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Hispanic women are one of the most influential segments of the beauty and self-care industry. In fact, according to an article in Beauty Inc, Latin women outspend the average U.S. beauty consumer by a whopping 30 percent. 

Yet despite the massive spending power of Hispanic women, this important demographic is still often underrepresented and overlooked in advertising targeting the American public. For savvy beauty industry insiders, this presents an opportunity to both tap into a potent market and make a real difference in promoting diversity and inclusion.

Combating Stereotypes of Hispanic Women in Beauty Advertisements

One of the most significant factors behind the underrepresentation of Hispanic women is the historical stereotypes and generalizations this demographic has to face. Marketers often reduce this dynamic population to a single tokenized identity. Instead, it’s best for marketers to always remember that Hispanic women have their own styles and come in all sizes, colors and hair types. Hispanic women and Latinas should feel comfortable embracing, and not embracing, their cultural trademarks without judgment.

“It’s evident that Latinos have a long way to go, but we can do our part in small ways daily to improve the situation. Whether it’s by educating others on our culture, proudly representing our heritage, or correcting those who have it wrong, it’s all bound to pay off,” says Gisselle Castro, an author at HipLatina.

According to marketing strategist Dania Aguayo, a first-generation American with parents born in Mexico, there is still far too much reduction of the Hispanic population within advertising. These characterizations do not really resonate with or even represent the actual American Hispanic population.  

While speaking Spanish and having an extended family, for example, are traits of Hispanics, those now in the United States often identify with much more common and mainstream values and lifestyles. Trying to include these factors and other “proofs of authenticity” in advertising to Hispanics, according to Aguayo, can often backfire and further alienate or turn off your target audience, who already feel patronized.

How to Effectively Market to a Hispanic Audience

According to Bloomberg, the Hispanic market is one of the fastest growing and includes some of the highest purchasing power, particularly in the beauty industry. Therefore, focusing marketing efforts on this audience should be a strategy of any company that wants to stay ahead of the curve. 

The article also states that Hispanic celebrities and influencers are driving the marketing efforts of the Latin beauty market, leaving more established retail brands behind. The key to effectively reaching out to this demographic is to understand it is not monolithic, but highly dynamic and diverse. Hispanic consumers come from over a dozen different countries in the Americas, and while they share some cultural elements, there are also many variations between nationality and culture.

For example, Afro-descendent and Indigenous women, which make up many Latin American nations and are a sizable piece of the immigrant landscape in the U.S., are much less often depicted in Hispanic beauty ads than women with fair skin and straight and lightened hair. In a report by ThinkNow, 42% of surveyors shared that their decision on which brand to buy from depends on the diversity of the color palettes available for people of all skin tones. These results were heavily influenced by Hispanic and African American consumers, and show the important role representation can play in beauty ads.  

How We Can Help

My Code draws upon nearly a decade of research and personal experience in the multicultural community to design marketing campaigns that connect with the Hispanic population. Contact us today to find out how we can help your company on its next beauty and self-care campaign.