Spanish-Speaking Brands Drive Success With Hispanic Consumers.

Hispanics are the largest ethnic minority group in the U.S., representing nearly one in five (18.9%) of Americans age six and older. Yet even as more Latinos are U.S. born than ever, a new report from MRI-Simmons shows that it remains a bi-cultural demographic, and that has implications on both content and advertising.

Three-quarters of Hispanics self-identify as bi-cultural, a two point increase in the past year. That is most evident in the fact that many Latinos operate in two languages. Yet there are evolving trends in their preferences.

Among all Hispanics, the report finds slightly less than half (46%) prefer to speak mostly or only English in the home versus only or mostly Spanish. First-generation Hispanics are 1.6-times more likely to prefer to speak only Spanish. Second-generation Hispanics are 1.3-times more likely to prefer to speak mostly English. And third-generation Hispanics are 2.2-times more likely to prefer to speak only English.

MRI-Simmons says that has implications for how marketers should approach this population. Spanish-language advertising matters more to Spanish-dominant speakers, who are more likely to pay attention to the ad in their mother tongue. But there is also a halo effect even among English-first or English-only Hispanics. Three in four think ads presented in Spanish show a respect for their culture.

Brands also have other potential rewards for offering ads in Spanish. The survey finds two-thirds of Spanish-dominant speakers say they are more likely to be loyal to a company that makes an effort to advertise in Spanish. And even among those that lean toward English, four in ten also say they would be more loyal to brands marketing in Spanish.

Over one-third of Hispanics fall in the 18-34 age bracket, and 21% are under 18. That youth impacts their media habits. More than a quarter of Hispanics say they are using social networks during a 24-hour period. But music is important too, with one in ten Hispanics reporting they are typically listening to music on their smartphone—with the peak hours between 12-5pm.

That is good news for radio, while TV faces a bigger challenge. According to MRI-Simmons’ Cord Evolution study, 65% of Hispanic consumers don’t subscribe to a cable or satellite service and are 8% more likely to be cordless than the average American.

For marketers contemplating whether to target this audience, MRI-Simmons points out Hispanic households account for $270 billion (14%) of all the discretionary spending in the U.S. Hispanic discretionary spending varies by market, with Hispanics controlling the largest shares in cities like Miami (59%), Los Angeles (37%), San Antonio (33%), Houston (29%), and New York (20%).

The report finds slightly over half of Hispanic consumers are above average for having a propensity to being first to try new products, clothing styles, food trends, technology, and other categories. They are also much more likely to be super influencers across a wide range of categories, including healthy lifestyles, grocery shopping, physical fitness, and movies. “A growing population of younger Americans suggests this segment’s continued influence on the population in the years to come,” it says.

Download the MRI-Simmons State of the Hispanic-American Consumer 2025 report HERE.