September 15th marks the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month. During this month-long celebration, the contributions and culture of Hispanic and Latino Americans are thrust into the national spotlight and inspire a steady flow of well-intended marketing campaigns. U.S. Hispanics, however, are often treated as a homogenous group by media, leading to poorly executed campaigns that miss the mark and squander opportunities for brands. Far from fitting the one-size-fits-all formula, the 60 million Americans of Latino/Hispanic origin represent over 20 Latin American countries. Each with their unique heritage and cultural backgrounds. To effectively target these populations, market research firms must divorce themselves from the idea that U.S. Hispanics are a monolithic group and instead embrace the full scope of their multiculturalism. Understanding segmentation within the U.S. Hispanic population is essential to doing this and will help brands and market research firms glean the insights needed to cater to this multifaceted consumer base. That enlightenment starts with a conversation around acculturation and language. Acculturated, Unacculturated, and Bilingual Measurements Limited Market research firms must understand how to define and measure U.S. Hispanic acculturation. Currently, much of the market research industry measure acculturation based on the ratio of Spanish to English language used within the home. For example, "acculturated," "unacculturated," and "bilingual." But acculturation isn't solely defined by language. Factors like socioeconomic background, education level, geographic location, history, and political affiliations should also be taken into consideration. While there is no universal algorithm for measuring acculturation, brands should look to market research firms with a reputation for having a deep, thorough understanding of U.S. Hispanic populations for the most accurate data. Accurate Representation of U.S. Hispanics in Media Lacking Hispanics now account for nearly 18% of the U.S. [...]The post U.S. Hispanics Are Not a Monolith appeared first on .
