The Hispanic population continues to grow at a rate much faster than the rest of the U.S. population and their numbers are having a profound effect on many aspects of American society, reports Adweek.
According to the Census Bureau, the number of Hispanics has grown from 38 million individuals living in the U.S. in 2000 to nearly 50 million today. The biggest part of that growth has come from second-generation Hispanics. Based on the government's statistics, 88 percent of Hispanic children were born in the U.S. compared to 61 percent of adults.
"In the 2010 Census, we'll see confirmation of a shift from Hispanic consumers who are first generation, where Spanish is the dominant language, to second-generation, bilingual, bicultural consumers. It totally transforms how we market," Cynthia McFarlane, chair of Publicis Groupe's Conill, a Latino agency, told Adweek. "These are consumers who are as influenced by American culture as the country of origin of their families. There is a new American culture forming, and these consumers are having a tremendous impact on mainstream America."
"We know the general market has become increasingly multicultural, with Hispanic music, Hispanic tastes, the Hispanic palate influencing a lot of general-market initiatives," said Cristina Vilella, director of marketing at McDonald's USA. "We lead with Hispanic insights but make sure they appeal to the general market."
McDonald's has runs ads with Spanish taglines in general-market media and has also used "Spanglish" in the chain's general market ad campaign for its Big Mac Quarter Pounder.
Discussion Questions: How are Hispanics of all generations affecting retailing and consumer product marketing in the U.S.? What does the rapid growth of the second generation mean for Hispanic marketing in this country?