Shanu Singh Guliani

Catering to the Hispanic Market
July 13, 2007

Did you know…approximately 38 million Hispanics live in the United States, according to 2002 Census Bureau estimates? It does not refer to a race of people, but rather is a term that clumps a conglomeration of ethnicities into one ethnic classification. Members of these ethnicities come from 20 different countries who once here in the U.S. refer to themselves as Hispanic or Latino, Michelle Moran.

Hispanics control about $653 billion in spending power, and that number is expected to top $1 trillion by 2008, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia in Athens.

So, how do you cater specifically to Hispanics? To bring your company’s offerings to a new demographic market, consider these tips:

1. Consider subtle changes in your advertising—such as ads with entire family members including grandparents and cousins, cooking and eating within the home which notes the cultural celebrations and large family influence.
2.  Try using Spanglish—English mixed with Spanish words or phrases in your marketing (whether it is TV, radio, or print).
3. Offer all marketing materials in English and Spanish.
4. Hire bilingual employees.
5. If you’re a retailer of food, jewelry, clothing, etc—partner with a manufacturer in a Latin American country to distribute its products here in the United States. For example, in the jewelry industry many new and exciting designs are coming from Brazil. Because we want to cater to this growing demographic we often have trunks shows where the designer comes in and talks about his/her designs. Being that many or our customers are Latin Americans the designers can relate culturally and in turn these manufacturers help increase sales.

Posted by Shanu Singh Guliani on July 13, 2007 | Comments (0)