U.S. Hispanics: An Unstoppable Evolution [INSIGHT]

In 2011 the Culturati U.S. Hispanic Segmentation Model proved that acculturation is non-linear and the start/end points are not definitive.  However, along with its eminent growth, the U.S. Hispanic population continues to evolve and defend its core values.  Therefore, it is imperative for marketers to be one step ahead of this evolution to ensure that their U.S. Hispanic strategy is reflective of today’s Hispanic consumer.   

To help marketers stay ahead of these changes, Culturati conducted a longitudinal study that presents the why’s behind the shifts that have shaped this market in the past two years and that will continue to form this population in the years to come.

The results are aligned with 2011 predictions.  The study confirmed that U.S. Hispanic identity is multidimensional.  It does not follow a linear path and it is shaped by a continuous transformation where profound shifts in cultural identity occur as Hispanics forward or retro acculturate.

Through forward and retro acculturation, continued Hispanic population growth, and increasing rate of U.S. Hispanic births, Culturati projects that in the next decade the influential bicultural Savvy Blender segment will become larger (37%) compared to the other segments.  This marks the importance of understanding Hispanic acculturation, its evolution and future implications as Hispanics continue to assert their Hispanic-American identity.  Furthermore, the Latinista (Culturally Hispanic) segment remains very important, although it will slowly shrink while the Heritage Keeper (Bicultural) and Ameri-Fan (Culturally American) segments will remain stable.  The following illustration shows the dimension of the Culturati Segments, which are currently leveraged by Fortune500 companies for primary research and syndicated data through Nielsen-Culturati Homescan Panel.

The results show that the Hispanic Identity journey consists of three distinct cultural states: Deliberate Hispanic Dominant Culture, Natural State of Biculturalism, and Deliberate American Dominant Culture.  These states are driven by conscious and subconscious forces that shape an individual’s cultural mindset and value system and occur at each person’s own pace; however, the journey is not necessarily sequential nor do Hispanics eventually travel through all three states. The Hispanic identity journey is unique to each individual and is often interrupted and modified by internal and external factors.  Life decisions and unexpected events or changes in lifestyle can send an individual to another state, causing them to forward or retro acculturate.