1950-1965: "Back in the day," Latino marketing was not called Latino or Hispanic marketing; it was simply called Spanish-language advertising. At that time, the most successful companies were those with ties to the local marketplace, some level of community visibility and a willingness to engage Latino consumers where they lived. More often than not, local businessmen, politicians, beverage and tobacco distributors were first in line, followed by auto dealers and an occasional risk-taking entrepreneur willing to explore how deep the pockets were of these multi-generational, Spanish-language dominant, very large (5 to 10 people) households.With only one local Spanish-language TV channel, maybe 2 Spanish-language radio stations, a few local civic celebrations and the perceived limited buying-power of the market, not much was expected from the marketplace beyond goodwill. But Goodwill was enough and community relations were the priority at the time.
1965-1970: The Black civil-rights and student anti-war demonstrations of the 1960’s inspired community-based activism within the Chicano/Mexican-American community and led to organized protests against racism and stereotyping in advertising. These confrontations eventually led to boycotts against Coors Beer, for the company’s anti-union and anti-immigrant stance (at a time when the United Farm Workers were trying to unionize in the same markets); Taco Bell, for using a logo caricature of a lazy Mexican sleeping under a sombrero against a cactus; and Frito Lay, for a gun toting, sombrero-wearing, gold capped-toothed caricature singing “Ay, ay, ay, ay, I am the Frito Bandito.” The collective protests put Corporate America on notice, inspiring community pride and barrio activism in cities throughout the southwest.
1975-1980: ˇSe Habla Dinero - Feliz Cinco de Mayo! The Chicano boycotts in California and Puerto Rican protests in New York put noticeable financial dents in these companies and would take several of them over 10 years and lots of extra community $goodwill$ to re-establish their previous market share, particularly in California. These same protests opened the door for other aggressive beer and beverage distributors to challenge staid corporate marketing, which up until that time had taken the Latino community's relationship with their products for granted. This period heralded-in a more "sensitive" corporate America and opened the door for financial proposals of all sorts to engage with minority communities. It is during this same period that Southwest High Schools and Colleges (M.E.Ch.A clubs) start to celebrate Cinco de Mayo as part of a resurgent indigenous pride. Eventually many corporations would find a way to market the party.
During this same time-frame, one of the most popular Latino entertainers on television was Freddie Prinze. He first found fame on Johnny Carson's tonight show and was quickly embraced by Hollywood and given his own tv show, titled "Chico and The Man." While Hollywood wasn't ready to break completely free of Hispanic stereotypes, casting the protagonist as a garage mechanic named "Chico," Freddie's authentic comedic talent and the show's fun and intelligent writing, carried the show to top ratings and avoided any protests from a Latino community poised to do so.
1980: Its not about the name, it’s about the numbers! The word “Hispanic” never existed until the 1980 US Census identified Latinos residing in the US as a collective body and for the first time used the title “Hispanic” to designate this segment of the US population. This Census was instrumental in the evolution of Hispanic Marketing for one major reason: the 1980 US Census officially clarified what was happening with respect to the growing Latino population.Marketers now had quantifiable data to justify strategic discussions and investment beyond community relations “set-asides.” Once this market potential was clearly identified, the business of marketing to Hispanics truly took hold.
Throughout the 1980’s, these same US Census numbers were challenged by community and education leaders on every front. The Census department clarified that none of these initial figures included the "undocumented" immigrants living in the US. (What that percentage was or is, has been cause for constant debate.) When the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 passed, another 1.2 million people applied for and became legally documented US Latino or ”Hispanic” citizens as well. However, these citizens had to show proof of living in the US prior to 1982, anyone after remained and remains undocumented; and many believe this number far exceeds the 1.2 million Amnesty applicants of 1987-88. Regardless, the US Hispanic population was finally counted and legitimized during the 80’s.
1980 US Census
1980-1990: As the US Hispanic population grew, so did the media willing to serve. During the 1980’s, local minority FCC radio station licenses saw a dramatic increase in Hispanic radio applicants and ownership, and became the forebearers to the boom in Spanish-language media and entertainment, that would finally arrive a decade later. During the 80's there were hints of interest and talent on the horizon. On the radio, in 1984, Sheila E., daughter of legendary Bay Area jazz percussionist Pete Escovedo, broke through the pop radio charts with "The Glamorous Life." She would later become an influential part of Prince's band as lead drummer and percussionist. It took 3 more years, in 1987, for another Latina to break through the pop charts with "Conga," by Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine.
As radio charts began heating up, TV started to compete and prosper. By the end of 1980’s, Spanish International Network (a predominantly Mexican media holding in the US) was purchased by Hallmark and renamed Univision. A second national network, Telemundo, reached critical mass and was eventually purchased by GE to become an NBC Network subsidiary; and all media began taking competitive client advertising dollars to the streets, literally.
Throughout the 80's from Calle Ocho, in Miami, to Fiesta Broadway, in LA; from MECCA Carnaval, in San Francisco, to the Puerto Rican Day Parade in NY, field marketing and corporate sponsorships designed to generate product trial and branding awareness in key Hispanic communities across the country, flourished. Teams of Hispanic field marketing executives leveraged their company’s marketing budgets to do the right thing in the Latino community and still do to this day.
1990’s: The Boom! The 1990 Census confirmed all previous Hispanic population trends and affirmed continued corporate marketing efforts. Numerous Hispanic media providers and agencies grew to impressive billing levels and profited immensely. Many were acquired by mainstream advertising conglomerates and now wrestle with retaining their own identity while discerning their client’s targeted Latino consumer identity as well. The 90’s established the viability of the Latino consumer and empowered these agencies and Hispanic media to new and well-deserved success.
As Hispanic media and advertising providers flourished along with the buying power of the US Latino consumer market, so too did corporate America's brand strategies and product sales. In fact, the US Hispanic marketplace was proving so profitable that even Latin American conglomerates, who were in the throws of a financial crisis throughout the region, began exporting products and services into the US to tap into the US Latino populaton's buying power, which up until that time they had viewed as inferior to the consumers in their own countries. Behemoth media enterprises like Televisa and Venevision and even European companies from Spain hastened to leverage their presence in the US and tap into their ex patriot's wallets.
Fiesta Broadway in Los Angeles
The 1990's roll on:
But the most impressive and visible aspect of success in the Hispanic marketplace during the 90's, was the boom in Hispanic entertainment and sports. It wasn't til the early and mid 1990's that the entertainment industry finally took notice that "cross-over" for Latino entertainers was not as necessary as "access." It was during the 90's that US Latinos finally established "a place at the table" in mainstream media and entertainment's production of music, film, TV and print; as well as national sports team recruitment of Latin American athletes. This access generated unprecedented momentum and opportunity for Hispanic entertainers and athletes.
One artist in particular served as the spark to ignite and affirm the power and influence of US latino entertainers in the 90's and into the new millenium once and for all. Whereas much credit should go to early entertainment pioneers such as Rita Moreno, Desi Arnaz, Jose Feliciano, Gloria Estefan, Edward James Olmos and so many more of Hollywood Latino film and music lore, it wasn't until the arrival and tragic departure of Selena Quintanilla, that US media truly woke up.
Although Selena had won a Grammy and was acknowleded for years by her Latina, Tejana and Mexicana fans, she never got a chance to perform in front of a mainstream Grammy-award TV-viewing audience due to the industry's misperception that her music was niche and her fan-base too small for prime-time viewing. It wasn't until her tragic murder that mainstream media finally awoke to the massive outpouring of public attention, her $ multi-million in music sales and national demand for more, that both the music and film industry launched Selena's cross-over story, which also paved the way for several equally as talented Latino artists; including Ricky Martin, the first latino Grammy-awarded artist who finally got invited to perform during the live Grammy telecast, and Jennifer Lopez, who starred in the film about the beloved artist, Selena, and went on to generate an even greater wave of opportunity for Latinos in music, TV and film, with no end in sight.
Since 1995, Latinos are now as visible in the US, selling product in English as they've been doing for decades in Spanish. With this immense visibility has come incredibly positive opportunity. All bets are on and anything "Latino" can do no wrong. That is, until the Internet; or at least the first wave of Internet endeavors...
2000-2008 Clouds Loom. No rose-colored glasses here. The end of the century saw an Internet boom that helped leapfrog Latin American entrepreneurs to the forefront of speculative investment. Unfortunately, their instincts about the valuation of the Internet were just as wrong as the rest of the world. But the Internet bust of 2001 was only part of the story. The first 4 years of the new millennium were very tough on the country and particularly the US Latino population, at least from a social standpoint. While the buying power and consumption habits of the US Hispanic market have never waned, this increasingly successful but still massively blue collar segment of the country had to now endure an anti-immigrant, "good-old-boy" led, Republican administration; experience the 9/11/01 tragedy along with the rest of the nation: an event which would eventually send our country into a war that we're still fighting (and where many young US Latinos are still dying). Unfortunately, this same tragedy fueled further anti-immigrant sentiments nationally, leading us to build real walls along our borders. But thankfully a change has come and we are quite optimistic about the new horizon.
In 2009, we are now seeing very clearly what our intuition was telling us all along: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.The really good news for companies who stayed the course and continued to market to the Latino population, or for those revisiting or just beginning to market to this consumer segment, they'll continue to experience positive sales despite everything in the media and the country as a whole. Why is this? Simply put, the majority of US Latinos are somewhat recession proof. While there is a small percentage of the US Hispanic population that has experienced and continues to experience every facet of the current financial dilema this country is experiencing as a whole, the larger percentage of the Hispanic population still lives and conducts itself in fashion similar to that of our grandparent's generation. In fact, it's not unusual to still see multi-generational US Latino families living under one roof and bonding together to weather the current economic storm, just as they've always done through previous challenges. Part of this is the immigrant mentality and a general familial Latino spirit of unity and family cohesion; and part of this is the fact that their household expenditures and investments aren't tied to Wallstreet or 401 K's. Sadly, the majority of hard working Latinos have always had a vulnerable and often expendable relationship with their employers so to a certain degree, what is happening now with massive corporate layoffs is simply old news to hard working immigrants and migrants. Immigration may slow down for awhile, but the immigrants spirit and work ethic will prevail as it always has. And at our core, isn't that what the spirit of America is all about?
