Marketers reaching out to Hispanic consumers often wonder about which variant of Spanish to use in their communications: Mexican Spanish? Cuban Spanish? Puerto Rican? In the latest edition of “Hispanic Marketing 101” from Latino Print Network, two experts argue that the variation of Spanish used is less important than whether Spanish is used at all.
Marcela Miguel Berland and Frank Gomez, partners in New York-based research and strategic communications firm LatinInsights, note that major U.S. Spanish-language broadcasters such as Univision and Telemundo “have no difficulty communicating effectively using good Spanish that is understood by all listeners and viewers.”
If you are targeting a specific geographic market, you may want to modify your communications to appeal to the majority of the Hispanics there. In El Paso and San Antonio, TX, for instance, most of the Hispanics are of Mexican origin; in Miami, most are Cuban.
But Berland and Gomez also say that because roughly half of all Hispanics are “English-dominant…an advertiser who wants to reach the largest audience would be well advised to use” both English and Spanish.
A segment of the Hispanic market that Berland and Gomez dub “bi-bi’s”—bilingual, bicultural, 18- to 35-year-olds—feel that Latino advertising addresses only older Hispanics. Communicating in English is a way to ensure the younger Hispanics that you are aware of what differentiates them from their elders; using Spanish as well, say Berland and Gomez, “tells the consumer, ‘This company knows me and cares about me.’ Whether it is this segment or the market as a whole,” they continue, “both languages offer the best approach.”
