University of California
Agricultura y Recursos Naturales

Posts Tagged: Spanish language

The bilingual brain

Hispanics and Millennials are two of the fastest growing and increasingly important consumer groups in the U.S. So it's no surprise that marketers are eager to understand how to connect with these populations. But to engage with those who fall in both groups, Hispanic Millennials, it is imperative to understand the impact of language in order to optimize messaging for this demographic that increasingly identifies as bilingual.

Research done by Nielsen has demonstrated that bilingual speakers have a number of cognitive advantages over their monolingual peers; however, the neurological impact of bilingualism on advertising had not yet been explored. Utilizing Nielsen's proprietary consumer neuroscience technology, Nielsen, Univision and Starcom collaborated to research unarticulated language preferences and their impact on advertising, answering key questions, such as:

  • Does the emerging population of bilingual Millennials respond differently to messaging when it is in Spanish than when it is in English?
  • What are the best ways to reach and connect with Hispanic bilingual Millennials?
  • How does the language of television programming influence how the advertisement is received by the consumer?

The results confirm that language influences how ads are received and introduces the idea that advertising in Spanish offers a unique advantage for brands striving to connect with bilingual Hispanic Millennials.

To Connect, Consider Spanish

Spanish-language advertising did a better job connecting with Bi-Llennials in a range of scenarios, particularly when the ads' content was emotional in nature. Ads featuring social interaction were generally more emotionally engaging and memorable for Bi-Llennials in Spanish than in English. Similarly, branding sequences were more effective in Spanish than in English.

Source: Nielsen, The bilingual brain, June 24, 2014.

Posted on Monday, September 15, 2014 at 9:37 AM
  • Author: Nielsen

Reaching Latinos: Media vies for a winning formula

Reaching the nation's 55 million Latinos has become gospel for mainstream media giants, but capturing this fast-growing, mostly U.S.-born audience is proving tricky to networks and websites. For every success story there is a flop.

Take CNN's latest attempt at a Spanish-language broadcast targeting U.S Latinos. The broadcaster is no newcomer to the Spanish-speaking world, for decades reaching Latin America with CNN en Espanol. But the company said it axed its CNN Latino domestic Spanish-language service after one year because it failed "to fulfill our business expectations."

NBC's attempt at a website called NBC Latino folded in January after 16 months, despite producing thousands of original stories. Even the much-heralded Fusion — a joint venture of Univision and ABC — is still experiencing growing pains, shedding several programs in its first year and restructuring its nightly news show from five days a week to one.

One challenge: Many in the audience today are second- and third-generation Latinos, and often they eschew a Latino-only box, even as they crave more stories that include them.

MSNBC Executive Producer Chris Pena saw the challenges firsthand in guiding NBC Latino. From the start, he said, there was debate whether to create a stand-alone site for English-speaking Latinos. NBC has since rolled its Latino content into a page within its broader revamped news site, albeit with fewer reporters but wider distribution.

Survivors have emerged and show staying power, Fusion among them. Among Latino-focused websites and TV networks born in recent years, several are still standing: HuffPost Latino Voices; VOXXI's independent news site for Latinos, Fox News Latino, focusing on the domestic English-speaking Latino market; and Mundo Fox with world news in Spanish.

Then there's the long-running NPR program Latino USA, in its 20th year. It expanded to an hour-long magazine last year after host Maria Hinojosa decided to produce the show independently.

Hinojosa says reaching Latinos is just about reaching people.

"We don't sit here and intentionally say, 'Well, we have a Mexican piece, a Dominican piece.' But we are spanning the conversation for people my age, and people who are younger," she said. "We're not only doing journalism, we're also doing storytelling."

In recent months, the popular website Buzzfeed also has noticeably upped the caliber and number of its Hispanic-related stories.

But American audiences are more fragmented than ever, meaning when it comes to Latinos, media companies and their advertisers are often pursuing a slice of a market slice.

Millennials — adults in their mid-30s and younger — and even Gen Xers — those between about 35 and 50 — are finding content differently, favoring mobile devices over TVs or desktop computers. That's especially true in the Latino market where the average age is 27, compared to 42 for non-Latino white Americans.

Source: Published originally on The Miami Herald as Reaching Latinos: Media vies for a winning formula by Laura Wides-Munoz, AP Hispanic Affairs Writer, April 3, 2014.

Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2014 at 8:12 AM
  • Author: The Miami Herald

Majority of Latinos identify “familia” as core to their identity

The FAM Study (Familia Americana Moderna) released by Telemundo Media explores the evolution of the Latino family and its impact on television viewing habits and family influence on purchase decisions in key categories.

The study, conducted among over 1,000 Latino adults 18+, also provides a better understanding of the multi-family and extended family phenomenon and explores the role of culture and the situational and selective preference for the use of Spanish.

Findings showed 86 percent of Latinos identified the “family” as core to their Latino identity; 81 percent said Spanish-language television preserves the language and culture in Latino families; and more than 60 percent of Latinos look for info and advice within their family across key product categories such as food, financial services and health products.

Multiple economic, social and cultural forces in the U.S. affect Latinos today at a higher rate than other ethnicities, creating unique family dynamics that have a strong influence on attitudes, behaviors, purchase decisions and media consumption.

The FAM study also found:

– Spanish-language television news and entertainment is an invaluable resource for Latino families. Eighty-one percent stated Spanish-language television is used to maintain the language and culture for themselves and their family members. In addition, viewing of Spanish-language television is a family experience, with 70 percent of respondents stating they watch television with their children.

– Consumer purchase decisions are heavily influenced by the family across key product categories: 73 percent look within their family for advice/information when purchasing food and 60 percent when making purchase decisions on financial services and health products.

– “Familia” (family) is the core to Latino identity. When asked “What does it mean to be Latino?” 86 percent chose family and 41 percent picked home as the top two identifiers. When asked the same question about being American, 56 percent chose economics and 42 percent education.

– Each Latino family owns an array of devices, with 85 percent reporting use of an HD television at home with all family members, followed by laptop computers (81%), smart phones with apps (78%) and gaming consoles (74%).

– Latino families also reported that the internet enhances their family connection: 84 percent of respondents said they use search engines every day or a few times a week, with 66 percent connecting with relatives via Facebook and 42 percent using instant messenger to speak with family.

Telemundo Media research model defined the following family segmentations:

– Multi-Gen: Three or more generations living in family home – 25%

– Multi-Fam: Two or more families living together in one home – 31%

– ReNesters: Young Adults have returned to live with family after living elsewhere for some time – 18%

– Comings & Goings: Persons living in family home who came to the U.S. in the past three years or left the family home to return to their country of origin – 26%

– Inter-Ethnics: Family that includes one or more persons who are not Latino, typically a spouse – 15%

Source: NBC Universal, Nearly 90% of Latinos identify “familia” as core to their identity according to Telemundo media's the FAM study, unveiled at advertising week in New York, October 4, 2012.

Posted on Tuesday, October 16, 2012 at 11:56 AM
  • Author: Myriam Grajales-Hall

Read more

 
E-mail
 
Webmaster Email: lisa.rawleigh@ucr.edu