“Hispanic Customers for Life: A Fresh Look at Acculturation,”
by M. Isabel Valdés

Hispanic Generational Crossover is Critical for Market Segmentation

The Hispanic market is experiencing its most important socio-demographic shift since its emergence as a powerful and distinct U.S. market segment. This shift is becoming evident in the marketplace as the Latino “generational crossover” takes place.

A new book by M. Isabel Valdés, “Hispanic Customers for Life: A Fresh Look at Acculturation,” explores the generational differences among Hispanic immigrants and their U.S.- born offspring and what those differences mean for marketers of all kinds of products and services, government agencies and not-for-profit organizations.

By 2016, it will be a different market altogether; the vast majority of Hispanics aged 20 to 29, the “twentysomethings,” will have been born in the United States and be well acquainted with U.S. culture. However, Ms. Valdés states, “these consumers are very often born to at least one parent who is foreign born and they are straddling two cultures! Communicating, selling, providing services to them, etc., will be nothing like the past two decades.”

Ms. Valdés, a marketing expert, is recognized as the creator of the “In-culture” marketing approach. She is a lecturer and public speaker who has been studying and writing about the Hispanic market for more than 20 years. Her earlier books, Marketing to American Latinos: A Guide to the In-Culture Approach, Parts I and II, are classics that are used in many universities around the country and can be found on the bookshelves of most multicultural marketers.

Most news media speak of Hispanic consumers as only or mostly immigrants. While in fact, in 2006 only 19.9 million Hispanics living in the U.S. were “first generation” or foreign born, whereas 24.8 million or 55 percent of the total were second, third or more generation born in the United States. Add the 3.9 million Puerto Rican Islanders—also American citizens—and the true size of the U.S.-born Hispanic market segment today is nearly 29 million.

In an important departure from the usual ways of viewing this market, Ms. Valdés segments it by age and generation, highlighting the waves of acculturation and helping marketers understand how different levels of acculturation have an impact on Hispanic consumers’ expectations. The model can be used to anticipate each generation’s response to marketing messages and to craft messages accordingly. She also notes that there are two basic population platforms for Hispanics born in the United States: the “young millennial Latinos”, i.e. the second generation youth market—children, teens, and young adults born to foreign-born parents, and the “traditional Latinos”—those born to Latino families that have been U.S. citizens for two or more generations. This is further underscored in the chart, Hispanic Generational Segmentation by Age, which can be viewed at http://www.paramountbooks.com/productimages/FIGURE8.6.pdf.

An additional feature of the book is a comprehensive list of Hispanic-related websites, including trade organizations, community organizations, publications, marketing companies, media, researchers, and so forth.

“Hispanic Customers for Life: A Fresh Look at Acculturation,” by M. Isabel Valdés (February 2008, $44.95 plus shipping; full retail price is $49.95) is available at www.isabelvaldes.com or Paramount Market Publishing, Inc, or by calling toll-free 888-787-8100.

For more information on the book, Ms. Valdés’ speaking schedule and consulting services, visit her website www.isabelvaldes.com or email her at ivc@isabelvaldes.com.

For interviews contact Lisa Skriloff or Yartish Bullock-Okeke at 212-242-3351.

Contacts:

Public Relations:
Lisa Skriloff or Yartish Bullock-Okeke
Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc.
212-242-3351
lisa@multicultural.com; yartish@multicultural.com

Doris Walsh (Publisher)
Paramount Market Publishing, Inc
888-787-8100 or 607-275-8100