Hispanic-Focused Marketing Research: Cultural Nuances

If you’re just joining us for this week’s series on the intricacies of accessing Hispanic populations with your marketing research, click here to learn how to select the right location for your Hispanic-focused marketing research.

Once you’ve selected the right market in which to conduct your Latino focus group recruitment and research, it’s important to bear in mind that there are a number of cultural influences and nuances to take into consideration when coordinating your marketing research project.

First and foremost among these is the fact that the majority of individuals in this unique demographic identify with their family’s country of origin rather than the broader label of “Hispanic” or “Latino.” Along these same lines, according to a recent article published by the Pew Hispanic Center, “…by a ratio of more than two-to-one, survey respondents say that the more than 50 million Latinos in the U.S. have many different cultures rather than a common culture.”

With each unique cultural sub-set of the U.S. Hispanic population, there are a number of heritage-specific factors and influences that an attentive marketing research professional must take into consideration when recruiting for and conducting their focus group sessions.

While there isn’t time to go into every possible situation here, it should be noted that a distinction is made between Spanish-dominant, un-acculturated Latinos, fully bilingual and bicultural Latinos, or an English-dominant, acculturated segment. Add gender, age, language, country of origin, education and income levels to that list and you get an idea of the exponential variables involved in targeting your marketing research to this unique demographic.

There is, however, one common trait that ties this relatively diverse group together: language. According to the Pew Hispanic Center report mentioned above, “Fully 95% of Hispanics believe it is very important (75%) or somewhat important (20%) for future generations of Hispanics in the U.S. to be able to speak Spanish.” That said, this same study found that “Nearly nine-in-ten (87%) Hispanics say adult Hispanic immigrants need to learn English to succeed in the U.S.”

Based on these numbers, it should go without saying that, in order to conduct a successful focus group or quantitative marketing research project in the U.S. Hispanic community, it is an absolute necessity to provide moderators and focus group support staff fluent in both English and Spanish.

While this may sound somewhat obvious, what might not be as readily apparent is the benefit of providing focus group personnel who possess the same country-specific cultural backgrounds as your respondents. This will ensure that you gather the most accurate data possible by picking up on any region-specific dialects, phrases or idioms that a bilingual focus group moderator with a different cultural background might miss.

For valuable guidance on the best ways to manage and address Hispanic cultural nuances with your marketing research, click on the button below to schedule a consultation with one of the experts at Focus Pointe Global.

Be sure to check back later in the week when we will continue our investigation into targeting Hispanic communities with your marketing research. If you’d like this and all future Focus Pointe Global blog posts sent directly to your inbox, simply enter your email address in the field to the right to subscribe.