Hispanics have graduated from niche to mainstream. Already the largest minority group in the U.S., the Hispanic community is growing at four times the rate of the rest of the
population. In fact, with 35 million Hispanics, the U.S. now boasts the fifth largest Spanish speaking population in the world.
Nevertheless, many businesses continue to miss the mark with their Hispanic PR efforts. Their approach of simply translating existing messages and materials into Spanish,
combined with attending an event or two, doesn't cut it. Rather, the most successful Hispanic PR initiatives are the result of careful upfront homework, tight integration with
other functional efforts and sustained investment.
Although there are a few notable exceptions in select segments, for the most part the Hispanic population has been marketed to far less than the overall population. This
relative lack of marketing clutter should allow your company's targeted efforts, if well conceived and executed, to find a more receptive Hispanic audience, both in terms of
message take-up and brand identity.
Fueled by the growth of the Hispanic market, the number of Hispanic-centric communication vehicles has exploded in the last five years. PR Newswire estimates that the number of
Hispanic-oriented media outlets has increased by 30% since 2000. New outlets are emerging weekly. Dallas, for example, now has two competing Spanish dailies and a number of
English language dailies have introduced weekly Spanish-language supplements. The largest growth, however, is now seen in smaller cities with growing Hispanic populations and in
outlets targeting special interest sub-segments.
The good news for PR professionals is that the explosion of Hispanic media has created a strong demand for well-crafted, relevant Spanish language content. This demand creates
a ready audience for high quality, Hispanic-centric PR programs that provide clear benefits to both the media providers and their consumers. For maximum impact, keep the following
guidelines in mind when developing your Hispanic PR strategy:
- Tailor your pitch to the target community. Professionals generally rate the Hispanic media as more responsive than the mainstream media. But to be really heard in the
hubbub of the Hispanic media newsroom, a press release should be in Spanish with in-market examples (e.g. case studies, customer quotes) pitched by a native speaker. - Consider the nuance of language. While formal business Spanish written by a native speaker is fine for most efforts, highly localized radio and grassroots efforts may probably
fare better when local idioms and reference points are used. And "English dominant" Hispanics may actually respond better to Hispanic PR efforts that are delivered primarily in
English. - "Trans-create" versus translate. Simply translating your message into Spanish is a recipe for disaster. It must also be "in-culture." This potentially includes country of
origin, buying habits, economic strata and preference for Spanish versus English language - or vice versa. - Integrate your actions. Across the board, the greatest mistake most companies make is the failure to fully integrate their entire range of initiatives within a target market.
True integration includes strategically delivering a consistent Hispanic-specific message across various marketing mediums to reach your target demographic, and ensuring that your
organization can adequately deal with the in-language response and prospect/customer needs. - Pursue grassroots and community-based initiatives. Find ways to get involved in your target Hispanic communities at the grassroots level. The highly concentrated community and
a cultural preference for face-to-face meetings make sporting events, fairs and local organization events great platforms for Hispanic PR efforts. - Demonstrate a commitment to the long haul. Sudden, one-off converts to the Hispanic community are often viewed with suspicion.
- Partner and promote your association with Hispanic organizations. Demonstrating your desire to partner rather than dominate the Hispanic market is critical to your acceptance
as a member of the Hispanic community. - Create and utilize proprietary research that speaks to market issues. Beatriz Helguero, senior manager of marketing at Nextel, recalls that when she held a similar position
at AOL, they had tremendous success researching and promoting the AOL Cyberstudy. "It was because we weren't pitching AOL per se, but we were explaining what our research found
about the community. It showed our interest and that we were giving something back." - Don't forget about TV and Radio. According to a 2002 study by Yankelovich Partners, nearly 9 out of 10 Hispanics watch television in Spanish and 80% listen to Spanish language
radio. Well-produced, educationally oriented video news releases offer an excellent means of reaching Hispanic consumers.
The bottom line is that the Hispanic market is a vibrant, growing segment that may prove more responsive than the general market to certain messages and tactics. And for many
companies, that represents a huge growth opportunity in an otherwise stagnant market. But to successfully capture the Hispanic opportunity, companies must be willing to invest
their time, resources and intellectual capital to build their bridge, link by link, to the Hispanic community.
Contact: J. Mark Carr is a partner in CMG Partners, LLC., a sales and marketing consulting firm specializing in helping businesses uncover and exploit market opportunities.
Carr can be reached at 800.688.1803, [email protected]