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The (ignored) social power of Hispanics online.
MINORITY REPORT By LUIS MARTINEZ
A
ll too often we hear of the
transformative properties of social media. It is what allowed Barack Obama to capture the youth vote and propel himself into the White House. It’s how modern-day advertisers choose to introduce new products and services. Simply put, social media is how people communicate in an ever-growing and changing world. Thus, it makes perfect sense for marketers to go online, particularly on social networking sites, to reach consumers with spending power. There is, however, one lingering question. Though I have seen an increasing amount of advertisements on television, on Hulu, and on Facebook – where is the pitch for Hispanics? Latinos make up about 10% of the American population, a number that will keep growing in the coming decade, and one that will have an increasingly significant role to play on industry trends. Latinos are also a group that is quickly gaining economic and commercial prominence and more purchasing power. AOL’s annual advertising summer research in 2009 showed that Hispanic users were more likely than in previous years to go online to make purchases, with over 80% of them being engaged in social media. With this sort of potential influence and power in the market sphere, why are advertisers not trying to reach out? 4
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A majority of US companies, 78% to be exact, said in 2009 that they had not utilized social media to reach out to Latino consumers, with 38% percent justifying such neglect due to a lack of return on their initial investment, and only 21% of them citing budgetary limitations as a reason for not engaging Hispanic communities. This is outrageous. The online population is filled with young, and to an extent, impressionable consumers that if marketed to, will be more likely to try out a particular product or service. The same definitely holds for young Latino audiences and it would be a shame for any company to not attempt to gain solid footing with the fastest-growing population in this nation. One often hears about the power of the Hispanic vote, and of Democrats and Republicans fiercely fighting for this vote. Latinos as a group is one that is quickly and effectively assimilating and taking a lead in shaping the culture of the United States, but at the same time is one that is still finding an identity within the greater context of this nation, its values, and ideals. It’s for this reason that they represent and exciting opportunity for politics. It’s for this reason that they represent an exceptional opportunity for companies looking to expand their market share and horizons. Yes, there are obstacles in
appealing to a group that is in itself quite diverse and constantly changing. Perhaps there’s a bit of wisdom in companies waiting to see the final shape that the Latino population takes on the American tradition. However, I would argue that while this may seem like a great idea on the surface, it’s the sort of tactic that will yield little to no results in the long term, as those willing to take the “risk” to advertise to Hispanics today will be rewarded for their dedication and interest in the Latino population. Some challenges include dealing with the many intricacies and differences that exist between Hispanic subgroups and dealing with the question of bilingualism. To the latter, I quickly point out that almost 60% of Latinos in the United State prefer to speak English, and that even a greater number than considers themselves bilingual, so I am convinced that this shouldn’t even be much of a concern. Now incorporating culture, Hispanic audiences, prefer an incorporation of their strong family values, religious ties, and nationalism brought into the advertising pitch. The thing that brings me the greatest annoyance is watching a television commercial that is clearly dubbed over from the English edition. My favorite ones have been from American companies, but ones that have invested significant resources to incorporate Latino figures, values,
and culture into their messaging, and yes, there’s much diversity. Even with my friends, the cultural differences between someone from El Salvador and someone from Mexico are impressive and, at times, quite substantial. However, if political candidates can engage in the short of micro-polling that allows people to analyze the voting patterns of a white mother of three who makes about $60,000 a year, I’m sure that we can work together to figure out a way to tell English from Spanish, and Columbian from Cuban, apart. The Hispanic population is growing, and it’s online influence is growing as well. While the average increase in internet use increased was three percent in 2009 among the general population, among Latinos it grew at closer to 7.5%, more than double most other groups. Latinos purchase the same things as anyone else: financial services, travel, health supplies, clothing, electronics, media, and so on. Those that have made the effort to see this growth as opportunity shouldn’t be commended for seeing the obvious, but should be congratulated for beating the majority of their competitive peers towards establishing relationships with a growing political, social, and economic force. To everyone else, it would be unwise to continue ignoring such a growing trend for much longer. 10.21.10 • The Harvard Independent