Sub-Cultural Diversity Important to Targeted Advertising

BIGresearch's latest Simultaneous Media Survey of 15,439 consumers indicates that the categorization of Hispanics into broad generic groups leaves marketers with an inaccurate picture of ethnic groups. In the study Hispanics identified themselves more specifically racially as:

• 44.2% Caucasian
• 34.6% Other Race / Heritage
• 16%Multi-Racial

Joe Pilotta, VP, Strategy of BIGresearch, said "... (This) breakout of... (Hispanic) consumers reveals differing cultural identities within the categories which give a real insight into the complexity of marketing to Hispanics who have their own internal diversity."

The report suggests that advertisers should also pay close attention to age and income as social and cultural markers of mobility within Hispanic groups. For example, those Hispanics who identify themselves as being Caucasian are generally older and report a higher income than other Hispanic races.

Demographic Cultural Differences
	Average Age	Average Income
Hispanic / All 18+	36.5	$51,918
Hispanic / Caucasian	40.8	$57,748
Hispanic / Other	34.0	$47,873
Hispanic / Multi-Racial	33.1	$50,139
Source: BIGresearch, August 2007

David Taggart, general manager Televisa Publishing, concludes "...too often marketers and advertisers lump Hispanics into over-simplified categories... marketers... can optimize their ad dollars by effecting targeting niche markets within the Hispanic market that often times have more affinity for a product or service."

The differences in the niche markets of Hispanics are apparent in their auto purchase plans and media usage, says the study.

Top 3 Vehicles Being Considered
All Adults 18+	All Hispanics 18+	Hispanic Multi-Racial	Hispanic Caucasian	Hispanic Other
Toyota	Toyota	Ford	Toyota	Toyota
Ford	Honda	Chevrolet	Honda	Honda
Honda	Ford	Toyota	Ford	BMW
Source: BIGresearch, August 2007

Across race and ethnic categories, Hispanics tend to have a greater propensity to purchase big ticket items over the next six months.

Purchase Intentions Next 6 Months
	All Adults 18+	All Hispanics 18+	Hispanic Multi-Racial	Hispanic Caucasian	Hispanic Other
Vacation	28.0%	32.3%	29.9%	33.3%	32.7%
Computer	15.6%	22.4%	27.1%	20.8%	22.2%
Furniture	15.3%	21.6%	21.3%	18.3%	23.7%
TV	13.9%	21.4%	25.2%	19.2%	22.8%
Home Improvement	13.6%	14.1%	15.9%	14.1%	12.6%
Car/Truck	11.9%	15.8%	17.8%	14.3%	16.0%
Source: BIGresearch, August 2007

"... cultural differences must truly be a part of a consumer-centric model, not just another variable," said Pilotta.

A complete report comparing Hispanic niche markets is available from BIGresearch .

Source