• by Marina Filippelli , May 11, 2018

As English becomes more prominent, even rooted in our day-to-day lives, bilingual Latinos consistently have a choice to make: English or Spanish? Whether we’re talking to our children or our friends, listening to music or clicking on a website to buy something, we’re constantly choosing either English or Spanish.

For most bilinguals, it doesn’t even feel like a choice anymore, it just happens. Just like putting one foot in front of the other or driving, many bilingual Hispanics use their two languages interchangeably throughout the day, sometimes making a concerted effort to emphasize one over the other, but mostly just letting their brains do what feels comfortable in that moment. 

Research attempting to decipher the habits of bilingual Hispanics has been done, and yet questions remain, ones we’ve heard over and over again in our work with brands. We’ve heard marketers ponder why they should speak to consumers in Spanish when they understand English perfectly? We’ve heard them ask whether certain products or services are better served in one language versus the other. Is it generational? Geographic? With the growth of U.S.-born Hispanics, will Spanish eventually cease being a factor? And if so, when?

If there’s one thing that those of us in Hispanic marketing have learned over the years, it’s that the use, and the love, for the Spanish language is not going anywhere any time soon. Study after study has shown that Latinos continue to speak Spanish inside and outside the home, generation after generation. Not only that, but consumption of Spanish language media doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon.

And perhaps most importantly, Latinos continue to make it a priority to teach Spanish to their children. The reality is that, as parents, even if our children don’t speak Spanish fluently or with a traditional accent, we want them to at the very least know the importance of this language and continue to use it without even realizing why.

So in this fragmented media world, with so many options when it comes to how to target or how to communicate with Latinos, what should a marketer do? One approach, which we believe works, is to use both languages. Since people can’t always tell you why they chose what they chose, especially when it comes to language, we’ve returned to our understanding that language is the language of the heart. Because many times Latinos may think in English, but they feel in Spanish.

In many instances, it’s the language of “home,” and of all of the important things that your family shared with you. It is the music you grew up with and the names of the foods that remind you of who you are. And as a bilingual school administrator once told me, your “home” language, is the one you use to discipline your kids!

Beyond choosing the right media to place your targeted message, when it comes to language marketing, you might consider choosing based on the likely mindset a consumer might be in when they’re interacting with a brand’s content. On any given campaign (doesn’t matter the product), when a consumer interacts with a branded piece of content that touches on an emotional theme, they will likely connect with the part of themselves that feels—in Spanish. As they move down the funnel, they may switch to the more rational part of their brain and the useful English side may emerge. The type of product and life stage may also affect this mostly unconscious decision. 

The key thing to consider here is that just as bilingual Hispanics in the U.S. are tied to both their heritage and their home, so are they tied to both languages. Their emotions, motivations and behaviors are equally tied—which is why marketers need to consider both languages when developing content and campaigns.