Vera’s Value to the Latino Market

Is your brand connected to the culture it serves? People can tell when you genuinely care and when you’re inauthentic.‍

Overlooking Latino Markets is a Missed Opportunity for Brands

You can’t speak to a culture you don’t understand. It is essential to ensure that your brand is welcomed into the lives and the salas of the people you want to reach. You can’t force your way into their lives – but you can meet them where they are and embrace their community.

Many big brands often don’t do the legwork, making their Latino-facing work inevitably fail to resonate with Latinos. Though there has been an improvement over the years when it comes to representation, there still aren’t enough stories about Latinos in this country. Latino representation is limited despite recent population growth that outpaces other racial demographics at a rate that consumer-facing businesses can’t overlook. 

‍Hispanics make up almost 20% of the US consumer market.‍

They constitute 18.5% and 19.4% of US female and male consumers, making the community a viable target audience for marketers. Latino buying power is projected to reach $2.6 trillion by 2025, but this representation is not apparent in the creative work targeting Latino demographics. 

The digital space has great potential for brands to reach and resonate with Latinos. Representation on TikTok and YouTube is minimal despite Latinos being more active than other demographics. Hispanic adults are more active on social platforms than any other racial demographic. In the U.S. alone, 80% of Latinos are active on social media, compared to 77% of African Americans and 70% of White counterparts.  Latinos are also five times more likely to share a post. This is an undeniable opportunity for brands to truly connect with the community.

‍The disconnect between brands and Latino audiences starts at the top.

‍When I founded Vera Creative in 2008, I’d often be the only Latino at the table, let alone the only Latina. I’ve been the only Latina at the table many times throughout my career, and I can’t help but wonder why until I see a stereotypical Mexican beer commercial blend into a stereotypical rum commercial without much difference between them.

It’s Not Only About the Language, It’s Mostly About the Culture

The United States is the second-largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, behind Mexico. By overlooking the Latino population in the US market, brands miss a huge opportunity. 

While having Spanish-language content is essential, there are more layers and cultural nuances that need a deep dive. You need a group of experts with lived experience who are plugged into the community and have their finger on the pulse. That’s our specialty. Brands can’t just pick and choose the parts of the culture for campaigns when it suits their bottom line. 

Having a diverse workforce is important, but how much of that workforce is decision-making?

Having true representation in a focus group is also important, but how is input received from living experts throughout the evolution of the campaign to support the success of all stakeholders?  

Vera Creative Bridges The Gap Between Brands and Latino Audiences

It’s a must to have people in decision-making power to be as diverse as their customers. At Vera, we understand the Latino market not only because we’re a Latina-owned and majority-Latino agency but also because of our Purpose-Centered Design Process. We put purpose first to ensure that our work achieves a lasting impact. The people we serve have a seat at the table as equal stakeholders, and we support them in designing systems, policies, and campaigns that provide sustainable returns.

I’m drawn to brands that represent Latinos in their market. It feels like their offerings fill a need and fit within the culture I seek to maintain in my life. It’s essential to identify critical motivating factors for Latinos so that the way the brand engages is authentic and culturally fitting.

It’s Time to Invest in Your Latino Audience

Invest in a strategy demonstrating that brands care about Latinos, want to connect, and are inclusive of our lived experiences to inform how they market to our people. Invest in authentic messaging and speak to our people, both linguistically and culturally. Invest in a partnership that starts with Latino values and puts empathy into action for impact-based solutions.

For brands to successfully connect with Latino audiences, they need to work with a Latino firm. We are nearly 20% of this country’s population. Thankfully, the sarcastic “caliente” comments have decreased over time in the big stakeholder meetings I’ve been in over the years after sharing my insights and perspective. Still, the next step for brands to connect with Latino audiences is not to shrug off the initial investment required to understand your specific target audience’s needs, challenges, and hopes for your brand and your products. 

Recently, we’ve successfully engaged Latino communities through our partnerships with Goya Foods, Chicago’s Puerto Rican Festival, and the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance, to name a few. We’ve provided multicultural and multilingual touchpoints informed by qualitative and quantitative data our dedicated outreach teams collect first-hand to guide our strategy. 

In this way, we’re able to best connect our clients’ brands to Latino audiences with authentic creative for in-person and digital activations, in addition to deliverables like ad spots, websites, OOH, and fully integrated campaigns that include all of the above and then some. 

Make more impact in your Latino-centered initiatives by building a culture of purpose around your strategic approach with Vera Creative, Chicago’s go-to Latina design and social impact agency.

Brand leaders, ask yourself– how are you catering to your Latino audience in your communications?