Marketing to Hispanic Consumers: Why Language and Media Both Matter
Many businesses still approach Hispanic marketing with an outdated playbook: translate the message into Spanish, advertise on Spanish-language television or radio, and assume they’ve reached the right audience.
That approach no longer reflects the reality of today’s Hispanic market. According to Nielsen, the U.S. Hispanic population has a median age of just 31, and as Millennials and Gen Z become a larger share of Hispanic consumers, they’re reshaping how audiences communicate and consume media.
Reaching Hispanic consumers starts with two maps: one that shows how your customers communicate and another that reveals where they spend their time.
Map One: Speak Your Customers’ Language
Many businesses begin with the wrong question: Should this campaign be in English or Spanish? The better question is: How does our audience naturally communicate?
For many Hispanic consumers, language isn’t fixed—it’s fluid. Some prefer Spanish, others English, and many move seamlessly between both, depending on who they’re talking to and where they are.
That flexibility extends beyond conversation and into media habits. According to Santiago Solutions Group, the number of bilingual Hispanics who regularly watched television in both English and Spanish increased by 26% between 2020 and 2023, illustrating how bilingual consumers engage with both English- and Spanish-language media.
For some bilingual speakers, that flexibility also extends to Spanglish. Although people define Spanglish in different ways, it’s commonly used to describe the way some bilingual speakers naturally draw from both English and Spanish in everyday conversation.
The key isn’t choosing one language over another; it’s understanding how your audience naturally communicates. For example, a restaurant promoting late-night specials to college students may use a different language strategy than a healthcare provider encouraging seniors to schedule preventive screenings.
The most effective campaigns start with the customer—not the language.
Map Two: Meet Your Customers Where They Are
Understanding how your customers communicate is only half the equation. The next question is just as important: Where are they spending their time?
While Spanish-language television and radio remain valuable, they’re no longer the only places to reach Hispanic consumers. Younger audiences increasingly spend their time streaming content and engaging on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, podcasts, and other digital channels.
Nielsen reports that 55.8% of Hispanic television viewing now takes place on streaming platforms, compared with 46% for the overall U.S. audience. The data suggest that Hispanic consumers are embracing streaming more quickly than the broader U.S. audience.
That doesn’t mean businesses should choose between traditional and digital media. The goal is to build the right media mix based on the audience you’re trying to reach.
The most effective combination will vary from one business to the next. A neighborhood coffee shop may rely primarily on Instagram while also advertising in a local publication to attract nearby customers. A credit union, meanwhile, may combine streaming, YouTube, and local media to connect with prospective members.
Just as language should be driven by your audience, so should your media strategy. The right channels are the ones your audience actually uses.
Beyond Translation
Successful Hispanic marketing is about far more than translation. It requires understanding both how people communicate and where they engage with media, then building strategies that reflect those behaviors.
At Lu & La Agency, we help businesses navigate both maps. From messaging and creative development to media planning and campaign execution, we create marketing strategies that align with the language preferences and media habits of Hispanic consumers.
Ready to move beyond translation? Contact Lu & La Agency to start the conversation.
Contributing Author:Julie Lorenz