In-Culture Conversations Critical Between Marketers & Latina Mom

BabyCenter.com has released the results of a comprehensive study about Latina moms. The Hispanic Moms Acculturation study, part of the 21st Century Mom™ Insight Series, offers key insights into the influence of acculturation on moms’ behaviors and preferences related to shopping, mealtime, media consumption, and more.

The acculturation study interviewed 2,479 Hispanic and 1,472 non-Hispanic moms across BabyCenter en Espanol. The Hispanic moms ranged from recent immigrants to native-born English-speakers.

With one in four babies born in this country being Hispanic, and Hispanics representing 55% of the population growth in the United States, this study sheds new light on the behaviors of Latina moms as they go through the acculturation process and integrate elements of American culture with those of their own heritage.  Additionally, the study aims to provide marketers with insights about how best to reach this diverse and fast-growing audience.

Isidra Mencos, editorial director of BabyCenter for the Americas and Spain, says, “While Hispanic moms are linguistically diverse, culture acts as a powerful force for uniting them. Marketers that integrate authentic cultural elements into their media can craft a message that resonates with Latina moms’ deepest values and aspirations.”

Shopping: Hispanic Moms Are Brand Loyal and Love to Shop With Their Families

Across all levels of acculturation, Latina moms are much more likely to purchase brand-name CPGs.  Additionally, Latina moms are much more likely than the general population to purchase global heritage brands that resonate emotionally. This presents a great opportunity for CPGs facing competition from less expensive generic brands, especially in these difficult economic times.

Hispanic moms are avid consumers, with 57% saying they love to shop vs. 30% for the general population. This behavior diminishes, however, as they become busier and acculturate. Shopping is also regarded as a family affair.  Hispanic moms are three times less likely to shop alone.  Despite stereotypes about machismo, 54% of Latinas share their purchase decisions with spouses or partners vs. 44% of non-Hispanics.

Mealtime: An Important Way of Connecting to Culture at Every Acculturation Level

Regardless of acculturation, dinnertime is one of the best ways for Hispanic moms to connect their family to their culture. 36% of Hispanic moms vs. 15% of non-Hispanic moms say dinner is the best time of the day, 41% maintain Hispanic food as part of their daily diet, and 57% cook from scratch vs. 11% for the non-Hispanic moms. As they acculturate, however, Hispanic moms are more likely to look for shortcuts to ease meal preparation, buying some packaged products to incorporate into a traditional meal. 68% of Hispanic moms are likely to share one meal a week with extended family.

Celebrations such as kids’ birthdays are also a point of connection among Hispanic moms across all acculturation levels. Hispanics include extended family in these celebrations regardless of age. They spend more money than the general population and their parties last longer.

Media Consumption: Culture Drives the Conversation Between Brands and Latina Moms

Although highly acculturated Hispanic moms (either native-born or bilingual) don’t consume much media in Spanish, they respond better to advertising in Spanish. In fact, advertising in Spanish that features authentic cultural imagery has more impact than advertising in English for all Hispanic moms, whether they’re less, moderately, or highly acculturated.  Spanish or Spanglish in advertising seems to create a cultural connection that Hispanic moms embrace, perceiving it as an acknowledgment of their heritage. Almost 50% of Hispanic moms would consider Spanish language ads on English websites engaging or appealing, 35% would find them helpful, and only 4% would find them inappropriate. And 56% of highly acculturated moms would prefer to see an ad in Spanish or Spanglish vs. 43% for the English-only version.

When it comes to visual representations of Hispanic moms today, they prefer images of family and togetherness vs. individual pursuits. As for aspirations, family continues to be #1, but professional success is seen as inspiring. Pampering or “me” time is not engaging for Hispanic moms.