Challenging the belief that all US Hispanics are culturally homogeneous: An AHAA and AARP cultural orientation and generational study

Abstract

Hispanic marketing has grown significantly over the last 30 years in large part because corporations have applied an effective cross-cultural marketing framework. Popularised by M. Isabel Valdés, the In-Culture Marketing™ methodology1 posits that: (1) culture influences the attitudes, thoughts and behaviours of consumers; and (2) marketing effectiveness is optimised when the marketing mix accounts for the cultural orientation of US Hispanics. This methodology continues to be the gold standard in Hispanic marketing today and is the basis for a multi-billion dollar industry. Marketing to Hispanics has almost exclusively been based on the use of the Spanish language and Hispanic cultural insights. It is contended that this is an oversimplification. This paper proposes that the Hispanic consumer is culturally diverse and constantly evolving, and suggests that leading organisations will need to better understand the changing cultural orientation of the US Hispanic consumer to be successful, as more companies are looking to this segment of the population for growth.