Hispanic/Latino: Labels and Self Identity.

As with any other social group, the Hispanic community is far from being homogenous, there are dozens of factors that differentiate Hispanics from other Hispanics in the community. Some of these factors include country of origin, education, and socioeconomic status. Factors which have become just as important, if not more than, individual habits, believes and personal identity. According to Hanri Tajfel’s theory of Social Identity, the self is reflexive in that it can take itself as an object and can categorize, classify or name itself in particular ways in relation to other social categories or classifications. Through this process of self-categorization a personal identity is formed in individuals (Stets). Social psychologists have also discovered that a formation of a social identity is just as important as the formation of an individual identity. This occurs through a social comparison process, where persons who are similar to the self are categorized with the self and are labeled the in-group (Stets).

As the knowledge about their own identity develops in Hispanics, so does the recognizing factor as to where he or she belongs in a societal category or group. This is not only important to individuals for self-actualization, but it is also significant for marketers to understand when they are working with the Hispanic market. Marketers who want to target the Hispanic community must recognize who are the groups that Hispanics in the United States use as references, is it other Hispanics, family members, or just successful individuals regardless of their race or background? Marketers should be aware whether Hispanics look at other Hispanics for guidance when making decisions or if they have look at non-Hispanics as references.

According to Dr. Korzenny, if a person of Hispanic heritage does not see similarities between himself or herself and other Hispanics, then their own identity will not be geared toward being part of the Hispanic community. As Dr. Korzenny mentioned in his book Hispanic Marketing: A Marketing Perspective, “If Hispanics don’t consider themselves Hispanics in some way, then they just don’t belong to the classification at all.” In order for marketers to successfully target the Hispanic community, they must be aware of the different labels that are used to identify this group of individuals. They must also be aware of the difference between Hispanic and Latino, what Hispanics think of these labels, how Hispanics think of themselves and how these labels affect their purchasing decisions.

Self-identity is something that is important for marketers to be aware of when starting a campaign. How a person views themselves has a tremendous impact on what kind of decisions they will make and whom they will use as role models for their behavior. Even if others might think of a person as being Hispanic just because of their last name or the color of their skin, it will not make a difference if that person does not consider himself or herself Hispanic. In the United States it is difficult to know the right label or identifier that a person prefers to be called. Certainly, this has presented challenges for marketers who want to interact with the Hispanic community. Over the past two decades there have been a never-ending debate regarding what should individuals that come from or have heritage from Spanish-speaking countries should be called. Some feel the term Hispanics is the best label, while others argue Latinos is the correct term.

The term “Hispanic” is currently used more frequently to describe individuals whose ancestry is predominantly from one or more Spanish-speaking countries. The term categorizes people form a variety of national backgrounds to a single category (Oboler). The label “Hispanic” was adopted in the early 1980’s when the Census attempted to collect information about the Hispanic community. Ever since this label was established it has created controversy among Hispanics/Latinos, who believe that the label was established without consulting the Hispanic community (Korzenny 73). According to a recent survey conducted among Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans, foreign-born respondents identified themselves with the name of their country of origin. The pattern of identification was similar among U.S.-born Hispanics, particularly Mexicans and to a lesser degree among Cubans and Puerto Ricans.

Some people use both terms interchangeably and they are becoming more popular and main stream. Although there are still some people who oppose to the term Hispanic, the term is being used by Hispanics to describe themselves. At times people may call themselves Hispanic depending on who is asking. As Dr. Korzenny mentioned in his book, Hispanics may call themselves many things, depending on the situation. One example provided in the book was that if asked by an Anglo what he or she is, a person is most likely to respond Hispanic or Latino. However, if that same person was at a party with a group of other Hispanics socializing, then they would be more likely to identify themselves with their country of origin.
I decided to do an experiment with my friends. I visited my friend, who is Mexican and asked her “De donde eres?” and after giving me a hard time for not remembering her country of origin she answered, “I am Mexican.” But had I been non-Hispanic or a stranger, I am not sure if her response would’ve been the same. She is not the only one who prefers the term Hispanic, In addition to the labels that Hispanics like to called, marketers must also be aware of the reference groups that Hispanic use to guide their own purchasing behavior.

As Dr. Korzenny mentioned in his book, individuals do not only use one cultural identity when making decisions. Hispanics like any other person in the world look at others as a reference when making a decision. According to the information provided in the book, individuals may use different reference groups in different situations. Hispanics can be just as effective in guiding Hispanic consumer behavior as non-Hispanic role models. For example, Mexican teenage girls who were born in the United States and who are fully immerse in the American culture and follow America customs more than they follow Hispanics may look at Britney Spears as a role model when deciding what to wear, as opposed to Fey (a Mexican pop singer).

I believe that understanding how Hispanics think of themselves and what kind of labels they are used to describe themselves is required in order to understand the culture and the behavior accompanies it. Marketers need to understand the inner thoughts and believes of the culture to be able to successfully appeal to the Hispanic community. Regardless of the labels and different names that try to group Hispanic as one group, we should be aware of the fact that the Hispanic community is far from being a cookie cutter group. The differences among the members of this group are greater than the similarities.

Karol Alvarez
Mass Media Communications Student at Florida State University

Bibliography

Stets, Jan E; Burke, Peter J. Social Psychology Quarterly, Vol. 63, No. 3. (Sep., 2000), pp. 224-237.

Oboler, Suzanne. Latin American Perspectives, Vol. 19, No. 4, The Politics of Ethnic Construction: Hispanic, Chicano, Latino? (Autumn, 1992), pp. 18-36.