Watch the Watching.

Have you ever had the feeling you were being watched?

We all watch movies. We come to idolize the characters we watch; we admire their style or attitude, and want to relate to their struggles and success. Fortunately for marketers, Hispanics love movies more than any other ethnic group. Hispanics account for an estimated 20% of movie-ticket sales; some say that it’s as high as 50% for an opening weekend in Los Angeles. Although Hispanics have the population numbers and the movie attendance numbers in their favor, their presence on celluloid and selection of film content are not even considerably close.

Film is a hugely untapped resource for marketing to Hispanics. Within both the general market and Hispanic market, higher income consumers have generally become more resistant to traditional media therefore; I believe film is fast becoming a conduit for Hispanic product placement, and content concerning Hispanic values, lifestyle issues, and conflicts. I believe tracking developments within Hispanic actors and Hispanic content will be an exciting tool for Hispanic marketers.

In order for marketers to fully engage Hispanics in Hispanic Dominant, Bicultural and Assimilated lifestyles using film as a marketing tool, there will need to be an increased demand for film content with Hispanic issues and Hispanic actors to break onto the scene. The point of film content and roles opening up for Hispanics, is that it will naturally lead to:

” A Better Understanding of the Hispanic Dominant Lifestyle
” Opportunities for HD lifestyle to grow into Bi-Cultural, if they desire
” Pressure for marketers to fine-tune understanding of Hispanic culture
” More selection for Bi-culturals to navigate between and relate to
” Increased exposure of Hispanic needs, desires, products, culture
” Urgency of retroacculturation for the Assimilated

Marketers can really place their product first in front of Hispanic eyes because they are already in a relaxed state, and Hispanics often see movies as a family. This is tremendous potential for marketers, as it is possible to have first or second-generation parents and abuelos, and the bicultural or assimilated children, together for the movie going experience. The children could explain film themes, slang, etc., as the adults observe and learn.

Hispanics can see portrayals of themselves or different Hispanic nationalities on screen, but still see them, real, working, and making it happen in the U.S. This is crucial for marketers because the key to Hispanic marketing is building trust and relationships. Films are about relationships, and by increasing Latin content and actors, Latinos can relate to themselves as Anglos learn to understand them.

¡Mírame Ahora!

Latinos are more likely to watch films that star Latinos actors or actresses than view films that are equally popular that do not feature Hispanic actors. According to a personal interview with 20 yr.old bi-cultural Genny Almira, she says: “Most of the Hispanic movies are kind of lame, but if Salma Hayek or Antonio [Banderas] is in them, I’ll watch them.” For marketers, this statement reflects a valuable trend in Hispanic attitudes- they are responsive and loyal to Latin efforts. Therefore, if Salma Hayek plays a favorable role and uses a Verizon wireless phone to reach abuela back home with perfect clarity, to tell abuela that she earned a record deal and is awarded a Toyota Sequoia to drive to México and share the newfound wealth, my guess is, that those products receiving such favorable exposure might gain a competitive advantage over other like products.

!Dime!

The secondary benefit of utilizing cinema as a marketing tool is exposure to the language. Quality cinema in English but pertaining to Latin life, may pique the interest of Hispanic Dominants. Conversely, quality cinema in Spanish may trigger the retroacculturation and renewed cultural pride in Assimilated Hispanics. In this way, film can be used to bridge the Hispanic Dominants and the Assimilated Hispanics, while offering quality content reminiscent of their roots.

For marketers, movies with content geared towards the Hispanic Dominant lifestyle and product placement or information, are likely to be favorably received since Hispanic Dominants tend to be quite open to commercial messages because they depend on them for learning about products and services. They have not adopted the cynicism characteristic of “assimilated” counterparts. Moreover, film is a great solution for the ongoing debate over whether to use Spanish or English when marketing towards Hispanics. For example, in films such as Spanglish, there is opportunity for both languages and elements of all degrees of acculturation. This emphasis on culture over language selection is confirmed by a study conducted by AdvertisingAge in which out of 470 marketers, respondents claimed “Regardless of which language they favored, many respondents said it’s about culture and not language anymore.

My final recommendation is a convergence of film and online interactivity. This integrated marketing is what will most effectively reach target audiences. Marketers should learn to develop short films online with their products cast in both supporting and starring roles. Considering the craze the BMW short online films caused, generating 14 million registered viewers for their five-minute short films, crossover appeal for broadband-happy Hispanics appears to be a viable marketing tool. 52% of Hispanics go online using broadband, which is close to the general U.S. population. They access the internet 9.2 hrs/wk. Furthermore, 56% of online Hispanic consumers are 18-24, are likely to be either bicultural or assimilated, and can relay entertainment buzz back to their family in the language of choice. Since Bilingual Hispanics are a key segment of influence, targeting bicultural and assimilated Hispanic teens online is an innovative way to put products on both the big screen and the home flat screen.

Bueno,

Advertising agencies and marketers are responding to online film and advertising trends- 65%, of marketers said they will increase spending online in 2006. It’s not surprising that figure is so high since many Hispanic marketers have done little if anything online yet. Another advantage of producing product-laden films online, is that marketers can make the content available in both Spanish and English, again catering to several levels of acculturation. The trend in online films is a steadily growing; according to Mac Daily News, Steve Jobs noted that PIxar sold over 125,000 short film downloads on iTunes in less than one month. Granted, that does not distinguish the percentage of Latinos downloading short films or even Latinos owning Ipods, however, if the general market is turning towards this trend, the assimilated Hispanics and some Bi-culturals are more than likely to follow suit over time.

Film, be it on the big screen or on demand on your personal computer, is both an educational and innovative marketing tool. It answers questions about a culture- the politics, music, styles, and social issues. It brands actors and products and makes them desirable and imitable by certain lifestyle subsegment. Film has the capacity to entertain, inform and provide an escape from everyday anxieties. Because film is so personal, and Hispanics of all acculturation levels and language capabilities respond to material that is personal, relatable and catered to them, I strongly believe that marketers need to get in negotiations with film producers to get their products worked into scripts, increase the Latin-inspired content, and promote the success of Latin actors. This movement, coupled with short films produced online and general increase in online advertisement will likely form a successful integrated marketing campaign. The simple fact that Hispanics go to movies and go online frequently demonstrates that this is a fun, innovative and lucrative marketing outlet. Film allows English, Spanish, and Spanglish to fuse in and out of scripts as colloquial conversation does. Hispanic Dominants have a lot to learn, not only about American products and services, but the culture as well. Assimilated Hispanics can watch elements of their first culture and perhaps be moved towards retroacculturation. At any rate, all groups along the continuum of acculturation are growing, learning and marketers can play a substantial role in bridging language issues, cultural questions and product information if they invest in film and online advertising.

Krystal Plomatos
Department of Communication
Florida State University

SOURCES

“125,000 Pixar Films Sold.” MacDailyNews. 13 Dec. 2005 .

Almira, Gennyva M. Personal interview. 12 Dec. 2005.

Bagla, Gunjan. “Marketing Movies Online.” IMediaConnection 19 Oct. 2004. 13 Dec. 2005 .

“BMW Short Film Success.” 11 Dec. 2005 .

“Hispanic Budget 2006.” AdAge. 12 Dec. 2005.
< http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=47047>

“Hispanic Business Half of Online Hispanics Have Broadband.” Hispanic Business: Sept. 2005. Hispanicbusiness.com. AdAge. 12 Dec. 2005.

“Hispanic Role Casting.” Screen Actors Guild. 2000. 11 Dec.-Jan. 2005 http://www.sag.org/sagWebApp/Content/Public/missing_in_action.pdf>.

Korzenny, Felipe, and Betty Ann Korzenny. Hispanic Marketing: A Cultural Perspective. Burlington: Elsevier, 2005.

Parisi, Paula. “Latino 20% of Movie Ticket Sales Hispanic.” Ahorre.com 27 Apr. 2005. 13 Dec. 2005 .

“Univision Unprecendented Ratings Sweep.” HispanicAd. 6 Dec. 2005 .