¿Que Pasa?

by Michael Schumacher

It was an evening unlike any other for NJ AdClub members and guests. For starters, our October dinner meeting took place at La Cebeles, a Spanish-style restaurant in Lyndhurst, N.J. After a scrumptious buffet dinner of chicken, rice, salmon and other ethnic delights, attendees were treated to a dance showcase by the troupe Cultural Explosions, from Elizabeth.

The serious side of the evening began shortly thereafter, moderated thanks to Anna Carbonell, Vice President, Station Relations, at Telemundo, one of the largest Spanish-speaking broadcasting entities in the tri-state area.

The evening’s main presenters were Manual Martinez, Vice President and General Manger at WNJU Telemundo, Channel 47, and Carey Davis, Vice President and General Manger of Spanish Broadcasting System, MEGA Radio. The pair offered — often energetically — valuable facts as to why businesses need to seriously factor the Hispanic community into their advertising plans. There are important idiosyncrasies and nuances of the Hispanic market that may not be common knowledge to most. Here are some of the gems of marketing to Hispanics that Señors Martinez and Davis provided:

• There are more than 40 million Hispanic Americans.
• With over $580 billion in spending power.
• There are actually 22 countries that make up the Latino or Hispanic community, but contrary to popular opinion, there is only one language to be concerned with.
• Three out of four New Jersey Hispanics are foreign born.
• The largest Hispanic community, after Los Angeles, is located in the New York metropolitan area.
• Between 1980 and 2000, the Hispanic population has more than doubled.
• A major demographic change is that 42% Hispanics live in the suburbs.
• 45% of Hispanics are school age

Unlike America’s earlier immigrant groups of a century ago, who saw the U.S. as the Promised Land and rarely looked back, Hispanics are more inclined to go back to the homeland, given the relative ease of global travel. And don’t expect Hispanics to be so eager to assimilate (disappear) into American society. That too is passé. The goal is “acculturation” — being a proud but distinct part of the wider community.

Also important to remember in marketing to a Spanish-speaking audience is that mere translations don’t work. The key is to “trans-relate,” thereby respecting the other culture. A classic example of what could happen when one doesn’t pay attention to the nuances of language is Chevy’s launch of its model “Nova” in South America. Only after it had appeared on the market and sales headed even further south, did the company realize that in Spanish “no va” means “does not go.” Not a great sales pitch for an automobile.

Thanks are also due to the evening’s sponsor, Courier-News & News Tribune, without whose support this event would not have been possible, to Grace DePaola, who arranged for Cultural Explosions, and to Gary Denburg,
NJ AdClub Program Chair.

return to December 2004 Ad Talk