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Just as there are many nuances required to successfully conduct Hispanic marketing research in the U.S., so, too, are there nuances in gaining Hispanic acceptance of U.S. products and services. Failure to understand these subtleties can make the difference of tapping into this ever-growing market or not.
One clear indicator of acceptance is whether your product or service is known and accepted in the country of origin. Those who have successfully launched products and services that are winners in Latin markets certainly benefit from a recognition factor here in the U.S.
Take, for instance, Colgate toothpaste. To say that this brand has performed strongly throughout Latin America through the years would be an understatement. So, you come to this country, and one day you decide to go shopping at the local supermarket. You are immediately overwhelmed by two elements: a dizzying selection and an inability to read package labels. You look for toothpaste amid no less than 20 choices. When you finally spot a familiar bright red and white colored box, a sense of relief washes over you. Which brand would you buy?
But you may not have the good fortune of riding on the coattails of success in Latin American markets with the accompanying name recognition for your product or service. You may need to build acceptance from scratch.
It may be tempting to simply do Spanish voice-overs for radio and television advertising or, in the case of printed matter, simply drop-in text substitution with a Spanish translation. This approach is shortsighted and fails to recognize important factors such as cultural relevance, motivations, differences in values and how purchase decisions are made, or something as elementary as consumer identification with the blond Caucasian housewife standing in front of her half million dollar home featured on your billboard.
Quite often, marketers must take on the role of educators, as well: first helping Hispanics to understand the need for the product or service, and then trying to persuade them to buy their particular offering.
Take, for example, life insurance: a product in great demand among Anglos, but not typically regarded as essential in the Latin community. In fact, hurdles can include many objections a salesperson may not ordinarily run into, anything from the fear of hastening death by its purchase to a man's concern for providing a "gold mine," upon his death, for "the next guy" to walk into the life of his wife.
Another significant nuance in the adoption process is the general tendency for Hispanics to be more brand loyal (ergo, great to have as your customer, but much harder to convert if they are not). They are also less likely to try new products or to make impulse or spontaneous purchases than their fellow Anglo consumers.
Even traditionally effective product positioning among Anglos such as those that focus on individuality or taking the road less traveled by, have virtually no appeal to Hispanics. Their responses can be at once both bewildering and logical to the novice marketer. "Why would I want to be different than my friends and family? I like sharing something we all can enjoy." "Why would I want to take a road no one else takes? That would be lonely."
Diana Layseca of Q & A's Hispanic Perspectives Division (herself an immigrant from Peru) reminds us, "It's not the frequencies or exposures so much that drive acceptance among Hispanics. It takes much more than awareness or a slick ad to get them to buy your product. You need to demonstrate a genuine high regard and respect for Hispanics. You see, Hispanics, as a rule, not only are loyal but reward loyalty in return."
Some of the most successful marketing campaigns among Hispanics begin with a grassroots approach to gaining that high regard and respect. Local and visible support for Hispanic causes or events, with a good dose of patience, appear to be an especially successful combination in what most experts on the topic will agree is a longer and more tedious acceptance process.
Gaining Hispanic acceptance of your product or service is no easy task. Unlike many a niche, where the first one in often secures the lion's share of the business, successful marketing to Hispanics is much more of a process than an event. Understanding the subtleties and cultural nuances, educating consumers, and possessing sensitivity and patience are indeed prerequisites to earning Hispanic acceptance and loyalty.
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