Hispanic marketing: proceed with knowledge

Grouping the multiple segments found with in the Latino population (i.e. immigrant, U.S.-born, Spanish v. English dominant, Mexican v. Caribbean) into a single block is a quick way to fail in your marketing communication outreach, according to an AP story carried in the Star-Telegram (Dallas).

The article reports on a marketing seminar held there and had these conclusions which if you've been reading this blog for a while will sound familiar if not repetitive:

-- Simply translating a slogan or ad from English creates a high margin of error and the chance of sending a message with the wrong connotation. The article gives the example of Hershey using the word "cajeta" to promote one of its products. Some Latinos recognize the word as caramalized milk, but for some it's a slang word that means something vulgar.
-- Marketing to Hispanics is about transferring an idea ... Rather than translating words, according to Juan Faura, author of "The Whole Enchilada," a book on Hispanics marketing.
-- A message relevant to a recent Dominican immigrant may hold no meaning for a Mexican.
-- Experts agreed that businesses must understand the demographic makeup of their Hispanic customer base in order to more effectively attract their interest.