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Thursday, February 25, 2010

Relevance in Hispanic Print: Implications for Marketers

I have been thinking about the growing importance of Hispanic youth in the United States and how these young people are being served by the media. It is puzzling to think about ways in which print publications can be truly Hispanic in character and at the same time relevant to the culture and the growing segment of young Hispanic people educated in the United States.
I have been receiving a complimentary subscription to "Café Latino Lifestyle Magazine." Reading it recently I was struck by a partial answer to my question above. The cover of the last issue I saw featured "BlackTino: Children of mixed marriages define their own identity." I am interested in the topic because cross-cultural marriages and couples are on the rise, but also because there are many Hispanics from Latin America that are of African background. That I thought was an item of interest to those of us who share a Latin background in the United States. It speaks of our diversity.
Another article in the magazine was about the controversy of whether or not the US Census 2010 should be boycotted by Hispanics. The balanced views reported in the story were very informative to me and definitely a topic of importance to all of us. Other articles were about Santeria, Latino online dating, coming of age among Latinas, and many others. All of them of interest to me and even though many of the articles are directed to a younger profile.
Café is published in Chicago and it is in English. So, I thought, perhaps the key issue about Hispanic oriented print in the US is relevance to our current lives, and the language could be Spanish or English depending on the preference and ability of the reader. But, again, relevance seems to be the key point, particularly cultural relevance.
Marketers should pay attention to the issue of relevance. Are the publications in which they are advertising relevant to the lives of the consumers they cater to? Being Hispanic/Latino in the United States is a unique EXPERIENCE. Serving the needs of that experience and identity creates relevance. Relevance sells publications. Advertising in those publications, if also relevant, can be successful in connecting with us.

3 comments:

Carrie-in-TN said...

Hello there from Nashville, homebase for this Cuban-American kid from Miami.

I too am interested in relevance and the quandary for marketers and advertisers as they try to reach out to Latinos, who come in all flavors, language ability and socio-economics.

In my work, I focus on U.S.-dominant, acculturated, English-speaking Latinos. Why? That is who I am....I am an American with Latin descent. There are a lot of us and sadly, too many marketers kinda forget about us, those of us who don't speak only Spanish or watch novelas.

My blogs, if you are interested...

TikiTikiBlog.com
BilingualintheBoonies.com

(Found you via HispanicTips.com, by the way. Y Mucho Gusto.)

José Huitron said...

Your posts speak to the importance and relevance of the Hispanic Market. I enjoy reading them. Being Latino in the U.S. is definitely a unique experience. Relevance for me can mean so many things as elements from several cultures speak to my interests. Excellent points!

DIY Papi said...

I saw that issue of Cafe magazine that you talk about. The cover story is an issue that needs more discussion, as it almost seems like a 'taboo' topic among Hispanics.

That being said, I think the magazine will do well in English vs Spanish, as they seem to target a younger audience (as you said).