FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find Demographics of the U.S. Latino Population?

The best source is the U.S. Department of Commerce. Two very key documents are: Census Brief - Coming From the Americas: A Profile of the Nation's Latin American Born (issues September 2000) and The Hispanic Population Census 2000 Brief (issued May 2002)

Is there a difference between saying Hispanic or Latino?

In recent years there has been a lot of debate regarding which is the politically correct term. We use the terms interchangeably. It is a matter of personal preference. We are more likely to use Hispanic when we talk about the group as a potential business market, while we tend to use Latino when referring to the people. Latino sounds much better in Spanish than “Hispano”. In fact, the word is a Spanish word, while Hispanic needs to be translated.

Some argue that the term “Latino” includes everyone from “Latin America” and would therefore include people from Brazil (who speak Portuguese). Other say that the term "Hispanic" is wrong because it literally means "from Spain" and Hispanic American heritage goes further than just Spain. Most Hispanics, however, do not really care and are not offended by one term or the other.

What defines Hispanic?

The Hispanic market is composed of people that come from as many as 20 different countries. Very often they have very little in common. It is sometimes as odd as grouping Americans with British, Canadians, Australians, and residents of Jamaica, South Africa and Bermuda, just because they all speak English! Yet, speaking the same language does seem to be a strong commonality.

The Hispanic bond, however, goes further than language. The reason Hispanics speak Spanish is because of Spain’s influence in history. Spain, as you recall, brought to the New World not only the language but also religion. Most Hispanics are Catholic or otherwise Christian. Similar religion, in turn, translates into similar values. These ties become very strong for U.S. Hispanics.

How you define who is Hispanic for marketing research purposes depends on your target audience. For certain products that advertise in Spanish, the definition is often narrowed to screen for Spanish fluency, and the amount of Spanish media consumed. For more information including our definition of the term see "Who Are They?".

Why doesn't the census include Hispanic as a race?

The census does it right! Hispanic is NOT a race. There are many races within the Latino community, including White, Black, Native Indian, and even Asian. Some segments, like the Cuban community, show very few mixed-race individuals. In fact, Cubans exhibit a race discrimination behavior within their community that is similar to that of the general market. Other groups, like Puerto Ricans, are very mixed. Argentineans are mostly White and some Latin American countries, including Mexico, have a strong Native Indian background.

For years, however, the U.S. Census considered Hispanic a race. They have changed that definition since before the 1970 census and in 1977 the Office of Management and Budget issued the “Race and Ethnic Standards for Federal Statistics and Administrative Reporting”. They established the U.S. racial classifications to be American Indian, Alaskan Native, Asian or Pacific Islander, Black, and White. They added ethnic classifications of “Hispanic Origin” and “Not of Hispanic Origin”. Unfortunately, we continue to see the race question in most market research studies and marketers in this country continue to label Hispanic as a race.

The misconception that Hispanic is a race is so ingrained in this country that many Hispanics are confused themselves. This creates a big problem in marketing research, because many would check “Other” if “Hispanic” were not included in the race category. Yet, many Hispanics would check “White” or “Black” and not “Hispanic”, if “Hispanic” was included as a category. The answer is to divide the question like the census does and to pay close attention to how the questions are worded.

Is it all the same language or are there dialects?

There are no dialects, there is just one Spanish language. However, Spanish is not always the "same" Spanish.

It is possible for Hispanics to understand each other because they all speak the same language. Yet, there are some significant differences depending on the country of origin. Think of it as the difference between British English, American English, and Australian English. There is no doubt that you can communicate with each other, but sometimes the meaning is lost due to regional differences. The Spanish differences are often subtle but sometimes drastic.

For example, let us look at a simple word like “caramel”; in Mexico they call it “cajeta”, while Cubans and Argentineans will call it “dulce de leche.” Another example would be the word “computer” which most Latinos call “la computadora”, however, in Spain, they call it “el ordenador.” These are just two small examples of the complexity of the Spanish language and its array of dialects. This is why when conducting research among Latinos it is imperative that you hire a company that specializes in their culture with a staff of professional fully bilingual moderators, translators and simultaneous interpreters.

As Hispanic market consultants we pay close attention to these regional differences. Knowing how to speak the language so that everyone understands you well is sometimes a challenge. And when it comes to slang, the Hispanic segments seem to speak different languages altogether. It is important to be aware of these language issues when creating advertising campaigns that target the U.S. Hispanic market.

Translating from English

The Hispanic marketing world is full of anecdotes from failed translation. A famous one is when Perdue tried to translate their slogan “it takes a tough man to make a tender chicken”. Just knowing that the word tough in Spanish could also mean “sexually potent” and chicken is like saying “chick” or “girl” – well, you can translate it yourself! The moral is – you cannot just translate the ad copy.

Some problems again derive from differences in the language. A person trained in Castilian Spanish may have a perfect translation that becomes offensive to Mexican-Americans.

One of our areas of expertise is testing Spanish language copy to make sure that it communicates the intended meaning to all Latino sub-groups.

I have heard that Latinos spend a lot in food and beverage, is that right?

Yes! Latinos in general love to eat, drink and are always ready for a “fiesta” (party). This is why major fast food corporations, beverage and liquor companies are now advertising heavily in Spanish. Television stations like Univision and Telemundo and nationwide radio stations in cities throughout the U.S. have now become big contenders in the advertising arena. Major corporations allocating millions of dollars in advertising budgets to reach this lucrative market. For more information see Purchasing Power.

Do Latinos born in the US still consider themselves Latinos or Hispanic? What about acculturation?

Yes, most Latinos born in this country maintain their identification with the Hispanic group. Part of the reason why the Hispanic heritage continues to be strengthened and maintained is the result of a strong sense of family, culture, religion and most of all because of the Latino identification with their heritage. For more information see The New Melting Pot.

Are there cultural sensitivities when dealing with Hispanics?

As with any other culture, there are certain cultural sensitivities that should be taken into consideration when dealing with Latinos. For example, when conducting qualitative research with financial matters, males and females are often separated in different groups. This is usually done because most Hispanic women still consider their finances a “male thing” and in a mix group environment they tend to “agree” to whatever the “male authoritative” figure has to say. However, things are changing rapidly and different projects need to be conducted in different ways. That is why you should always seek the expertise of a company that specializes in the Hispanic market in order to avoid this and many other cultural sensitivities.