In the 1970s a revolutionary “how -to” book written by Dr. John Gray was published. Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus helps hundreds of couples learn to live with and love each other on a daily basis. Here’s the main goal of the book: just because you are talking to your partner does NOT mean you are conversing. A man is more likely to get his point across to a woman if he understands how she picks up on communication, rather than assuming she gathers and processes information in the same way he and his buddies do.
But how, you might be asking, does this apply to me and my business?
Well, as a business owner, you have a great product. You do research and find currently, the Latin Market with their estimated $580 billion in purchasing power has gone past that of a niche market, making it wise to offer your product/services to them. Just translate the content of your English advertisements and get the message out there.
Bad idea! Just like a woman doesn’t think or react like a man, the Latin Market reacts differently to the marketing tactics which may have proved successful on the Non-Latin Sector. In order to effectively showcase your product to the Latin Sector, learn to speak their “buying language.” This language is affected by the following: 1) Culture and 2) Media.
The following is just one example of a cultural difference: It is not uncommon for Latin families to shop together. Shopping is a group activity where a majority consensus is met before purchasing a certain item. Because three generations can make up one household, companies to realize how large and cohesive the Latin family structure is in contrast to the English-Speaking family structure.
Ford Motors, for example, recognized this difference and adjusted their marketing campaign accordingly. When creating commercials for the Ford Focus, the company emphasized the car’s family friendly attributes , in contrast to marketing it as a young, hip vehicle to the Non-Latin consumers. In this way, Ford avoided alienating any potential customers through something as silly as a misinterpretation of marketing outreach.
Second, the media you use to promote your product to the Non-Latin consumers may be ineffective for the Latin Market. Again, this can be chalked up to cultural influence. The internet is a burgeoning medium when communicating to the Latin consumers. Though growing in popularity, it may not be enough for your marketing strategy. Studies for this sector show a typical internet shopper is male, between the ages of 18 -30. So if this is your target audience, the internet is the way to go. But if you are advertising a domestic or family related product, women are the major players to influence. The Latin Market is heavily patriarchal, and very traditional. Women take care of most domestic issues. The women are not as heavily influenced by the internet as they are by television and even more so, the radio.
The best relationships are those where one partner listens to the other and expresses his or her thoughts in the language the other can understand. As Dr. Gray has expressed in his book, communicating is more than just words. And so is effective marketing.
Articles Used in Gathering Data:
“New Approaches to Marketing to Hispanics.” Paul Epstein. www.marketingprofs.com
“Marketing to the Hispanic Language Split.” www.ipsos-ideas.com
