Carat Intern Project:
Understanding the Hispanic Consumer

This research was conducted as part of an intern project for Carat USA, a global media company I interned at during Summer 2016. Working with six of my fellow interns, our task was to conduct a deep-dive into the lives of the Hispanic Consumer for a home improvement and construction store. Because the Hispanic Demographic was a key component of their consumer base, it was our job to do further research into the lives and technology habits of Hispanic Americans in order to better understand how to capture their demographic.

In order to conduct effective research, we first split up the various categories of research per team member. Areas of research included things like:
        • Basic demographic information: Interests, Activities, and Mindsets
        • Target information: Media Habits
        • Target information: Purchasing Behavior
        • Trends
        • Case studies

We planned to gather a combination of both broad and specific information, as this would allow us to have a more well-rounded sense of understanding regarding our consumers. We could then specifiy this information in greater detail, pulling from our insights and using case studies to come up with informed recommendations.

Because of my interests in technology use, I conducted research on the media habits of Hispanic consumers. I found information regarding the media habits of the general US Hispanic population, including the devices they typically use and how they use them. Using key resources like Nielsen, Mintel, MediaPost, and eMarketer, I was able to gather useful insights and report back to my colleagues.

After we had conducted research, we met as a team to go over our findings and begin compiling our information into a slide deck we could present to our client’s Media Director. We found that the Hispanic population is diverse, and the term itself can account for a large population of people.

The importance of culture was also a prominent theme throughout our research. Hispanics come from a wide array of countries and have much pride for their country of origin. The term Hispanic is very general, and Hispanic people may instead refer to their specific home countries more because they personally resonate. Noting this difference is important. 

We also found that while 2nd generation Hispanics may be bilingual, they are consuming most media in English. However, this does not mean that they are not also proud of their culture, which was an important finding to note. Language and culture are not necessarily interchangeable. Their values are a blend of both cultures, something we deemed “200%: 100% American, 100% Hispanic”.

The research I conducted and presented was in regards to the media behavior and habits of the hispanic consumer. Through this research, we found that Hispanics are prominent smartphone users compared to other minorities and total users, and a substantial portion of Hispanics are also tablet users.

In addition to these handheld devices however, it was also important to consider traditional channels like TV. TV is largely popular amongst Hispanics. Nevertheless, it was useful to note that whereas monthly time spent watching TV decreased slightly from 2014 to 2015, video viewing on PCs and smartphones increased slightly. Both mediums are therefore important: TV because of its large popularity, and PC/Smartphone because of their growing potential as ways to consume video.

Consequently, Hispanics are not only consuming more video, but they are also doing it across more platforms. These platforms are key because of they can increase the range of content offered, including niche topics like foreign or international news. These are topics Hispanics are specifically seeking out. As an example of this, Hispanic Millennials often turn to YouTube to get news, which is a bit unconventional but highlights the versatility held by these such platforms and why it is important to keep them in mind in planning.

In addition to this, Hispanics often use social media to connect with both their family and peers, and they do this through personalized, specifically visual content that they can create themselves and which caters to their own demographic.

Following this, research was conducted on the purchasing behavior of Hispanics. We found that Hispanics research and purchase across laptops/PCs, smartphones, and tablets. Laptop/PCs are their primary device for research and purchase but they are also more likely to use smartphone and tablets when compared to the general population. 

After our research had been conducted, we look at our client’s current status in targeting the Hispanic Consumer. The client currently works off a departmental system rather than audience based, although they do have bilingual signage and staff, a Hispanic YouTube account organized by season and type of project, and directly translate General Market ads to Spanish. Further points conducted as part of our SWOT analysis include examples such as:

        • Strengths: YouTube channel exceeds competitors; strong overall brand name
        • Weaknesses:  Hispanic website closed due to low traffic; lack of Hispanic values and culture in advertisements
        • Opporunities: Bilingualapproach to ads; organizing the youtube channel by cultural events, Facebook page in Spanish; update website to include some Spanish translations; host in-store bilingual DIY workshops to get customers in-store.
        • Threats: Direct competitors; smaller, more hispanic friendly brands

After combining all our research, we were able to come up with slide deck of information that we presented, which included a set of final recommendations and supporting strategies. Our main recommendation was to follow a total market approach: First, looking at how general market approaches reach the Hispanic consumer, and then understanding how to further reach out beyond this to fill gaps where Hispanic consumers exist.

By finding pockets where the demographic was not being reached, Hispanic-specific ads and strategies could be implemeneted that would help to build brand love (for example, introducing ads focused on culture rather than price points). Other ways to fill the gap included things allocating more money towards search and mobile;  targeting the younger Hispanic demographic as they are a large group of future consumers; and focusing more on the DIY aspect of home improvement.

One of the main challenges I faced personally throughout this project was learning how to create effective slides that could convey key points to the audience without overburdening them with information. I was able to learn a lot after speaking with one of my bosses and mentors, Jason. In this case, he explained to me how slides should be used to complement the story that you’re trying to tell, and as a result they shouldn’t be burdened with telling the entire narrative.

Taking his advice, I was able to update my slides so that they were more aesthetically pleasing, and more effective in presenting information to the audience. Taking a step back and understanding just what it was I was trying to convey to the audience allowed me to make my slides more concise. 

This project was important because it taught me how to look at a specific user group through research and data. By looking at various graphs and reports, I was able to learn more about the media habits of Hispanic consumers. This information could be used in the future to create ads that tailor to the Hispanic demographic’s user experience.

In addition, because of this project I was also able to improve my presentation skills. By making my slides more to-the-point, I was able to increase the likelihood that my audience members would actually be able to read what was being presented to them, and understand why the data mattered in the context of the larger point I was trying to make.