The news is shocking the world and the media is in a frenzy: Arizona, considered for decades a territorial bastion of the Republican Party in the United States, has become Democrat. Why? You can thank the Latino vote, which has been the main driving force for change.
As the BBC confirmed, the growing influence of Hispanics in the United States is undeniable. In fact, it is estimated that by 2060 the United States will become the second country with the most Spanish-speakers in the world after Mexico.
But why is this aspect so relevant? Language involves more than a set of grammatical rules that govern the messages through which we communicate. Language determines the building blocks of how we transmit religious, political, social, and cultural beliefs, among other important things.
On the other hand, language is also intimately linked to the social context. It isn’t appropriate to talk
about a language as a static thing, because languages vary according to geography and they are always evolving through time. These subtle variations are often only understood by native Spanish speakers. When someone is a native Spanish speaker, it is easier for them to recognize and adapt to the colloquial language of a region, even if it is not the one they were born into.
Spanish, and its symbolism, has gone through significant changes in the USA; at the same time, the USA has gone through changes because of the Spanish language. This influence goes well beyond just politics. In this article we will explore the impact of the Hispanic community in the United States and the value Hispanic marketing agencies can bring!
Spanish-speaking community: in the world stage
According to Berlitz, Spanish is the 4th most important language in the world, after English, Mandarin and Hindi. Spanish-speakers are distributed throughout different parts of the world (the five continents!), giving the language additional richness and cultural diversity. According to Cervantes Institute, Spanish is the second language with the most native speakers in the world, after Mandarin Chinese.
What does this mean? If your objective is to capture this large market, especially the US Hispanic market, having a Hispanic marketing agency on your side will be a great help.
The Hispanic population in the United States: its importance in numbers
The presence and influence of Latinos in the United States is an undeniable reality. Hispanicstar estimates that by 2030 Hispanics will make up 22.4% of the US workforce, while by 2050 Hispanics will constitute 30.2% of the total US population.
This is no accident, being that Mexico, the US neighbor to the south, is the largest migratory corridor in the world, as stated by the Mexican state department. Here are some other relevant figures provided by Hispanicstar about Latinos in the United States:
- 20% of the most relevant target demographic for the marketing industry (18 to 34 year-olds) is made up of Latinos.
- This demographic group will continue to grow rapidly
- 75% of Latinos in the United States are vigorously active in digital media.
- 34% of the Hispanic population are sports fans, compared to 18% of non-Latino Americans.
- The Latino community spends 6 hours a day on social networks, Twitter being their favorite one
- 45% of Latinos in the United States experience upward social mobility, due to their culture of hard work.
- Hispanics are the most powerful consumer minority in the US, and are considered key for the national economy.
- The Spanish-speaking community makes up 68% of consumer spending that drives growth in the automotive industry.
Hispanic marketing agencies: Latino consumption transforming the USA
There are many misrepresentations of Hispanics in the media. Some of the most popular include: that they are always working in construction, that they are always working in the field (agriculture), or that they are drug traffickers. However, most of the 60 million Hispanics living in the US are involved in economic activities linked to the services sector, including health, education, real estate and others.
The economic and social influence of Hispanics, which a good Hispanic marketing agency will be expert at, has transformed the US market and made it more multicultural. Here are a few examples of this influence:
- Music
The popularity of Hispanic American music in the United States is quite visible, ranking in the top 10 songs of 2022. Two songs by Bad Bunny appear in the fourth and seventh place of that list.
Likewise, the Recording Industry Association of America publishes an end-of-year report on the revenue generated by Latin music in the United States. In its latest report, the RIAA asserts that the streaming format is the most consumed by the Hispanic community, accounting for 97% of the income generated by Latino music. These revenues surpassed $84 million USD.
- Cinema
Cinema is one of the highest-grossing industries. Hispanics, as a demographic group, have the highest percentage of cinema-goers in the United States. This according to data from the Los Angeles Times.
The above fact is confirmed by the Motion Picture Association, which asserts in its latest report (2021), that Latino cinema attendance per-capita was the highest of any demographic group, at an average of 1.7 times per year. Interestingly, one of the top markets when it comes to movie attendance is outside the US, but belongs to the Spanish-speaking world. Mexico is one of the top 10 countries that consume the most American cinema, again according to the MPA.
On the other hand, there is still a lot of work to do to improve the representation of Hispanic Americans in cinema. This requires attention as they are a most plentiful and loyal audience.
- TV
When it comes to TV, the issue of proper representation for the Hispanic population is extremely consequential. According to Nielsen: “It is important to highlight that results show that TV content with Hispanic inclusion engages audiences, inspires them to spend more time within a platform and actually increases the value of a program.”
In addition, streaming is key when it comes to Latino entertainment. A study carried out in 2022 by Nielsen confirmed that 43.6% of Latinos prefer streaming platforms for their TV consumption.
- Politics
Hispanics are the second-largest voting group in the United States, and it is expected that during 2022 they will exceed 50%. This fact is highly relevant, since bureaucratic positions are intended to provide representation to the population.
In other words, there will be more and more change in the political discourse due to the weight of the Hispanic community. Hispanics are great contributors to the US economy, the tax base, and their country matters to them.
Sube Agencia Digital: we’ll help you turn the key
The United States is a multicultural country where ethnicity matters, and where Hispanics matter more and more every day. A Hispanic marketing agency is the ideal partner to succeed at serving this large and economically powerful community.
SUBE Agencia Digital cares about your success. We invite you to learn more about how we can help you bring your product or service to the US Hispanic market.
Your commitment to succeed is our greatest inspiration!
Sources consulted
- https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2020/11/12/biden-se-lleva-arizona-estado-que-fue-bastion-republicano-durante-mucho-tiempo/
- https://www.epdata.es/datos/lengua-espanola-mundo-datos-graficos/513#:~:text=Actualmente%20en%20el%20mundo%20hay,(492.990.519%20personas)
- https://hispanicstar.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2022-Hispanos-en-los-Estados-Unidos-30-MIN-.pdf
- https://portales.segob.gob.mx/work/models/PoliticaMigratoria/CEM/Investigacion/PM01.pdf
- https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-50048191
- https://www.infobae.com/noticias/2022/07/30/ranking-spotify-las-10-canciones-mas-escuchadas-en-estados-unidos/
- https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/tv/rumbo-a-la-casa-blanca/el-voto-latino-en-arizona-es-clave-para-las-elecciones-en-eu-especialista/
- https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2021-RIAA-Year-End-U.S.-Latin-Music-Revenue-Report_ESP.pdf
- https://www.latimes.com/espanol/entretenimiento/articulo/2021-09-21/los-latinos-son-los-que-mas-van-al-cine-en-eeuu-pero-no-hacen-las-peliculas
- https://www.nielsen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Sept-2022-Hispanic-DIS-report.pdf