Marketing and the Hispanic Baby Boom

Muchas felicidades! Hispanic babies, born in the U.S. at a rate four times the total population between 2000 and 2010, are still gaining ground in the youngest of demos. While a slight dip in the birth rate correlated with the economic crisis, the parting of recessionary clouds and a recovering housing market may reignite what has been a steady cultural explosion.

One-fourth of children in the U.S. are Hispanic. While this expanding segment represents a marketing opportunity, many of them are second- or third-generation, and accordingly, advertisers need to keep culture and language in mind.

“They’re growing up in this dynamic and are very much acculturated, but they’re seeing how their parents operate and are still influenced by the cultures of their grandparents,” said David Hohman, evp and global performance director for MRM Worldwide.

Advertisers targeting this group can use Hispanic actors and models, but have them speak in Spanglish. Marketers also need to be aware of differing media habits. Hispanic kids, for example, multitask more than non-Hispanics, with 21 percent below the age of 8 using more than one medium most or some of the time.

Click here to view more content from The Kids Issue.