Because of the major growth of Hispanics in our state, it is important to understand this audience and their healthcare needs. Even with the quickly changing landscape in the U.S., experts think healthcare systems aren’t prepared to adequately treat the Hispanic market.
Hispanics have drastically changed the demographics within the U.S. The Hispanic market represents over $1.5 trillion buying power today. At nearly 59 million Hispanics in this country, 18% of the U.S. population, they are the key driver of the U.S. demographic shift with 51% of them below 30 years old.
In Texas alone, Hispanics represent 39% of the population – 10,405,000 million people. This is an increase of 42% over the last 10 years.
The word “Hispanic” was actually created and adopted by the U.S. government in the early 70’s as a universal term encompassing all Latin American subgroups to better track their social and economic progress.
Knowing the difference in marketing to Hispanics
General market advertising does not always translate well to the Hispanic audience. The messaging has to resonate with their culture. Given this, it is important to understand their knowledge, behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, values and norms.
For healthcare, the primary audience is Hispanic women. They are the ones making most decisions about diet and how the family receives healthcare. Nonetheless, it is also important to convey health messages to the males. Lack of insurance prevents many Hispanics from seeking care, often allowing their conditions to worsen. Health coverage among Hispanics is lower than the general market. 30% are uninsured, 40% are covered by employers or private. 30% are covered with Medicaid or other public services.
When deciding where to focus your marketing and communication programs towards Hispanics, identify where most Hispanics live within your community. In addition to traditional advertising, consider sponsoring community events they participate in. They will respect the fact you make an effort in recognizing them. An important point to note, Hispanics value word of mouth recommendations within their social circles over advertising. So be sure to deliver on your brand promise.
An approach our advertising agency has found successful in targeting Hispanics is digital marketing. Given smartphones are their primary form of communication and research, digital advertising is highly effective in engaging them. This includes social, display advertising and geo marketing. If Hispanics are a segment of your target audience, you should consider providing your website in Spanish.
The four behavioral acculturation segments of the U.S. Hispanic Market
There are plenty of difference and nuances between the different Hispanic segmentation groups. They come from different countries with different educational and socio-economical levels, so if one thing is sure, is that “one size does not fill all” when it comes to Hispanic marketing. You need to know your target in order to craft a compelling and persuading message that taps their need, not just their language.
If your organization is considering targeting the Hispanic market, please know that we have the experience and knowledge to help you connect with that growing segment of our population. Contact us at AGENSICREATIVE
