Paradigm Shift: New Cultural Methodology Helps Drive Media Effectiveness for Marketers, Politicians, and Communities Targeting U.S. Latinos [LIVE STREAM TODAY]

A new study featured in The Journal of Cultural Marketing Strategy challenges conventional wisdom that Spanish-language programming is the most effective way to reach U.S.

Hispanics. Directed by the Center for Multicultural Science and underwritten by MAGNA GLOBAL, this is considered the first study to examine media behaviors across three generational levels for the Latino population.

“The results in this study are paradigm shifting and will have strong implications for how politicians and marketers intend to reach effectively the key Latino demographic,” said Dr. Jake Beniflah, Founding Editor and Executive Director of the Center for Multicultural Science. “Because the U.S. Hispanic population is growing and changing, politicians and marketers alike have to adapt to new audience measures. Our research study showed that reaching Latinos only in Spanish is an oversimplification, and that using generational level was an effective predictor of what TV and online programs they were
watching.”

Corporate brands, political candidates and public affairs initiatives across the U.S. have all been actively assessing their effectiveness at targeting the rapidly growing, increasingly influential U.S. Hispanic population. The Journal’s findings indicate that a major takeaway from this research is that understanding the nuances of the Hispanic population goes beyond language and requires a broader cultural understanding. Using generational level to understand the cultural impact on consumer behavior is the future to effectively market to Hispanics, and possibly to other multicultural consumers, as well.

Key insights presented in the data include:

• First-generation Hispanics were heavy viewers of Spanish language, but this trend did not hold true for second and third-generation Hispanics, who reported watching more English-language television programs than Spanish-language programs.
• Univision and Telemundo rank #1 and #2 in most watched television networks among first generation Hispanics. Univision ranks #5 in most watched television networks among second generation Hispanics. For third generation Hispanics, the top five most watched television networks are all in English.
• As years-in-country increase, the percentage of first-generation Hispanics watching English- language networks increased substantially — by as much as 20–30 percentage points

“These study results show that using generational level and years-in-country, rather than language as previously done, can help marketers pinpoint which type of media outlet will reach a specific Hispanicaudience most effectively,” said Brian Hughes, Senior Vice President of Audience Analysis at MAGNA GLOBAL.

“We believe changing times require changing measures.”

Launching on Aug. 25th, the Journal is dedicated to bridging the gap between leading corporations and academia in cultural marketing research, focusing on the most critical issues facing cultural marketing in the US and abroad. It will be published on a bi-annual basis in both print and digital formats.

The Journal’s inaugural issue will also feature papers such as:

• “Harnessing the power of Facebook to target the Hispanic consumer”
• “The effect of cultural dimensions on brand loyalty of consumers in the USA”
• “An epistemological study of Hispanic marketing, 1979-2015: The need to bridge theory with practice”

The livestream launch event (register here) on Aug. 25 at 1 p.m. EDT offers participants an opportunity to interact with Beniflah and Hughes about their research findings. The session, moderated by Jorge Ortega, Executive Vice President, Miami Market Leader and Burson Latino lead at Burson-Marsteller, will offer a closer look at the innovative study.

To register CLICK HERE.