Monday, March 12, 2012

Bringing Hispanic to The Mainstream

What we need to focus on is how social media and the communication tools before us can open up a gateway of commonality and erase barriers of misunderstanding. Latinos are active, social, empowered, and genuinely interested.

It doesn't take a genius to recognize the growing influence of Latinos both online and offline. With over 50 million Hispanics living in the U.S. and over 32 million online, you'd think marketers nationwide would clamor to connect with this growing population. Latinos aren't just present but instead command a sphere of influence that exudes with accomplishment, impact, celebration, and cultura.

The proof is in the pudding and apparently marketers are still reluctant to request their piece of the pie. Mobile and digital spend overall is only a small portion of total ad spend.
Even when brands recognize the importance of reaching Hispanics with social media and mobile technology, some say, efforts are misguided.
To many, this news comes as no surprise. An approach to capture the attention of the Hispanic market is oftentimes based on assumptions rather than insights and tends to be built on the status quo. Perhaps the biggest challenge facing marketers isn't justification of an immense opportunity for impact and engagement but instead consists of moving decision makers towards a recognition of the immense responsibility, rather, opportunity for retro-marketing.

Instead of marketing to Latinos, why don't brands and influencers seek out ways to bring Latino to the mainstream? The likes of Q'Viva! serves as a perfect example of what it means to answer the challenge of building bridges instead of silos.

We are challenged to be the ambassadors of all that is good, beautiful, and empowering about the Hispanic culture. To shift the attitudes of the mainstream, one must focus on commonalities, synergy, and the windows of opportunity for cultural fusion.

The possibilities are numerous.

Those who answer the challenge are sure to find a wealth of benefits and reap significant rewards.

There's no denying it. The time for individuals, organizations, and brands to think beyond the bottom line is now!