Some pundits make the case that the Hispanic community is more of a construct, fabricated by marketers rather than an existing cultural cohort. It may be true that outside the U.S., Latin Americans do not necessarily feel an affinity and cultural connection to other Latin Americans, perhaps in the same way Australians might not feel affinity for New Zealanders or the British despite some cultural commonalities. Still, Latin Americans (in Latin America) do share a lot, culturally, even while having distinct and diverse practices, traditions and even behavior. They share affinity for the same sports, the same language (though dialects …

Good news, the digital divide is closing for Hispanics. The Pew Hispanic Center recently published an encouraging report that indicates that the digital divide is shrinking due in large part to rapid Hispanic mobile adoption and strong usage of social networking sites. For marketers, the report should be another clear indication that it is time to get serious about investing in the U.S. Hispanic digital market.

A veteran Hispanic marketing professional gave me sage advice the other day. Over a lively dinner conversation, he recounted his 30+ year history in Hispanic marketing - how he got into the business, what the industry looked like in the '80s, and some tall tales about the larger-than-life personalities and key moments of the early days of Hispanic marketing. He recounted some simple advice received from a renowned Hispanic ad agency founder who told him: "Never forget - you're not the market."