SEGMENTATION
segmentation
Acculturation Marketing to U.S. Hispanics requires understanding role of acculturation Experts say effective marketing campaigns must consider range of culturally rooted traits, values and behaviors of Hispanics What is acculturation? Acculturation is the process by which individuals of one cultural group, typically a minority group and often an immigrant group, adopts elements of the larger culture/community. This process may include the adoption of the larger culture’s attitudes, values, customs, beliefs and behaviors. For some groups, this may also include changes in language preference. Fundamental to acculturation is its distinction from assimilation, which is the total adoption of the larger culture at the cost or dismissal of the original cultural traits. Individuals who are in the process of acculturation may or may not ever totally discard key elements of their culture of origin. In fact, it is most common to develop a blended existence where some elements are maintained.
Examples of acculturation in play…. Because acculturation happens at an individual level and over a period of time, it can manifest in a gradual manner. A recent immigrant to a foreign country may hold on fiercely to their home country (native) culture yet adapt some new shopping behavior by visiting supermarkets instead of the local corner market in their neighborhood. The children of that same immigrant may more aggressively adopt elements of the new culture by following new celebrities and fashion, adapting new foods and language quite quickly.
Why does acculturation matter? The traits, values and behaviors of one’s native culture are filters that impact comprehension of communications. Messages that are not relevant cannot resonate, which seriously reduces the effectiveness of a marketing campaign. For marketers, careful attention to both language and acculturation are essential to success. Since a large share of the Hispanic population in the U.S. will continue to be new immigrants and their second generation children, the acculturation process may not happen has quickly or as thoroughly as with past immigrant groups. Marketers need to be acutely aware that both language and acculturation matter when crafting marketing strategies. Marketers must shift their focus from thinking about whether Hispanics can understand their advertising to creating campaigns that speak to the heart of the Hispanic consumer in the U.S. (Nielsen 2013).
How to measure acculturation? Measuring acculturation can be complicated because it is not automatic and not linear – some consumer behaviors acculturate faster than others and the process of acculturation does not take place at the same rate with every person.
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