| According to TNS Media Intelligence, marketers | | | | resources to learn so much about another culture |
| invested 10.5% more in America's largest minority | | | | that they can learn localized expressions, cultural |
| in 2005 than they did in 2004. In the U.S. market | | | | hot buttons and humor? The answer is almost |
| overall, marketers invested a mere 3.4 percent | | | | none. The best partner for marketers are Spanish |
| more from 2004 to 2005. Does this mean that | | | | translation services companies who have human |
| this sector has been overworked? Not at all. On | | | | resources from all major Spanish-speaking |
| the contrary Synovate (a global market | | | | markets that can act as cultural translators and |
| intelligence and research company) reported in | | | | not just linguistic ones. |
| 2004 that over 43.5 million U.S. Hispanics make up | | | | Does a Mexican American consumer laugh and |
| almost 15 percent of the U.S. population - a | | | | cry at the same expressions as does a Cuban |
| percentage growing 5 times faster than the | | | | American? Are they offended by different |
| general population, which is more than a 70% | | | | language or ideas? Consult a market-specific |
| increase in the last 10 years. By the year 2020, | | | | Spanish translation specialist to make sure. You |
| which is only 14 short years away, 1 out of 5 | | | | should be one click away from a sale not one click |
| Americans will be of Hispanic origin. This source | | | | away from the door. |
| also tells us that the net natural growth of the | | | | Marketing to Spanish speakers is not just a |
| Hispanic population (births minus deaths) surpassed | | | | front-end project. Fulfillment practices are also an |
| immigration as the main source of population | | | | important issue that companies just aren't getting |
| growth in 2004. Over 1 million children will be born | | | | right. Consider this example. Company XYZ has |
| to Hispanic mothers this year and for the | | | | just launched their Spanish-language site complete |
| foreseeable future. Have you ever wondered how | | | | with a catalogue of their fine widgets, a shopping |
| companies will market to them? | | | | cart and third party processor to handle all of |
| Hispanics are becoming increasingly affluent: 64% | | | | their transactions. There is even an autoresponder |
| percent are now firmly within the nation's middle | | | | to do all upselling automatically. XYZ tests the |
| class and more than half are buying their first | | | | backend and it works seamlessly. Then |
| homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. | | | | somewhere in their finely-tuned system |
| Hispanics are entering cyberspace at high speed | | | | something goes wrong - a widget breaks and |
| with over 14 million U.S. Hispanics online. Yet the | | | | their customer needs to contact them. Having a |
| companies successfully targeting Hispanics online in | | | | FAQ page doesn't cut it and their client needs real |
| the direct response arena are few and far | | | | customer support. Does XYZ have the bilingual |
| between. | | | | staff in place to handle these day-to-day crises? |
| A marketplace of this size and yet marketers are | | | | No, they don't. You would be surprised how many |
| failing to capitalize. One of the biggest errors is | | | | companies fail because of this. There are |
| that many are taking a one-size-fits-all approach | | | | cost-effective, bi- systems out there to respond |
| to the Spanish language. There are many | | | | to bilingual customer service chat, email and |
| different variations of the Spanish language and | | | | telephone issues. |
| you must first consider to whom you are | | | | There is no doubt that translation is a cost. |
| marketing. | | | | Perhaps, however, companies would be better |
| Delia Huffman, president and CEO of Bull Market, | | | | served to think of creating a Spanish-language |
| an Indianapolis consulting firm, said efforts to tap | | | | website, for example, as an investment for the |
| into the Hispanic market shouldn't end with | | | | future rather than an expense. For 20-plus years, |
| translating marketing materials. "The cultural piece | | | | the Hispanic market has shown growth in both |
| of marketing is always what people miss," she | | | | market size and purchasing power. Companies can |
| added. "To capture that market, you're not just | | | | no longer ignore the cost of not doing business |
| translating. You need to put some effort into | | | | with 44 million Hispanics. |
| learning the culture." | | | | This includes yours. |
| This is true, but which marketers have the | | | | |