact Jennifer Boss at inquiries@campus.fsu.edu.

THOSE INTERESTED ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY IMMEDIATELY AS REGISTRATION IS LIMITED.

BE SURE TO REGISTER SOON!

The Multicultural World of Social Media Marketing

2009-02-25T10:16:00.000-08:00

By:
Felipe Korzenny, Ph.D., Director, Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University, and Senior Strategy Consultant, Captura Group
Lee Vann, Founder and CEO, Captura Group

Social media is now ubiquitous. Usage of blogs, social networks, and video sharing sites is increasing rapidly and millions of people now look to social media websites as their primary source of news, opinion, and entertainment. As we witness this dramatic shift from traditional to social media, we believe it’s important to examine its cultural dimensions—that is, who is driving this shift, what are the cultural factors behind it, and what are the implications for marketers seeking to reach specific ethnic/cultural groups via social media?

We recently conducted an analysis of newly collected data to examine the patterns of social media behaviors of different ethnic/cultural groups in the US. The data comes from the Florida State University Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication with the support of DMS Research from a national online sample of nearly 2,500 people with approximately 500 cases in each of the following cultural groups: Hispanics who prefer English, Hispanics who prefer Spanish, Non-Hispanic Whites, African Americans, and Asians in the United States.

Ethnic minorities visit social networking sites more frequently than non-Hispanic Whites

We aggregated information to find out what ethnic/cultural groups are more likely to visit social networking sites. We found broad diversity in social media behaviors among different ethnic/cultural groups and that emerging minorities visit social networking sites more frequently than non-Hispanic whites.

We then broke out the data for leading social networks, MySpace and Facebook, to see if there are any groups leading usage of the most popular social networking sites—again, minorities lead the way, with English Preferring Hispanics being twice as likely to visit MySpace regularly than Non-Hispanic Whites. The relative importance of emerging minorities as compared with the traditional majority points to a major shift in social influence.

Demographics, culture and market factors drive ethnic minorities to social networks

This data is interesting, but in order for these findings to be useful and actionable for us as marketers, we need to determine the reason for the strong representation of ethnic minorities on social networking sites and how to best engage with this audience. We believe that there is a mix of cultural, demographic and market factors that make social media particularly appealing to emerging minorities.

Demographically, ethnic minorities are younger than non-Hispanic Whites. It’s no secret that younger people in general are more likely to adopt new technologies, particularly technologies that enable communication and provide social connectivity. This age gap between minorities and non-Hispanics only partially explains the gap in social media involvement.

Age is only a partial explanation for the use of social media among ethnic minorities

In order to analyze the influence of age on social media behavior, we divided respondents into two segments, those 35 years of age and younger and those 36 years of age and older. The following chart shows that people 35 and younger of all cultural backgrounds are more likely to use social media, with Hispanics who prefer to communicate in Spanish and African Americans lagging behind. Young Spanish preferring Hispanics may lag because they are likely to be newer to the Internet, and also because their friends and relatives are less likely to be online due to economic and access factors. While Hispanics in general are aggressively getting online, those less acculturated are still somewhat less represented in the digital realm today.

When examining the usage of social networking sites among those 36 and older, we find that that older Hispanics, regardless of language preference are more active especially when compared non-Hispanic Whites within the same age group.

This substantiates the notion that age is only a partial explanation for the higher usage of social media among Hispanics and other ethnic minorities. Culture and market factors also play an important role in promoting online social connectivity among these groups.

Collectivistic values, communication and lack of relevant content are key drivers of social behavior online

Culturally, ethnic minorities tend to be drawn to collectivistic values and often look to one another to help guide decisions and opinions. In addition, ethnic minorities are more likely to leverage social networks to communicate with groups of family and friends who are geographically dispersed. Social media facilitates such collective sharing of information and communication.

In addition, market forces are driving ethnic minorities to use social media. There is a dearth of culturally relevant and in-language content available online. As a result, ethnic minorities tend to be proactive and create and share their own content and social networks are ideal platforms for publishing and distributing such original content.

Social networking services allow people to organize and enhance their relationships online, but regardless of technology, culture is still the glue that bonds people together. Marketers seeking to reach ethnic minorities through social media must reinforce and connect with the culture of their target audience if they seek to strengthen their clients’ brands on social networks—doing so requires a strategic long term approach that should include the following elements:

Define your social media marketing objectives

Using social media can accomplish a number of business objectives. Do you want to advertise a new product? Gather research? Provide customer service and build goodwill? Knowing what you’re looking for will make it much easier to find it.

Understand your audience and be strategic

A successful social media strategy requires a clear definition of objectives, understanding o your audience and a strategy for engaging them. Consider the cultural motivations that are driving your target audience to social media. Are they there to talk about music? Are they keeping in touch with relatives overseas? Are they there to connect and share their collective culture? What language are they using? They may be doing all of these things and more, but if you can determine what’s drawing your audience to social media in the first place, you’ll have a better chance of engaging them when you join their conversations. Building and maintaining conversations with a target audience requires research, careful planning and a strategic approach.

Dedicate resources to proactively engage your audience with timely and relevant content

Ethnic minorities are turning to social networks to express themselves, connect with their culture and communicate with each other. To be successful, marketers must be open to engaging audiences with timely and relevant content that stimulates feedback and sharing. Engaging in meaningful conversations is the goal of social media marketing and doing so requires a deep understanding of needs, openness to negative commentary and dedicated resources. A social media presence is worthless if it lies dormant.

The time is now

Few marketers are proactively targeting ethnic minorities online and even fewer are leveraging social media to do so. A first mover advantage is available for those that devote the time and resources to engage these critical audiences in ways that they find meaningful. The fact is that we now have an unprecedented ability to reach and interact with ethnic minorities; and companies that deliver value to this segment today will be rewarded with the long term loyalty of this market.

Originally published by Media Post on February 19, 2009.

A Stronger Sense of Hispanic Pride and Unity

2009-01-08T11:34:00.000-08:00

I think that we, Hispanics, Latinos, or whatever label we are assigned, those of us with roots in Latin America, are strengthening our sense of common identity in the United States. A sense of identity based on pride. What we have in common appears to be overshadowing what makes us different. Our heritage from Latin America has a common cultural influence from Spain, the native peoples of the American continent and Africa, a common language, and beliefs in the supernatural that shape how we look at the world. Now, in the United States our heritage is being further shaped by the "American" experience. Being of Latin American origin in the United States promotes a unique way of looking at the world.

We have found commonality in the being different, immigrant backgrounds, pride in art, music, literature, food, architecture, and, perhaps more importantly, a subjective perception of the world that runs as a common theme in our sense of identity. The largest immigration of Hispanics to the United States was in the past 30 years. We grew from 10 million in 1980 to about 50 million in 2009. Most likely, this growth will continue but now fueled by children born in the United States, and not so much by immigration. Many contend that eventually we will just melt like everyone else has done in the past. I believe that our numbers, our culture, and our sense of difference will keep us distinct to a larger extent now than ever before.

Discrimination has always been a force unifying people. We have experienced that. Being seen as foreigners and immigrants has been a common experience even if many of "us" have been here longer than those who look at us as newcomers. But this pressure makes us strong. This stress is unifying us. Most Hispanics in the US have not had a strong avocation for activism or a need to organize. In my opinion, the time has come. Hispanics are now a strong force recognized by marketers, first and foremost, and by politicians who want our vote. Now we can leave behind anomie and fatalism and see that we have real power. We have money and many of us have a vote to cast. We have become increasingly aware that if we do not unite we will have no power. Look at the unprecedented immigration protests of the recent past.

The time has come for us to gather around what is important. Our sense of cultural identity unifies us in a very special way. We look at personal relationships in very different ways. We look at time and space as continua that transcend our existence. We have a sense of the supernatural that makes us feel awe in a different way. We have gender relationships that work differently. We have dual identities. We are different and also similar.

Samuel Huntington, rest in peace, was wrong. The work ethic of Hispanics is as good as or stronger than a "Protestant Work Ethic." We have demonstrated that since we have been in this great country. We do not want handouts. We want work. We want to achieve.

It looks to me like Hispanic identity is strengthening and becoming a great force in making the United States a greater country. We are here and we are ready to achieve, to be online, to buy products, to serve this great country, and to continue being essentially family people, proud of whom we are and now united by a common experience. We are now ready to organize and be a stronger social and cultural force. This has to be our future.

So, what does this have to do with marketing? Everything!

Hispanic Marketing Trends: 2009 and Beyond

2008-12-18T18:05:00.000-08:00

The future for Hispanic marketing in the United States is bright, full of "dualities" and opportunities. The future is indeed bright. While the media propagates bad news as their way of attracting attention, they ignore the positive trends in the economy. Hispanic marketing is one of them.

1. Economic crises are not new to Hispanics… Hispanics should be more optimistic in comparison to other cultural groups, thus leading the recovery with optimism... that is our only choice

2. On the other hand migration misinformation and increasing discrimination are setting a negative tone for the role of Hispanics in the US... the voices of negativism can not prevail

3. As a consequence of the above marketers should emphasize achievements and contributions of Hispanics to raise self esteem and build brand equity

4. Faster acculturation. Marketers should place more emphasis on what unites Hispanics beyond language. More leadership potential and higher aspirations for the future can mean a major transformation

5. Identifying the core of the new and emergent multicultural society… third culture…

6. A growing emphasis in communicating in Culture, while communicating in language will stabilize

7. A stronger emphasis on lifestyle segmentation as opposed to sheer acculturation

8. Increasing cross-over from Hispanic products and brands to the overall population… the Hispanization of America

9. Increased used of technology, particularly the Internet… over indexing in several categories… and this goes for all emerging minorities--- Hispanics are leading in the use of social media, and social media marketing is a great vehicle for incorporating Hispanic sensitive brands in the culture

10. Better appreciation of the consumer bicultural chemistry in the home… English and Spanish incorporated in the decision making… more collective than individual decision making

11. Almost 2 million Hispanic owned businesses… more of a focus on BtoB

12. Integrating marketing efforts in corporations and avoiding the marginalization of ethnic marketing… targeting needs to be more inclusive and precise

13. More cause marketing… as these consumers are increasingly green and socially aware

14. The future is in grassroots and high-touch marketing

Hispanic Marketing - What’s Next?

2008-12-03T20:24:00.000-08:00

Having spent over 30 years in Hispanic marketing, I have been fortunate to see the evolution of this fascinating market. I founded one of the first multicultural market research companies, Hispanic and Asian Marketing Communication Research, and experienced first hand the explosive growth of a market and an industry. Now, as the Founder and Director of Florida State University’s Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication, I am training the next generation of Hispanic marketing leaders and I am continually asking, “What’s next”?

Marketing experts have been heralding the reign of digital communications for years, but few are aware of the importance of Hispanics in this digital era. Through my research dating back to 2000 when I conducted the study “The Digital World of the US Hispanic” and now as a professor at Florida State University, I have discovered powerful insights regarding Hispanics and technology in our research program “The Multicultural Marketing Equation.”

The fact is that Hispanics, along with other emerging minorities, are leading the technology revolution in this country.

Hispanics are one of the fastest growing and most active segments of the online population. They are using technology to enable social connectivity and enhance their cultural identity. In a recent study that I authored, I found that Hispanics, regardless of language preference and age, are more likely to be active on social networking sites than non-Hispanic Whites. Hispanic market growth and technology adoption are converging, making digital communications the next frontier in Hispanic marketing.

Professionals: Online Course on Hispanic Marketing - Spring 2009

2008-11-24T11:14:00.000-08:00

After four successful semesters, an online course in Hispanic Marketing Communication will be offered again this Spring by the Florida State University Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication. The Center, headed by Dr. Felipe Korzenny, is pioneering education in Hispanic Marketing Communication.

The online course is available to anyone interested and is particularly recommended for professionals currently addressing the Hispanic market, or those who would like to start a Hispanic marketing initiative. The course, during the last four semesters, attracted students from many industries across the United States and provided a forum for learning and discussion about strategy that enriched the practice of many these professionals. The course has become an opportunity to share experience in an integrated framework.

Students in the course have testified that participation in it enriches their experience via online discussions with other professionals, case studies, readings, and guest lectures. Joining the group is more than studying the discipline because it encourages thinking and sharing of practices and ideas. The course creates synergy for communication and links professionals that otherwise could not meet each other to discuss their common Hispanic marketing problems and solutions.

The Spring 2009 session has duration of fifteen weeks (classes begin January 6 and end April 24) and includes topics such as language use, Hispanic cultural insights for marketing, and case studies relating to Hispanic marketing. The course will also address research and marketing strategies. A certificate of completion will be issued to all non-degree seeking students who satisfactorily complete the course, and eligible students can receive three hours of undergraduate/continuing education credit. THOSE INTERESTED ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY IMMEDIATELY AS REGISTRATION IS LIMITED. REGISTRATION IS OPEN NOW! For application information contact Jennifer Boss at inquiries@campus.fsu.edu or by phone at 850 644 7551.

Using Social Media to Understand Social Influence

2008-10-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

Social media, or social networking as it is commonly known, is powerful beyond what anyone can imagine by looking at the surface of it. Those of you who have studied social networks can relate to this. Imagine being able to identify those who are opinion leaders, bridges between communities, leaders, and isolates, by looking at their social media behavior.

Social media is about influence and power. Who contacts you the most? How many people contact you? How central are you in your network? What are the topics of conversation in your network?

The metrics that can be derived from studying modern networking sites can be a goldmine for marketers. What are some applications?

Who is credit worthy?
Who is an opinion leader?
Who influences whom?
What are topics about which different individuals influence others?
The strenght of community bridges to pass ideas along to other communitities

How many times do we wonder where to place a message so that it has impact? Social networks are more powerful than "one-way" media because they reflect communication behavior. Social media marketing is about communities that go beyond geography.

The moral of the story is that there is a lot to come when it comes to network metrics.

Use of Social Networking Sites Among Diverse Cultural Groups in the US

2008-08-18T15:12:00.001-07:00

Social Media Marketing depends on the popularity of social networking sites. In the study referred to in my prior Blog we also asked our large multicultural sample of respondents to "please indicate the social networking sites you visit regularly." We listed MySpace, HI5, QuePasa, Habbo, Orkut, FaceBook, Friendster, Bebo, Classmates, WindowsLSpaces, Xanga, Flixter, Tagged, Netlog, Reunion, Broadcaster, Cyworld, MyHeritage, Friends, Reunited, Linkedin, BlackPlanet, and SecondLife. We also provided the option "none."

The chart below illustrates the preponderance of use of MySpace and FaceBook among these emerging minorities:

The first observation is that Non-Hispanic Whites, as in the prior blog, show a lower incidence in visiting these sites regularly when compared with the other cultural groups. Interestingly both popular sites fare best among Hispanics who prefere English and Asians than among anyone else. Hispanics who prefer Spanish and African Americans, however, are still more likely to visit these sites than Non-Hispanic Whites. Again, it is emerging minorities that are leading the future of the digital era in the United States.

The following Chart illustrates that culturally targeted sites do better among specific cultural groups:

Sites that have a preponderance of particular cultural groups, or who target specific cultural groups appear to do well with them. The International Site HI5 and QuePasa do realtively well with Hispanics who prefer Spanish. Friendster, populated by a larger number of Asian Americans does relatively well with Asians as compared with other cultural groups. African Americans are more frequently regular visitors of Black Planet. Thus, cultural targeting seems to have great potential among those who strongly identify with their culture. Interestingly, none of these sites seemed to do particularly well with Hispanics who prefer English or with Non-Hispanic Whites. In the case of Hispanics who prefer English this may be because there are few sites specifically catering to them.

Perhaps even more surprising is that members of all of these online cultural groups visit social networking sites with regularity as the following chart shows:

This last chart illustrates that very few individuals in any of these groups use none of the social networking sites we listed in the questionnaire. This emphasizes the importance that this new social medium has for most online consumers.

Social networking is growing fast and becoming very popular among most Americans. Emerging minorities, however, are leading the trend. Social Media Marketing efforts can capitalize on this knowledge to establish their brands and territories in these social circles.

The moral of the story is: Go market where people are associating with others, and become part of their socio-cultural identity. As culture is rooted in social interaction, brands can become part of these complex patterns of interaction.

Social Media and Emerging Minorities

2008-08-05T14:33:00.000-07:00

The new multicultural landscape of the United States is showing some interesting trends, at least with our recently collected data. The Florida State University Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication with the support of DMS Research (an AOL LLC Company), collected data in March of 2008 from a national online sample with over 500 cases in each of the following cultural groups: Hispanics who prefer English (HE), Hispanics who prefer Spanish (HS), Non-Hispanic Whites (NHW), African Americans (AA), and Asians (A) in the United States.

The results are quite interesting. When asked about how often individuals in these groups visit Social Networking sites like FaceBook and MySpace, the following distribution was obtained for TWO OR THREE TIMES A MONTH OR MORE OFTEN:

Hispanics who responded in English and Asians are the most avid users of Social Media with about 35% of them using these outlets 2 or 3 times per month or more often, while Non-Hispanic Whites are least likely to use these media with only 17% of them using them with similar frequency. Hispanics who responded in Spanish and African Americans are in between at about 25%.

What this new and original data seems to say is that emerging minorities are quite a bit more likely than the traditional mainstream of American society to be reachable with Social Media Marketing. It is fascinating that many traditional marketers still talk about "the General Market" when refering to Non-Hispanic Whites and seem to still orient most of their campaigns to this segment. It is revealing that it is precisely those who are not considered the mainstream are at the forefront of the use of Social Media, and apparently eager to participate in what it has to offer.

The lesson of the story is: Those who are forgotten may be your biggest opportunity.

Related links with additional resources:

http://hmc.comm.fsu.edu/

http://www.capturagroup.com/

Why Social Media Marketing to Reach Hispanics?

2008-08-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of talk about social media, user generated content, and Web 2.0. Marketing and outreach via social media to Hispanics is a very promising touchpoint. First let me clarify that we are not talking about the traditional field of social marketing in which the product is usually a social service, or a product that will improve the life of users with relatively little or no benefit to the one generating the message, like a health promotion campaign. Well, that is not what I am talking about here. I am talking about Social Media Marketing, like using LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, Blogger, Plaxo Pulse, or any other social media now visited online, to create brand awareness, product/service purchases, and perhaps brand loyalty and a continued brand relationship.

Social Media Marketing is particularly interesting in the case of Hispanics. After conducting several studies with different cultural groups online ( http://hmc.comm.fsu.edu/ ) we have discovered that Hispanics are particularly interested in new technology, having their own personal blogs and websites. This is likely due to the social nature of Hispanics who see Social Media as a way to keep in touch and maintain relationships. As these new technologies are important to Hispanics, Marketers and other entities who want to reach out to Hispanics online can set up their interactive sites in the multiple Social Media outlets available, and create buzz about something. Clearly, this has to be an attractive and useful site, but once a take-off point of interactivity has been reached, the site feeds itself and creates further enthusiasm about the brand, topic, product, etc.

Social Media Marketing is not expected to be solely attractive to Hispanics. Hispanics, nevertheless, have a strong propensity to affiliate and create networks. Now that interpersonal communication is moving from face-to-fact to virtual, Social Media marketing has great potential for creating legitimate emotional links, particularly among Hispanics.

A strategy for Social Media Marketing has to be carefully formulated, managed, and orchestrated to be effective. Companies like Captura Group ( http://www.capturagroup.com/ ) are examining the conceptual underpinning on the use of Social Media Marketing to create loyal following among Hispanic consumers.

On the Web everything is transparent. A company or entity cannot succeed with a Social Media Strategy by misleading consumers. Legitimacy and truthfulness are crucial for establishing long term relationships. That is the virtue of this new medium, that it is a legitimate way of creating long term, honest, relationships.

Interactivity on the Web is now making Social Media Marketing more power than television, radio, newspapers, and magazines ( http://hmc.comm.fsu.edu/ ). The future in marketing to Hispanics is here.

Of Hispanic Time, Calendars, and Tradition

2008-04-28T12:22:00.000-07:00

Latin American calendars are a cultural tradition that can provide an interesting marketing tool to marketers in the United States. The notion that time has different dimensions for Hispanics than for other cultural groups is relatively well known. There are those who talk about "Latin time" and those who talk about "mañana." "Mañana" or tomorrow represents how many of us, Hispanics, think about what we need to do in life.

Tomorrow is a great time management tool because it allows one to postpone all things that are not emergencies, thus piling huge numbers of activities into a very small tomorrow. Tomorrow presents interesting possibilities as those who expect things tomorrow may forget about them or the activity may have lost interest. Thus tomorrow saves effort because one does not waste time doing things that tomorrow will show are not important.

Now, calendars represent a related but more complex story. Latin American calendars are not just for providing the date and to keep us organized. They are cultural icons that symbolize how we feel about time. Latin American calendars display cultural and historic pictures in their pages. They illustrate the past and the pride associated with it. In many ways, calendars are decorations that we cherish as we try to pile things up into tomorrow. We can see how much more time we have for enjoying the present. Looking at the calendar gives us a glimpse of the past that we respect, celebrate the moment, and look at a "mañana" that is slow to come.

I remember growing up with calendars that the grocery store, the butcher shop, the phone company, the electric company, the shoe store, the restaurant, and others had given my family at the end of the year. These were presents given to us so that we would remember those nice merchants that helped us decorate our walls with so many images of our tradition, our tastes, and our cultural pride.

Traditional Latin American calendars can be of great marketing value in this modern era, where Hispanics are still proudly honoring the symbology of their culture, while most others are just rushing into the future. Large and small marketers can establish an emotional bond with Hispanics by providing them with these traditional calendars as tokens of appreciation. They serve as a continuous reminder that a specific business or brand thinks about us and shares with us the images of our culture.

I have come across http://www.latinworldcalendar.com/. An exploration of this site will provide good examples of the different types of art and motifs that Latin American calendars offer.

While time flies for so many people, it is good to have a traditional calendar that can help us keep time still for just a little while.

Identifying the core of the new and emergent multicultural society

2008-01-25T09:14:00.000-08:00

You have probably heard the expression "I am not from here or there," or in Spanish "no soy de aquí ni soy de allá." The core of the emergent multicultural society in the United States is composed of people who are not from here or from there. Most members of this emergent society, of most cultural minority backgrounds, do not fully share the cultural experience of their heritage, and they do not fully feel part of the traditional "American society." Thus, the cultural ambivalence they experience. It is being in between worlds, and in a synergistic way combining them.

Interestingly when members of these different cultures share the experience of "not being from here or there" they have something in common. It is a sense of being different, or sharing difference. That is what anthropologists (Ruth Hill Useem) have called third culture kids. Third culture because it is not the first culture or second culture that prevail in their minds, but the third culture of the experience of being different and mixing aspects of both.

The richness of the experience of being different appears to be the common denominator of diverse cultural groups in the US. In an interesting way, a country of immigrants has the intrinsic quality of deriving from a "third culture." Perhaps this heritage has been taken for granted in common discourse, and new emergent "minorities" are becoming the core of a new era in which being different is what makes us similar, one more time in history.

Not being from there or from here is perhaps the core of a brave new world.

Literature Insights for Hispanic Marketing

2007-10-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce that the Florida State University Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication released today a paper by Holly McGavock with my collaboration. This paper shows how insights from popular Latin American and US Hispanic literature can inspire marketing and advertising. This is an important first effort at systematizing the link between popular culture and marketing to US Hispanics. The full paper can be found at http://hmc.comm.fsu.edu/.

In McGavock’s words “Marketing messages are designed to travel to the consumer‘s heart and mind. Today, marketing communication is found everywhere, from subway walls to cell phones to internet sites to the television programs and movies we see on a daily basis. Consumers have learned, for the most part, how to tune out messages which don‘t appeal to or connect with them. Marketing, then, is becoming a much more sophisticated practice which requires practitioners to have an intimate knowledge of their consumers in order to connect with them on a deeper level. This is further evidenced by the increased presence of account planners in advertising agencies, whose job it is to find the insights in market research which help creatives make advertising which breaks through the clutter to reach consumers.

The same concept also applies to Hispanic marketing. For many years advertisers were able to sell their products simply by translating ―general market‖1 advertisements into Spanish and advertising on Spanish-language television networks. However, as spending in Hispanic marketing has grown, this market too has grown cluttered with advertisements, leading Hispanics in the US to feel overwhelmed by the number marketing messages and available information sources. Account planners are now popping up in the major Hispanic advertising agencies across the US. Their goal, like the goal of those in the general market, is to understand consumers and translate that understanding into insightful communication with consumers.

Much research has been done regarding the character, values and beliefs of US Hispanics. However, the search for insights requires looking for new and non-traditional sources of information. The culture of a people manifests itself in many different areas, all of which are of interest to marketers looking to understand consumers. Culture manifests itself in, among other things, traditions, clothes, music and literature. A closer examination of the literature of a people can reveal much about its culture. Furthermore, literature has the advantage of allowing the reader to experience the story as if he or she were actually a part of it. “

Old and New Media in the Multicultural Marketing Equation 2007

2007-09-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that The Florida State University Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication released today the first study of its 2007 series of reports on the Multicultural Marketing Equation. These studies conducted by Florida State University and DMS Research (an AOL LLC Company) highlight the commonalities and differences among major culturally unique groups in the United States in regards to important marketing issues. The first report of 2007 released today is entitled “Old and New Media Use.” It contrasts the use of television, radio, newspapers, and magazines with the use of the Internet, cell phones, and other new technologies by Hispanics who prefer English (HE), Hispanics who prefer Spanish (HS), African Americans (AA), Asians (A), and Non-Hispanic Whites (NHW).

I think this is a pioneer study because it emphasizes the complementarity between established and emerging media, and the degree to which the media habits are being driven by the soon to be new majority.

Key trends include:
Old media and new media share the attention of online consumers across different cultural groups. NHW tend to be laggards when it comes to new technologies while members of emerging minorities are venturesome and eager to explore. The typical alternative explanation for this is that these minorities are younger. This study, however, shows that after controlling for age, NHW continue to be laggards regardless of age.

The importance of the native language of consumers is evidenced in the degree to which A, HE, and HS use the media in a language other than English. They use these media in other languages proportional to their acculturation levels. That is not surprising per se but it does point to how the language of media offerings evolves and the importance that marketers have to place in going beyond language and more into connecting through other cultural avenues with these important emerging groups.

The report is available at http://hmc.comm.fsu.edu .

The study was conducted online with approximately 2500 respondents about equally divided by cultural/language group.

The Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University is a national hub for innovative research, education, and training of marketing professionals by means of a partnership between academia and industry. It is the primary source of knowledge and information about Hispanic marketing communication in the United States. The Center aims to promote a two way communication link between marketers and Hispanic customers.
Contact: Dr. Felipe Korzenny, (850) 644 8766

ROI in Hispanic Marketing

2007-08-14T14:18:00.001-07:00

I am fully in favor of having every investment return a profit. Not only a profit that is commensurate with the investment but better than other alternatives would have provided. Lately, however, ROI, or return on investment, has become a fixture in marketing parlance but it has been loosing force and significance. Looking at ROI, Costumer Lifetime Value, and other measures of profitability one notices that one needs to have a baseline or history, or one has to make assumptions.

That is the problem. In Hispanic marketing we need to make assumptions most of the time because we do not generally have historical data. ROI becomes a roadblock more than a value proposition in Hispanic Marketing programs. Why? Because lacking historical data, high level managers can also say that lacking substantive data to figure their return on investment they prefer the status quo. That is a sad state of affairs. ROI, can in fact become the argument against Hispanic marketing programs.

It is sort of a circular problem. Without prior data we cannot reliably calculate future return on investment, and without ROI calculations Hispanic marketing programs do not get funded. In my opinion marketing creativity suffers because of this. Most successful entrepreneurs follow their intuition when starting their ventures. It is also true that many fail. But without taking risks, how can anyone succeed.

My editorial is that we should always try to calculate how much a Hispanic marketing program can return to the company/brand, but when such calculation is more of a figment of our imagination than reality, then let us talk about entrepreneurship. Let us not stifle innovation and growth in a new marketing era because we can not come up with solid calculations. You know the story of the pendulum. ROI was totally ignored in the late 90's and now it is dogma. Should not there be a middle ground?

The New Hispanic Family

2007-06-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

Marketers are mystified by Hispanics in the United States. Many still use outdated segmentation approaches that depend exclusively on acculturation variables.

Why is acculturation segmentation becoming outdated? Because the largest wave of Hispanic immigration to the United States happened between 1980 and 2000, from 10 million to 40 million in twenty years. While growth has continued the portion due to immigration has slowed down and the portion due to births has surpassed immigration. That is why we are dealing now with a different Hispanic/Latino market.

While individuals still have different levels of language proficiency, the typical family has changed dramatically and with it the sources of information used by different family members. What does this family look like these days?

A typical Hispanic/Latino family these days has two to four children, depending on their family formation stage. The children are more likely than ever before to speak English at home, with friends, and at school, even if their parents prefer to speak Spanish. Depending on many factors the mother is more likely to prefer the Spanish language for communication, but is also likely to understand some English. The father, is likely to be proficient in English and can be also a Spanish speaker. A grandmother that lives with the family is most likely monolingual in Spanish. A cousin that recently arrived from Mexico or another country is also more likely to be dependent on the Spanish language.

Is this a complicated family? It is very complicated particularly for marketing purposes. Each of these family members will likely be exposed to commercial messages in different media and in different languages. They will have dinner together and talk about their experiences and the products they think are best. In some cases they will be confused because the messages some of them saw in English will be different from the messages some of them saw in Spanish. In other cases their decisions will be reinforced by the confluence of similar strategic messages coming from different sources.

Further, this family is more likely to be influenced by the children's opinions because they generally have a lot more access to messages from more diverse sources. The influence of kids can be fundamental in the adoption of a product or service particularly in this type of family. The credibility of children is augmented by their deeper knowledge of the consumer environment. It is as if children are subverting the traditional flow of influence in Hispanic families.

Should we start thinking about segmenting Hispanics/Latinos by type of family as opposed to by individual traits? Families with different lifestyles?

Planning Media for Hispanic Campaigns: The Challenge

2007-04-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

In 1980 there were about 10 million Hispanics in the US according to the US Census Bureau. In 1990 there were about 23 million, and 35.4 million in 2000. US Census Bureau estimates for July 2003 indicated that US Hispanics were about 40 million people. The explosive growth over the past 25 years has been fueled largely by immigration. Immigration to the US accelerated as economic conditions in Latin America deteriorated dramatically over the same period of time. Mexico, the key exporter of Hispanics to the US, has been the barometer of Hispanic immigration to the US. Mexicans largely define the shape, size, and profile of the US Hispanic market.

This explosive growth does not take into consideration the conservative estimate of the Pew Hispanic Center that has published estimates that there are 12 million undocumented individuals in the US in 2005, of which about 8 million are Mexican, and another 2 million are from other countries in Latin America. It is intuitive to those who have followed the development of the US market that these estimates should be undercounting the actual number of undocumented US Hispanics.

The US Census Bureau has engaged in an aggressive campaign to encourage undocumented residents of the US to complete census forms. Despite their good intentions and work, it is difficult to imagine that undocumented Hispanics would complete official census forms. If there are over 40 million Hispanics accounted for and potentially 10 million likely unaccounted for, it can be postulated that conservatively there can be about 50 million Hispanics in the US without counting Puerto Rico. That makes the US the second largest Hispanic country in the world behind only Mexico. The next most populous Hispanic country after the US is Colombia with an estimated 42 million and then Spain with about 40 million.

In addition to substantive numbers the Selig Center of the University of Georgia has estimated that the buying of US Hispanics in 2007 is over 863 billion dollars. The same organization has provided projections that in 2008 the buying power of US Hispanics is likely to reach one trillion dollars. This later figure will make the US Hispanic market more affluent that the entire country of Mexico and one of the largest economies of the world.But How Do You Reach Them?
These estimates and projections have made the US Hispanic market the subject of increased marketing attention. Also, these figures have energized the debate of how to reach these consumers.

Traditionally, the majority of the Hispanic marketing and media industries have reasonably argued that the Spanish language is the best way of reaching US Hispanics. The US Census Bureau and other sources have consistently shown that about 80% of US Hispanics are identified as speaking at least some Spanish at home. The reasoning has been that if Hispanic consumers largely speak Spanish at home, then the language in which they need to be approached with commercial messages should be Spanish. The reasons for this vary. Most importantly, if consumers depend on the Spanish language for communication and comprehension, then Hispanic consumers must be reached in Spanish.

There are also more subjective but equally important reasons. It has been argued that the language of the heart is Spanish because being it the language of the home it reaches emotional cords more directly than in the English language. A further argument is that Hispanics take pride in the Spanish language in recent times because it has become increasingly “cool” to be Hispanic. Hispanic parents now encourage their children to master the Spanish language because it makes young people proud of their heritage and more employable. In sum, it is largely accurate that the Spanish language among US Hispanics is now more than a tool for communication, it a symbol of cultural pride.

It Is Not That Spanish Is Not Important

The above are intuitive and logical arguments. The key problem is that new available data makes the assumption of widespread Spanish dependence less tenable. The key point to be made here is not that the Spanish language is not important, on the contrary. The point is that the assumption that Hispanics are only and primarily reached in Spanish needs to be re-addressed.

Despite all the common sense arguments, Hispanics, even those whose first language is Spanish say they watch about half their dose of weekly TV in English and half in Spanish (Yankelovich Multicultural Monitor 2003 in collaboration with Cheskin and Images USA). The US Census Bureau provides data that shows that over 70% of those who are designated as speaking Spanish at home also understand English well or very well. In Sum, a conservative estimate is that over 56% of Hispanics who speak at least some Spanish at home in the US may be reached in English. And there is the 20% that do not speak Spanish, thus close to 76% of all US Hispanics may be reachable in English.

While reaching specific groups of Hispanics in Spanish will continue to be important for a long time to come, media strategists need to start thinking differently. It is not just Spanish language media that reaches Hispanics. It would be illogical to think that despite overwhelming access to English language media and messages Hispanics just ignore them. Even in small markets there are many times more TV, radio, and print offering than Spanish language ones. While Hispanics are likely to have a strong affinity for their language, they look at what English language media has to offer. Thinking that Hispanics only look at Spanish language media would be unrealistic even in the case of those who depend on the Spanish language.

A Complex Media Planning Environment

In a complex media environment, the complexity of the media planning needs to correspond to consumer behavior. Hispanics “flip” channels and are curious about what is available in their media market. Many Spanish dependent Hispanics may watch English language media if for nothing else to learn English.

Talking about complexity, the Hispanic family will continue to increase in diversity of its internal language and other behavioral orientations. While the mother may be Spanish dependent, the father may be Spanish dominant but proficient in English. The grandmother may be totally Spanish dependent, and the two or three young children may speak Spanish at home but fluent English outside of the home. If this family is exposed to different messages depending on what they watch on traditional Spanish or English media they may have seen very different approaches and brand characterizations. If this family makes product decisions they talk to each other and each family member may come from a somewhat different perspective.

New and realistic approaches to the Hispanic market will need to consider the reality of the media environment of US Hispanics. Media planners will have to start thinking about cross-language strategies. Some may place Spanish language messages in English language media. Some may place English language messages in Spanish language media. Others may find it more relevant to place English language messages in English media when targeting specific groups of Hispanics. Many may combine their approaches and should have consistent and culturally relevant messages in both Spanish and English language media, in their respective languages. This latter approach is geared to providing positioning consistency for Hispanics who are exposed to both media.

The communication strategist should not be bound by dogma but by pragmatism. The strategist has the mission of reaching Hispanics with the complete palette of alternative and complementary media. The Spanish language will continue to be very important for US Hispanics and US society in general. Still marketing communications need to acknowledge the duality of life of US Hispanics. Media outlets will need to diversify their offerings to serve Hispanics, and advertisers, in both languages. Mun2 is an example of how a media group understands the diversity of the market and the need to reach different segments with different approaches and different languages.Challenges For Market Research
Market research focusing on Hispanics will have to account for linguistic and media exposure diversity. This is a very difficult task because consumers typically have a hard time remembering where they have seen ads and promotions. Still, this is a challenge that the research industry needs to raise to. The key question is: What is the media and cultural environment where different Hispanic segments obtain their information and consumer guidance? Other research issues that need to be addressed include:

a. For those Hispanics exposed to both, Spanish and English language media, what is the relative emotional weight of the messages received in each medium?

b. What is the impact of the influence of different family members, with different linguistic abilities and preferences, on the ultimate decision to buy cars, homes, financial products, etc.

c. How do consumers process discrepancies between messages for the same brand when the product is differently communicated in Spanish and in English?

Market strategy that addresses these issues will have important implications for Hispanic marketing in the US, and for cross-cultural marketing everywhere where marketing must operate in multicultural environments.

Some of the ideas in this article are further elaborated in the book Hispanic Marketing: A Cultural Perspective by Felipe Korzenny, Ph.D. and Betty Ann Korzenny, Ph.D. published by Butterworth Heinemann/Elsevier in August 2005.

Hispanic Health Care Considerations

2007-03-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

Lower socio-economic levels, underemployment, and knowledge about the functioning of US culture are key contributors to lower levels of health care among US Hispanics. In general we have found the following patterns of behavior related to health care:
1. Cynicism regarding the health care establishment. Many Hispanics delay or avoid medical care indicating that for the amount of money they pay the medical establishment they get remedies they already know about and can acquire over the counter. Some state that making appointments, going to a doctor’s office, and a long wait at the office, and a high fee often results in getting some aspirin and a recommendation to rest. These patients state they did not need to go through all that to get the prescribed treatment.
2. Traditional remedies have high credibility. Many Hispanics have learned via the cultural traditions of their families and friends that there are ways of dealing with health problems that Western medicine does not recognize. For example, the “empacho” is a digestive problem among Mexicans caused by food that “gets stuck” in the stomach. The remedy consists in pulling the sufferer’s back skin to release the “stuck food.” Many other health practices like these exist and the medical establishment does not understand these and try to discredit them. The unfortunate result of attempting to discredit these practices is that the physician or nurse loose their credibility by doing so. Knowing how to address these belief systems is fundamental to appropriate health care of Hispanics.
3. As Hispanics immigrate to the United States they acquire food habits that contribute to obesity and lack of exercise. These behavioral changes tend to exacerbate propensities to illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Proper health education is lacking.
4. Lack of health insurance by over 40% (HOT study of People en Español) of US Hispanics is simply related to employment status. Large numbers of US Hispanics work in agricultural, construction, and service occupations that do not provide health insurance. Further, the fact that currently health care insurers and employers continue to increase the payment that the insured most pay to include his/her family acts as a disincentive to acquiring coverage.
5. Lower levels of income contribute to postponing medical attention and that contributes to aggravated health problems and more visits to emergency rooms. Overall, this syndrome makes Hispanics a particularly vulnerable health care target. Education of both consumers, employers, and the medical establishment is fundamental in advancing the level of health care of Hispanics. Ultimately “mente sana en cuerpo sano” or healthy mind in a healthy body is a well established proverb in the Hispanic community.

Advertising to US Hispanics with Creative from Latin America

2007-01-18T13:17:00.000-08:00

I come from a behavioral perspective when it comes to advertising. For me if an ad does not sell, it is not a good ad, regardless of how many awards it gets.

It is interesting that by claiming that there is not enough talent in the United States, Hispanic Advertising agencies are starting companies or subcontracting creative work in Latin America.

That is interesting because the principle of understanding the audience of the message gets distorted with this logic. How can a creative in Buenos Aires know how Hispanic teens in Los Angeles live and feel about themselves? How can a creative in Caracas know how Puerto Ricans in New York enjoy products and services?

Not that these creatives are not good at what they do, but how can they communicate effectively without knowing their audience. Just because they speak Spanish they are not necessarily adept at understanding the specific psycho-socio-cultural characteristics of Hispanics in the US.

I am not trying to say that Latin American creatives cannot get to do good advertising for US Hispanics, but the probability of that being so is not very high. They may get awards and distinctions with their creativity but will they help sell products to an audience they do not know well?

That is why having more Hispanics/Latinos in the US educated in Marketing and Advertising is of great importance. These individuals are more likely to have an intuition for the markets they will serve. Still, the general rule is that being Hispanic/Latino or Latin American does not make someone an expert on US Hispanic consumers. It is the study of the culture and lifestyles of US Hispanic consumers that can contribute to good advertising. Good US Hispanic account planning and creative work requires prior knowledge of the culture and also requires research and understanding of the intersection of the product/brand with the culture.

The moral of the story: Going far away for your messages can get you far away from your consumers

New Television and US Hispanics

2006-12-23T06:47:00.000-08:00

Television networks have for a long time ignored social trends. Slowly they have seen their share eroding as alternative media channels become more relevant in people's lives. It is interesting that Desperate Housewives have claimed a large viewership that includes many US Hispanics. Its obvious sex appeal makes it relevant to many people. But also it is its diversity and the extent to which the audience can see themselves in the screen.

Identification with characters in entertainment has been known, for a long time, to make a difference in attracting audiences. Nevertheless, television networks, perhaps concerned with losing their mainstay audience, did not seem to notice that society and their audience had changed dramatically. Not only have they been ignoring their growing audiences at the expense of their dwindling past fans, but they had not noticed that new even what they call the "mainstream" had changed its taste in favor of what is "cool." And "Latino" has been increasingly "cool." Ugly Betty, a show that started in Spanish language TV in Spanish several years ago now it is shown in English by ABC to the delight of many diverse audiences. The universal value of a woman who appears to be ugly but that is "beautiful," is relevant to many, and interestingly, it has cultural nuances relevant to US Hispanics.

The new Hispanic audience for television is not focusing on the Spanish language exclusively. It is focusing on cultural relevance. "General" audiences enjoy seeing others who are "cool" that also reflect universal values. We shall not wait too long to see more of what the industry calls "cross-over" appeal.

The old shows targeted to Hispanics, largely from Latin America, had ignored the new identify of Hispanics in the US. New and successful entertainment needs to reflect the life of US Hispanics as it is here, not there. This is the new "New World."

Online course on Hispanic Marketing

2006-12-01T08:19:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to announce the first course on Hispanic Marketing Communication online.

Beginning in January 2007, an online course in Hispanic Marketing Communication will be offered by the Florida State University Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication. The center, headed by Dr. Felipe Korzenny, is pioneering education in Hispanic Marketing in the US.Dr. Korzenny states “we are proud to satisfy the demand of many marketers in US industry that have requested an online course in Hispanic Marketing Communication. This is the first online offering of its kind and will make the content of our on-campus courses available to anyone in the world with an interest in the subject.”The course is available to anyone interested and is particularly recommended for professionals currently addressing the Hispanic market, or those who would like to start a Hispanic marketing initiative. The online course is also available to Florida State University students not currently residing in the Tallahassee campus.

The course duration is of fifteen weeks (classes begin January 8 and end April 20) and includes topics such as language use, Hispanic cultural insights for marketing, and case studies relating to Hispanic marketing. The course will also address research and marketing strategies.
A certificate of completion will be issued to all who satisfactorily complete the course, and eligible students can receive three hours of undergraduate/continuing education credit.

THOSE INTERESTED ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY IMMEDIATELY AS REGISTRATION IS LIMITED. REGISTRATION IS OPEN NOW!

For application information contact Ashley Smith at advising@campus.fsu.edu or by phone at 850-644-8004.
To see the course description visit our webpage http://hmc.comm.fsu.edu/onlinecoursedescription.htm

About the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication
The U.S. Hispanic marketing industry has experienced dynamic growth and a consequent need for trained professionals. Most advertising, public relations agencies, and marketing organizations encounter difficulties filling their Hispanic marketing positions. It is for these reasons that Dr. Felipe Korzenny founded the Center for the Study of Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University in 2004. Currently, the Center is the first of its kind in the U.S. Recognizing the immediate need for professionals trained in Hispanic Marketing Communication, the Center has developed the following main goals, which are to:
Train students to serve the Hispanic marketing industry,
Train professionals who currently serve the Hispanic public in the U.S.,
Conduct relevant research to further the understanding of the Hispanic market, and
Serve as a source of knowledge about the Hispanic Market for industry professionals.

Hewlett Packard trying harder to reach Hispanics

2006-12-01T08:06:00.000-08:00

Great to know that Hewlett Packard is placing a stronger effort in reaching out to US Hispanics. They have a new Spanish language website, bilingual sales representatives, Spanish language sales materials, and is even placing Spanish speaking employees at certain retailers to explain products. Those are steps in the right direction, particularly because those less likely to have computers and Internet access are more likely to be Spanish dominant.

One approach that I have been a proponent of is to reach out to the Spanish speaking community instead of waiting for them to come to you. That is something HP is not yet doing, or anyone else that I am aware of. Those less likely to purchase computers are also less likely to go shopping for them because they do not understand the usefulness of these machines.

My proposal is to have "Tupperware" like parties but with computers instead of plastic containers in the homes of consumers. In this context, those consumers that are still reluctant to enter the computer and Internet era, can examine in a stress free environment the usefulness of the machines. They can connect to websites in their countries of origin, chat with relatives, and in general come to the realization that computers and the Internet are useful for them. I bet that many Spanish dominant Hispanics would purchase computers in this type of sales environment. To reach out to those who are hard to reach, one goes to them as opposed to waiting for them to come to us.

Immigration and Hispanic Consumer Behavior

2006-11-22T09:51:00.000-08:00

Every 8 to 10 years the issues of undocumented immigration to the US resurfaces. Being it that most of the undocumented immigrants come from Latin America, and particularly Mexico, then the attention has been focused on them. There is no question that immigration policy is important and that it also important that businesses have the workforce they need. Also, it is important that those who want to work in the US can do it without risking their lives in a legal and orderly way. But this is not the core of this posting.

The focus is on the implications for consumer behavior that is affected by the immigration discourse and political ping-pong. Attention becomes focused on Latin American immigrants and even those who have all their documents in order or are US citizens many times become discriminated against because of suspicion and resentment. Those who have dark skin and who have accents become suspect. Common reactions to this marginalization is to stay home and to avoid much public attention. If this is the case, then online activities among Hispanic should be further enhanced by the privacy that online world offers.

Further, brands and marketers that elevate the self-esteem of Hispanics in the US are now in a perfect position to establish lasting relationships with them. Recognizing Hispanics for their important contributions to the economy, and also to the history of the US, are aspects that marketers can use to further their presence in Hispanic communities.

Marketing is about forging long lasting relationships. This is an important time for marketers to be proactive in elevating the self-esteem of Hispanic consumers and at the same time elevating the esteem of their brands.

The Multicultural Marketing Equation

2006-11-17T21:37:00.000-08:00

The Multicultural Marketing Equation -- http://hmc.comm.fsu.edu -- a newly released study, documents how our diverse society is likely to evolve in terms of media and technology usage. The study substantiates the surprising fact that emerging minorities are leading the technology adoption curve. And not only are they the pacers of new technology adoption and use, but they are quite different in their values and attitudes.

This is a moment in History that appears to be defining a culturally diverse and different future. Marketers wishing to be at the forefront need to learn about how these emerging minorities are shaping the future of consumer thinking.