Beyond Acculturation in Latino Marketing
by: Ricardo González

---This commentary is regarding the article entitled, "Beyond Aculturation" and includes some important qualifiers---

This article brings up some very interesting concepts (Situational Latinidad?) but in many ways makes the subject of marketing to Latinos even more complex. Latinos I know are not "situationally Latino" or "occasionally Hispanic" as is seemingly being purported in this article.

My friend, you either consider yourself Latino or you do not. I would contend that if you are "situationally Latino" you are not Latino. That's like a person who calls him or herself a Christian who acts like a saint on Sunday but lives like a heathen the rest the week. Everyone I know calls that hypocrisy and a lot of people won't even go to church because of it.

The fact is that you MUST consider the demographic realities. The author says that demographics "unfortunately" still are the main criteria for mass media buying. Unfortunately? Why "unfortunately?" It is not a moral issue. It is an issue of what works.

I think she's wrong that individuals don't want to be "boxed" into certain demographic profiles. If they didn't they wouldn't move en masse politically, socially, religiously or whatever else people use to define themselves. There are no true individualists in this world. Everyone, by their own volition, chooses to be labeled as something. Whether this is good or bad or neutral is for philosophers and psychologists to discuss.

Marketers are simply looking at these tendencies (many of them strong) and marketing to them. In the Latino world it is no different. So, back to the basics.

1. What language do they prefer?
2. What country are they or their family from? Do they identify with that heritage?
3. Are they first, second or third generation Latinos?

These are the big three in Hispanic marketing. Outside of that you can continue to slice this pie in a million different ways. This is why when you choose a Hispanic marketing firm you must make sure you are dealing with people who are multi-disciplined in the sense that they understand and have staff that represent at least several different countries and thought processes.

Think it through.

Ricardo

Ricardo González is Founder and Executive Director of Bilingual America and Publisher of The González Report. He can be reached at 1.888.850.1555 or via this form.