Editor’s note: In this article, Adweek deviated from its style of using Latinx due to the writer’s preference.
The Latino community comprises 19% of the U.S. population and exceeds 25% of Gen Z. This rapidly growing demographic is not only assimilating into America but impacting the broader culture in fascinating ways.
In four of the past five years, the most streamed artist on Spotify was Latino/a. We’re seeing a rapid growth of Hispanic stories told in general market platforms, such as Eva Longoria’s directorial debut film Flaming Hot on Hulu and John Leguizamo’s new series being renewed for a second season on MSNBC. This group is excited about their American future but maintains a stickiness to their Latino past. A whopping 39% of Hispanic Gen Zers report feeling “an amplified affinity to their ancestral legacy,” which is unique for a youth demographic to espouse.
The 2023 proprietary study titled The Latino Mosaic, commissioned by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Chemistry (my advertising agency) uncovered insights to help brands successfully engage younger generations of multicultural consumers. To reach these dynamic, upwardly mobile trendsetters, brands should lean into three recent trends that have popped: Spanglish in advertising, a passion for music and leveraging the power of TikTok.
Spanglish
One of the most fascinating trendlines in this new paradigm is the fluidity of language. What used to be a binary choice between English and Spanish is now more akin to a spectrum.
Not surprisingly, English as a preferred language has grown exponentially by generation. 50% of first-generation Latinos prefer exclusively Spanish, while the number drops to only 4% of the third generation. However, counter-intuitively the opposite occurs with Spanglish.
Rather than merely having younger generations adopt English, as all immigrant groups did before, a full 20% of Gen Z Latinos prefer Spanglish over either language. In other words, something new and interesting is afoot. Younger gens are not merely assimilating, nor rejecting American culture, but rather inventing something that beautifully melds the two.
This cross-cultural nuance is evident in Spanish-language commercials that are increasingly airing on English-language broadcast television and Spanglish often appearing on previously Spanish-only networks like Univision and Telemundo. Furthermore, the prevalence of digital and social media has made it easier to target by language, helping marketers connect authentically with consumers in the way they communicate with each other.