As time goes by and the Hispanic population in the United States continues to grow, a great portion of the U.S. Hispanics speak English and Spanish in their daily lives, creating a very interesting cultural mix.

In their daily conversations they go from one language to the other depending on the place, the environment, the people they are communicating with or the circumstances; and they often borrow English words, which they incorporate into their Spanish phrases or vice versa, creating a unique mix of languages called “Spanglish”. 

Nowadays, it is becoming more common to hear people speaking “Spanglish” in shopping malls, schools, workplaces, stores and restaurants. This undoubtedly makes us rethink this growing consumer segment. Marketing professionals now understand this target audience’s behaviors, their likes and dislikes, and their multicultural influences, and recognize their importance in the business world. 

According to statistics provided by the AHAA and validated by HOPGROUP, Hispanic millennials and boomers use Spanglish and have distinctive buying patterns.

Other key figures to highlight are: 

• Bilingual households are increasing and 50% of second-generation Hispanics speak two languages. 
• English remains the preferred language among young Hispanics. However, being able to speak Spanish is a respected virtue in Hispanic communication.
• 95% of Hispanics believe it is critical for future generations of U.S. Hispanics to speak Spanish. 
• 82% of millennials speak English, but Spanglish still influences their daily communication.

A pro-environmental advocacy group called LVC conducted research to establish the preferred language among Hispanics. The research consisted of landing page messages related to different environmental issues that were developed in English, Spanish and Spanglish.

The ads with Spanglish text got many more clicks and attracted more users than those that were entirely in Spanish or English. And while all ads were aimed at the same target audience, there was a slight increase in the number of clicks when ads were specifically targeted to Spanish-speaking or bilingual audiences.

So, how can you communicate effectively and efficiently with this consumer segment?

The key is to be genuine with the audience. The use of Spanglish is necessary, but it has to be authentic and commonly used. Spanglish is not a combination of any two words but rather it’s something that comes naturally and represents and connects the Hispanic culture. 

In your Hispanic marketing campaigns and communications, it is very important to have an authentic connection, and Spanglish can be your ally in achieving that. 

Spanglish has been with us for many years. It’s time to give it the importance it deserves in Hispanic communication as it is the ideal way to connect with Hispanics.