Millennials + Hispanics, well… more like: Hispanic Millennials! Really?

Yes, the conversation gets more complex now.  While our marketing Gurus keep trying to dissect the behaviors and consumption habits of this age based segment of our population, it comes to mind that a natural effect of the last decades of our Country’s demographic landscape is that a vast majority of our growth has derived from our Hispanic segment; bringing us a new inhabitant and more importantly, a new type of Consumer: The Hispanic Millennial.

Now that most of the Consumer Goods and Services marketing and advertising efforts have a bilingual and, in some brilliant cases, a bicultural approach to the US Hispanic market, we found a new consumer that does not need the Spanish as a way of communication and that although shares that same basic characteristics of our general market Millennials, they have some core elements based on their cultural heritage and level of assimilation.  

They like tortillas, but are comfortable eating sushi, gyros or any other edible element that comes out of a food truck.

They probably grew up watching Spanish soap operas (Novelas) but may prefer watching “Modern Family” or any other trending TV, I mean Streaming show.

They all understand Spanish at a very good level, but are able and prefer to communicate in English or even with the infamous but so used “Spanglish” with their friends and family. If necessary the will even use the mixture of English and Spanish that will make them be understood for their now closer relatives in Latin America, as they are able to reach them easily through the many resources of the modern digital era.

These are the children of a dynamic Hispanic generation that evolved from diverse ethnicities and that has assimilated (or not) the American lifestyle and culture of the very last part of the 20th century becoming proud Hispanic –Americans with a very defined cultural baggage and set of characteristics that distinguish them from the mainstream customer.

Where do they buy?

They prefer buying online, even via Mobile, of course, as every Millennial, but they are still willing to make several trips to the convenience store or local market to shop as their parents or elders, but now in search of specific products that have a distinctive appeal to their ethnicities and their age groups. They can be found looking for organic papayas, mangos or their favorite salsa in the local market “as the prices may be lower and the products fresher” there...

Although they are more price conscious and less brand oriented that their preceding generation, they still keep some loyalties to brands and products they perceive either as aspirational or of top quality. Sure, they will read the reviews and sort by number of stars in the rating, but still they will give an extra consideration to those brands and products that they grew up being familiar with.

It is a new kind of “Nostalgic” Market: no longer dictated for a geographical origin or the language, but for the generational and cultural mix that our Hispanic Millennials have inherited growing up in the modern American society yet with their roots on their inner and outer community’s traditions.      

Although their shopping behaviors might be probably easier to understand and model than their predecessors, in order to successfully become a solid presence and grow on the preference of this segment there is still the need for that subtle and creative mix of elements that will appeal to their sometimes subconscious ethnic sensitivities.   

The market is about to get more interesting yet… Get Ready! 

Miguel Vega

New Business Development Professional and US Hispanic Market Specialist