Kaleidoscope Panel at The PSFK Conference Los Angeles

A panel chaired by Juan Guillermo Tornoe looks at the Hispanic market, it’s relationship with traditional America, its similarities, its differences and the important trends developing within it. The panel includes Jennifer Woodard and David Morse (New American Dimensions).

JUAN - Are all Hispanics earning $35,000, have recently moved from Mexico, have large families and are blue collar? America thinks so! In reality, there’s so much richness and variety – and what we see in LA is different in NYC and in Austin, Texas. It’s a matrix. We have to consider Socio-Cultural Level; County Of Origin/Heritage; Language of Preference; Level of Assimilation; Place Of Residence; and Generation.

JENNIFER – Online, the US Latino population growing bigger than the rest if the market. She writes in English and people ask why we’re not speaking in Spanish. My readers don’t speak Spanish, or just a little. Spanish isn’t the silver bullet.

JUAN - Companies need to have a bilingual website – in the language of their choice. But also it has to be relevant: When you do a Spanish language Google search you get results from Spain or Peru.

DAVID - The Hispanic market is totally divided by age. Latinos make up 47% of the population in LA. There might be 45 to 46 million in the US. 75% of Hispanics are first or second generation. You have a completely divided market.

JUAN - You have to promote to Hispanics as being subtle. By putting cultural cues in your advertising.