First Generation/Second Generation

I'm a first generation Latina. Simply, it means I wasn't born here in the US. I moved to St. Louis from Puerto Rico when I was 8 years old so I'm considered "foreign-born". My sister, however, is a second generation Latina, she was born here in the States.

Big differences?
Yes. Not only is she a size 0 and is super smart about technology -yes, ok, I'm jealous and that's not the point- which is that my sister never learned to speak Spanish. Unfortunately, when she went to school, my parents were discouraged by her teachers to speak to her in Spanish. While mami and I were watching a telenovela on Univision, my sister was in her room on her computer.

Most first generation Latinos are thirty-somethings, and while we have comprised the largest group of Latinos for decades, our reign ended in the year 2000, when second generation Latinos took over as the largest group. They will continue to be the dominant group until 2020.

What impact will this have?
For a marketer this is an interesting, and somewhat frustrating challenge. When a company says they want to market to Latinos-- it's not a one-size-fits all formula. Most companies know this. Socio-economic factors such as acculturation, education and language play a big role in defining the segment/s they decide to go after. Making the differences between and within the generations even more complicated. For example-- while I'm a first generation Latina, I behave more like a general market consumer in terms of how I consume media. My sister, a second generation Latina, also behaves this way except that within her 'category' of second generation, there are Spanish-speakers, who have held on to the language and culture. It can be confusing for companies, but a fascinating challenge for marketers.

How do we help our clients get the biggest bang for their buck?
In my experience, when developing a campaign, it's about identifying what ties all of these groups together, Spanish-speaking or not. It's about respecting the cultures, eliminating stereotypes and taking chances.

As if Hispanic Marketing wasn't diverse enough, the new challenges of a large second generation population will surely continue to change the Hispanic media landscape, and it will be up to us as marketers to continue to educate and challenge our clients on the changing definitions, 'mini segments', and what this will mean to their business.