Thinking About Hispanic PR in the US

By Sandy -
Recently I have had the pleasure of working on three different Hispanic/Latin American PR assignments.  I met some really terrific people and learned a lot about the industry.

The importance of marketing to Hispanics has been well established by their population (50,500,000 in the US) and their purchasing power (estimated to be 1.5 trillion by 2015). But from what I learned during these searches, corporate leadership hasn’t quite woken up to the aroma of their Latin American brew.

Right now, Hispanic marketing accounts for only about 5-6% of marketing budgets.  But considering that every 60 seconds 2 Non-Hispanics reach retirement age and one Hispanic turns 18, this is sure to change.
  
The business model supporting it has to change as well.  For one thing,  Hispanic PR executives are clearly earning less than average.  Hispanic PR is generally handled outside -- even the biggest companies with mature Hispanic PR campaigns go to an outside firm.  In several cases I found consultants who handled all the Hispanic PR for a brand, but were not part of the company.  That's gotta change.

The rich and varied Hispanic cultures are experiencing unprecedented growth in the US.  They are loyal and passionate patrons and it's just a matter of time before the marketing chiefs will embrace it fully. In my opinion, it can't happen soon enough.

 Some interesting facts about the Hispanic Markets:
  • Latinos now surpass whites as the largest ethnic group in CA
  • 98% of Hispanics consider themselves sports fans
  • Over 60% of the US Hispanic population is under 35
  • The Hispanic consumption patterns do not necessarily mirror that of other consumers
  • Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic segment in the US.
  • Hispanics contributed 60% of our populaton growth


Comments

Unknown said…
This is a great post. True, the importance of the Hispanic market is growing, although in my opinion, it's not growing fast enough. Ad and marketing firms I feel have adapted and opened their doors wider and quicker than PR firms have. And I am living proof: I believed my move from Costa Rica to the US would be much more solid and a job would pop-up quicker, but it hasn't, even though I come from American parents and I am 100% bilingual. It just seems my professional background and education (with confidence I can say my resume can stand up to that of any US professional) makes firms/agencies a little jumpy or they just don't feel I could handle the ''US professional requirements'' like someone sometime mentioned.
Anyway, getting back on the subject, the Hispanic market is mainly untapped and firms are not seeing the benefits of bringing in talent that can help them understand the Latino and Hispanic communities, culture, and traditions, and who will work in preparing the right message and getting it through.

Thanks for the great data/insights! And let me know if one of your clients needs a bicultural PR pro with 12+ professional experience.
April 22, 2014 at 8:43 PM
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