Thanksgiving 2004 – Dia del Guajolote.

When you think of Thanksgiving, do you think of tamales and beer? (Maybe the beer, since most of us want to blur out Aunt Edna’s constant complaining about our posture, but the tamales?) Yes, tamalesŠand salsa on your turkey and sometimes even some tripe to go with your gravy. What I am describing is the beautiful reality of cultural integration happening across the U.S. as Hispanics make “American” traditions their own and vice versa.

Typically, when we think of Thanksgiving, we think Pilgrims and American Indians. We this turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole and cranberry sauce. We think one-day family reunion with a big feast, thanks and goodbyes. But to Hispanics, what it means and how it is carried out is a little different.

Mainly, the appeal of Thanksgiving to Hispanics is that it results in a very positive cultural value: family getting together. Thanksgiving, like Christmas, offers Hispanics a holiday to gather and engage in celebrating the fact that family is alive, healthy and together.

At its core, Thanksgiving is everything right with the world from a Hispanic point of view -a day of hope, blessings and communal rejoicing. It has come to be as celebrated by the U.S. Hispanic population like any ‘cultural” event, like Dies y Seis, but for different reasons. During Thanksgiving, Hispanics are not celebrating their culture, but who they are as people and what they have to be thankful for, a request that is considered as valid as remembering independence.

So what?

The fact that America is becoming ‘Latinized’ should not distract us from the reality that Latinos are also “Americanized.” So that means that you should consider Hispanic advertising as a continual effort, not just relegate it to the cultural celebrations that happen a handful of times a year.

Thanksgiving season is a major shopping holiday between food and pre-Christmas sales. Advertisers spend millions of dollars trying to capture share of voice, share of market and share of dollars. And yet, we systematically forget that there are niche markets, some who speak different languages, that are also seeking the same invitation to spend money as the ‘mainstream” population. By simply taking some of our media money and shifting it to augment some Spanish language media, for example, our clients can reach a larger audience for the same price.

Grassroots efforts are also sorely confined to just ‘Hispanic Holidays” when they can be used much more effectively throughout the year to develop brand loyalty and incremental sales. But we continue to relegate Spanish or Hispanic specific events and efforts to the outsold, overrated and, at times, unimaginative “cultural fiestas.’

To be clear, these cultural celebration have their place and advantages as they are specific to Hispanics, but as more and more advertisers seek ways to market to this group, we should be aware that traditional “American” celebrations are just as fair game. Take the Fourth of July. There is the same sort of excitement among Hispanic Americans as there is for Cinco de Mayo among college students.

Thanksgiving is in fact an ideal ‘Hispanic Holiday” in that it captures the entire family in one place at one time. In addition, these visits involve the weekend, where Hispanic families will go out together to shop and get ready for Christmas. This means you do not just have the opportunity to talk to one desired demographic, but potentially more (think grandmother, mother, daughter and grandkids). The environment of blessings and gratefulness is also an ideal setting to speak to Hispanics, who are known to be more optimistic about the future than many other populations and are open to messages that inspire themselves and their children to move forward.

Turkey Tacos are Good

There are only 20 out of 50 states in the U.S who do not have at least four percent of their population of Hispanic origin. It is reasonable to assume that in decades to come many of the traditions which we think are exclusively Latino will be adopted by other populations and vice versa. It is also reasonable to assume that as the population grows, it will no longer make sense to relegate efforts spent against it to four or five key time periods in the marketing calendar. So what are you waiting for? Pass the plate!

Typical Thanksgiving Fare at my Mexican Grandma’s House

Turkey with bread stuffing (containing green onions, green pepper, celery, raisins, carrots and shredded turkey giblets) White bread rolls and corn tortillas Tamales, turkey of course Mustard Potato Salad Green bean casserole Fruit salad with whipped cream Corn Salsa Mashed Potatoes Arroz con Pollo Pumpkin Pie Gravy with giblets Beer Champuro ­ hot drink that tastes like chocolate but is thin, like water.

By Erika Prosper
Courtesy of Garcia360° Comunica

Garcia360° Comunica is a creative communications and consulting company dedicated to brand-building in today’s multi-cultural, bilingual Hispanic/Latino environment. The agency’s 360° degree approach focuses on every client/consumer touch-point to build lasting relationships with customers. Garcia360° clients have included: Anheuser-Busch, American City Vista, Argonaut Insurance Group, Bush-Cheney 2000, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Fannie Mae, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, KBHome, Papa John’s Pizza, Providian Financial, Transamerica, Audi USA, Dial Corp., The Coca Cola Company, Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration, The Home Depot, First Data Corp., and Infinity Insurance.