The Heart of Latino Identity

Check this out. There's some really interesting stuff on Latino identity right now. Interesting how marketing and its need to connect with the consumer resulted in this study which observed over-arching aspects of Latino identity.

I quote from the article: “The Project identifies four "chambers" of Latino Identity: interpersonal orientation; time and space perception; spirituality; and gender perception -- each with its own qualities and characteristics. While intuitively Hispanic marketers have understood the characteristics of US Hispanics, the analysis indicated that it is the interconnectedness of all four chambers and the influence of contextual factors such as immigration stress, education, discrimination, ethnic pride and socioeconomic level on those chambers that is really shaping Latino identity today and influences the way marketers must "speak" to Latino consumers.”

This is interesting in light of the next post, Rich and varied 'Hispanic heritage' not easy to define.

Check out the presentation of this work at the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agenices. Read on.


Angela


http://hispanicad.com/cgi-bin/news/newsarticle.cgi?article_id=20226

The Heart of Latino Identity Presentation @ HipanicAd.com

The Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies announced the findings of a year-long project assessing more than 40 years of academic research identifying the unique character of US Hispanics. During the opening session of the association's 21st semiannual conference in Miami, Chairman Carl Kravetz presented to an audience of US Hispanic advertising professionals from across the country a new model of Latino cultural identity anticipated to transform the way marketers and advertisers connect with Hispanic consumers.

What makes a Latino, Latino? Until now, the Spanish language has been the single most compelling definer of Latino Identity. The results of AHAAs Latino Identity Project, however, indicate that neither language nor acculturation is the true marker of Latino Identity. In fact, conventional factors such as acculturation, ethnic pride, language preference and socioeconomic levels that once defined Latinos are simply contextual, according to the project analysis.

"The new model is a significant shift from the way in which Latino consumers have been characterized to date - by language, country of origin and their length of time in the US - an overly simplistic view of Latino identity," says Carl Kravetz, chairman of AHAA and chairman/chief strategic officer of cruz/kravetz: IDEAS. "Our new model is not a rejection of the past but rather a natural and fascinating consequence of our growth, sophistication and evolution. This is not about a change of heart; instead this is about the change that is beating deep in the heart of the Latino population in America."

The heart is the symbol AHAA is using to describe the new Latino Cultural Identity. Its complexity, adaptability, intricacy and interrelation with other vital systems resemble the heart of Latino Cultural Identity -- values that change according to environment and external stimuli as does a human heart.

The Project identifies four "chambers" of Latino Identity: interpersonal orientation; time and space perception; spirituality; and gender perception -- each with its own qualities and characteristics. While intuitively Hispanic marketers have understood the characteristics of US Hispanics, the analysis indicated that it is the interconnectedness of all four chambers and the influence of contextual factors such as immigration stress, education, discrimination, ethnic pride and socioeconomic level on those chambers that is really shaping Latino identity today and influences the way marketers must "speak" to Latino consumers.

"It is complex," Kravetz says, "but not complicated. It is fluid, dynamic and ever changing. Interestingly, it turns out that it's not so much what unites Latinos that's important, rather, it's what makes Latinos different from non-Latinos. Marketers can now use this fascinating insight and new cultural identity model to connect with Latino consumers emotionally, deep within their hearts where brand loyalty and preference is established. The unique ability of Latino agencies to translate this new language of Latino identity will enable corporations to gain new insight and bond with Hispanic consumers, whose spending power is projected to reach $1 trillion in a few years."

I am pleased to announce that Simmons has agreed to work closely with AHAA and its Hispanic market partners to explore the development of new metrics on Latino culture and identity as well as refining existing ones. Simmons will use its expertise to propose and design the parameters of the proposed research AHAA is in similar discussions with Iconoculture and Synovate. The association is seeking feedback from corporate marketers - clients - during the conference and is scheduled to make presentations to the National Hispanic Corporate Council, the multicultural conference of the Association of National Advertisers and a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) symposium.

"We want to ensure that the creation of this new model wasn't an academic exercise," Kravetz says. "Every Latino marketer should be challenged to think about how this model can change the way advertising and messages are created and received. For example, the time and space perception of a Latino - the orientation to past and present rather than the notion that what I do today will benefit me in the future-- means that when marketing medication to treat lifelong illnesses such as diabetes, Latinos are less likely to perceive the long-term benefit of taking a pill every day. When they wake up and feel great each day for a week they may not take the medication. Using the new Latino Cultural Identity model we can create deeper, more meaningful messages to reach out to Latino consumers and change behaviors. It makes what we do even better since we are now able not only to describe Hispanic behavior but to understand why Latinos think and act as they do.

The Latino Identity Project was commissioned by AHAA with the research review and analysis provided by the Florida State University Department of Communication in cooperation with leading Latino academicians from Stanford and NYU. AHAA brought together account planners from eight agencies to lead the project that reviewed more than 40 years of academic literature on issues of identity and culture explored through psychology, anthropology, linguistics, health care, economics, education, sociology, management and the arts.

"Every dimension of Latino character was explored and yet the commonalities, which all focused around the four core characteristics, were fascinating and compelling. The Latino Cultural Identity model demonstrates not just that Latinos are unique, but why they are unique. We have not been speaking their language fluently. We can no longer oversimplify our consumers by limiting the discussion to Spanish or English but, instead, must elevate the conversation and focus on building a new common language of Latino Cultural Identity which speaks to the heart of every consumer. It's the number one rule of marketing - listen to your consumer."