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October 2007

Top Five Tips for Reaching the Growing Hispanic Market

At 14 percent of the U.S. population, Hispanics are growing both in numbers and in purchasing power. Hispanics controlled roughly $653 billion in 2003. By 2008, their purchasing power will top one trillion dollars, so currying favor for your product or company can boost sales in a big way. Here are some things to consider when reaching out to the Hispanic population.


The term “Hispanic” or “Latino” denotes a person with ancestral ties to a Spanish speaking country of America. With more than 20 countries represented across several generations, one message or technique will not fit all. Researching and picking a demographic will help you better craft value-based messages.

According to a report released by Nielsen in 2007, Hispanics tend to view shopping as a family activity in which they have fun taking part. It is about the experience of shopping, not just purchasing a product – as compared to non-Hispanics who tend to see shopping as a chore. By creating value-based messages in line with wholesome family activities, marketers may be better able to gain the attention of Hispanic consumers.

Leading Hispanic Dailies


Roughly 75 percent of Hispanics speak only English or are bilingual with English as the preferred language. Whether you chose to target recent immigrants or second and third generation Hispanics will determine language preference. Even so, there are best practices for reaching the 28 million people in the U.S. who comfortably speak the Spanish language.
 
  1. Pick the techniques that work — Media relations and direct mail are two strong performers. Interestingly enough, radio listening is very popular. According to Laura Sonderup, director of Heinrich Hispanidad, Hispanics spend an average of 26-30 hours a week listening to the radio – 13% more than the rest of the population.
 
  2. Target key Spanish language media — The most common concern for Hispanics is the lack of media addressing their culture and areas of interest – specifically in terms of Internet and social media. The truth of the matter: there were roughly 7,693,000 Hispanic Internet users as of 2006. According to a survey conducted by Vizu and Ad Age Magazine, 43 percent of Spanish speaking respondents read 10+ blogs regularly, compared to 16.7 percent of English speakers who read 10+ blogs regularly. This is contrary to popular opinion that Hispanics don’t frequent the Internet and other forms of social media.
 
  3. Avoid using automated translations to target Hispanics — The results they produce aren’t always accurate or culturally correct. Instead, select qualified translators who are sensitive to the Hispanic culture and know how to convey your messages appropriately.
 
  4. Plan media outreach and monitor the results — Once you’ve decided to market to the Hispanic population, identify Spanish language publications, journalists, and bloggers. Then monitor your results to see how your messages are playing.
 
  5. Use what you’ve learned to refine future campaigns — As with any other campaign or marketing strategy, learn from what works and tailor your campaigns and messages accordingly.

Leading Hispanic Magazines


Reaching out to a new market demographic, especially when your targets speak another language, may seem a bit daunting. At the very least, you’ll need media lists and monitoring services that cover the Hispanic segment. You might also decide to enlist the aid of experienced people to help get you started. Partnerships with Hispanic marketing agencies are one possible solution. They employ qualified individuals who are experts in Hispanic language and culture.


Let BurrellesLuce be your source for media outreach and monitoring. We cover more U.S. media than anyone else, and we currently monitor 243 Spanish language print publications – including three major daily newspapers from Puerto Rico. Identify and reach Spanish language journalists, bloggers, and media sources with BurrellesLuce Media Contacts.

At BurrellesLuce, our goal is to help media relations professionals maximize the benefits of their media relations programs. Whether it’s making it easier for you to target and connect with journalists and bloggers, monitor your print, web and broadcast media coverage, or measure the impact of media relations efforts, our single web-based platform helps you produce meaningful results.

For more information, please visit www.burrellesluce.com.

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