Capture a Key Market: U.S. Hispanics

By Stephanie Baca, S. Baca Consulting

Hispanics have established themselves as a consumer group not to be ignored. Representing approximately 45 million people, the U.S. Hispanic population ranks third in the world of Hispanic populations. As the fastest-growing minority group in the country, Hispanics represent a market you should  get to know if you haven’t already done so. And if you are doing business in any of the top 10 U.S. markets, chances are Hispanics are already an important part of your consumer base and you might not even know it.

To garner business from this burgeoning consumer group, it’s essential that you develop a Hispanic marketing campaign. Most companies have a general advertising program in place before they introduce a Hispanic version. Typically, these specialized campaigns are introduced in Spanish (although there are bilingual and English-language campaigns that are successfully targeted to U.S. Hispanics). When embarking on a Spanish-language marketing effort, there are three ways to go: adaption, translation, or reinvention. All three strategies require an analysis of both your company’s Hispanic consumer and its current marketing strategy.

Translation. When translating an existing English-language campaign directly into Spanish, you first must determine whether the marketing and creative strategies are aligned with those in the English campaign. In this case, the consumer in English and the consumer in Spanish consume the product similarly and are motivated to buy in the same ways. The only significant difference is the language they prefer to speak. The marketing message, tagline, and advertising are simply translated literally into Spanish.

Adaptation. In this scenario, your company has agreed that the creative strategy crosses over to its Hispanic audience, but realizes that its current marketing messages do not resonate with the customer when spoken in Spanish. The message may not mean anything to the consumer when translated literally, or it may lack the emotional connection when using Spanish words. To keep the intent of the strategy, you must develop a new creative execution in Spanish.

Wells Fargo’s past Abriendo Caminos campaign is an example of an adapted campaign. The company’s English-language version, The Next Stage, was developed into Abriendo Caminos (Opening Roads) in Spanish after determining that a direct translation did not convey the message of innovation and advancement that the metaphor “next stage” implies in English. Abriendo Caminos is a poetic reference used in Spanish literature that symbolizes much of the same sentiment that “next stage” conveys in English.

Reinvention. In the case of reinvention, neither your creative strategy  nor your marketing message holds true for the Hispanic audience. The motivators for both audiences differ; family for the Spanish-speaking consumer, for example, and money for the English-speaking consumer. If the English message is translated directly, the creative may be offensive or nonsensical. In this instance, it is best to create a Spanish-language campaign from scratch, based on specific insights, buying patterns, and motivations unique to the Hispanic audience.

The widely recognized Got Milk campaign was based on a popular strategy centered on deprivation (people couldn’t have their cookies, etc. without their milk). For the Hispanic audience, it was discovered that lacking milk was not humorous but disconcerting based on various cultural nuances. Also, translating “got milk” literally into Spanish meant something different: “Are you lactating?” As a result, the California Milk Processors Board deemed it necessary to create a unique Spanish-language tagline that was based on a different strategy from deprivation.

To determine which strategy is best for your company, consider the following questions:

• Is your English-language consumer the same as your Spanish-language consumer?
• Does your creative message make sense in Spanish?
• Does your marketing message change when translated into Spanish?

Whichever strategy is the right one for your company, the benefits in deciding to dedicate resources and communicate with your Spanish speaking consumer are two-fold. Your Hispanic customers will regard you highly for doing so, and your business will reap the rewards.

Stephanie Baca is a recognized and respected professional in the Hispanic marketing industry. She is the founder of S. Baca Consulting (www.sbacaconsulting.com), a marketing consultant firm that works with companies to build brand blueprints and marketing strategies to effectively and efficiently reach the U.S. Hispanic consumer. She offers a wide range of communication, strategic planning, and training services, and serves as an industry expert at seminars and conferences. She can be reached at 310-780-7861 or stephanie@sbacaconsulting.com.