What if I tell you, that most of us are avid viewers of Spanish shows without even knowing it?
How is that possible?
Well, let’s play a game. Recognize these famous Hispanic shows on the famous OTT platform Netflix.
La Casa de Papel, La Reina del Sur, Las chicas del cable, Élite, Trùm Ma Túy.
You just scored a zero, did you?
Most people living in the US might not recognize these shows, so, it’s okay. Let us try again.
Money Heist, Queen of South, Cable Girls, Elite and Narcos.
Now, I am sure you passed with flying colors.
As per, Statista, 3 out of 4 Hispanic viewers in the US watch Spanish language content occasionally. The number has especially seen a surge, thanks to the Hispanic content available on OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc.
So, what does this surge mean for advertisers? Is it going to impact the way marketers promote products or is it just a smoke screen?
Let’s explore this together.
Rise of Spanish Speakers in US and Its Impact on Businesses
Hispanics are the biggest minority in the USA, making a whopping 20% of the total population. This means most Caucasians now come across Hispanics as class fellows, neighbors, friends, business partners, colleagues, and love interests.
While the growth of the Latino community in the US is helping with diversity, tolerance, and inclusivity, it is making Spanish a more common language as well. Most people today are aware of Spanish terms, events, food, music, fashion, influencers, celebrities, and cultural themes.
Moreover, Nielsen-Univision ROI of Inclusivity Study claims that Spanish speakers in the U.S. will reach over 75 million in number by 2030. In fact, the Hispanic buying power in the U.S. was $1.9 trillion in 2023, making it a huge market that most brands just cannot afford to miss.
So how is this rising number of Spanish speakers going to transform marketing?
Different Ways Spanish Language Streaming Will Affect Ad Marketing
- Teaching Basic Conversation Tactics
Communication sits at the core of business, be it B2B (business to business) or B2C (business to customer). In the USA, most English-speaking advertisers rely on technology for translating. In some cases, this translation can be quite inaccurate, leading to marketing blunders. Moreover, the Pew Research Center reports that 25% of Spanish speakers living in the USA find it hard to carry a conversation in Spanish.
With more Spanish content streaming platforms and the mainstream presence of Hispanic characters, audiences and marketers are learning about the nuance of the Hispanic language. From mastering the accent and expression to understanding the difference between informal and formal conversations, marketers are now learning a lot.
Moreover, brands are now able to relate to Hispanic customers and their issues, which is helping them, market their products better. For instance, brands are now aware that older Hispanics still find it hard to converse in English. This is the reason established brands like Spectrum have multilingual support for their customers. Spectrum en español support is available 24/7 to help Hispanic customers with their internet-related issues.
- Offering More Advertising Platforms
With the growth of the Hispanic audience and the surge in Spanish language content, most OTT platforms are now trying to cash in on the Spanish audience. Famous OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and Disney have Spanish dubbed content as well as authentic Spanish content. These platforms mainly offer subscription-based ad-free content for the users.
While OTT platforms can only help with understanding the audience better, exclusive Spanish content streaming platforms have also jumped into the market. These exclusive Spanish content streaming platforms are making the biggest difference by offering ad space.
For instance, a platform like Televisa-Univision’s ViX+ is an excellent example. The platform supports both ad-based and subscription-based offers for their customers. Similarly, Canela Media is another name in the Spanish content industry. The platform offers free, ad-supported content across multiple platforms.
- Helping with Cultural Awareness
Cancel culture is becoming prevalent, thanks to social media platforms and online trends. One small mistake by a marketer can instantly steer any established brand out of business. To avoid these issues, markets are encouraged to learn about cultural relativity and sensitive issues.
With the help of online content made by Spanish content creators and scriptwriters, marketers can understand the cultural intricacies. This content can help in highlighting common issues that need to be addressed, humor that the Hispanics enjoy, and wins they want to celebrate.
Moreover, humor is an important technique in marketing, and staying updated with Hispanic content is an excellent way to use humor for marketing. For instance, major brands utilized Money Heist taglines and memes to market their brands and appeal to Hispanic audiences.
- Tapping into Real-Life Issues
The success of any business relies on two important pillars i.e. marketing and product designing. When a product solves an issue or addresses a problem, it instantly becomes a hit. Within the US market, the Hispanic population is diverse, coming from different countries.
As a result, marketers find it challenging to differentiate between different types of Latino Americans and their issues. Watching content is an excellent way to learn about the Hispanic population and get to learn about real-life issues they come across.
Eventually, this can be an excellent way to address issues and solve them with the right product, tool, or device. Moreover, addressing real-life issues is a winning marketing strategy that brings more leads and customers.
Interesting Facts about Spanish Content
- Netflix bought Money Heist for just $2
- Narcos season 3 gained 50.3 million hours of viewing in one week
- Spanish show Elite is expected to generate over $230 million by the year 2027
