Spanish vs. English: How should marketers reach the Hispanic Market?

The question that has been plaguing marketers for years has been: do we use Spanish or English to reach the Hispanic market? At first glance the answer may be simple, use Spanish because the market you are trying to reach is the Hispanic market, but the answer is not that simple. The use of language for marketers is complex because there are so many Hispanics that have different levels of English proficiency. The Hispanic market is a mixture of individuals that range from foreign born immigrants to third-generation Americans, making each person’s knowledge and use of the Spanish and English languages unique. To further complicate this problem, marketers may have to market to a single home that has several different levels of acculturation under the same roof. In response to the language problem, there has been discussion about the use of code switching or even Spanglish in Hispanic marketing efforts. Even though these two forms of language combinations might work in some cases, there needs to be a better understanding of the Hispanic market in order to communicate with the majority the most effectively. One important group to study and understand is the Hispanic youth.

Like in all cultures, the Hispanic youth is the future of this market, and understanding how to communicate with them effectively now will only help to solidify the buying power of them in the future. Similar to other young adults in the United States, many Hispanic youth, especially the individuals that were born in America, have a lot of buying power and disposable income. Many teenagers work after-school jobs or have summertime employment in order to buy the products that they want to have. Although some of these individuals may obtain jobs to assist their families financially, the majority of the Hispanic youth is simply waiting for the right products and the right marketing campaigns to catch their attention so that they can spend their money. Not only does this group have their own money to spend, but the Hispanic youth often help to influence family purchasing decisions, depending on how acculturated the rest of their family is.

Now that we established that Hispanic youth has vast potential as a segment for marketers to target, the next step is to understand how to reach these individuals. Many Hispanic youth learn to speak English in American schools, yet they still practice the Spanish language when they are at home in family settings. This has led to a large portion of the Hispanic youth becoming bilingual, even though some still speak Spanish only or English only. In this large bilingual population, the fusion of the two languages has occurred and as a result Spanglish or code switching has transpired. In a study done in three of the heaviest Hispanic populated cities (Los Angeles, New York, and Miami), 75% of the Hispanics between the ages of 14 and 24 years old consider themselves to speak Spanglish (Stewart 2004). Even though there is no set language called Spanglish, it is useful for marketers to realize how this segment identifies itself and the language they use, so that future marketing efforts can be catered to them. If Hispanic youth and young adults are speaking Spanglish, then why shouldn’t marketers speak to them in the same manner? By combining the two languages, marketers can speak to them directly. The majority of the Hispanic market that speaks Spanglish is bilingual; however, there is a portion of this market that has “lost their language, but they have not lost their connection to their culture,” aiding their use of Spanglish (Stewart 2004). Although a Hispanic person may not speak Spanish, they still connect their native language with their culture as suggested by the Sapir and Whorf theory (Korzenny and Korzenny pp. 93). Therefore, Spanglish has become a way for non-Spanish speaking Hispanics to relate to their culture.

In a study discussed in the Journal of Consumer Research, using code switching allows certain aspects of a message to stand out to the consumer (Luna and Peracchio 2005). The big concern with this type of marketing tool is being “aware of the social meaning carried by that language” and the chosen word (Luna and Peracchio 2005). Marketers must remain aware of the social meaning carried by the words that they may use during a code switched advertising campaign. If a company does the proper research, then it is possible for them to create a bilingual message that is very meaningful to their consumers.
Overall, the Hispanic market is very complex in terms of language usage and proficiency. Some may prefer Spanish or English marketing messages, while others favor bilingual messages. In addition, the Hispanic youth segment is a vital group to learn about and understand because they are the future of this growing market. No matter what is determined to be the best avenue to reach the intended segment, it is essential to help to preserve and incorporate the Hispanic culture into all marketing efforts.

Ashley Holloway
ae****@*su.edu
September 28, 2005
Hispanic Marketing Communications

Works Citied
Korzenny, Felipe and Korzenny, Betty Ann. Hispanic Marketing: A Cultural Perspective: 2005. Butterworth Heineman, New York.

Luna, David and Peracchio, Laura. “Advertising to bilingual consumers: the impact of code switching on persuasion,” Journal of Consumer Research. March 2005.

Stewart, Al. “Habla Spanglish? Ad agencies use bilingual approach for youth market,” Los Angeles Business Journal. August 2, 2004.