LATAM vs US Hispanic ……

By Ale Winter – Building Innovation Hubs | Global Program Designer | Startup Expansion & City Growth Strategist

I often hear founders from LATAM say their U.S. expansion strategy is to “target the Latino market.”

And this new Pew Research report, https://lnkd.in/ehE26Ahh (which, by the way, is full of fascinating insights) made me realize that’s exactly the data you can use to prove why that’s a bad strategy.

Latinos in the U.S. are not a segment. They’re a continent living inside one country.

65 million people. 19% of the population. Different countries, generations, languages, and values. Only 30% are foreign-born today. English fluency is rising, and second-generation leadership is shaping new identities that don’t fit old marketing boxes.

So when a company says “we’ll go after the Latino market,” here’s what usually goes wrong:

• Treating “Latinos” as a single audience instead of an ocean of micro-markets.
• Translating instead of adapting (language is not culture.)
• Thinking Miami equals the Latino market. (It’s one gateway, not the map.)
• Assuming price sensitivity over quality aspiration. ( Latino consumers are diverse in income and aspiration.)
• Entering with a “we’ll teach them” mindset instead of learning how Latinos are already innovating within the U.S.