Harnessing Cultural Insights and Building Brand Love with Hispanics

By Roberto Ruiz , EVP, Research, Insights, & Analytics?

A CONSUMER WITH GLOBAL IMPACT?

An undeniable force is propelling growth in the U.S., contributing $3.2 trillion to the economy, at the scale of some of the biggest global economies like the U.K., India, and France: the U.S. Hispanic population.?

This critical population is America’s growth driver, with an economic contribution growing 2.1x faster than the non-Latino GDP and serving as the source of nearly all (91%) of our country’s future labor force growth over the next 10 years. This is driven by a younger population (Hispanics’ most common age is 19) and improvements in educational attainment. And this trend will continue, by 2030, 21% of the total U.S. population – 75 million people – will be Hispanic.?

To shine a light on the scope of impact this population can have for U.S. brands, in 2023, TelevisaUnivision partnered with We Are All Human and Nielsen in releasing a Hispanic Sentiment Study, powered by Toluna. This landmark study revealed that Hispanic unity and pride continue to rise – a fact that many marketers need to recognize and embrace in their growth strategies. Hispanics are proud of their contributions to the country, and proud of their Latinidad, represented by the shared attributes of Latinos like language, culture, food, and music.??

And yet, beneath this surge of unity and pride, Hispanics’ outlook on the future is less optimistic than it was five years ago, according to the study.??

WHY??

It all boils down to underrepresentation and underestimation.??

Hispanics feel undervalued and a palpable lack of connection to mainstream American narratives, with 79% agreeing that the U.S. Hispanic/Latino community should be valued more than it is today.??

This pertains to big media and brands too: The share of Hispanics’ feeling that big brands who share their same values has dramatically decreased since 2018, with coveted Gen Z feeling this sentiment most acutely.?

WHAT CAN BRANDS DO??

Overall, Latinos remain loyal and patient, eager for the love of big brands, and more likely to be a customer of brands who engage the Hispanic community. The study found that 84% of Hispanics agree, if a brand plays a positive role in their community, they are more likely to support that brand. Compared to non-Hispanics, the brand loyalty and motivation to buy is distinctly stronger.?

HOW TO CONNECT??

For brands wanting to make an impact with this growing population, it’s important for them to recognize the significance of Latinidad, the things that bring Hispanics together and what they want to see celebrated. Music, family, food, values like hard work, and, most importantly, language – the language of their home and the language of their hearts.??

As marketers, we know people buy things with their hearts. This is why TelevisaUnivision’s Así Studios puts stories that come from the heart at the center of the work created for client partners.??

Así means “just like that,” and our team of over 100 storytellers from 17 Latin American nationalities has mastered celebrating Hispanic America in a thoughtful way. Sharing the stories of how Hispanics positively impact their communities – from soccer, to musical performances, through social creator campaigns, and longform video, using Spanish language and culture to spark an emotional connection with the brand and campaign – just like that.??

Así considers three things at the top of any campaign: How do we grow brand love? How do we grow community connection? And how do these two things combine to drive purchase consideration lift?

??A recent campaign with Así Studios and JCPenney shared the story of a local dance teacher making a difference in her community. It resulted in a 48% increase in brand love, a 67% increase in community connection, and a 40% increase in purchase consideration for JCPenney, according to MarketCast results.??

?Watch Farrah’s story here:

The Hispanic population is integral to the? health and future success of any brand, and to give this audience the representation and value they want and deserve, we need to continue sharing stories of authenticity, heritage and impact.??

For more on harnessing cultural insights and building brand love with Hispanics, watch the full presentation here:?